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NFL Tickets - Seattle, Kansas City Hit Big in First Round

Now that the first round of the NFL draft is in the books, speculation can now begin about who will pan out and who won't. Though there are certainly no guarantees with any of the players selected in the first round, several teams seemed to select big-time players who will immediately make their team substantially better. Here are some of the teams that appear to have hit homeruns in the first round.

Seattle Seahawks: Obviously grabbing two players in the first round instantly makes your team stand out from the rest of the field. However, plenty of teams can go wrong with two picks in the first round, but it appears the Seahawks selected wisely. Their first pick, Russell Okung, will step in nicely as the Seahawks' left tackle of the future and was a strong value for the sixth overall pick. Their biggest splash, however, came in trading up to take safety Earl Thomas with the 14th overall pick. In the contemporary NFL, which has become a pass-first league, Thomas is a nice fit for a secondary that needed to improve. Thomas is very good in pass coverage and will have an instant impact. With their two picks, the Seahawks filled two important gaps that will help them move forward.

San Diego Chargers: Though they had to trade up substantially to get their man, the Chargers landed running back Ryan Mathews out of Fresno State in a move that should instantly benefit the team. Mathews will slide right in as the starting running back for the Bolts and should help the Chargers regain their ability to run the ball. If Mathews can prove to be a viable NFL running back, it could even further help Philip Rivers throw the ball down the field, which is a scary thought for NFL secondaries.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys were in need of one more offensive weapon to give Tony Romo and they found one in explosive talent Dez Bryant. Bryant gives Romo three solid targets, with the other two being Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten and wideout Miles Austin, who had a breakout year in 2009. The move also could light a fire under talented but underperforming wideout Roy E. Williams, which would cause nightmares for defensive coordinators. With the type of talent that could make Bryant the offensive player of the year, the Cowboys definitely gave their offense a shot in the arm with their first round selection. Owner Jerry Jones will also like Bryant's ability to sell <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/nfl-tickets/">NFL tickets</a>.

San Francisco 49ers: Many are still not sold on Alex Smith, but the 49ers are certainly looking to find out in 2010 whether or not he is their man of the future. In a strong showing of confidence in Smith, the 49ers drafted two offensive linemen in the first round. With their first pick, the 11th overall selection, the 49ers couldn't resist the talented tackle Anthony Davis, who was an absolute steal at this position. Most assumed he would never make it past Buffalo.

Their second first round selection, guard Mike Iupati, gives them two valuable lineman who should help give Smith some time in the pocket. Smith has this season to prove his worth and if he doesn't succeed, the 49ers should be in excellent position to draft a new quarterback next year, with pieces already in place to ease the arrival of a rookie.

Kansas City Chiefs: Perhaps the most field-ready player available in the draft was safety Eric Berry. With the Chiefs having to face Philip Rivers twice a year, not to mention the increasingly pass-happy league, Berry should instantly have an impact in their secondary. If he ended up being the defensive rookie of the year, there wouldn't be a tremendous amount of shock.

Other teams worth mentioning:

Though not surprising, the selection of defensive tackle Ndamakong Suh by the Detroit Lions could one day prove to be the best pick in the draft. Even if some believe that Gerald McCoy may be the better DT in the long run, Suh has the type of talent that can devour an opposing team's running game. For a team that has recently added some big pieces to their offense, Suh is a very nice pickup and will instantly improve their defense.

Another player who should have an immediate impact is offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, who slid all the way to Green Bay at selection 23. Even with a porous offensive line in 2009, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers emerged as a top-tier signal caller. Though the Packers do have pressing needs on defense as well, giving Rodgers some big-time protection was couldn't be overlooked and Bulaga should be a very solid lineman for a long time.

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Written by David James. <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/">StubHub</a> has sponsored this article. StubHub.com is a great place to get <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/nfl-tickets/">NFL tickets</a>, as well as tickets for other sports teams, theatre performances, concerts and special events.