Jadeveon Clowney was the surprise first pick in the NFL draft on Thursday.
The Houston Texans took the South Carolina defensive end to kick off the first round of a draft viewed as one one of the deepest in recent history, with a surplus of talented American college stars at almost every position.
Clowney was chosen ahead of Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson, who was taken No.2 by the St. Louis Rams.
The first big surprise came one pick later when Central Florida's Blake Bortles became the first quarterback drafted ahead of Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel.
The Jacksonville Jaguars made Bortles the first quarterback at No.3, passing on a chance to select former Heisman Trophy winner Manziel.
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The Heisman is awarded annually to the top player in US college football.
The draft features all 32 NFL teams choosing players over three days with the second and third rounds on Friday and the fourth to seventh rounds are Saturday.
Teams select players in the reverse order they finished in the standings, meaning the last place club gets the coveted first pick.
The US colleges are the biggest supplier of players to the NFL and the entry draft is the most common player recruitment tool for the league.
Houston's pick ended a seven-year streak of offensive players being selected first since the Texans took defensive end Mario Williams to start the 2006 draft.
Clowney was the first South Carolina player picked No.1 overall since 1981 when the New Orleans Saints took running back George Rogers.
The 1.98 metre (6-foot-6) lineman had 24 sacks in three years for South Carolina, including 13 in 2012. Clowney finished sixth in voting for the Heisman.
He will join all-star defensive end JJ Watt in what may turn out to be a fearsome pass rush for a team that finished last season on a franchise-worst 14-game losing skid.
The Buffalo Bills traded up five places to take Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins at No.4 in a deal with the Cleveland Browns.
The Bills had to give up their first round pick in 2015 as part of the trade. The Oakland Raiders rounded out the top five picks by taking Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack.
