The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and if anything the most surprising thing was probably the lack of trades: save for a big trade for the second overall pick and the rights to Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, and then a couple of surprises at the end of the first round.

These are my rapid-fire grades for all 32 picks: without taking too much public consideration in to account, and just showing how I feel about each team’s selection. I gave out a lot of A’s and B’s: maybe I wasn’t a very harsh grader, but there also didn’t appear to be many reaches or blunders this go-around, and without many trades, there was less opportunities for big winners and losers.

Without further ado, let’s jump in to grades for all 32 picks in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. If you’d like to debate or discuss any of these grades, be sure to connect with Sak Sports Blog on Twitter/X or on Facebook.

1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami: B

As far as first overall picks go, Miami QB Cam Ward doesn’t feel like a generational talent to me, but I can understand why the Tennessee Titans felt obligated to pick Ward first overall.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars (via trade with Cleveland Browns): Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado: B+

Normally, selecting the best overall player with the second overall pick would be a slam dunk of a pick, but the Jacksonville Jaguars did have to give up significant draft capital in order to select Travis Hunter, including next year’s first round pick. High risk, high reward.

SEE FULL ARTICLE: Jacksonville Jaguars Trade Up to Select WR/CB Travis Hunter with Second Overall Pick

3. New York Giants: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State: A

The New York Giants got the best player left on the board with the third overall pick, so it’s hard to fault them there. The only thing stopping this pick from being a perfect grade was not finding a way to squeeze even more value out of it, with teams still lurking for players like Ashton Jeanty at this point in time.

4. New England Patriots: Will Campbell, OT, LSU: A

For the same reasons, the New England Patriots also get an A, not an A+: they picked the best player available to them, but were any trades on the table?

5. Cleveland Browns: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan: A+

The Cleveland Browns easily could have selected Travis Hunter or even Abdul Carter with the second overall pick and no one would have batted an eye. Instead, Cleveland trades down, still adds a defensive end, and gets more picks this year and a future 2026 first round pick from Jacksonville. The first A+ of the night.

6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: A+

The Las Vegas Raiders, on the other hand, get an A+ for standing pat and letting their top target fall to them without giving up any draft capital: Heisman Trophy finalist and running back Ashton Jeanty is going to do numbers with Pete Carroll and Geno Smith in Las Vegas.

7. New York Jets: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri: B

For the fourth time in five seasons, the New York Jets select an offensive lineman in the first round, this time selecting Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou.

8. Carolina Panthers: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona: C

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was considered a Top 5 prospect, but off the field issues impacted his draft stock. In theory, that gives the Carolina Panthers good value here, but #8 is pretty high compared to many consensus mocks. McMillan has talent as a big-bodied wide receiver, and will assuredly improve Bryce Young’s offense. But the Panthers have many more issues to address before they can sniff contention.

9. New Orleans Saints: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT/G, Texas: A-

The New Orleans Saints beef up their offensive line with Kelvin Banks Jr., a solid pick, and probably not even a thought of quarterback Shedeur Sanders despite rumors.

10. Chicago Bears: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan: B-

The Chicago Bears are absolutely allowed to value Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren at the tight end position, but it’s a slight reach nonetheless. With many teams looking at both Loveland and Warren, maybe the Bears could have found a team to swap a couple of spots in order to make Warren, the best tight end in the draft, the first tight end off the board. Again, it’s not a terrible pick, but it was a little surprising.

11. San Francisco 49ers: Mykel Williams, DE, Georgia: A

Absolutely nothing wrong with this classic San Francisco 49ers pick: another pass-rusher, to support an already strong unit led by Nick Bosa.

12. Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Booker, G, Alabama: B

An important pick for the Dallas Cowboys and probably the right one, but just not a flashy one. Tyler Warren potentially could have became the next Jason Witten, but not picking a skill player honestly shows good restraint on Jerry Jones’ end.

13. Miami Dolphins: Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan: A

I feel like my grading hasn’t been too harsh, but not many teams have made bad decisions up to this point. The Miami Dolphins have tons of skill position talent, and pick a strong defensive presence in Kenneth Grant at the 13th overall pick.

14. Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State: A+

One of the best picks of the night, the Indianapolis Colts fill a need with the best overall player at that position: talented Penn State tight end Tyler Warren. Great pick to build the offense of the future for Indianapolis, no matter who the quarterback is/

15. Atlanta Falcons: Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia: A

Another top talent: hybrid defensive end Jalon Walker had Top 10 potential but simply wasn’t always mocked there, as some teams filled other needs. The Atlanta Falcons have shied away from the defensive side of the ball in the first round before, but not this year.

16. Arizona Cardinals: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss: B+

Kind of like Jalon Walker, Walter Nolen was a big board star that was absent from the Top 10 of most mock drafts. The Arizona Cardinals get great value here, and fill a hole they attempted to fill in free agency with Milton Williams,

17. Cincinnati Bengals: Shemar Stewart, DE, Texas A&M: A

Yet another selection that’s hard to nitpick: the Cincinnati Bengals need help all over the defensive side of the ball, and with Trey Henderson’s future in flex, insurance on the defensive line is huge. In a perfect world, the Bengals pair Stewart and Henderson on a fierce defensive line.

18. Seattle Seahawks: Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State: C+

Personally, I didn’t have Grey Zabel as a first round pick: but that doesn’t mean this was a bad selection, as there are at least 40 players that merit first round consideration, if not more.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State: C

It’s a fun pick that could instantly help upgrade Baker Mayfield’s passing game as well as his reliance on Mike Evans. But with not a lot of receivers off the board (and Egbuka not necessarily the consensus next best receiver available) there’s probably other ways Tampa Bay could have went with this selection.

20. Denver Broncos: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas: B+

Selecting the best player available is always a strategy, and some mocks had Jahdae Barron as a borderline Top 10 pick. But the Denver Broncos made the playoffs last season on the strength of their secondary and Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II. Could that secondary use additional depth and a plan for the future? Absolutely, but Bo Nix’s offense needs upgrades, and there were many targets still on the board, including running back Omarion Hampton, who the Broncos let slip to the Chargers two picks later.

Grade Update: I was originally pretty harsh on this pick with a D+, but the idea is growing on me, Barron might just be a steal to pair with Pat Surtain II.

SEE ALSO: Colorado Sports Roundup 4/25/2025

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon: A-

A classic Pittsburgh Steelers pick, a solid defensive lineman in Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. The Steelers resisted the Shedeuer Sanders buzz, but it would have been interesting if they could have leveraged that buzz in to trading the pick.

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina: C+

Kind of like the Buccaneers: a fun pick, as Jim Harbaugh gets to add first round running back talent, alongside veteran Najee Harris, to Justin Herbert’s offense. The Los Angeles Chargers are typically a team with multiple backs to carry the rock. But it still feels like this pick does little to address the Chargers’ playoff shortcomings of late. If anything, the Chargers might even get bonus points for keeping Hampton out of Denver: although the Broncos passed on him at #20, he probably remained a target if his slide continued.

23. Green Bay Packers: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas: A

Jordan Love’s offense could use more weapons, and slot-style wide receiver Matthew Golden should be able to make an immediate impact on the field. Bonus points for selecting a skill player in front of the Green Bay Packers home crowd: their first wide receiver selected in the first round since 2002. (Aaron Rodgers is probably wondering why he never got this luxury.)

24. Minnesota Vikings: Donovan Jackson, G, Ohio State: C+

Like the Seahawks, not an offensive lineman I personally had a first round grade on, but still a solid pick and a foundational building block.

25. New York Giants (via trade with Houston Texans): Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss: C+

The New York Giants gave up the 34th overall pick as well as two other picks (#99 as well as 2026 third round pick) to trade back in the first round for a second selection: quarterback Jaxson Dart, who Giants brass clearly preferred over Sheduer Sanders. I don’t love the trade: was Dart really guaranteed to leave the board in the next nine picks? Would Sanders be that bad of a fallback? I’m not going to give the Giants a bad grade here, they got their potential quarterback of the future to learn under Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. But I still don’t know they got great value out of this trade.

26. Atlanta Falcons (via trade with Los Angeles Rams): James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee: D+

The Atlanta Falcons doubled down on bolstering their defensive line, but at a cost: the Falcons also received a 3rd round pick in the process, but gave up this year’s 2nd and 7th round picks as well as next year’s first round pick. James Pearce Jr. will essentially have to produce as much as two first round picks would for this trade to truly pay off. Solid player, questionable trade.

27. Baltimore Ravens: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia: A

I had a much higher grade on Georgia safety Malaki Starks, so I think the Baltimore Ravens got a late first round steal here and a smash mouth defensive back they’re absolutely going to love.

28. Detroit Lions: Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State: B-

Another player that wasn’t mentioned in the majority of first round mocks, but still a good, gritty pick for Dan Campbell’s defensive line, that could definitely use some depth. Williams was likely the next player up on the Lions personal big board. Detroit’s secondary also could have used some attention.

29. Washington Commanders: Josh Connerly Jr., OT, Oregon: A-

A pick that’s hard to find fault in: I did have a first round projection for Josh Connerly Jr., at #25, so the Washington Commanders get some value here and beef up Jayden Daniels’ offensive line of an NFC Championship contending team from last season.

30. Buffalo Bills: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky: B

Just a two-year starter, Maxwell Hairston made a name for himself as the fastest player at the NFL combine, which is definitely necessary to play defense in today’s game. But with Michigan corner Will Johnson still on the table as a Top 16 prospect, it feels like the Bills could have looked his way: they must have liked Hairston’s fit better.

31. Philadelphia Eagles (via Kansas City Chiefs): Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama: A–

In a somewhat odd trade, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles traded up just one spot: Kansas City must have told them they would select Jihaad Campbell if the trade wasn’t made. I had a mid-first round grade on Campbell, so this is a great pick in the core of the defense for the defending champs: at a pretty small price of a fifth round pick.

32. Kansas City Chiefs (via Philadelphia Eagles): Josh Simmons, LT, Ohio State: A-

The Kansas City Chiefs get to move back a pick and pick up a fifth round pick, why not? With the 32nd pick, a slot the Chiefs are used to selecting in, the Chiefs selected Josh Simmons, a left tackle from Ohio State. Filling one of the most important positions in the game to help out Patrick Mahomes in the pocket is easily a win, especially a with a prospect from a program like Ohio State.

SEE ALSO: How did the real-life results compare to my 2025 NFL Mock Draft?

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