One round out of seven is complete at the 2025 NFL Draft, so it’s far too soon to hand out draft grades. There will be steals aplenty on Friday and Saturday, and even more future busts.
That said, Thursday packed plenty of punch in the first 32 picks. Who were the winners and losers of Round 1? Here are three nominees for each:
Winner: The Jaguars (and Trevor Lawrence)
It’s a new day in Duval County. The franchise has been stuck in the mud and is moving on to Lawrence’s third full-time head coach in five years. So new GM James Gladstone sent a big package to Cleveland, moved up three spots to No. 2 and snagged Heisman winner Travis Hunter, who plans to play both wide receiver and cornerback in the pros. (Would Trent Baalke have made that move?) Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. should make a terrific receiving tandem for Lawrence.
Winner: Green Bay
The NFL probably doesn’t need to bring the draft to every city that has a franchise, but Green Bay was a standout choice for the history of the Packers and Lambeau Field. The Packers fans in attendance got to celebrate the unthinkable: their team drafting a wide receiver in the first round. Green Bay hadn’t done so since taking Javon Walker in 2002, mid-Brett Favre era. Speedster Matthew Golden of Texas could be Jordan Love’s No. 1 target this year.
Winner: The SEC
Although just one of the first six selections came from a Southeastern Conference school, it didn’t take long for the floodgates to open. The SEC ended the night with 15 first-round picks, nearly half of the first round, tying its own record set in 2020. Honestly, the 2020 mark was more impressive because the league hadn’t expanded to add Texas and Oklahoma yet. In the most predictable move of the night, the Philadelphia Eagles grabbed Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell at No. 31, adding to a defense that resembles an All-SEC first-team unit.
Loser: Shedeur Sanders
That quote that circulated this week from a veteran NFL assistant coach was an all-timer. “He’s so entitled.” “He blames teammates.” “He’s not that good.” But that quote wasn’t the reason Sanders dropped out of the first round. If anything, it may have been a window into an overall feeling around the league that Sanders wasn’t first-round worthy. The question becomes who will snap up Sanders on Day 2, and whether he stands a chance at a starting job in 2025.
Loser: Cowboys fans
Jerry Jones has a thing for offensive linemen named Tyler. The Cowboys’ owner and self-appointed general manager spent first-round picks on the left side of their offensive line in Tyler Smith (2022) and Tyler Guyton (2024). Now, Alabama’s Tyler Booker is headed to Dallas to play right guard. Most Cowboys fans would have preferred just about anything else with the No. 12 pick, very high for an interior lineman. For context, he’s replacing the retired Zack Martin — picked 16th overall in his draft.
Loser: Tommy DeVito
Wheel another chair into the New York Giants’ quarterback room. After taking edge rusher Abdul Carter third overall, the Giants traded back into the first round for a QB, passing over Sanders to pick Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more confusing quarterback group than Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Dart and DeVito. Barring injury, the local boy affectionately known as “Tommy Cutlets,” who made eight starts the past two years, doesn’t stand a chance of making the roster now.
–Field Level Media
