A surprise No. 1 pick at the NFL Draft

NEW YORK, April 29 (UPI) -- Defensive end Mario Williams of North Carolina State was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Williams, who left the ACC school after his junior season, signed a six-year, $54 million contract with the Houston Texans on Friday night.

He was drafted ahead of other, better-known players, including Southern California running back Reggie Bush, Texas quarterback Vince Young, USC quarterback Matt Leinart, Maryland tight end Vernon Davis and Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk.

The New Orleans Saints took Bush with the second overall selection.

Young went to the Tennessee Titans with the third overall pick. Hawk was taken by Green Bay with the fifth pick overall.

Davis went No. 6 to San Francisco and Leinart -- who had been expected to be among the top three or four picks -- was still around when the Arizona Cardinals took him with the 10th pick.

The New York Jets chose Virginia offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the fourth overall pick.