C.J. Stroud is heading to the Texans, making it back-to-back quarterbacks to start. (Published 2023) (2024)

Quarterbacks, top-10 trades and a bull market for running backs headlined the first round of this year’s N.F.L. draft.

The Carolina Panthers chose Alabama quarterback Bryce Young at No. 1 overall, as expected, 12 years after drafting quarterback Cam Newton at that spot. The Houston Texans, who took Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud at No. 2, and the Indianapolis Colts, who picked Florida’s Anthony Richardson at No. 4, also sought to secure the new faces of their franchises under center.

Most mock drafts had Will Levis, a quarterback from Kentucky, being picked early in the first round. But after three quarterbacks were taken within the first four picks, Levis waited and waited for his name to be called on Thursday night to no avail. Running backs, receivers, cornerbacks, edge rushers. But no more quarterbacks.

Several times in the first half of the night, television cameras showed Levis sitting in the green room inside Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., at the draft site. His face was flush and he nervously looked straight ahead. Then the squirmy shots largely disappeared from telecasts, though announcers speculated on whether any team still left on the board would select him. Three other players in attendance, Georgia Tech edge rusher Keion White, Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Alabama safety Brian Branch, also faced the deflating experience, but without constant check-ins from the networks.

While the draft festivities concluded in their hometown, the Chiefs selected Felix Anudike-Uzomah, a defensive end from Kansas State and a native of Kansas City, with the final pick of the first round. By drafting Anudike-Uzomah, the Super Bowl champions added depth along the defense line to help Chris Jones rush the passer.

Though Kansas City lost wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency, defense also became an area of need after the team released veteran defensive end Frank Clark this off-season.

The New Orleans Saints selected Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Breese at No. 29, giving them an interior rushing presence next to the Pro Bowl edge rusher Cameron Jordan.

Breese was ranked No. 1 in his high school class by 247Sports in 2020, and earned freshman all-American honors. He never quite reached his full potential in college, but was effective enough to earn a second-team all-conference selection last season.

Powerful at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, he finished with 15 tackles (5.5 of them for loss) and 3.5 sacks last season. For the Saints, he seems to be a pick with significant upside on a defensive line that needs an impactful interior rusher.

And with that, the first round of the 2021 N.F.L. draft has concluded. Only 228 more picks to go.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Myles Murphy, a defensive end from Clemson, at No. 28.

Last season, Murphy tied for the team lead in sacks (6.5) and had 40 total tackles (11 for loss), but he missed the scouting combine and Clemson’s pro day workouts because of a hamstring injury. Still, the Bengals see potential in Murphy and made him the first defensive lineman the club had selected in the first round since 2001.

Murphy will compete for a starting job or at the very least add depth to a defense that includes edge rushers Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson. But for a team that reached the A.F.C. championship game in back-to-back seasons and has the prospect of facing Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in the playoffs, the Bengals will need players who can pressure the quarterback.

The Kansas City Chiefs took Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who grew up in suburban Kansas City, Mo., in a draft held in Kansas City.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Nolan Smith, an edge rusher from the University of Georgia, with the 30th pick. Smith had been projected to be taken as high as the top 10 but fell to the Eagles, who drafted his college teammate, Jalen Carter, at No. 9.

Philadelphia also selected Bulldogs Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean in last year’s draft.

The Eagles’ defensive line is terrifying.

Nolan Smith, an edge rusher from Georgia, is still available. Do the Eagles, after picking Georgia defenders in the first and third rounds last year, pick two Georgia defenders in the first round this year?

After trading back twice, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison with the No. 27 pick, adding another blocker to protect the 2021 No. 1 pick, and face of the franchise, Trevor Lawrence.

The Jaguars’ need at the position became an acute one after the news broke that left tackle Cam Robinson is facing a multigame suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Harrison, who is 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, played mostly on the left side in college. The Jaguars also lost right tackle Jawaan Taylor in free agency, though they expect Walker Little, a second-round pick in 2021, to step into that role.

The Dallas Cowboys drafted Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith with the No. 26 pick, giving the Cowboys an interior rusher to go with an already dominant pass rush. At 6-foot-3, 337 pounds, Smith started all 14 games at nose tackle last season, making 48 tackles with 2.5 for loss, and earned a first-team Big Ten selection.

To compete with the Philadelphia Eagles, who won the N.F.C. last season, the Cowboys will need to dominate at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles beat teams last year in part because of the effectiveness of their offensive and defensive lines, and Smith should be able to contribute immediately to stopping the run.

Seeking to seize what they hope is their Super Bowl window, the Buffalo Bills traded up two spots to secure another offensive option for quarterback Josh Allen at pick No. 25: Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid.

The Bills are in need of another playmaker to take pressure off No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs. After four straight receivers went off the board from picks 20 to 23 — the longest ever first-round run on the position since the A.F.L. and N.F.L. merged their drafts — Buffalo traded up for Kincaid, who caught 70 passes for 890 yards and eight touchdowns during his senior season. He stands 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds.

Kincaid, 23, had a circuitous rise to becoming a first-round N.F.L. draft prospect. He played only one year of high school football in Las Vegas, then played two collegiate seasons at the University of San Diego, an F.C.S. school that doesn’t award athletic scholarships, before transferring to Utah, where he played three seasons.

The Giants chose Deonte Banks, a defensive back from Maryland, with the 24th pick in the draft. Banks, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds at the scouting combine, has the size and speed to help the Giants’ pass defense, which already features cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.

With the run on wide receivers taking the best candidates off the board and with the addition of tight end Darren Waller in free agency, drafting a cornerback made sense for the Giants. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is probably smiling.

The Minnesota Vikings selected Jordan Addison, a receiver from Southern California, with the No. 23 overall pick. Addison will be expected to complement the star receiver Justin Jefferson after the team released the veteran Adam Thielen this off-season.

Addison is 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, which is on the smaller size for a receiver, but he can play at either an outside alignment or in the slot. He also has experience as a punt returner.