Round 1 takeaways: Kaepernick, Bradford could be stuck

7:19 AM ET

Laremy Tunsil’s bizarre night was the story of the NFL draft Thursday night, but it wasn’t the only takeaway from Round 1.

(The headline above should have told you that!)

We’re going to run through the rest of them below, now that I’ve already posted some thoughts on Tunsil and his unfortunate social-media mayhem. (In short: I don’t think it was the primary reason he fell to the Miami Dolphins at No. 13 overall.)

On with it …

1. Resolution at hand for three veteran quarterbacks

Colin Kaepernick is seeking a trade from the San Francisco 49ers, but he lost his most obvious landing spot Thursday night. So did Sam Bradford, who wants to get away from the Philadelphia Eagles, and Ryan Fitzpatrick, a free agent who is trying to get the New York Jets to raise their offer.

Alas, the trio’s primary leverage moved aggressively to draft a quarterback. The Denver Broncos traded up five spots to No. 26, grabbing Memphis’ Paxton Lynch. The move left the Broncos with both a quarterback of the future and a bridge veteran in Mark Sanchez, eliminating the need for acquiring Kaepernick or Bradford.

If the Broncos wanted Fitzpatrick, they would have signed him already. It appears he’ll need to take the Jets’ offer if he wants to play in 2016. Kaepernick’s best bet is to compete for the 49ers’ job, or wait to be released, while Bradford might have to endure a season with rookie Carson Wentz looking over his shoulder.

2. Concern about Myles Jack’s knee wasn’t a smokescreen

The UCLA linebacker tore the meniscus in his right knee last September and missed the rest of the season. He has worked out extensively for teams this spring and, based on talent alone, was one of the top prospects in this draft.

But Jack admitted that the knee could one day require microfracture surgery, a delicate procedure with varied success rates, and reports emerged that some teams were concerned about his long-term viability.

Myles Jack and his mother hit the red carpet before the draft’s first round Thursday, but the UCLA star didn’t hear his name called. Kena Krutsinger/Getty Images

Jack is by far the highest-rated prospect available from Mel Kiper’s final ESPN Big Board, where he was ranked No. 10 overall. It would be a stunner, not to mention a gloomy glimpse into his full medical records, if he is not drafted early Friday night.

3. QB aggressiveness makes more sense

Three quarterbacks were drafted in the first round, all after their new teams traded up to get them. The Los Angeles Rams moved from No. 15 to No. 1 to draft Cal’s Jared Goff. The Eagles went from No. 13 to No. 8 and then No. 2 for Wentz. And the Broncos moved from No. 31 to No. 26 to grab Lynch.

Why? Viewed in hindsight, it seems clear that the consensus league view saw a significant drop-off after Wentz and another after Lynch. If you wanted a potential blue-chip quarterback who could play this season, you had to get Goff or Lynch. If you wanted a high-end developmental quarterback, Lynch was judged to be far above the next tier.

Meanwhile, Dallas …

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