2018 NFL draft: Most surprising moments from 1st round

The NFL draft is one of the most anticipated events of the NFL offseason. With the draft now finally here a lot of unanticipated and surprising moments are expected.

Be it the Bears giving up a king's ransom to move up one spot in the draft to select Mitchell Trubisky or the Vikings botching their 7th overall pick as they could not submit it within the time period of 15 minutes.

Here are 5 of the most surprising moments from the 1st round of the 2018 NFL draft:

5. Rashaad Penny is the 2nd Running Back off the board

Seattle Seahawks sprung one of the surprises of the draft when they drafted San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny with the 19th overall pick. The fact that they drafted Penny over Derrius Guice, Bradley Chubb, Roland Jones and Sony Michel left every football fan in a state of confusion.

Penny might go on to become a really good player in Seattle but it is still a very high-risk selection considering the fact that there were players available who had a better track record in their college career.

#4 Saints trade away their 2019 first round pick for Marcus Davenport

Saints made a really bizarre move nearly halfway into the draft when they traded away the 27th overall pick, the 147th overall pick and their 2019 FIRST ROUND PICK for the 14th overall pick with which they drafted defensive end Marcus Davenport.

It is not a new sight for football fans as the Saints are known for their aggressive trading ideology but still, trading away a first rounder is a big price to pay for a developmental player like Davenport.

#3 Browns draft Denzel Ward over Bradley Chubb and Quenton Nelson

How the Browns manage to surprise everybody with their strategy during every NFL draft is an art in itself and this year too we were not spared when the Browns decided to draft Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward with the 4th overall pick even when blue-chip players like NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb and Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson were still available.

It is understandable that the cornerback is what the Browns need but still passing over once in a generation players like Nelson and Chubb might hurt them as has been the case with them in the past few drafts (psssst...Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson).

#2 Lamar Jackson is drafted with the 32nd overall pick

A QB who was a part of the big 5 (Mayfield, Darnold, Allen, Rosen and Jackson) was not expected to last even until the 20th pick but much to the shock of everyone present, he was drafted with the last pick of the first round. 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson was the unlucky QB to be drafted last with the 32nd overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens.

Jackson still seems to have gotten the better part of the deal as he does not have to start immediately and can sit back and learn from an experienced veteran like Joe Flacco.

#1 Baker Mayfield is the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft

If somebody says that they had expected Baker Mayfield to be the first overall pick in this year's draft then you should clearly call their bluff as even the most experienced draft analyzers had Mayfield going only as high as third overall in their mock drafts. The sense of shock was clearly evident on even the most ardent of Browns fans when the pick was announced as most were expecting either of Sam Darnold or Josh Allen to go first.

Mayfield is shorter than the average NFL QB but still has shown excellent vision and accuracy in his college days to be drafted 1st overall. How he handles the pressure and grows behind Tyrod Taylor will be an interesting and nerve-racking experience for the Browns fans and front office.