2025 NFL Draft – Round One Review

1. TENNESSEE – Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL)

2. JACKSONVILLE – Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado

3. NY GIANTS – Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

4. NEW ENGLAND – Will Campbell, OT, LSU

5. CLEVELAND – Mason Graham, DL, Michigan

6. LAS VEGAS – Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

7. NY JETS – Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

8. CAROLINA – Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

9. NEW ORLEANS – Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas

10. CHICAGO – Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

11. SAN FRANCISCO – Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

12. DALLAS – Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama

13. MIAMI – Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan

14. INDIANAPOLIS – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

15. ATLANTA – Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia

16. ARIZONA – Walter Nolen, DL, Ole Miss

17. CINCINNATI – Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M

18. SEATTLE – Grey Zabel, OG, North Dakota State

19. TAMPA BAY – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

20. DENVER – Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

21. PITTSBURGH – Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon

22. LA CHARGERS – Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

23. GREEN BAY – Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

24. MINNESOTA – Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State

25. NY GIANTS – Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

26. ATLANTA – James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

27. BALTIMORE – Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

28. DETROIT – Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State

29. WASHINGTON – Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon

30. BUFFALO – Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

31. PHILADELPHIA – Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

32. KANSAS CITY – Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

• Favourite pick: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas (20th overall, Denver) – I gave Barron a first round grade, and didn’t expect him to drop this far. Corner wasn’t an immediate need for Denver, but they got a helluva football player. He should slot in as the starting slot corner from day one, and now Denver has, arguably, the best secondary in the league.
• Hated this pick: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss (25th overall, NY Giants) – Let me begin by saying a few things…if you need a quarterback, and love the player, you go get your man; the Giants needed a young signal caller as Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston are obviously not the future under center; Dart being a first round pick was seen as a strong possibility since February. All that being said, Dart did not belong in the first round. I had Dart at 51st overall on my final big board – and that was after factoring in the “QB Tax” that pushes quarterbacks up on Draft day. Dart has the physical talent and playmaking ability to be a starter in the NFL, but was the least developed of the top three projected quarterbacks. The Giants didn’t give up a lot, but I’m not a fan of using a first round pick plus additional assets on a developmental quarterback.
• Surprise pick: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado (2nd overall, Jacksonville) –  The Jaguars trading up for Travis Hunter was one of the best kept secrets of this entire Draft cycle. The trade with the Browns had been agreed to back in early April, but I hadn’t seen it even whispered as a rumor anywhere until Draft day. Hunter is the best WR2 Trevor Lawrence has had thus far in his NFL career, and Hunter is also a candidate to start outside opposite Tyson Campbell. Trading multiple picks – including next year’s first round pick – to move up three spots for a receiver/corner is a steep price, however.