NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bob Quinn wasn’t scared by the ghosts of the Detroit Lions tight ends past.

Unable or unwilling to trade out of the eighth overall pick, the Lions stayed put and took the draft’s No. 1 tight end Thursday, Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson.

Hockenson is just the ninth tight end to go in the first round of the last 11 NFL drafts, but the third tight end the Lions have picked in that round over that span.

[ Here's what Lions fans can expect from T.J. Hockenson ]

[ NFL draft Round 1 live blog: Join the conversation with fellow fans ]

In 2014, the Lions took Eric Ebron with the 10th overall pick. Ebron played four middling seasons in Detroit, was released last spring and went on to a have a Pro Bowl season with the Indianapolis Colts last year.

In 2009, after drafting Matthew Stafford No. 1 overall, the Lions took Brandon Pettigrew with the 20th pick of the first round. Pettigrew had 71- and 83-catch seasons in two of his first three seasons in Detroit before knee injuries shortened his career.

Hockenson is a more complete player than both Ebron and Pettigrew, a tenacious blocker and capable downfield threat who won the Mackey Award as the nation’s No. 1 tight end last fall.

The Lions, who had just 45 catches from their entire tight end room last season, now have one of the best tight-end tandems in the NFL.

Hockenson should compete for a starting spot immediately and bolster the Lions’ 23rd-ranked rushing attack, and the Lions signed Jesse James to a four-year, $28.5 million deal in free agency last month.

Asked at a pre-draft event Wednesday about playing for the Lions and with Matthew Stafford, Hockenson was diplomatic but said that would be “awesome.”

“My goal is to go in and try to make an impact and try to learn the playbook as fast as I can, become a reliable player because that’s what you need in any team is you need to be a reliable guy that they can trust you at any point in the game,” he said. “And that’s what I’m going to try to do and that’s what the University of Iowa’s taught me.”

Thursday’s first round started as most expected, with the Arizona Cardinals taking Oklahoma quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray with the first pick of the draft. Murray is second straight Oklahoma quarterback to go No. 1 overall, following in the footsteps of Baker Mayfield last year.

[ Why I picked T.J. Hockenson for Detroit Lions in my final mock draft ]

After Murray, there was a mini run on front-seven defensive players, the strength of the draft, before the New York Giants went with a quarterback at No. 6.

The San Francisco 49ers took Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa second overall to fortify their pass rush and the New York Jets followed with Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

In a surprise pick, the Oakland Raiders, in former NFL analyst Mike Mayock's first draft as general manager, took Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell fourth, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers followed with LSU linebacker Devin White from LSU.

The Giants, in a surprise, made Duke quarterback Daniel Jones their first of two first-round picks at No. 6, and the Jacksonville Jaguars followed with Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen at No. 7.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.