Draft season makes everyone a little crazy. We spend eleven months obsessing over tape and measurements, only to watch the actual event go sideways in about twenty minutes. Now that we're sitting here in early 2026, looking back at the projected first round NFL draft 2025 is honestly like looking at a different timeline. Remember when everyone thought we’d see five or six quarterbacks in the top ten?
Yeah. Not exactly.
The 2025 draft was basically the year of the "Big Men." While the 2024 class was all about the flash and the playmakers, 2025 turned into a gritty, trenches-first affair that left a lot of high-profile names—and a few legendary fathers—scratching their heads.
The Cam Ward Coronation and the Travis Hunter Swap
If you looked at any mock draft in early 2025, you saw the same name at the top. Cam Ward. The Miami signal-caller held onto that QB1 spot with a death grip, and the Tennessee Titans didn't overthink it. They took him at No. 1 overall to be the face of the franchise. It was the "safe" pick, but everything after that was pure chaos.
The Jacksonville Jaguars provided the first real jolt of the night. They weren't content sitting at No. 5. They wanted a superstar, so they traded a massive haul to the Cleveland Browns to move up to No. 2. Who did they take? Travis Hunter.
Hunter made history the second his name was called. He was announced as a "WR/CB," the first two-way player to go that high in the modern era. People were skeptical about whether he could actually play both ways in the pros, but Jacksonville basically said, "Watch us."
The Defensive Dominance
While the media was obsessed with the Heisman winner, the NFL scouts were obsessed with the defensive line. Look at the top five. After Ward and Hunter, we saw:
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- Abdul Carter (Edge, Penn State) to the New York Giants at No. 3.
- Will Campbell (OT, LSU) to the New England Patriots at No. 4.
- Mason Graham (DT, Michigan) to the Cleveland Browns (via Jax) at No. 5.
That’s a lot of muscle. The Browns, despite trading down, still managed to snag Graham, who many scouts actually rated as the "cleanest" prospect in the entire class.
Why the Shedeur Sanders Fall Actually Happened
This was the story that broke the internet. Heading into the draft, Shedeur Sanders was frequently a top-five lock in almost every projected first round NFL draft 2025. Coach Prime was vocal about where his son should go. The hype was astronomical.
Then came draft night.
And he just... sat there. The Giants, who everyone thought were a lock for a quarterback at No. 3, took Abdul Carter instead. When they finally decided they needed a passer, they didn't take Sanders. They traded back into the late first round (pick No. 25) to grab Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss.
Why? Honestly, it came down to the "process." NFL teams were reportedly wary of the surrounding circus and some of the "ducks" in his throwing motion during the Colorado Pro Day. While Sanders threw with great accuracy, scouts noted that Cam Ward and even Jaxson Dart had more "zip" on the ball. The Pittsburgh Steelers passing on him at No. 21 for Oregon DT Derrick Harmon was the final nail in the coffin for his first-round hopes.
He ended up sliding out of the first round entirely. It was the most shocking fall since Will Levis or Aaron Rodgers.
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Michigan’s Mixed Emotions
The Wolverines were the talk of the town, but it wasn't all celebrations. While Mason Graham went No. 5 and Kenneth Grant went No. 13 to the Dolphins, their star cornerback Will Johnson had a rough night.
Johnson was a projected top-10 pick for most of the cycle. However, a combination of turf toe and a late-emerging knee concern during medical checks caused a slide. He didn't hear his name called on Thursday at all. He eventually went No. 47 overall to the Arizona Cardinals in the second round.
It’s a reminder that the "projected" part of the draft is always subject to the medical tent.
The Rise of the "Niche" Stars
A few guys absolutely blew up their projections.
- Ashton Jeanty (Boise State): Most people think RBs are dead in the first round. The Raiders said "nope" and took him at No. 6.
- Grey Zabel (North Dakota State): This was the "who?" pick of the night. The Seahawks took the interior lineman at No. 18, way earlier than the "experts" expected.
- Colston Loveland (Michigan): He beat out Tyler Warren to be the first tight end taken, going to the Bears at No. 10.
The Quinn Ewers Mystery
If you want to talk about a fall from grace, look at Quinn Ewers. In the summer of 2024, people were talking about him as a potential No. 1 pick. By the time the 2025 draft rolled around, he was barely an afterthought.
He ended up going in the 7th round to the Miami Dolphins (231st overall).
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Injuries and a dip in his efficiency during his final year at Texas basically tanked his stock. He started the 2025 NFL season as a third-stringer, but because this is the NFL, he was starting games by Week 15 after Tua Tagovailoa was benched. It’s funny how the draft matters so much until the second the whistle blows.
Realities of the 2025 Class
Looking back, the biggest takeaway is that the 2025 class was deep on the lines but shallow at the "glamour" positions. Only two quarterbacks went in the first round: Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart. Compare that to the six we saw in 2024.
It was a year of "boring" picks that turned out to be foundational. Teams like the Browns and Lions (who took Tyleik Williams) focused on the interior, betting that winning the line of scrimmage was more important than chasing a superstar QB who might not be "the guy."
Lessons for Future Draft Cycles
If you're looking at draft projections now, keep these things in mind.
- Medical reports are king. Will Johnson's slide proved that a "lock" can vanish in a day.
- The "Father Factor" is real. NFL GMs are increasingly wary of high-profile "dad-managers" like Deion Sanders, whether that's fair or not.
- The Trenches never go out of style. When the QB class is weak, the DTs and OTs will always climb.
The best way to track how these guys are actually doing is to look at the snap counts from their rookie seasons. Guys like Mason Graham and Abdul Carter were immediate starters, while the offensive tackles like Armand Membou (Jets) had some "welcome to the NFL" moments early on.
If you're following a specific team, check their official 2025 rookie season review videos. Most teams have released "All-22" breakdowns by now that show exactly why these picks were made. Watching the tape of Travis Hunter's first NFL interception while playing receiver earlier in the same drive is basically required viewing for any football fan.