NFL draft 2019: Kyler Murray is historic first pick - round-up

Kyler Murray makes history, the NFL commissioner almost gets flattened and the New England Patriots look to find the next Tom Brady. Paul Higham looks at the major storylines from the NFL draft weekend.

The NFL draft is one of the biggest events in the United States' sporting calendar as all 32 teams get to reload with fresh talent coming out of the American collegiate system - and there's plenty to talk about after the 2019 version in Nashville.

From the coveted first overall pick to who the New England Patriots may see as Tom Brady's successor, the latest NFL draft provided us with plenty of talking points and storylines to watch this season.

Why is the NFL draft such a big deal?

American football fans pack Broadway Street in Nashville for the first round of the NFL draft

Although the New England Patriots have dominated the sport of late the NFL model is built around it being competitive, and to that end the NFL draft gives the less successful teams the chance to bag the best new talent coming into the league.

The worst team in the league gets to pick first - this year that was the Arizona Cardinals - and this continues in reverse order for a total of seven rounds over the NFL draft weekend as teams scramble to bring aboard the best players available.

For fans of all teams it's a weekend of hope, as the worst teams can easily bounce back with a good draft weekend and the biggest college stars end up at these previously poorly-performing outfits, which instantly gives them a lift.

It's also now a huge event for NFL fans to attend in person, growing in popularity after the league decided to take it around the country from its regular home in New York.

A staggering 500,000 fans packed out the centre of Nashville over the weekend to essentially hear a bunch of names being called out in what has become the second biggest event of the NFL calendar behind the Super Bowl.

• NFL draft 2019: The colourful and controversial Combine questions faced by prospects

Kyler Murray makes first pick history

The Arizona Cardinals went the way many people expected and selected Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with their first pick of the draft.

He followed on from Baker Mayfield, who was first pick last year, also from Oklahoma. Cards fans will hope for a similar impact.

Murray also made history in becoming the first man to be chosen in the first round of the Major League Baseball and NFL drafts - he was signed by the Oakland Athletics baseball team before deciding to instead commit his future to the NFL.

Doubts about his commitment to the sport had put a question mark over his selection, while his small size and stature (5ft 10in) is not seen as ideal for a quarterback.

The success of Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson at the Seattle Seahawks works in his favour and fans watching Murray this season will see a lot of similarities between the two.

A further complication was the fact the Cardinals drafted quarterback Josh Rosen last year, but they could not risk turning down an undoubted talent such as Murray - and Rosen was traded away to the Miami Dolphins over the weekend.

It's a prime example that being a first-round pick is not an automatic path to instant success.

Dolphins pick makes a splash at commissioner's expense

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is taken by surprise after Miami Dolphins pick Christian Wilkins attempts a back-to-back celebration

Speaking of the Miami Dolphins, their first-round pick Christian Wilkins became an instant star when he almost flattened commissioner Roger Goodell as he excitedly made his way on to the stage in Nashville - in one of the best-ever draft celebrations.

Obviously pumped up at being a first-round pick, Wilkins went for the back-to-back leaping celebration that is a regular occurrence on the NFL field.

Goodell, however, failed to read the signs and was taken completely unaware. His life must have flashed before his eyes as the 22st defensive tackle leapt through the air towards him, but he luckily escaped injury from both that and the bear hugs that followed.

Wilkins has gone viral since, and he's definitely one of the players to follow this coming season if his entrance to the NFL is anything to go by.

Have the New England Patriots found the new Tom Brady?

It's the second straight year that the New England Patriots have drafted a quarterback.

Auburn University's Jarrett Stidham was taken by New England with the 133rd pick, but don't let that put you off as Tom Brady himself was only the 199th choice in the draft - and look how he turned out.

Stidham has a lot of the same attributes as Brady in terms of size and passing style.

There's always going to be a lot of noise around the Patriots drafting a quarterback with Brady now 42. While he's showing no signs of slowing down, even he can't go on forever, so it'll be interesting to see how Stidham develops in pre-season.

The Patriots also did something they've never done before under coach Bill Belichick, drafting a wide receiver in the first round.

They took Arizona State's N'Keal Harry and he was in tears after receiving the call.

After all, he's just realised that he's going to the Super Bowl champions and will be catching passes from arguably the best quarterback of all time!

Watch out for Harry's impact during the pre-season build-up.

Raiders and Giants spring first-round surprises

Oakland Raiders' general manager Mike Mayock worked on TV for years as an NFL draft analyst, so he was backed to pull a few tricks - starting in the first round when defensive end Clelin Ferrell's name was read out to widespread disbelief.

Not that Clelin isn't a decent player, but Mayock's first ever pick as a GM took everyone by surprise - including the Raiders fans standing in the rain in Nashville who reacted with a mixture of surprise, uncertainty and downright disappointment.

It wasn't Mayock's best surprise of the draft though - that came when he flummoxed the NFL Network television crew by drafting Quinton Bell from Prairie View A&M University, a player so far off the radar that even they didn't have any footage of him!

New York Giants fans reacted in a similar way to Oakland's when they took quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth pick while highly-regarded players like pass rusher Josh Allen were still on the board - and they made their feelings known in Nashville.

The Giants are looking for a replacement for Eli Manning but Jones wasn't even seen as the best quarterback available at that time, let alone the best player, and the decision has already met with criticism around the NFL.

It's a tough start for Jones with the hard-to-please New York fans and media - and he's not even started yet!