CHICAGO -- Eight surprises from the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft:
1. Williams slides out of top five: The No. 1 overall player on some draft boards, Leonard Williams, somehow slipped to the New York Jets at No. 6. Every team drafting ahead of Gang Green, except the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 1, were thought to be legitimate threats to take Williams, and one by one, they all passed. Jets fans have been known to boo the club's first-round pick when the draft venue was New York City's Radio City Music Hall, but something tells us even the toughest critics would have approved the Williams pick back in the Big Apple. NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock noted that the Jets' interior defensive line is already stout with Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson, but a player of Williams' caliber was just too enticing to pass up.
2. What happened to all the expected wheeling and dealing?: For all the talk about the Tennessee Titans potentially trading the No. 2 overall pick, and the Browns or Saints making a move with two first-round picks each, things were surprisingly quiet on the trade front. The San Diego Chargers cut a small deal with the San Francisco 49ers, moving up two spots to take running back Melvin Gordon at No. 15. The Denver Broncos moved from No. 28 to No. 23 to take pass rusher Shane Ray, and that was it for the wheeling and dealing.
3. Panthers pull stunner: Washington's Shaq Thompson went to the Carolina Panthers with the No. 25 overall pick. The versatile linebacker was expected to go to bed Thursday night still wondering where he would land -- a likely second-rounder. Instead, the Panthers made him the third Huskies player to be picked in the first round, joining Danny Shelton and Marcus Peters.
4. Gregory slips out of first round: It wasn't too long ago that Nebraska OLB Randy Gregory was considered a lock to go in the top 10 and a possibility as the top pass rusher off the board. That was before his failed drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine, and it seemed to only get worse from there. It had to be a disappointing night for Gregory, who now has to wonder how low he will go.
5. RB goes in top 10: The St. Louis Rams were widely expected to take an offensive lineman with the No. 10 overall pick. But with Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers going off the board a bit sooner than expected, the Rams' options on the offensive line might not have been what they were hoping for. So they took a running back who can create room to run for himself: Todd Gurley of Georgia. The first running back chosen in the first round since 2012 should take plenty of pressure off new quarterback Nick Foles.
6. Trio of O-linemen go early: The first three offensive linemen picked -- Brandon Scherff (No. 5, Redskins), Ereck Flowers (No. 9, Giants), and Andrus Peat (No. 13, Saints) all came off the board a bit sooner than expected.
7. Peters cracks top 20: Former Washington cornerback Marcus Peters was thought to be a slider because of character concerns, but the Kansas City Chiefs obviously saw a player ready to mature and made Peters the No. 18 overall pick. Mayock suggested before the draft that Peters' talent alone, absent character concerns, put him in the range of picks 15-18.
8. Tomlinson to Lions: Raise your hand if you had Duke's Laken Tomlinson going in Round 1. The former Blue Devils guard was certainly considered one of the top guards in the draft, but he was expected to be a Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) pick. Instead, the Detroit Lions made him the No. 28 overall selection to help bolster their rushing attack. ... Subplot: Tomlinson's good news could also be good news for South Carolina's A.J. Cann, who might be the first guard off the board Friday.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
