The NFL draft kicked off with its first round Thursday night, as most teams made their initial selection in what’s become a multiday affair.

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The Las Vegas Raiders began the festivities by selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. While Mendoza’s selection was a foregone solution, what happened next had plenty of twists and turns.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the draft’s opening night.

The Rams made perhaps the biggest reach of the first round, taking Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick. For context, NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers had Simpson ranked as the42nd-best prospect in the drafton his big board.

So why Simpson? Well, if anyone can coax the most out of him, it should be Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay, a quarterback whisperer whose play-action heavy offense could unlock Simpson. Remember, before he was making the Super Bowl or winning double-digit games with the Detroit Lions, Jared Goff was seen as a potential bust until McVay became his head coach.

Simpson will definitely be a project. He was only a one-season starter for the Crimson Tide, and he faded down the stretch of his final collegiate season. In his last five games at Alabama, Simpson failed to complete 20 passes in any of them. He also threw only six touchdowns in those five contests, compared with three interceptions. In his final start for the Tide, Simpson threw for just 67 yards in a playoff loss to Indiana.

Los Angeles may have the luxury of time, though. Unlike most first-round quarterbacks, Simpson almost certainly won’t be expected to start any time soon. Matthew Stafford will be the top QB for at least the next season, and there are far worse players Simpson could learn from until he’s ready to take the reins.

Though it wasn’t a foregone conclusion Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. would go in the top 10, many considered him worthy of such a selection. NBC Sports’ Rogers had him eighth on his big board, while NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had him ranked seventh. Instead, Bain Jr. fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 15.

The elephant in the room was Bain Jr.’s arm length of 30 ⅞ inches. No pass rusher with arms shorter than 31 inches has been picked in the first round since 2003, which could explain his slide.

Source: Drudge Report