The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is over and it delivered plenty of surprises, with the Jacksonville Jaguars ushering in a new era at the franchise with a blockbuster trade while one of the more highly-rated quarterback prospects in this year’s class slid down the board.
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In some ways it is hard to find many clear losers from the opening day of the Draft given how flat the first round was beyond the top-three picks.
In other words, it was just a case of picking your flavour. Although, for one team that flavour ended up being pricey and for a pair of rookies, Day 1 didn’t exactly go to plan.
There are plenty of winners though, from former first overall picks being given every chance to prove themselves to a rookie quarterback landing in a great situation.
Here, foxsports.com.au looks at some of the biggest winners and losers.
WINNERS
Former first overall picks
Sure, you could have all three as winners by themselves but being former No.1 picks it makes sense to put them together.
There are varying levels of pressure on Caleb Williams, Bryce Young and Trevor Lawrence entering the 2025-26 season.
For Williams, he was unable to live up to the hype in his rookie year but the general consensus is that he deserves a pass given the state of the play-calling under Shane Waldron and lack of protection from the offensive line.
The Bears already went on a spending spree in free agency to bolster their offensive line and now in Round 1 gave Williams yet another weapon in the passing game by drafting top tight end Colston Loveland.
It is easy to see how Loveland could fit perfectly into the offence under new-look head coach Ben Johnson. After all, several analysts had compared him to Lions standout tight end Sam LaPorta.
There are question marks over Loveland as a blocker but existing Chicago tight end Cole Kmet helps make up for that.
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland is off to Chicago. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)Source: AP
Loveland has the fluid route running of a wide receiver but is a complete size mismatch at 6-foot-6, 248 pounds, especially if lined up in the slot against linebackers or safeties.
Moving onto Young, at the start of last season when he was benched for Andy Dalton it looked like he was on the path of so many other former first overall picks turned busts.
But to his credit, Young looked a completely different player when he was recalled to the starting job despite a lack of explosive options in the passing game.
Adam Thielen was a handy safety blanket and UDFA Jalen Coker was a surprise success story but former first-round pick Xavier Legette had issues with drops.
With the offensive line and running game already a strength, Carolina gave Young another weapon in the air by drafting Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan.
In McMillan, Young now has a true X in the passing game who allows Coker to kick back to flanker and Legette to potentially get some reps in the slot along with Thielen, where he may be a more natural fit.
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Carolina Panthers with the eighth overall pick. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)Source: AP
McMillan would also thrive as a power slot, but he adds a much-needed ball winner to the receiver room for Young.
The biggest splash of the day, however, came at second overall as the Jaguars moved up to draft wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.
Early indications are that Hunter will be a full-time receiver with plays mixed in on defence and, as he gets more comfortable, his role on defence may expand.
But for now, new Jacksonville GM James Gladstone has gift-wrapped Lawrence with another elite receiver after the Jaguars hit in a big way on Brian Thomas Jr. last season.
Aaron Rodgers
OK, in some ways he is a loser after his former team, the Green Bay Packers, finally took a wide receiver in the first round. But mostly, he’s a winner.
After all, while Shedeur Sanders was sitting there in Texas as name after name was read out that wasn’t his, Rodgers would’ve been kicking back growing more confident.
Then the Pittsburgh Steelers were on the clock — and they too passed on Sanders.
You have to think the odds of Rodgers landing in Pittsburgh just shortened dramatically.
In fact, ESPN insider Peter Schrager said the move tells him the Steelers are “all-in” on Rodgers.
The Browns have two early picks in the second round, which they can use on one of the top quarterback prospects left on the board (Sanders, Jalen Milroe, Tyler Shough).
The Saints at 40th overall are also expected to take a quarterback, while the Jets (42nd overall) and Rams (46th overall) could also be outside chances at taking a developmental project like Milroe.
The Steelers don’t have a second-round pick. They are next on the clock at 83rd overall in the third round, so they would likely need to trade up to land a quarterback to pair with Rodgers.
But either way, it seems like there will definitely be a market for Rodgers after just two quarterbacks went off the board on Day 1.
Aaron Rodgers may end up being a Steeler. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Cleveland Browns
Giving up the chance to draft a genuine unicorn in Hunter was definitely hard and it would have certainly left some Browns fans feeling underwhelmed.
But you have to put that decision in context. This is a team that, despite its obvious talent on defence, is still far away from competing and is stripped of draft capital after trading for Deshaun Watson.
As special a talent as Hunter is on both sides of the ball, it makes sense for the Browns to trade back to pick up an extra second rounder, fourth rounder and first-round pick in next year’s draft.
They also were able to add an elite run defender in Michigan’s Mason Graham, who should be a seamless fit next to Myles Garrett, who Cleveland extended this summer.
Defensive Tackle Mason Graham of Michigan poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Jaxson Dart
Dart has the physical tools to succeed, while he also boasts rushing upside which makes him a tantalising prospect in the modern NFL. But there are definitely red flags.
Namely, there are major question marks over how long it will take him to transition to the NFL given the system he operated under Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.
But the Giants are the perfect landing spot for Dart because there is absolutely no pressure for them to throw him into the deep end right away.
The same was not true for some of the other quarterback-needy teams.
The Browns have Joe Flacco but he looked a shadow of the version that won Comeback Player of the Year.
The Steelers could have let him sit behind Rodgers, but he isn’t even on their roster yet, while the Saints seem destined for a divorce with Derek Carr and have uninspiring options behind him.
The Giants, meanwhile, have two capable veterans in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
New York coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Friday that Wilson was the starter and while former NFL quarterback turned The Athletic analyst Chase Daniel called for Dart to get the nod, the reality is that regardless of whether he is ready or not, there isn’t the need for him to be.
Sure, there is an added complexity in the fact Daboll and Giants GM Joe Schoen need to win now to save their jobs and so if Wilson or Winston struggle early, they may be more incentivised to start Dart in a bid to buy themselves more time.
But all in all, considering the state of the quarterback room and the pass-catching options, led by standout second-year receiver Malik Nabers, this is a great spot for Dart to land.
The offensive line is a question mark but Dart shouldn’t have to worry about that, at least early in the season should Wilson get the start.
Green Bay Packers
There are some question marks over Matthew Golden’s productivity after the Texas speedster caught fire at the back-end of the season before rocketing up draft boards.
His blazing 4.29 40-yard dash time saw him rise even further despite the fact that at 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds he doesn’t exactly have the traditional size of a number one receiver.
But the Packers needed juice in the pass catching department, especially with Christian Watson expected to miss the entire season after tearing his ACL late last season.
Golden will give Packers quarterback Jordan Love an immediate big-play threat while his speed should take the top off of defences and open up the middle of the field, whether it is for tight end Tucker Kraft to create yards after the catch or the dynamic Jayden Reed to do the same.
Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden celebrates after being chosen by the Green Bay Packers. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Source: AP
Golden was a chance of going as early as 12th overall to Dallas and that was very much on the cards after the Panthers took McMillan, but in the end the Cowboys passed on him as did the Seahawks, Buccaneers and Chargers — all of which were a chance of going receiver (Tampa Bay did just that, but more on that later).
In the end, the Packers addressed a genuine need and got decent value with the pick too. Whether Golden will be a genuine difference-maker at the position or just another solid number two in a Packers pass-catching corps full of complementary guys remains to be seen.
Some other quick-hitters
The Kansas City Chiefs got great value in landing Ohio State offensive tackleJosh Simmons, who The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had as his 20th-ranked prospect overall and third-best OT, at 32nd overall after trading back with the Philadelphia Eagles.
A lack of protection cost Kansas City the Super Bowl last season and so bolstering the offensive line was a priority in the Draft. Patrick Mahomes can sleep easy tonight.
Speaking of Philadelphia, who traded up one spot to land Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell, this was another pick that was fantastic value.
Campbell was Brugler’s 14th-ranked prospect and Eagles GM Howie Roseman revealed after the Draft that the team had him 10th on their big board.
Philadelphia’s ascending defence is only about to get better and the Eagles only had to give up a late pick (No.164) to get their guy.
And finally, the Atlanta Falcons nailed their pick at 15th overall, not that they had to do much. Georgia edge Jalon Walker fell into their lap.
The Falcons had glaring needs on the defensive side of the ball and Walker, who recorded 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss last season, was one of the top prospects in this year’s class.
Although, this isn’t the last time Atlanta will be brought up because the Falcons decided to do something bizarre later in the first round.
LOSERS
Shedeur Sanders
The Colorado quarterback tweeted before the Draft that he was “built for whatever today may bring”. Perhaps it was a hint that he already knew he wasn’t being drafted?
After all, with the Giants reportedly enamoured with Dart, it left the Steelers at 21st overall as the likely landing spot for Sanders unless the Browns or Saints traded back into the first round.
So, maybe Sanders’ camp had already got the word that he likely would have to wait until Day 2.
It wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see Sanders fall given all the criticism of him, both as a prospect and a personality, in the lead-up to the Draft. His father Deion called some of it “venomous”.
Nonetheless, Sanders is a loser from the first round, although he shouldn’t have to wait much longer to hear his name called as the Browns have two picks early in the second round.
It would also be an “ideal fit” according to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, who wrote ahead of the Draft that the Colorado quarterback would thrive given “his game centers around his polish as a pocket passer”.
There are also some intriguing weapons at the Browns, headlined by the resurgent Jerry Jeudy and quarterback-friendly David Njoku, while Cedric Tillman showed flashes last season before a nasty concussion ended his season.
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Atlanta Falcons
While they nailed the Walker pick, the decision to trade up to grab Tennessee edge James Pearce Jr. was a strange one.
Again, Atlanta needed to bolster its defence in the draft and so there isn’t any issue with the pick in that sense, while Pearce Jr. is a first-round prospect who the Falcons clearly loved.
But loved enough to trade a 2026 first-round pick, plus Nos. 46 and 242 this year for the opportunity to draft him?
The Falcons got the 101st pick too, but giving away a future first, especially when the team has a major question mark at quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. is not good process.
That isn’t to say that Penix Jr. won’t succeed next year. He could, but he also couldn’t. We only saw a few games of him last season and if he struggles, that pick Atlanta traded could end up being pretty high.
They must be confident in Penix Jr. Although they were confident in Kirk Cousins too and we all saw how that turned out.
One source’s reaction, according to FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz, said it all” “WTF?”.
Will Johnson
While Sanders got more attention because he is a quarterback, he wasn’t the only high-profile prospect to tumble down the draft board.
Michigan cornerback Will Johnson was a presumed first-round pick and the No.13 overall player on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board.
But instead, he fell out of the first round entirely, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeting that he has a knee issue “that has concerned some NFL teams”.
On the ABC broadcast, ESPN reporter Pete Thamel provided further context by explaining that the knee issue dates back to a surgery Johnson had before the 2023 season.
Johnson missed the first three games of that season, although surely you’d think that alone wouldn’t deter teams from drafting him.
Well, it seems like it is more of a long-term issue than expected and has scared some teams off, although you’d anticipate it won’t take long for Johnson to have his name called on Day 2.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What are the Bucs doing?
Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka wasn’t necessarily a bad pick in a vacuum. In fact, maybe outside of Hunter, he was considered the safest bet at the position in this year’s class.
But the Bucs already have three legitimate options at the position in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan.
Unless Godwin is traded, this seems like a luxury pick for when either he or Evans finishes up, although Egbuka specifically profiles as the successor to Godwin’s slot role.
It may have made sense if McMillan continued on the trajectory that he was on at the start of his rookie year, but an injury to Godwin opened the door for more playing time and he took it with both hands.
Does this move now bump him to a distant fourth option on the pecking order and halt his development?
Some other quick-hitters
Indianapolis drafting Penn State tight end Tyler Warren was great value based on consensus boards and he could be used in lots of creative ways by Shane Steichen.
The Colts were consistently mocked a tight end in the lead-up to the Draft so it wasn’t a surprise to see them take Warren and on the one hand, considering Anthony Richardson’s struggles, maybe it makes sense to give him an easy button option given he can quickly get the ball out to Warren who can do plenty of damage after the catch.
But this relies on Richardson, or back-up Daniel Jones, being able to accurately get him the ball in the first place and for Richardson in particular that has been an issue.
Either way, it’s an intriguing pick for the Colts but not exactly a great situation for Warren to produce immediately unless the quarterback play improves dramatically.
There will also be plenty of people debating whether the Raiders should have drafted Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at sixth overall.
Running Back Ashton Jeanty of Boise State poses after being selected sixth overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Those who prioritise value, especially in a deep running back class, may be critical of the move, especially seeing the top offensive line prospects who were still on the board.
But considering the success the Falcons and Lions have both had with taking Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs early, along with Pete Carroll’s success establishing the run, it is difficult to be too judgmental of this pick.
