NFL Draft 2025 picks, grades from Round 1: Cam Ward gets a ...

Yahoo Sports NFL draft analyst Charles McDonald offers pick-by-pick analysis and grades of Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Here’s how he rated teams in the 2024 and 2023 drafts if you’re scoring at home.

Grade: B

The Titans needed a quarterback and drafted the top one in the class. Ward is a quality quarterback prospect with good upside to grow into a franchise player, and the Titans have put together a good enough offensive line where he’ll have a real chance to reach his ceiling. Ward might not be as highly thought of as the quarterback prospects from last year, but he’s worthy of the first pick and the Titans had a huge hole at quarterback.

Player comparison: Steve McNair

Grade: B+

The Jaguars have made the first bold move of the draft, with new general manager James Gladstone taking the “F them picks” approach from his former workplace with the Rams. The Jaguars are getting the best player in the draft and will get to decide his fate on offense or defense, but Hunter plans on playing both ways. Obviously the Jaguars have not spoken much about Hunter prior to the draft, but it’s hard to hate on a team that already believes they have their quarterback moving up and getting Hunter.

Player comparison: Odell Beckham, Champ Bailey

Grade: B+

This pick gives the Giants one of the fiercest pass rushes in the league and puts Abdul Carter with star defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns. If the Giants’ cornerback play can improve this year, this could be one of the most improved defenses in the league. The presence of Lawrence, Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux will give Carter some great matchups to wreak havoc as a rookie. Perhaps the Giants could’ve gone offensive line here, but Carter’s upside as a pass rusher, in that front seven, is hard to turn down.

Player comparison: Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila

Grade: B+

Simple is as simple does. The Patriots needed a left tackle and they got arguably the best guy in this class. The Patriots offense has their quarterback in Drake Maye, but they still needed offensive tackle help which they can get here in a hurry with Campbell. Even if Campbell isn’t a tackle, they can still get their best five linemen on the field.

Player comparison: Rashawn Slater

Grade: A-

Trading back to get Mason Graham is a great process for the Browns. Graham can be a stalwart 3-technique next to Myles Garrett and give them a long-term talent they needed at that position. It’s hard to find defensive tackles with pass rush potential and he’s got it.

Player comparison: Christian Wilkins

Grade: C-

Ashton Jeanty is an incredible player, but this doesn’t seem like the player the Raiders need right now. Getting Geno Smith and Jeanty (to go along with Brock Bowers!) will significantly raise the floor on the offfense, but they still need offensive line help to maximize this thing.

Player comparison: Priest Holmes

Grade: A

Membou makes a ton of sense here as the Jets build a bookend duo with Olu Fashanu, who was a stellar rookie left tackle last year for New York. Membou is flatly one of the best players in the draft and should be an immediate, long-term right tackle for the Jets with massive upside to be a Pro Bowl player — or better.

Player comparison: Duane Brown

Grade: B

The Panthers have spent a lot of assets on wide receivers over the past two drafts, but adding McMillan gives Bryce Young a true “X” wide receiver and moves Xavier Legette to a WR2 role that’s a bit more appropriate for him. The Panthers have a talented offense with a deep offensive line and running game and now McMillan adding depth and starting talent to the wide receiver room.

Player comparison: Tee Higgins

Grade: B+

The Saints just needed to hit a single and they got that done with the selection of Kelvin Banks who should slide in as a long-term starter at tackle or guard. With Banks and Taliese Fuaga, the teams’ first round pick from last year, they should have two young offensive linemen on rookie contracts that can stabilize the offense as they continue to retool it.

Player comparison: Connor McGovern

Grade: B-

The Bears needed more talent in their pass catching room and add Colston Loveland to their roster to boost their tight end spot. Loveland has room to grow physically as a blocker, but he’s young and has NFL-ready skills as a pass catcher in Ben Johnson’s new offense.

Player comparison: Owen Daniels

Grade: B

Mykel Williams isn’t the most explosive pass rusher, but he’s a steady run defender that should pair well with Nick Bosa and his aggressive style of play. The 49ers needed to add more sturdiness to their defensive line and Williams brings that — and gives them a chance to get back to playing dominant defense.

Player comparison: Robert Quinn

Grade: B

This is a bit of a surprising pick, but it’s a quality one. Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker should be one of the best, young guard duos in the league that will play a whole lot of power football for the Cowboys. Booker is a specific scheme fit, but this pick suggests that the Cowboys are going to be blowing defensive lines off the ball with a heavy run game and play action shots off of it. Surprising, but good.

Player comparison: Gabe Jackson

Grade: B-

Kenneth Grant is a big, athletic nose tackle who will immediately help the Dolphins get more physical against the run. Grant has some pass rush upside that’s unusual for a 330-pound defensive tackle, but Miami’s offensive tackle situation is in such a tough spot. It might’ve been a bit more prudent to draft an offensive tackle here.

Player comparison: Keeanu Benton

Grade: C+

Tyler Warren is a great player, but the Colts haven’t been the best at actually getting the ball to some of their talented targets recently. His best role is probably as a big slot player, but that’s already filled by Josh Downs. He’ll need to improve as an in-line blocker, but the athleticism and skill set should help him make an impact early even if the fit with Anthony Richardson is a bit dubious.

Player comparison: Jeremy Shockey

Grade: B

Potential pass rush help for a team that desperately needed pass rush (for the last decade). Walker isn’t a finished product, but he’s got a lot of talent in terms of moving forward and getting sacks and tackles for losses. They’re rebuilding their front seven after the loss of Grady Jarrett, and Jalon Walker could be the first big pick to move them into finally having disruptive front seven.

Player comparison: Clay Matthews

Grade: B+

The Cardinals got a lot more disruptive with this pick. Walter Nolen has all the upside in the world to be an impact 3-technique at the next level and has a higher floor than Robert Nkemdiche, the last Ole Miss defensive tackle they selected in the first round. Nolen’s play is a bit streaky, but the big-play potential with Nolen is here in droves.

Player comparison: Gino Atkins

Grade: C+

Shemar Stewart finds himself on a defense where he doesn’t have to be the top dog pass rusher, which is good because he’s not ready for it. Trey Hendrickson can be the ace pass rusher while Stewart, who finished his final college season with 1.5 sacks, gets up to speed. It’s a home run swing, but a swing nonetheless.

Player comparison: Bud Dupree

In Grey Zabel, Seattle is getting a player who played 44 games at North Dakota State. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

(Brooke Sutton via Getty Images)

Grade: A+

Huge pick up for Seattle right here. The Seahawks have added a versatile guard who’s loaded with potential and can play a variety of spots up front. Zabel has good film, nailed the all-star game circuit and blew up the Combine. This is as clean as clean gets and he can fill guard or tackle for the Seahawks.

Player comparison: Graham Glasgow

Grade: C+

Egbuka gives the Buccaneers offense a lot of mouths to feed for the present, but the future clearly shows that Egbuka will be one of their top wide receivers. What’s confusing here will be the fit with Chris Godwin in the slot, but Egbuka will be able to start for a long time whenever Mike Evans moves on.

Player comparison: Robert Woods

Grade: B

Whew, this gives the Broncos a crazy trio of cornerbacks. Pat Surtain, Riley Moss and Jahdae Barron could be the best cornerback room in the league and will create a true “no-fly” zone for opposing quarterbacks. Barron can also play downhill like a safety and makes a lot tackles in the open field.

Player comparison: Brian Branch

Grade: A

Classic Steelers pick. Harmon isn’t flashy, but he’s a steady defensive player who can impact the pass and run from a variety of fronts. Harmon fits right in as an eventual Cam Heyward replacement plan and will form a strong duo with Keeanu Benton on the interior for the long term.

Player comparison: DaQuon Jones

Grade: C+

Love Hampton, love the Chargers approach to the game — don’t think this is the right fit right now for the Chargers. Hampton is an athletic, bruising running back that fits well into this scheme, but they don’t have the offensive line to quite do what they want to do.

Player comparison: Joe Mixon

Grade: B

Green Bay needed a boost of playmaking to their offense and get one of the fastest players in the draft with Matthew Golden. Christian Watson had some of this element, but Golden, who was a darling of the College Football Playoff, adds a new dynamic with some elite ball tracking and deep speed.

Player comparison: DJ Moore

Grade: A-

Minnesota’s offensive line overhaul is now complete with another sizable guard investment with Donovan Jackson. Jackson is a good, versatile offensive lineman who played left tackle well for Ohio State after Josh Simmons went down with an injury. J.J. McCarthy should be one happy camper after how this offseason has gone.

Player comparison: Kelechi Osemele

Grade: D

The Giants needed a quarterback and traded up for Jaxson Dart. This is a pretty big risk for the Giants and their upcoming prospects for the 2025 season, but they needed to fill a spot in their quarterback room. Dart has a long way to go before he’s ready for big-time NFL action, and Brian Daboll might not even be able to see that development through.

Player comparison: Drew Lock

Grade: D

Trading a first round pick for James Pearce is patently absurd. Why not pick him at 15 if this was the case? Pearce is a quality pass rusher but giving up this much for him — a second and seventh this year and next year’s first in exchange for Pick No 26 and a third-rounder this year — just makes absolutely no sense.

Player comparison: Yannick Ngakoue

Grade: A+

Classic Ravens draft pick. A falling player that was highly sought after all season up until the draft. Malaki Starks and Kyle Hamilton will be an incredible duo right off the bat that will keep the Ravens playing elite defense for the near future.

Player comparison: Jessie Bates III

Grade: B

A quality, big run plugger that has some juice. Williams will likely be their long-term replacement for D.J. Reader, but Williams can play now and help the Lions run defense while Alim McNeill recovers from a torn ACL.

Player comparison: Maliek Collins

Grade: A

Conerly could’ve been drafted a whole lot higher than this, but for whatever reason fell to the end of the first round. Laremy Tunsil and Conerly will be massive upgrades for the Commanders at offensive tackle and gives them a chance to end up with top tier bookends for a year or two.

Player comparison: Michael Oher

Grade: C-

Lots of speed for Maxwell Hairston, but this feels rich. Hairston has a lot of room to grow in terms of the more physical parts of cornerback play, but there’s just not a whole lot of love for tackling in Hairston’s game. He’s got some physical skills you can’t teach, but still has a ways to go.

Player comparison: Sam Shields

Grade: B+

Campbell is an incredible value at this point in the draft, but the Eagles have a bit of a logjam at linebacker with Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun. Regardless, Campbell and Baun gives Philadelphia a ton of size and speed in the middle of the field and gives the Eagles versatility in terms of their front seven.

Player comparison: Tremaine Edmunds

Grade: A

Josh Simmons didn’t play much of the season after suffering a torn patellar tendon last year, but he can be a bit of a stash pick for a team that desperately needs it. If Simmons can get back to full strength, he should legitimately be one of the best tackles in the NFL. Simmons is the perfect kind of pick for a team that’s never going to be picking high.

Player comparison: Christian Darrisaw

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