Unlike the 2024 NFL Draft, where six quarterbacks were taken in the first round, the 2025 class didn’t feature much star power at the most important position. Only two quarterbacks were selected in the first round in Green Bay on Thursday.
While the class lacked depth at QB, it did have players who could become instant difference-makers for their new teams. With that in mind, here are grades for all 32 selections:
| Miami QB Cam Ward (6-foot-2, 219 pounds) | Grade: A- |
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; General view of the screen as Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cameron Ward is selected by the Tennessee Titans as the number one pick the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
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Whether Ward is a franchise-altering player like Commanders QB Jayden Daniels or Texans QB C.J. Stroud remains to be seen, but he could be an upgrade over Will Levis, who went 2-10 in 12 starts last season. Ward won the 2024 Davey O’Brien Award as college football’s best QB after tossing 39 touchdown passes in 13 starts.
| Colorado DB/WR Travis Hunter (6-foot, 188 pounds) | Grade: A |
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter is selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the number two pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
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The Jaguars traded four picks for Hunter, but it could be a worthwhile investment for Jacksonville. In 2024, he had 15 touchdown catches and four interceptions in 13 games, winning the Heisman Trophy.
| Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) | Grade: A |
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter poses after being selected 3rd overall by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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Edge-rusher isn’t the Giants’ biggest need, but Carter has drawn comparisons to Dallas Cowboys edge-rusher Micah Parsons (a former Penn State star) throughout the predraft process. In his first season as an edge-rusher in 2024, Carter recorded 24 tackles for loss in 16 games, earning a first-team All-American nod.
| LSU OT Will Campbell (6-foot-6, 319 pounds) | Grade: B+ |
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with LSU Tigers offensive lineman Will Campbell after he is selected by the New England Patriots as the number four pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
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Campbell made first-team All-SEC twice in three seasons at LSU, but his arm length (32 ⅝ inches) could be an issue. The average arm length of NFL edge-rushers is typically between 33 and 34 inches.
| Michigan DT Mason Graham (6-foot-4, 296 pounds) | Grade: A |
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected 5th overall by the Cleveland Browns during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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Pairing Graham with edge-rusher Myles Garrett should make the Browns’ front seven even more formidable. Per Pro Football Focus, he posted a stellar 92.6 run-defense grade and above-average 13.8% pass-rush win rate in 12 games last season.
| Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty (5-foot-9, 211 pounds) | Grade: A- |
Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty is selected by the Las Vegas Raiders as the number six pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
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Teams have recently avoided spending high draft capital on RBs, but it’s easy to see why the Raiders made an exception for Jeanty. He ran for 2,601 yards in 14 games in 2024, the second most in a season in FBS history.
| Missouri OT Armand Membou (6-foot-4, 332 pounds) | Grade: B |
Armand Membou, OT, Missouri was selected 7th overall by the New York Jets during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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The Jets clearly needed a replacement for OT Tyron Smith, who retired on April 16. While Membou made second-team All-SEC in 2024, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein noted Membou is “far below the height standards for NFL starting tackles.”
| Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan (6-foot-4, 219 pounds) | Grade: B- |
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan after he is selected by the Carolina Panthers as the number eight pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
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McMillan, who had 1,316 yards in 12 games in 2024, gives QB Bryce Young another weapon, but can he generate enough explosive plays at the next level? Per PFF, he averaged 5.1 yards after the catch per reception, which tied for 248th in the FBS.
| Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) | Grade: A- |
Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas was selected 9th overall by the New Orleans Saints during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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Banks was a first-team All-American in 2024 and won the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top O-lineman. He should improve the Saints’ pass blocking after they ranked ninth in pressure rate last season (23.9%), via Pro Football Reference.
| Michigan TE Colston Loveland (6-foot-6, 248 pounds) | Grade: C- |
Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan was selected 10th overall by the Chicago Bears during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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Why would the Bears take Loveland when Penn State TE Tyler Warren was still on the board? Warren won the 2024 John Mackey Award as the best TE in college football, while Loveland had just 582 receiving yards in 10 games.
| Georgia edge-rusher Mykel Williams (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) | Grade: B- |
Mykel Williams, DE, Georgia was selected 11th overall by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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Williams has prototypical size for an edge-rusher, but it’s fair to wonder why he wasn’t more productive at the college level. In three seasons, he never finished with more than five sacks.
12. Dallas Cowboys
| Alabama OG Tyler Booker (6-foot-5, 321 pounds) | Grade: C |
Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Tyler Booker poses after he is selected by the Dallas Cowboys as the number twelve pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
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The Cowboys needed a successor for Zack Martin, who retired this offseason, but taking Booker here feels like a reach. Per PFF, he allowed three QB hits and seven hurries in 13 games in 2024.
| Michigan DT Kenneth Grant (6-foot-4, 331 pounds) | Grade: B- |
Grant gives the Dolphins’ defensive line more depth, but taking 2024 first-team All-American Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen may have been a better choice. In 12 games in 2024, Grant had seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
| Penn State TE Tyler Warren (6-foot-6, 256 pounds) | Grade: A |
Warren should immediately bolster Indianapolis’ air attack, which finished 25th in the league in passing yards last season (197.7). In 16 games in 2024, Warren had a career-high 104 receptions for 1,233 yards and eight TD catches.
| Georgia LB Jalon Walker (6-foot-1, 243 pounds) | Grade: A |
It’s surprising Walker fell this far, but the Falcons are probably pumped he did. Walker won the 2024 Butkus Award as the best LB in college football, finishing with 11 tackles for loss in 14 games.
| Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen (6-foot-4, 296 pounds) | Grade: B+ |
Nolen finished with 14 tackles for loss in 13 games in 2024, but the 21-year-old must learn to better control his emotions in the NFL. In a story published April 9, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported multiple scouting reports mentioned Nolen repeatedly walked off the field during practices at Ole Miss because of frustration.
| Texas A&M edge-rusher Shemar Stewart (6-foot-5, 267 pounds) | Grade: C- |
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Shemar Stewart is selected by the Cincinnati Bengals as the number seventeen pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
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With the Bengals embroiled in contract negotiations with edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson, the team may hope Stewart gives them an insurance plan. However, he had only 4.5 sacks in three seasons with Texas A&M.
| North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel (6-foot-6, 312 pounds) | Grade: A |
Seattle needed improved pass protection for QB Sam Darnold after tying for third in the league in sacks allowed (54) last season. Zabel — who allowed one sack in 16 games in 2024, per PFF — should do just that.
| Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka (6-foot-1, 202 pounds) | Grade: B |
Egbuka set an Ohio State record for receiving yards (2,868) in four seasons with the Buckeyes, but this pick is still a bit of a head-scratcher. Tampa Bay already has proven WRs in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and could’ve used this pick to improve its defense, which finished 16th in the league points allowed last season (22.6).
| Texas DB Jahdae Barron (5-foot-11, 194 pounds) | Grade: C+ |
Barron won the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award as the best DB in college football, but the Broncos already have DB Patrick Surtain II, who won the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year. Plus, WR felt like a bigger need for Denver after it finished with the league’s sixth-most drops in 2024 (32), per Pro Football Reference.
| Oregon DT Derrick Harmon (6-foot-4, 313 pounds) | Grade: C- |
Harmon was a second-team All-American in 2024, but the Steelers better hope QB Aaron Rodgers signs with them after passing on Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart and Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. If Rodgers retires, the Steelers may have to start QB Mason Rudolph, who has a 9-8-1 starting record in the regular season in his seven-year career.
| North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton (6-foot, 221 pounds) | Grade: B- |
Although Hampton rushed for 1,660 yards in 12 games in 2024, do the Chargers need another RB after signing Najee Harris in free agency? Of course, an offense that features two backs suits head coach Jim Harbaugh’s smashmouth philosophy.
| Texas WR Matthew Golden (5-foot-11, 191 pounds) | Grade: A|
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden is selected by the Green Bay Packers as the number 23 pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field.
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Golden is the first wide receiver the Packers have selected since Javon Walker in the 2002 draft. Green Bay may not regret taking Golden, who ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
| Ohio State Guard Donovan Jackson (6-foot-4, 315 pounds) | Grade: C+ |
Jackson posted an above-average 71.8 PFF grade in 14 games last season, but he may have been available for the Vikings in the second round. In Tankathon’s final mock draft, the Arizona Cardinals took Jackson with pick No. 47.
25. New York Giants (trade from Texans)
| Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart (6-foot-2, 223 pounds) | Grade: B- |
Dart tossed 29 TD passes in 13 games in 2024, but he may need to learn how to read more complex offenses. He played for Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin, who runs a high-tempo offense that doesn’t feature many NFL concepts.
26. Atlanta Falcons (trade from Rams)
| Tennessee edge-rusher James Pearce Jr. (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) | Grade: C+ |
The Falcons need more pass-rushers after finishing second-to-last in the league in sacks (31) in 2024. Still, trading back into the first round for Pearce carries risk, especially after he had just 7.5 sacks in 13 games in 2024.
| Georgia Safety Malaki Starks (6-foot-1, 197 pounds) | Grade: A |
Starks could be an excellent complement for star safety Kyle Hamilton. In three seasons with the Bulldogs, he intercepted six passes and defended 17.
| Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams (6-foot-3, 334 pounds) | Grade: C+ |
Williams earned a third-team All-Big Ten nod in 2024, but edge-rusher was the Lions’ biggest need. Williams doesn’t provide much in the pass-rushing department, as he finished with 2.5 sacks in 13 games.
| Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. (6-foot-5, 311 pounds) | Grade: B |
Conerly started for only two of his three seasons at Oregon and thus is a little more raw than other prospects. However, he allowed one sack in 14 games in 2024, via PFF.
| Kentucky CB Maxwell Hariston (5-foot-11, 183 pounds) | Grade: B- |
Hariston ran the fastest 40-yard dash (4.28) at the combine, but he lacks ideal size for a corner. He also missed five games in 2024 because of a shoulder injury.
| Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) | Grade: A |
Once again, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is adding another talented SEC prospect to Philadelphia’s stacked defense. In 13 games in 2024, Campbell led the Crimson Tide in tackles, with 117 in 13 games.
| Ohio State OT Josh Simmons (6-foot-5, 317 pounds) | Grade: C+ |
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes needed better pass protection after he was sacked a career-high 36 times in 16 regular-season starts. Simmons fills a need, but he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in 2024, which raises durability concerns.
