With the first round of its 2018 draft being held Thursday night in Dallas, the NFL kicked things off by trotting out Cowboys Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach to help muffle the dark cloud of boos that follow Commissioner Roger Goodell throughout his kingdom.
Once Goodell put the Browns on the clock, Aikman, Staubach and Cowboys tight end Jason Witten fired footballs into the crowd from the stage inside AT&T Stadium.
Staubach, who was 0-2 with four interceptions in two Super Bowls against Pittsburgh, was picked off again by a fan wearing a Steelers jersey. And that wouldn't be the only strange thing to happen to a quarterback over the next 3½ hours.
Proving the worthlessness of months upon months of NFL mock drafts, the Browns stunned everyone by selecting Baker Mayfield. The Oklahoma quarterback wasn't at the top of anyone's mock draft until hours before the draft started.
"I had him as the fourth quarterback on my board," NFL media draft analyst Mike Mayock said of the undersized Heisman Trophy winner.
"I'm surprised, quite honestly," Aikman added.
Five quarterbacks were selected in the first round for the first time since 1999. Four went in the top 10. And three of the seven trades made Thursday involved picks for quarterbacks.
At No. 3, the Jets got Southern Cal's Sam Darnold, who many, including himself, thought would go to Cleveland.
"I was on my toes ready to get that call [from Cleveland]," Darnold said. "But it is what it is."