San Francisco first-round picks Joe Staley, left, and Patrick Willis pose with their new jerseys. The 49ers held a news conference introducing their new players Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif.

A marathon NFL Draft that didn’t look as if it would ever end finally did Sunday after 255 picks and more than 18 hours. An early critique on some of the hits and misses:

Winners

49ers

After taking the best linebacker available, Mississippi’s Patrick Willis at No.11 overall, San Francisco traded into the late first round for New England’s second opening-round pick and selected Joe Staley from Central Michigan, one of the draft’s best offensive tackles. The reason quarterback Alex Smith, No. 1 overall in 2005, is progressing is because his line protection has gotten better and the supporting cast keeps improving on both sides of the ball.

Raiders

Owner Al Davis told confidants early how much the organization needed a quality quarterback and stood by his word, resisting trade offers to make JaMarcus Russell of LSU (the team hopes he’s another Vince Young) the No.1 overall choice. Oakland also dealt for picks and established players to address other needs and landed a player in the fourth round, Louisville running back Michael Bush, who some draft analysts feel could be a steal, as Bush was deemed first-round material until fracturing a leg.

Patriots

Already the most aggressive team in free agency, the three-time Super Bowl champs swooped in on Day 2 and completed the restoration of their receiving corps by getting Moss for a fourth-rounder, which they saw as a bargain because he’s also taking a pay cut. Quarterback Tom Brady now has an array of talented, deep-threat targets to throw to in Moss and previously signed imports Donte’ Stallworth and Wes Welker. By wheeling and dealing, they also drafted well and wound up with an extra first-round pick in 2008.

Browns

It took some doing, but the Browns managed to select the two players they had targeted in the first round. Using their No. 3 overall pick, they bagged tackle Joe Thomas from Wisconsin, the consensus best offensive lineman on the board and, by trading with Dallas, used the Cowboys’ pick at No.22 to get Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, whom they were expected to choose earlier.

It remains be seen what the Browns got by selecting UNLV cornerback Eric Wright, a projected first-rounder with character issues, in round two.

Losers

Buccaneers

This was an active draft for trades, yet the Buccaneers, who sat at No.4 overall and long had coveted Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson, the highest-rated player available, weren’t willing to give up enough to pull off a deal with No.2 Detroit. So the Lions, perceived to be in more need of defensive help, selected Johnson. No one ever said it, but you have to wonder if the Buccaneers dared call the boss of the Raiders, perched at No.1. The guess here is no. Davis reportedly still is sore at two of his former employees who are at the top of the Bucs’ football operation, coach Jon Gruden and executive Bruce Allen.

If there was a conversation, wouldn’t you have loved to have been a fly on the wall?

Dolphins

Daunte Culpepper’s physical well-being continues to be a question mark, so the Dolphins aren’t exactly quarterback rich. But with the No.9 pick they nevertheless passed up Quinn, instead taking Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who is fast and a quality player but certainly wasn’t the highest-rated at his position. He also is nursing an injured foot that might keep him inactive awhile. The Dolphins, booed for taking Ginn, did draft a quarterback in the third round, John Beck from BYU, but refused to offer anything higher than a sixth-round pick to Kansas City to acquire veteran quarterback Trent Green.