2025 NFL Draft Recap: A Shocking Travis Hunter Trade and a Shedeur Slanders Slide Highlight the First Round
We spent weeks building up the 2025 NFL Draft and it finally completed its first round on Thursday night. The Colorado players we highlighted this week certainly stole the show with the Jacksonville Jaguars shockingly trading up to No. 2 to take two-way sensation Travis Hunter, and then we watched his quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, slide out of the first round.
As for our NFL mock draft, we nailed the first seven picks by player as chalk carried the night early. But after that, my best picks were linking tight end Tyler Warren to the Colts (No. 14), Derrick Harmon to the Steelers (No. 21), and Matthew Golden to the Packers (No. 23). Overall, 28 of the 32 players I selected ended up going in the first round.
But how did the teams do with their actual picks? We won’t know with real certainty for a few years, but nothing was as instantly crazy as the Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr. where they did last year.
Here are some instant reactions to an entertaining first round.
Table of Contents
Jaguars Shockingly Trade for Travis Hunter
Believe it or not, the first seven picks in this draft were all chalk picks that were the consensus favorite to go at those spots at the sportsbooks:
- No. 1 – QB Cam Ward, Miami (Titans)
- No. 2 – CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado (Jaguars)
- No. 3 – Edge Abdul Carter, Penn State (Giants)
- No. 4 – OT Will Campbell, LSU (Patriots)
- No. 5 – DT Mason Graham, Michigan (Browns)
- No. 6 – RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (Raiders)
- No. 7 – OT Armand Membou, Missouri (Jets)
All logical picks, something you rarely see at the top of an NFL draft like this. However, the Jaguars threw a real wrench in the process when they came out of nowhere to trade with the Browns to move from No. 5 to No. 2 to take Travis Hunter, a lot of people’s favorite prospect in the draft as the best wide receiver and the best corner.
The price for this trade was very costly to the Jaguars, who gave up their No. 36 pick and a first-round pick in 2026 among other things:
The shocker is that Hunter said the Jaguars hadn’t spoken to him since the combine, so this really did come out of nowhere. New Jacksonville GM James Gladstone has been hearing the jokes all offseason for how young he looks (he’s 34), but coming over from the trade-happy Rams, he came out swinging in his first draft with a bold move that could define this draft down the line.
One thing, Jacksonville is a far more interesting landing spot for Hunter than Cleveland would have been. It’s the right setup on offense where Brian Thomas Jr. can be the WR1 with a package of plays for Hunter to contribute on offense. At corner, he can hopefully be the best the team’s had since Jalen Ramsey. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has to be thrilled with this move.
But Hunter didn’t even talk to the Jaguars recently leading up to this draft, so we have no idea what they’ll promise him as far as his role go and if he’ll get that shot to play as many snaps as he possibly can on both sides of the ball.
It’s the story to watch with this draft, and it’s the kind of bold move the Jaguars probably needed to make after the Titans did well to land themselves a potential franchise quarterback in Cam Ward with the top pick.
As for Cleveland, I think you have to applaud the haul they get out of the trade, and they made a sensible pick at No. 5 with Mason Graham joining the interior of a line led by Myles Garrett. That’s big for playing against teams like Baltimore and Buffalo in the AFC.
A shocking trade, but I get it from both sides.
Chalk Except for the Wide Receivers (Panthers, Buccaneers, Packers)
Like we said, aside from the Jaguars and Browns swapping spots for Hunter, the first seven picks were going exactly as planned. You really didn’t get a surprise until No. 8 when the Carolina Panthers decided to switch up the wide receiver class by taking Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan when most thought they’d take linebacker Jalon Walker from Georgia.
I get the pick for Carolina, which has a wide receiver guru at head coach in Dave Canales, and he’s probably not overly thrilled with the way Xavier Legette played as a rookie last year. But Legette can still get better and they have a veteran like Adam Thielen playing well. McMillan can earn a lot of targets this year and be a factor for Bryce Young’s third season. I have no issues with the pick.
But it certainly would have been cooler to see McMillan – let’s not call him T-Mac when that should stay reserved for NBA great Tracy McGrady – go to Dallas and split targets with CeeDee Lamb.
After McMillan went a little higher than expected, many thought the Cowboys (No. 12) would settle for Texas wideout Matthew Golden, but they passed on the position altogether.
Surprisingly, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka was the next wideout off the board at No. 19 to Tampa Bay despite that offense already featuring Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan caught eight touchdowns as a rookie last year. That certainly didn’t feel like the landing spot for Egbuka, who was linked to the Texans (No. 25), who ended up trading out of the round after that move.
I guess the logic is Evans is 32 years old this season and that’s well within cliff-diving range. Godwin just had another serious injury and is closing in on 30. Maybe Egbuka is a good pick for the future, but I would have expected defense from that team with their choice of defensive backs available.
That left the speedster Matthew Golden on the board, and sure enough, the host of the draft, the Green Bay Packers, did something cool by taking him in front of the large crowd at the No. 23 pick. It’s the first time since 2002 that the Packers drafted a WR/RB/TE in the first round, ending an absurdly long drought.
Golden to Green Bay was a pick I personally fell in love with this week leading into the draft, but I didn’t think they’d actually go through with it. The pick makes sense too as Green Bay’s receivers have been too frequently injured or disappear in games, so maybe Golden’s speed can be a real plus for opening things up for Jordan Love and everyone else.
But none of the wideouts in the first round (Hunter to Jacksonville included) went to the teams you actually thought they’d go to this year, so that should be interesting to follow in 2025 and beyond.
The Quarterback Slide (Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart)
We already covered the likely quarterback slide earlier this week for Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart. NFL teams apparently agreed as Cam Ward went No. 1 overall to Tennessee as expected, but then the wait was on for Sanders and Dart.
The Saints had no interest at No. 9, then when it was time for the Steelers to choose at No. 21, they did exactly what I said they would by taking defensive tackle Derrick Harmon from Oregon.
That made it clear that Sanders was unlikely to go in the first round unless the Rams bit at No. 26, or if someone traded up into the first round for him. There ended up being a trade eventually, but it was the Giants moving up to No. 25, one pick ahead of the Rams, to take Dart as the second quarterback off the board, a blow to Sanders’ psyche for sure.
For the Giants, the process has been rather messy with signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency, but you have to say there are concepts of a plan here. You start Wilson in September, let him play until he gets injured or stinks, then you can play Winston, and Dart doesn’t have to be ready to start until 2026 or 2027, while you still got the best edge rusher (Abdul Carter) in the draft. Again, it’s messy, but it’s a plan.
You can argue the Steelers’ plan is hoping Aaron Rodgers signs with them and they can still draft a quarterback on Friday night, which I still think they will do anyway. But if they don’t land a quarterback Friday night and Rodgers doesn’t sign, then yeah, you can say they have no actual plan for the most important position in 2025.
But if they didn’t think Sanders was a good fit, which he’s really not, then they made the right call by not forcing the pick on him at No. 21. Technically, they could still land him on Friday night, but it won’t be at as great of a cost unless they get silly Friday afternoon and start sending a package to Cleveland that includes a first-round pick in 2026.
But let the NFL’s 31 other clubs speak for themselves. They didn’t think Sanders was worth a first, so that’s a red flag that shouldn’t be ignored.
Offensive Line Was a Priority for a Quarter of the NFL
Some free money from betting on this draft was that the offensive line would have over 6.5 players selected in the first round. They ended up with eight, and they were all the top eight we previewed earlier this month:
- No. 4 – Will Campbell, LSU (Patriots)
- No. 7 – Armand Membou, Missouri (Jets)
- No. 9 – Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas (Saints)
- No. 12 – Tyler Booker, Alabama (Cowboys)
- No. 18 – Grey Zabel, North Dakota State (Seahawks)
- No. 24 – Donovan Jackson, Ohio State (Vikings)
- No. 29 – Josh Conerly Jr. Oregon (Commanders)
- No. 32 – Josh Simmons, Ohio State (Chiefs)
Most of these picks are very defensible. You have to love the draft interview moment for an emotional Will Campbell when he said, “I’m gonna fight and die to protect him (Drake Maye) with everything I got.” The Patriots found a keeper here.
But there are two of these linemen who make me want to complain. The Cowboys likely reached for Tyler Booker at No. 12 after guard Zack Martin retired. It’s one thing to have great linemen, but you still need pieces worth protecting and blocking for, and the Cowboys are still limited at running back and wide receiver outside of the great CeeDee Lamb.
I’m not sure if taking another wideout there that’s not McMillan was the right call, nor do I think they should have reached for a running back at No. 12. But Booker just feels like a luxury pick for a team that finished 7-10 and has more glaring needs. Remember, the Cowboys had some good linemen in the late 80s and into the 90s that no one cared about until the triplets (Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith) started making plays.
Did you really need three first-round picks on that line since 2022, Dallas?
But the pick I disagree the most with was Washington using the No. 29 pick on Josh Conerly Jr., who presumably will play right tackle after they’ve already traded for a star left tackle in Laremy Tunsil.
Jayden Daniels already showed as a rookie that he can elevate the offense around him. You just gave him Tunsil, too. So, why are you using a first-round pick on a developmental right tackle when you lack playmakers in the pass rush and secondary, and several options were available in the draft?
It’s not like adding Conerly is going to stop your skill players from losing six fumbles in the last two games against the Eagles like Washington did, or stop Saquon Barkley from killing them on the ground.
Head coach Dan Quinn needed a piece to work with from this pick, and they didn’t do it. My first huge complaint about Washington’s off-season.
The Tight End Shuffle Few Expected (Bears and Colts)
There were many fans for the top two tight ends in this draft in Tyler Warren (Penn State) and Colston Loveland (Michigan). But it’s wild to see that the NFL actually had a draft with two tight ends drafted in the top 14 picks, something that hadn’t happened since 1973.
Even wilder, Warren didn’t go first at his position as he was favored to do for months. With the No. 10 pick, the Bears drafted Loveland instead, allowing Warren to fall right in the Colts’ lap at No. 14 where they took him. I tried giving the Colts Brock Bowers last year before the Raiders snatched him, but they got their guy, who should be their best tight end since Dallas Clark.
But this one is wild to me as I really liked everything Ben Johnson was saying as the new coach of the Bears this offseason. I’ll be curious to see his quotes about Loveland, because it’s hard for me to believe that the Bears couldn’t turn Cole Kmet into their version of Sam LaPorta.
Kmet just caught 85.5% of his targets from Caleb Williams last year and averaged 8.6 yards per target, a good number in an objectively bad offense. Meanwhile, in a great Detroit offense, LaPorta has been catching 72% of his targets with 8.0 yards per target and a far lower receiving success rate despite better quarterback play from Jared Goff.
LaPorta is better in the red zone, but Johnson should be able to scheme more easy touchdowns for his tight end. Also, let’s not act like Kmet is a free agent after this year. He’s already been re-signed in Chicago and is supposed to be there the next few seasons for decent cash.
This Loveland pick just confuses me for a Chicago team that already flopped badly last year after the hype over their skill players. Sure, the offensive line was improved in free agency, but it’s not anywhere near the degree of the line that Johnson had in Detroit. I know the Bears had bad luck that the Saints snatched the No. 3 offensive tackle (Kelvin Banks Jr.) one pick before them, or maybe they had gone another direction.
Just think this pick is overkill at a position they didn’t even need. But we’ll see how it goes, and Warren should help the Colts with another big target and someone who can be used creatively in the backfield with Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor.
Respect for the Defensive Line/Edge Rushers
We said the defensive line/edge players were the cream of the crop in this class, and they didn’t disappoint much in Round 1 with 10 selections and plenty more to come on Friday night.
- No. 3 – Edge Abdul Carter, Penn State (Giants)
- No. 5 – DT Mason Graham, Michigan (Browns)
- No. 11 – Edge Mykel Williams, Georgia (49ers)
- No. 13 – DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan (Dolphins)
- No. 15 – Edge Jalon Walker, Georgia (Falcons)
- No. 16 – DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss (Cardinals)
- No. 17 – Edge Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M (Bengals)
- No. 21 – DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon (Steelers)
- No. 26 – Edge James Pearce Jr., Tennessee (Falcons)
- No. 28 – DT Tyleik Williams, Ohio State (Lions)
We criticized the Falcons last year for taking another quarterback instead of getting a pass rusher. Well, they went all in on the edge rushers this year by taking Jalon Walker at No. 15, good value for someone who had top 8 potential. Getting someone from Georgia is just an added bonus to the pick.
But then the Falcons got frisky and traded back up into the first round by giving up a 2026 first to get James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee at No. 26. He’s a bit undersized but has an explosive first step. At least one of these picks should hit well for the Falcons, and it’d be great if both did. I applaud them for aggressively beefing up the pass rush this year.
Likewise, the 49ers made a solid move in giving Nick Bosa a bookend edge rusher with Mykel Williams, who was my target for the Falcons at No. 15. Walter Nolen is a good defensive tackle pickup for the Cardinals in a tough spot in the middle of the round. Derrick Harmon is the eventual Cam Heyward replacement in Pittsburgh, I wanted to see.
Some of the picks weren’t as impressive.
Kenneth Grant was someone I thought would go later than No. 13, so I’m not entirely sure that’s the best pick for the Dolphins that high. Also, the Bengals definitely needed an edge rusher, but they took the “great athlete with garbage production in college” that makes Shemar Stewart such a polarizing prospect. It’s not so much that he had 4.5 sacks in college. It’s that he had 1.5 sacks each season. Where’s the leap forward? They may regret not taking Mike Green, James Pearce Jr., or Donovan Ezeiruaku.
But maybe the biggest reach was Detroit taking Tyliek Williams in the first round at No. 28. He was the No. 44 prospect at NFL Mock Draft Database, so not really a first-round prospect. I would have tried taking another shot at edge or corner for that defense, but they may get away with this one working out in the end.
The Secondary Was of Secondary Concern for Most Teams (Ravens, Broncos, and Bills)
NFL teams reportedly weren’t in love with the defensive backs in this class, but the first round went even worse than expected, with just one safety chosen (no Nick Emmanwori). You can usually count on the Ravens to go defense, and they did with safety Malaki Starks (Georgia), a very solid pick at No. 27 to pair with Kyle Hamilton.
Shockingly, Michigan corner Will Johnson wasn’t even drafted despite being the odds-on favorite to be the next corner drafted after Travis Hunter. It was reportedly his health that scared teams away from him.
In the end, only two one-way corners were drafted in the first round, and they aren’t going to teams you would have expected.
Everyone was linking the Broncos to a running back at No. 20, but they passed on running back Omarion Hampton and took Texas corner Jahdae Barron instead. It’s a bit of a bold move for a team that just saw corner Patrick Surtain II win the Defensive Player of the Year award, but I like the move. You can never have enough good corners in the NFL, especially in the AFC against the best quarterbacks.
This is a pick that should be debated for years, with the Chargers using the No. 22 pick on Hampton at running back, a puzzling move for a team that should be trying to build a defense and better passing offense around Justin Herbert. They already added Najee Harris, a volume back, in the offseason. It’s hard to see how Hampton helps them win a playoff game more than a corner like Barron or an edge rusher to replace the loss of Joey Bosa would have.
So, that could be advantage Broncos in the race to catch the Chiefs in the AFC West, and it’s all because they didn’t bother to take a running back in the first round. Keep in mind both Ohio State running backs are still available, and the Broncos could end up with one of them on Friday night.
At No. 30, the Bills drafted speedy corner Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky). Some liked Trey Amos more for that pick, but I thought it was going to be pass rush all along for the Bills there. That’s what they need to get past the Chiefs in January. It was probably a bummer when James Pearce Jr. went No. 26 to Atlanta, because that would have been a good fit for Sean McDermott’s defense.
The End: Super Bowl Teams Draft Top 15 Talents (Chiefs and Eagles)
To close the night, the Chiefs and Eagles actually swapped picks No. 31 and No. 32, with the Eagles giving up a fifth-round pick to do so. I’m not so sure I’d be trading with the Eagles, a team I’ve played in two tough Super Bowls, if I were Kansas City.
The Chiefs likely weren’t on the lookout for the player the Eagles selected with the pick, but people will remember this if Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell makes a play against them in a big game. Campbell was a player I had going No. 11 to the 49ers, and that’s the kind of talent he can be when healthy. But a shoulder injury caused him to drop.
Likewise, a 2024 injury ended offensive tackle Josh Simmons’ season early at Ohio State last year, or he would have gone much higher. The Chiefs ended the first round by taking him at No. 32. It’s really a great pick as the Chiefs can take their time with Simmons, let him recover 100%, and go with the tackle they signed from the 49ers in free agency (Jaylon Moore) before Simmons takes over later.
Funny how this works. The Eagles have another young piece for their front seven that Vic Fangio can coach up. The Chiefs may finally have their long-term solution at left tackle to protect Patrick Mahomes.
The rich are likely to get richer.
- My Best Value Picks in the 1st Round: Tyler Warren (Colts), Jalon Walker (Falcons), Grey Zabel (Seahawks), Derrick Harmon (Steelers), Jihaad Campbell (Eagles), Josh Simmons (Chiefs).
- My Worst Value Picks in the 1st Round: Colston Loveland (Bears), Tyler Booker (Cowboys), Kenneth Grant (Dolphins), Shemar Stewart (Bengals), Omarion Hampton (Chargers), Josh Conerly Jr. (Commanders).
What to Watch for Friday Night
The 2025 NFL Draft continues with Rounds 2 and 3 this Friday evening. There will be plenty of eyes on Shedeur Sanders again, but he may not have to wait long, as Cleveland has that No. 33 pick to start the second round.
But you should also keep an eye on what the Steelers do in regards to maybe trading up for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Here are the best players still available:
- CB Will Johnson (Michigan)
- QB Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)
- Edge Mike Green (Marshall)
- S Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina)
- Edge Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College)
- WR Luther Burden (Missouri)
- CB Trey Amos (Mississippi)
- RB TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)
- TE Mason Taylor (LSU)
- QB Jalen Milroe (Alabama)
Related Articles:
- 2025 NFL Draft: A Reasonable Mock Draft for Your Viewing Pleasure
- Why the Pittsburgh Steelers Would Be Foolish to Draft Shedeur Sanders at No. 21 in the 2025 NFL Draft
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Is Travis Hunter a Modern Marvel or a Future Failed Experiment?
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: The Defensive Line and Edge Rushers Are the Cream of the Crop
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: The Best Cornerbacks Not Named Travis Hunter
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Don’t Sleep on the Linebacker and Safety Classes
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: The Top 10 Offensive Line Prospects
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Ashton Jeanty to Lead the Rebirth of the Running Back?
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Meet the Best Wide Receivers Not Named Travis Hunter
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Tyler Warren and the Value of a Great Tight End
- 2025 NFL Draft Preview: Don’t Expect a Deep Quarterback Class Like 2024
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