Lucas Jackson / Reuters

Matthew Stafford became the ninth quarterback to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft on Saturday.

Kansas City, like St. Louis, used nearly all 10 of its minutes seeking a trade before selecting LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson. He will join college teammate Glenn Dorsey on the Chiefs’ defensive line.

Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry, who had spoken with Detroit about being the top overall pick, landed in Seattle at No. 4. Curry is considered capable of playing inside or outside in the pros.

Cincinnati went for Alabama tackle Andre Smith, the first AP All-American selected, at No. 6. Smith had some issues that included leaving the NFL combine early without notifying anyone, but the Bengals were unswayed.

Another tackle, Virginia’s Eugene Monroe, went eighth overall to Jacksonville, one spot after Oakland — no surprise here — was seduced by the speed of Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey. The Raiders grabbed the player who had the fast 40-yard time in workouts, even though many projected him to go far later.

Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji to Green Bay and Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree, the highest-rated receiver before the draft, to San Francisco, rounded out the top 10.

Other noteworthy picks in the opening round included Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno, 12th to Denver; Southern California linebackers Brian Cushing (15th to Houston) and Clay Matthews (26th to Green Bay); Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman (17th to Tampa Bay); RB Donald Brown, the nation’s leading rusher with 2.083 yards and the first UConn player ever selected in the first round, No. 27 to Indianapolis; and WR Kenny Britt (No. 30 to Tennessee), the first Rutgers player to go in the opening round.

In all, 19 offensive players and 13 on defense went, and 15 underclassmen were chosen. Eight players from the Southeastern Conference were selected. Southern California had three Trojans picked, the most of any school.

Crabtree said he still felt he was the top receiver. He was asked about chasing the 49ers’ receiving records held by one Jerry Rice. He smiled and said: “I got some big shoes to fill when I go to the 49ers, you know, with Jerry Rice. I am looking forward to that. I love challenges.”

Not even Stafford nor Sanchez face that big a challenge.

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