Honestly, by the time Saturday morning of the NFL Draft rolls around, most casual fans have already tuned out. They've seen the glitz of Thursday night, the frantic trades of Friday, and now they're just waiting for the post-draft grades to pop up on their phones. But if you were paying attention this past April, the NFL draft 2025 4th round was where the real drama—and the future of several franchises—actually lived.
It’s that weird sweet spot. The "elite" traits are mostly gone, but the "project" players haven't quite taken over the board yet. You're looking for guys who can actually play football, not just guys who look good in spandex at the Combine.
The Running Back Explosion
Nobody told the NFL that running backs don't matter anymore. At least, not in the fourth round. We saw a literal avalanche of ball carriers go off the board early on Day 3.
The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked things off with Bhayshul Tuten out of Virginia Tech at pick 104. If you haven't watched his tape, he's basically a human pinball. He ran a 4.32 at the combine, and honestly, it shows. He’s the kind of change-of-pace guy that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep. Then, literally one pick later, the Giants grabbed Cam Skattebo.
Skattebo is the polar opposite of Tuten. He’s squatty, he’s slow, and he looks like he should be moving refrigerators for a living. But he forced more than 100 missed tackles last season. You don’t do that by accident. The Giants pairing him with Tyrone Tracy Jr. is a sneaky-good move that most people ignored because it wasn't a "sexy" first-round splash.
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The Shedeur Sanders Slide
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Or rather, the quarterback in the green room. Shedeur Sanders falling to pick 144 was the story of the NFL draft 2025 4th round.
Look, some people think he should’ve been a top-ten pick. Others think his pocket presence is a mess. But the Cleveland Browns snagging him at 144? That’s highway robbery. The Browns are in a weird spot with their QB room—having already taken Dylan Gabriel earlier—but Sanders at this value is a low-risk, high-reward play that could look genius in two years. He throws with ice in his veins, and his PFF passing grade in the two-minute drill was historically high. You just don't find that kind of poise in the middle of Saturday very often.
Finding Value in the Trenches
While everyone was focused on the skill positions, some teams were quietly fixing their defensive lines. The Buffalo Bills might have found their long-term nose tackle in Deone Walker at pick 108.
- Deone Walker (Bills, No. 108): A massive human being who actually moves like a much smaller man. He led all rookie DTs in pass-rush grade this year.
- Ty Robinson (Eagles, No. 111): Classic Howie Roseman pick. Robinson isn't a stat-sheet stuffer, but he’s a "workhorse" who does the dirty work so the edge rushers can get the glory.
- Joshua Farmer (Patriots, No. 137): Mike Vrabel’s fingerprints are all over this one. Farmer has that lateral quickness that makes interior linemen look silly.
Why These Picks Actually Win Super Bowls
If you look at the rosters of the teams still playing in the 2026 playoffs right now, they are littered with fourth-rounders. It’s the round where you find your "glue" guys.
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Take a look at the Tennessee Titans. They spent their NFL draft 2025 4th round surrounding their new franchise QB, Cam Ward, with weapons like wideout Chimere Dike and tight end Gunnar Helm. Are these guys Hall of Famers? Probably not. But they are the guys who catch a 3rd-and-7 in the rain in December. That’s the reality of the NFL.
The Steals You Might Have Missed
If we're being real, the "Draft Steal" label gets thrown around way too much. But Jalen Royals going to the Chiefs at 133? That’s the definition. Royals was a touchdown machine at Utah State before a foot injury slowed him down. Of course, he lands with Patrick Mahomes. It’s almost unfair. He’s a smooth-moving receiver who just knows how to find the soft spot in a zone.
Then there’s Mac McWilliams. The Eagles got him at 145. He can play inside, he can play outside, and he’s probably going to be a special teams ace from Day 1. That’s how you build a roster that doesn’t collapse when a starter gets a hamstring tweak.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you’re a fan trying to figure out if your team actually "won" the draft, don't look at the Round 1 grades. Look at who they took in the fourth.
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- Check the snap counts: If your 4th-round pick is playing more than 25% of the defensive or offensive snaps by Week 6, your GM did their job.
- Watch the trenches: Teams like the Bills and Patriots used this round to find rotation players. If their run defense improved, it’s because of these "boring" picks.
- Running back depth matters: In 2026, we're seeing more backfield committees than ever. If your team grabbed a guy like Trevor Etienne or Jarquez Hunter in this round, expect them to be a factor in the fantasy playoffs.
The NFL draft 2025 4th round wasn't just a bridge to the late-round fillers. It was a foundational moment for teams like the Giants, Browns, and Chiefs. It’s the round for the grinders, the guys with "bad" measurables but "great" tape. And honestly? Those are usually the most fun players to watch anyway.
Keep an eye on the injury reports as we head into the 2026 postseason. You’re going to see a lot of these names stepping into starting roles. When they do, remember it wasn't a surprise—it was just a really good Saturday in April.
Next Steps:
- Monitor the 2025 rookie snap counts specifically for Day 3 players to see which teams are getting the highest ROI.
- Analyze the 2026 mock drafts to see if teams are continuing the trend of valuing high-volume running backs in the middle rounds.
- Watch the developmental progress of Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland to see if he can challenge for a starting role by the 2026 preseason.