The NFL draft comes every year and allows for teams to add college players to their rosters, but this draft was a special one. There was immense talent in the draft this year, a weaker quarterback class, and a top prospect plummeting into day 3 of the draft.
The Titans held the number one overall pick and took University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Cam Ward won the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award this year. Ward will start right away for Tennessee and is projected to make an instant impact. He has great running ability and has a cannon of an arm.
The first trade of the draft was the second overall pick when the Jaguars traded up to number two with the Browns and selected Heisman trophy winner Travis Hunter. Travis Hunter is a special player. He played two ways at Colorado, a wide receiver and a cornerback. He plans to do the same in Jacksonville. This was a great move by Jacksonville. They gave up a lot of picks to move up 3 spots in the draft, but Hunter is a generational talent who will pair nicely with 2024 rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Notable Names and Where They Fell
Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter was drafted number three by the New York Giants. I believe he is the best player in this draft, and this pick shows Giants general manager Joe Schoen’s vision for building this team. He wants to rush the passer and beef up the defensive line.
Heisman runner-up Ashton Jenty was taken number six by the Las Vegas Raiders. Raiders’ new head coach Pete Carroll loves to run the ball in his offense. He is going to use Jenty the same way he used Marshon Lynch back in the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom days.
Tetairoa McMillan was the first Wide Receiver drafted. He is coming out of Arizona, is 6’5, and an amazing 50/50 ball catcher. He should be a great addition to the Panthers’ offense and should be Bryce Young’s go-to guy down the field.
The second Penn State player came off the board at pick 14 to the Colts. The Mackey Award-winning tight end, Tyler Warren, was selected 14th by the Colts after he was unexpectedly passed on by the Bears, who selected Colston Lovland. Warren is a terrific tight end. Warren is a swiss army knife; he can line up in the slot as a receiver, in the backfield as a running back. He even took multiple snaps at quarterback. His most famous play, which defines him in my opinion, is when he lined up as a center against USC, ran a route into the end zone and caught a 50/50 ball over a USC defender. That play just solidified him as one of the best tight ends in the class.
The Houston Texans traded the 25th pick to the Giants, which was not unexpected with the Giants looking for their franchise quarterback. The Giants selected Jaxon Dart, quarterback from Ole Miss. Dart has been climbing up draft boards since the end of the college football season. And there was a surprise here that the Giants did not select quarterback Shedeur Sanders. This was the start of the Shedeur Sanders draft drop. The Giants gave up their first pick in the second round, their first third round pick, and their third round pick in 2026 to move up to 25 in the first round.
The Eagles traded up one spot with the Chiefs to select Alabama Linebacker Jihaad Campbell. Campbell is a speeded physical Linebacker who can shoot gaps and also drop back in coverage. Campbell can cover Receivers along with Tight ends and will pair very nicely next to Zach Baun. Campbell got surgery on his shoulder recently and has had a few injury issues. Campbell has the talent of a top fifteen pick, and the Eagles got an amazing player at 31.
Sanders Draft weekend slide
Sanders was a projected top 10 pick going into draft week. The Browns, Giants, and Saints were all teams in the top 10 who were heavily interested in Sanders and in need of a quarterback. Sanders’ first sign of sliding was when the Steelers passed on him and took a Defensive Tackle at 21, The Giants traded back into the first round at pick 25, Trading with the Texans. They selected Ole Miss Quarterback Jaxon Dart, which was a surprise with Sanders still on the board. The Giants traded their 2025 second round pick and third round pick. And their 2026 third round pick. The Browns held the first pick in the second round, with them taking defense in the first round, it was pretty certain they would go for Sanders at 33. The saints followed shortly after. The Browns instead took Carson Schwesinger, a linebacker from UCLA. The Saints went for a quarterback, but not Shedeur Sanders. They took Tyler Shough, a 26 year old quarterback from Louisville. It was all downhill from there. Three other quarterbacks were taken after Shough, as the second day of the draft came to an end, Sanders was still on the board. Finally, on the last day of the draft, the Browns selected Sanders with the 144th pick even after taking Oregon Quarterback Dillion Gabriel. The reason Sanders dropped is still not confirmed, but there were multiple reports from NFL coaches and General Managers that Sanders did not interview well at all. One other factor is that they do not want the package of his dad to come with him. Sanders will have the opportunity to start in Cleveland. Cleveland has a very interesting quarterback room with Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillion Gabriel, and Shedur Sanders. Sanders will start his NFL career with a huge chip on his shoulder.
Teams With The Best Draft
Three teams stood out to me in the draft: the first team was the Cleveland Browns. The Browns filled their needs and came out with multiple picks for 2026 from the trade with the Jaguars. They got one of the best players in the draft in Mason Graham to help their interior defensive line and got one of the best running backs in the draft in Quinshon Judkins to add some skill to their offense. Their best move was getting Shedur Sanders in the fifth round. He has the talent of a first rounder. To get him in the fifth round is the steal of the draft. My draft grade for the Browns is an A-.
The second team that really stood out to me in the draft was the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens had great value in their first and second round picks. In the first round, the Ravens took Georgia safety Malkia Starks. He will be paired up with Kyle Hamilton. It will be a lockdown combo in Baltimore’s secondary. The Ravens’ second round pick is one of my favorite picks in the draft. They got Marshall edge rusher Mike Green. Green led FBS in sacks with 17. He is fast and has great moves off the edge. He fell in the draft due to off the field issues, but the Ravens still got amazing value at pick 58 in Green. I give the Ravens an A- in my draft grade.
The third and final team’s draft that stood out to me was the New York Giants. The Giants took the best player in the draft, in my opinion, Abdul Carter. Carter is fast off the line and bendy and can get to the Quarterback at an elite level. The Giants’ defensive line is now in the elite category in the NFL. The Giants traded up in the 1st round to pick 25 for a franchise quarterback and selected Jaxon Dart. Dart will not be expected to play much in the 2025 season and is still a pretty raw quarterback; he should develop nicely under veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. The Giants added more defensive line in the third round, picking up interior defensive lineman Darius Alexander. Alexander will be great paired up with Dexter Lawrence and should help with stopping the run up the middle. In the fourth round, the Giants took Arizona State running back Cam Skattibo. Skattebo is an exciting pick for Giants fans, adding more talent to the offense. Skattebo is a power back who can run over linebackers and also run routes. He should be a great one-two punch with second year running back Tyron Tracy. The Giants made another great pick in the fifth round, taking Marcus Mbow, a guard out of Purdue. It will add a talented guard to the Giants’ offensive line. The Giants filled their needs and added much needed talent to their roster. I give the Giants an A in my draft grade.
