Three Huskies and Two Ducks Picked in the First Round

Things got exciting during the first round of the NFL Draft being held in Chicago for the first time since 1964. Washington Huskies had a great showing in round one with three Huskies picked and the Oregon Ducks had two picked in the first round including the 2nd overall pick of Marcus Mariota by Nashville Titans. Here is the first round Huskies and Ducks rundown.

Panthers select Washington LB Thompson with 1st round pick

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have selected versatile linebacker Shaq Thompson from Washington with the No. 25 overall pick in the NFL draft.

The 6-foot, 228-pound Thompson was the winner of the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation's most versatile player.

He scored six touchdowns in 2014 — four on defense and two as a running back. He even started at tailback against Colorado last year and ran for 174 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and caught two passes for 41 yards.

Thompson had 3.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and five fumble recoveries in 40 games at Washington.

Thompson was also drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but wound up playing football.

Chiefs select cornerback Marcus Peters at No 18 in draft

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs selected cornerback Marcus Peters with the No. 18 pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, taking a chance on a player kicked off the team at Washington in an attempt to help their defense in the pass-happy AFC West.

The physical Peters was considered one of the top defensive backs in the draft, but he gave many teams pause after his dismissal last November.

Peters said at the annual scouting combine that it was "miscommunication, mostly on my behalf" with new Huskies coach Chris Petersen's staff that led to the problems. Peters acknowledged that he "didn't take the coaching transition too well."

49ers select Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead 17th

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have selected Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead with the No. 17 pick in the NFL draft.

San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke traded the 15th selection to San Diego to move down two spots Thursday. With Ray McDonald gone and Justin Smith uncertain to return, Baalke added a big body — 6-foot-7, 292 pounds — with a quick first burst off the line.

Armstead will come home to Northern California. He grew up in Sacramento.

While the Niners have no plans to rush Smith into a decision, the 14th-year defensive end is considered a short-timer even if he plays in 2015.

49ers CEO Jed York provided some glimpses from the draft room via Twitter, offering, "Will #TraderTrent move up?!?!" and "Phones are ringing EVERYWHERE."

Browns select defensive tackle Shelton with No. 12 pick

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — With the top two quarterbacks long gone, the Cleveland Browns selected Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton with the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-2, 339-pound Shelton should help a defense that ranked last in the NFL against the run in 2014.

Much of the pre-draft speculation centered on the Browns, who also have the No. 19 overall pick, possibly moving up and to take the franchise quarterback they've coveted since their expansion rebirth. Cleveland has started 22 quarterbacks since 1999, and the club's inability to find an elite one has kept the Browns irrelevant.

They had two picks to dangle in front of Tennessee, but once the Titans took Oregon's Marcus Mariota at No. 2, the Browns addressed one of their other big needs — a run stuffer.