The Carolina Panthers selected Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick of the NFL Draft, before the Houston Texans then pulled off a stunner to take both QB CJ Stroud and linebacker Will Anderson Jr at picks two and three after a trade with the Arizona Cardinals.
Heisman Trophy winner Young going number one overall was widely expected, with rumours circling for weeks he was likely to be the Panthers' pick, but the Texans' intentions at two were much harder to decipher as they toyed with selecting a new franchise quarterback or pass rusher to help their flagging defense.
Ultimately, they would address both needs with consecutive picks as they pulled off a stunning trade immediately after taking Ohio State QB Stroud at No 2, moving up nine spots from their scheduled second pick at 12 to also snag Alabama linebacker Anderson, widely regarded as the best defensive prospect in the draft.
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A third quarterback came off the board inside the first four picks when the Indianapolis Colts picked Florida's Anthony Richardson fourth overall, who had so impressed observers with his sensational workout at the NFL Scouting Combine in early March.
It's just the fourth time since 1967 that three QBs have been taken with the first four picks in the draft, although somewhat surprisingly no more quarterbacks were selected for the rest of the first round - despite Tennessee's Hendon Hooker and Kentucky's Will Levis widely being projected as first-round, if not top-15, picks.
The Seattle Seahawks rounded out the top five by drafting Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon fifth overall, while big-bodied linebacker Tyree Wilson went to the Las Vegas Raiders at seven.
One of the biggest surprises of the night was the fact that two running backs were taken inside the opening 12 picks, while no wide receivers were picked until Jaxon Smith-Njigba's selection by the Seahawks at 20th overall sparked a sudden run at the position with four drafted in a row.
Texans running back Bijan Robinson, considered the best running back prospect to come out of the draft in years, was ultimately snapped up by the Atlanta Falcons at No 8 while Jahmyr Gibbs from Alabama's selection by the Detroit Lions at 12 - after having traded back from No 6 with the Cardinals - was a bit more of a surprise.
With that selection at No 6, the Cardinals drafted the first offensive lineman of the night, taking Ohio State's Paris Johnson.
The annual three-day NFL Draft kicked off in front of thousands of cheering fans in Kansas City, the home of the Super Bowl champions Chiefs, with MVP Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce arriving on stage holding the Lombardi Trophy.
Top NFL Draft prospect Will Levis falls out of first round
Kentucky QB Levis' fall out of the first round entirely was one of the shocks of the first round, with some draft experts predicting he could have been taken as high as second overall by the Texans, or perhaps by the Colts at No 4.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Levis' left toe that caused him to miss two games last year was "problematic" for one team that considered him.
Another team believes Levis could manage the injury but thought surgery would need to be discussed after the season, per Mortensen.
Levis, however, says the "toe has healed" and he is good to go.
Of the 17 players invited to attend the first round of the draft in Kansas City, only four of those players did not hear their name called, with Levis, along with Alabama defensive back Brian Branch, Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr and Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White forced to watch on from the green room as they slid out of the first round.
Levis, who is 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, has drawn comparisons to Buffalo Bills star QB Josh Allen with his strong arm and above-average mobility.
He spent the first two years of his college career at Penn State before transferring to Kentucky as a junior. His production fell off this past season as a senior, when he passed for 2,406 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions after throwing for 2,826 yards, 24 TDs and 13 interceptions in 2021.
Panthers owner: Young can win us Super Bowls
Panthers owner David Tepper was thrilled with his team's selection of Young with the number one overall pick, saying their new QB gives them the best possibility to win championships.
"Super Bowls," Tepper said, when asked what Young would bring to the franchise. "When we went through the process with these quarterbacks, we asked ourselves, 'Which one of these guys will be a guy that can take us?'
He added: "Not to talk about all the different guys, but we thought this guy had the highest probability of winning Super Bowls.
"Listen, you want to win Super Bowls. And you know there's no sure thing here. But it's a probability. We thought this guy has the best probability of winning Super Bowls."
Young appreciated the confidence Tepper and the organisation have in him, telling the media: "Whenever there's a pressure situation, I look at that as an opportunity. It's fun to be in those situations. That's what we all dream of.
"Whatever the expectations, I want to take things day by day. But I am super blessed for this organisation to take a chance on me."
Watch continued coverage of the 2023 NFL Draft on Sky Sports. Join Neil Reynolds, Phoebe Schecter and former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman in Kansas City for their special review show of the first round, from 9pm, Friday on Sky Sports Action. Build up to the second round begins afterwards from 10pm.