Who was the biggest winner of the NFL Draft's first round? Plus, the latest on the Aaron Rodgers drama

Happy Friday everyone! It's Chris Bengel, back in the saddle, but this time nice and early in the morning rather than the afternoon. Thursday marked the first day of the 2021 NFL Draft. I still hold the viewpoint that the NFL Draft was better on Saturday and Sunday rather than a three-day extravaganza that begins on Thursday, but I digress.

Round 1 certainly didn't disappoint, with a somewhat historic early run at the quarterback position. At the top of the draft, Clemson standout quarterback Trevor Lawrence was selected by the Jaguars as everyone expected -- unless you have been living under a rock since the regular season ended. Our NFL team did a phenomenal job last night keeping you informed regarding all the happenings in Round 1. And there were many happenings.

Let's take a closer look at what went down during Thursday's installment of the NFL Draft and get ready for the weekend.

📰 What you need to know

1. Grading the top picks from the first round 🏈

The Jaguars opened the draft with the slam dunk selection of Lawrence. Like many others, CBS Sports' Pete Prisco is a huge believer in what Lawrence brings to the table for the Jaguars and gave the selection an A+ grade. If you thought you were high on Lawrence, check out just how great Prisco thinks he is going to be in the NFL:

Prisco: "Lawrence will change the dynamic of this franchise for the next decade. They will win a Super Bowl."

That is the highest praise possible. The grading gets a little more complicated after the top pick, so let's check out what our experts thought about how the rest of the round panned out.

Jets: B for selecting QB Zach Wilson -- The Jets had been linked to Wilson in recent months and they shipped 2018 No. 3 pick Sam Darnold out of town to the Panthers in a trade earlier this month to make room for him. Prisco certainly doesn't hate the pick, but believes that New York should've went with QB Justin Fields in that spot

Falcons: A for selecting TE Kyle Pitts -- As many expected, the quarterback position dominated the early portion of the NFL Draft. However, Pitts made some history after the run on signal callers. He became the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history when the Falcons selected him with the No. 4 pick. Prisco was a huge fan of Atlanta selection, saying "He is a can't-miss prospect. He is a mismatch nightmare"

Bengals: B+ for selecting WR Ja'Marr Chase -- Rounding out the top five, the Bengals had a potential franchise-altering pick and ended up choosing to help out franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. They scooped up star wideout Ja'Marr Chase, who played with Burrow at LSU. Prisco is a fan of Chase, but would've preferred if Cincinnati protected Burrow with former Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell

If you want even more analysis, our experts also put together winners and losers of the first round. Stay updated on draft news all weekend by checking our NFL Draft hub.

2. The NFC East had a busy night 🏈

Throughout the draft process, most pundits believed that the Philadelphia Eagles really needed to get a talented wide receiver with the No. 12 pick. However, it was unknown as to whether any of the top wideouts would last until the Eagles picked. Well, Philadelphia chose to leave nothing to chance and traded up to the No. 10 pick with the Dallas Cowboys of all teams.

With that pick, the Eagles selected Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, which reunites Smith with his former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts.

That set off a chain reaction:

With the Eagles trading up to secure Smith, the Giants chose to trade out of the No. 11 pick as they shipped that selection to the Chicago Bears. Despite signing veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, the Bears clearly weren't settling at the position and traded up to select Ohio State signal caller Justin Fields. The Giants used the 20th overall pick to select Florida wideout Kadarius Toney and gained three additional picks in the deal with the Bears -- and a first round pick in the 2022 draft
The Cowboys moved down to the 12th pick after the trade with their NFC East rivals. With top cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II off the board, the Cowboys still chose to keep their focus on the defensive side of the ball and selected linebacker Micah Parsons just one day after veteran linebacker (and fellow former Penn State standout) Sean Lee announced his retirement

It was a bold move for Philly to move up and get their man in Smith, and you know potentially ruining the Giants' plans of picking him was the icing on the cake for the Eagles' front office.

3. Where could Aaron Rodgers land if the Packers choose to trade him? 🏈

Just hours before the draft began, the biggest story in the league became the Aaron Rodgers situation in Green Bay. Rodgers apparently does not want to return to the team. Shortly after it was learned that Rodgers could want out of Green Bay, CBS Sports' own Jonathan Jones reported that the Denver Broncos put together an "impressive package" for Rodgers and appear to be the frontrunners to land the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

With no deal official yet, we broke down four potential landing spots for Rodgers -- the most interesting of which is ...

The 49ers: Our NFL expert Cody Benjamin believes that the 49ers could be a "match made in heaven" for Rodgers. Of course, San Fran did select Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick -- but a move for Rodgers would allow Lance more time to hone in his skills before taking over ... if Rodgers is OK with that. Jordan Love's mere presence in Green Bay is seemingly one of the reasons he wants out of town

Also listed as landing spots are the Broncos, Raiders and Patriots. Like San Francisco, New England drafted a quarterback -- Alabama's Mac Jones -- in the first round. If it was up to Rodgers, he'd reportedly prefer to be moved to one of these three teams.

Late Thursday night, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said the team is not going to trade Rodgers, but only time will tell if that turns out to be true. Nobody thought the Patriots would ever let Tom Brady leave and look how that turned out.

4. Best bets for the 2021 Kentucky Derby 💰

Horse Racing: 146th Kentucky Derby — USATSI

Churchill Downs will be the center of the sports world on Saturday when it hosts the 147th Kentucky Derby. It will also be the center of the gambling world, as the race is perennially one of the biggest sports betting days of the year.

Below, you'll find all the info you need to prepare for the event -- as well as some nuggets on the best bets to make, courtesy of our friends at SportsLine.

Essential Quality is the favorite to win at 2/1. Here are the rest of the odds
Get to know who is participating in the race, from the jockeys to the owners
Now, for the gamblers: Jody Demling has hit the Derby-Oaks double nine times in the last 12 years. Here are his Kentucky Derby picks. You can check out handicapping legend Hank Goldberg's best value picks -- as well as what horses to fade -- here

📝 Odds & Ends

Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered an apparent ankle injury in the opening quarter of Thursday's game against the Houston Rockets. He appeared to step on the foot of Miami Heat big man Kelly Olynyk in the opening minute of the game and didn't return
The Brewers placed starting pitcher Corbin Burnes on the injured list due to an undisclosed injury
Yoel Romero is out of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix after failing a pre-fight medical screening

📺 What to watch this weekend

Friday

🏈 NFL Draft, Rounds 2 and 3, 7 p.m. | TV: ESPN/NFL Network

⚾ Giants vs. Padres, 10:10 p.m. | SDP -195 | TV: MLB.TV

Saturday

🏇 Kentucky Derby, 6:57 p.m. | TV: NBC

🏀 Nuggets vs. Clippers, 10 p.m. | TV: ESPN

Sunday

🏌 Valspar Championship, 3 p.m. | TV: CBS

Best thing I saw on the internet 🏅

The NFL Draft certainly looked a lot different in 2020, when the league was forced to conduct the annual event from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's basement. Goodell's basement featured a comfortable chair that he ended up sitting in throughout the majority of the night. The chair was brought to Thursday's NFL Draft in Cleveland and was on stage for selected fans to sit in