The 2025 NFL Draft concluded on Saturday, April 26, with several surprises for football fans.
The first round went as many fans and experts predicted it would.
With the No. 1 overall pick, the Tennessee Titans selected former University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
Ward started his college career at the University of the Incarnate Word as an unranked prospect. He then transferred to Washington State University, where he turned heads before transferring to Miami for his final year to make one final case to NFL teams, which turned out to be a strong one.
The next choice was generally agreed upon to likely be University of Colorado Boulder wide receiver/defensive back and 2024 Heisman winner Travis Hunter, and it was, but not to the team that originally held the second pick.
Before making their choice with the No. 2 overall pick, the Cleveland Browns traded spots with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that thought Hunter was too good a prospect to let go to another team.
With Ward and Hunter off the board, the New York Giants selected former Penn State University edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick. After a dominant regular season and playoff run with the Nittany Lions, Carter seemed like a no-brainer and the best player available.
The Giants would also pick former University of Mississippi QB Jaxson Dart with the 25th pick, a player that teams seemed to like but not many saw being picked in the first round. Dart will likely have time to sit and learn behind recent veteran signees Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson before taking over New York’s offense.
With the 15th pick, after taking an offensive approach in recent first rounds, the Atlanta Falcons selected former University of Georgia edge rusher/linebacker Jalon Walker. After finishing the season 31st in sacks out of 32 teams, the Falcons needed a player who could get after the quarterback.
Atlanta’s front office continued to show commitment and aggression in improving the defense by trading with the Los Angeles Rams for the 26th pick, where they selected former University of Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr, a prospect with No. 1 overall evaluations going into the 2024 college football season.
“I loved the Falcons’ draft,” said Dylan Lewis, a senior marketing major. “Our defense was terrible last season, and it’s a pretty big reason why we didn’t live up to what we were supposed to.”
Rounding out their draft class, the Falcons selected University of Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts in the third round, Oklahoma University DB Billy Bowman Jr. in the fourth round and University of Wisconsin offensive tackle Jack Nelson in the seventh round.
Coming off of so many talented QBs such as Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Bo Nix and Drake Maye being selected in the 2024 draft, it would be tough for this year’s QB class to compete, but there was a consensus that Ward and Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders would both go in the first round.
Ward was the first player off the board, but Sanders experienced a major backslide. Many were in shock that the first night of the draft ended without his name being called. There was even more shock when the second, third and fourth rounds went by without him being picked.
Eventually, Sanders was chosen in the fifth round by the Browns after the team had already selected University of Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
Being the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, who also coached him at Colorado and Jackson State University, Shedeur Sanders has been under the spotlight for his entire college career, and his draft experience was no different. However, even though the entire football world watched him wait for longer than many thought he would be picked, he took his selection by the Browns with excitement and an eagerness to get on the field.
Other QBs who were highly praised throughout their college careers dropped low in the draft as well. University of Texas at Austin QB Quinn Ewers, who was one of the most highly touted high school recruits of all time and who saw lots of success in college, was not drafted until the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins.
The Ohio State University QB Will Howard and Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard, the two signal callers who competed for the 2025 national title, were not drafted until the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts, respectively.
College players who were not drafted have a chance to sign with teams as undrafted free agents or make an impression on scouts with workout invites to rookie minicamps.