Even as media misfired and public debates raged about the first overall pick, Bryce Young was No. 1 on the Carolina Panthers' draft board for more than two months.
C.J. Stroud went second to Houston, standing tall as the precise pocket passer his game film and production indicated and not withering under a barrage of published reports that he scored poorly on cognitive tests and led the Texans into a mindset of waiting for the QB Class of 2024.
Clarity and sanity arrived in hefty doses on Thursday night, bringing insight and hindsight to the mockery of the pre-draft buildup.