“Hope is drafted in April. Blood is spilled in November.”

They gathered as they always gather, under lights too bright and ceilings too low for dreams of this size, with the heavy breath of history thick in the walls and the smell of ambition sharp enough to taste, and they came from every city that ever wanted to forget the winter of last year and believe again, believe in arms that could throw thirty yards against the wind, in legs that could churn up the ground like storms turn up the sea, in hands fast enough and strong enough to seize a future that is forever running, and they wrote names on cards and whispered codes into headsets and stared at blinking clocks like men watching the last grain fall through the hourglass, because they knew that every pick is a prayer, and every prayer is a debt, and that somewhere beyond the lights and the suits and the applause, there is always a Sunday waiting, and it does not care who you were or how loud they cheered when you stood on the stage — it only cares who can survive when the weather turns and the ground shudders and the dreams burn into smoke.

Dallas Cowboys — Grade: A

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 12: Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama
• Round 2, Pick 44: Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
• Round 3, Pick 76: Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina
• Round 5, Pick 149: Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas
• Round 5, Pick 152: Shemar James, DL, Florida
• Round 6, Pick 204: Ajani Cornelius, OT, Oregon
• Round 7, Pick 217: Jay Toia, DT, UCLA
• Round 7, Pick 239: Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson
• Round 7, Pick 247: Tommy Akingbesote, DT, Maryland

Analysis:

The Cowboys drafted not with hope but with conviction, pulling bodies from the earth itself—Booker to bury blitzes, Ezeiruaku to unravel pockets, Revel Jr. to gnash at receivers. This is a draft of laborers, of builders, of men meant not to entertain but to endure. Three potential starters in the first three rounds without mortgaging the future. They remembered what too many forget: football is trench warfare. And Dallas just stacked its front lines.

New York Giants — Grade: B

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 3: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
• Round 1, Pick 25: Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
• Round 3, Pick 65: Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
• Round 4, Pick 105: Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
• Round 5, Pick 154: Marcus Mbow, OT, Purdue
• Round 7, Pick 219: Thomas Fidone II, TE, Nebraska
• Round 7, Pick 246: Korie Black, CB, Oklahoma State

Analysis:

There is something reckless and romantic in what the Giants did—chasing chaos in Jaxson Dart, doubling down on violence with Abdul Carter. They did not draft safely. They drafted for war. Alexander, Mbow, Skattebo—they are bricks and mortar to build around the fire. If Dart blooms, this class will be legendary. If he crumbles, it will be remembered with bitterness. The Giants have wagered their next three seasons on the edge of a coin.

Philadelphia Eagles — Grade: B

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 31: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
• Round 2, Pick 64: Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas
• Round 4, Pick 111: Ty Robinson, DT, Nebraska
• Round 5, Pick 145: Mac McWilliams, DB, Central Florida
• Round 5, Pick 161: Smael Mondon Jr., LB, Georgia
• Round 5, Pick 168: Drew Kendall, OL, Boston College
• Round 6, Pick 181: Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse
• Round 6, Pick 191: Myles Hinton, OT, Michigan
• Round 6, Pick 207: Cameron Williams, OT, Texas
• Round 6, Pick 209: Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE, Virginia Tech

Analysis:

The Eagles do not chase stars; they forge them. They understand the draft not as a lottery but as a furnace. Jihaad Campbell, Andrew Mukuba, Smael Mondon Jr.—all pieces of a defense that will not ask for permission to break you. They drafted density. Weight. Collision. The kind of men you feel long after the whistle blows. In Philadelphia, violence is tradition. This class fits the legacy.

Washington Commanders — Grade: B+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 29: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
• Round 2, Pick 61: Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss
• Round 4, Pick 128: Jaylin Lane, WR, Virginia Tech
• Round 6, Pick 205: Kain Medrano, LB, UCLA
• Round 7, Pick 245: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Arizona

Analysis:

Washington built quietly. Conerly will anchor and Trey Amos will erase, but it was Lane—small, vicious—that showed their true intent. This was not a draft of headlines. It was a draft of mortar, of reinforcements. Of holding ground while others slip. In a division that bleeds ambition, Washington chose stability. And someday, that may prove to be the most dangerous weapon of all.

Chicago Bears — Grade: B

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 10: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
• Round 2, Pick 39: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
• Round 2, Pick 56: Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College
• Round 2, Pick 62: Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M
• Round 4, Pick 132: Ruben Hyppolite II, LB, Maryland
• Round 5, Pick 169: Zah Frazier, DB, UTSA
• Round 6, Pick 195: Luke Newman, G, Michigan State
• Round 7, Pick 233: Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers

Analysis:

Ben Johnson’s fingerprints smudged across every choice. Loveland to open the seams. Burden to tear the top off defenses. Trapilo to guard the blind side, even if it takes blood and patience to mold him. The Bears built a new language for Caleb Williams—one of yards, points, survival. They will live and die by the gambles they made today. But at least they dared to bet everything.

Detroit Lions — Grade: B

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 28: Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
• Round 2, Pick 57: Tate Ratledge, OG, Georgia
• Round 3, Pick 70: Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Arkansas
• Round 5, Pick 171: Miles Frazier, G, LSU
• Round 6, Pick 196: Ahmed Hassanein, EDGE, Boise State
• Round 7, Pick 230: Dan Jackson, S, Georgia
• Round 7, Pick 244: Dominic Lovett, WR, Georgia

Analysis:

Detroit drafted like men digging trenches before a flood. No glamour. No mercy. Just size, speed, anger. Tyleik Williams will plant himself like a mountain. Tate Ratledge will move men against their will. Isaac TeSlaa, raw and reaching, will stretch the field if only for a moment—but a moment is all you need to strike. They did not build a draft class. They built an army.

Green Bay Packers — Grade: B

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 23: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
• Round 2, Pick 54: Anthony Belton, OT, NC State
• Round 3, Pick 87: Savion Williams, WR, TCU
• Round 4, Pick 124: Barryn Sorrell, DL, Texas
• Round 5, Pick 159: Collin Oliver, LB, Oklahoma State
• Round 6, Pick 198: Warren Brinson, DT, Georgia
• Round 7, Pick 237: Micah Robinson, DB, Tulane
• Round 7, Pick 250: John Williams, G, Cincinnati

Analysis:

The Packers, forever married to patience, chose chaos disguised as precision. Golden to stretch the seams. Belton to guard the fortress. Savion Williams to twist defenders at the catch point. They drafted with quiet violence, knowing full well that Jordan Love’s future depends not on their slogans but on their protections. Every man they chose will be asked to bleed for every yard. And some will.

Minnesota Vikings — Grade: C

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 24: Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State
• Round 3, Pick 102: Tai Felton, WR, Maryland
• Round 5, Pick 139: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, EDGE, Georgia
• Round 6, Pick 201: Kobe King, LB, Penn State
• Round 6, Pick 202: Gavin Bartholomew, TE, Pittsburgh

Analysis:

The Vikings drafted like men short on time and shorter on hope. Donovan Jackson was necessary but lonely. Felton will fly down sidelines if the wind holds. Ingram-Dawkins, King, Bartholomew—depth, bandages, ballast for a ship that still leaks. They chose function over fire. They chose maintenance over movement. And in a division that does not forgive weakness, that will be their gamble.

Atlanta Falcons — Grade: C-

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 15: Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
• Round 1, Pick 26: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
• Round 3, Pick 96: Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame
• Round 4, Pick 118: Billy Bowman Jr., S, Oklahoma
• Round 7, Pick 218: Jack Nelson, OT, Wisconsin

Analysis:

Atlanta drafted like gamblers chasing debts—sacrificing future picks for present pass rushers, throwing two first-rounders into the storm and daring fate to forgive them. Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. are chaos incarnate. But the price—the cruel, yawning cost—will be paid later. And it will be heavy.

Carolina Panthers — Grade: A

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 8: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
• Round 2, Pick 51: Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
• Round 3, Pick 77: Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Mississippi
• Round 4, Pick 114: Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia
• Round 4, Pick 122: Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State
• Round 5, Pick 140: Cam Jackson, DL, Florida
• Round 5, Pick 163: Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame
• Round 6, Pick 208: Jimmy Horn Jr., WR, Colorado

Analysis:

The Panthers did not draft for balance. They drafted for war. McMillan, the skyscraper WR. Scourton, the unfinished edge tornado. Umanmielen, raw power wrapped in mystery. Trevor Etienne, a hammer to split defenses. They chose aggression over caution, size over subtlety, speed over safety. Bryce Young asked for weapons. They gave him an army.

New Orleans Saints — Grade: B-

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 9: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT/OG, Texas
• Round 2, Pick 40: Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville
• Round 3, Pick 71: Vernon Broughton, DT, Texas
• Round 3, Pick 93: Jonas Sanker, DB, Virginia
• Round 4, Pick 112: Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma
• Round 4, Pick 131: Quincy Riley, CB, Louisville
• Round 6, Pick 184: Devin Neal, RB, Kansas
• Round 7, Pick 248: Moliki Matavao, TE, UCLA
• Round 7, Pick 254: Fadil Diggs, EDGE, Syracuse

Analysis:

The Saints drafted like men trying to patch a sinking ship faster than the waves can find them. Banks, Shough, Broughton—all functional, all fine, none transformative. They took shots at depth, at versatility. They left the draft better—but only slightly. And slightly is often not enough.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Grade: B

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 19: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
• Round 2, Pick 53: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
• Round 3, Pick 84: Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State
• Round 4, Pick 121: David Walker, DL, Central Arkansas
• Round 5, Pick 157: Elijah Roberts, DL, SMU
• Round 7, Pick 235: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon

Analysis:

Tampa Bay built quietly and correctly—Egbuka to outwit corners, Morrison and Parrish to clamp offenses into silence. They chose pieces, not stars. They chose function, not fanfare. If Mayfield can find them, if the secondary can gel, they will not only win—they will endure.

Arizona Cardinals — Grade: A

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 16: Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi
• Round 2, Pick 47: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
• Round 3, Pick 78: Jordan Burch, EDGE, Oregon
• Round 4, Pick 115: Cody Simon, DL, Ohio State
• Round 5, Pick 174: Denzel Burke, DB, Ohio State
• Round 6, Pick 211: Hayden Conner, G, Texas
• Round 7, Pick 225: Kitan Crawford, S, Nevada

Analysis:

The Cardinals drafted not to survive but to conquer. Walter Nolen, a mountain who moves. Will Johnson, the surgeon in coverage. Burch, Burke, Simon, all blood and fists and fury. They finally built like a team tired of being patient. Arizona chose to stop bleeding. They chose to start cutting.

Los Angeles Rams — Grade: A

Draft Picks:

• Round 2, Pick 46: Terrence Ferguson, TE, Oregon
• Round 3, Pick 90: Josaiah Stewart, DL, Michigan
• Round 4, Pick 117: Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn
• Round 5, Pick 148: Ty Hamilton, DL, Ohio State
• Round 5, Pick 172: Chris Paul Jr., LB, Mississippi
• Round 7, Pick 242: Konata Mumpfield, WR, Pittsburgh

Analysis:

The Rams traded down, traded future pain for future power. Ferguson and Stewart are plug-and-play warriors. Hunter and Hamilton are bodies built to outlast and outfight. Los Angeles remembered that in football, as in war, the first to run out of reinforcements dies.

San Francisco 49ers — Grade: C+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 11: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
• Round 2, Pick 43: Alfred Collins, DT, Texas
• Round 3, Pick 75: Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State
• Round 3, Pick 100: Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky
• Round 4, Pick 113: CJ West, DL, Indiana
• Round 4, Pick 138: Jordan Watkins, WR, Mississippi
• Round 5, Pick 147: Jordan James, RB, Oregon
• Round 5, Pick 160: Marques Sigle, DB, Kansas State
• Round 7, Pick 227: Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana
• Round 7, Pick 249: Connor Colby, G, Iowa
• Round 7, Pick 252: Junior Bergen, WR, Montana

Analysis:

San Francisco drafted like a team who knew what it had to do but not how to do it. Williams and Collins will hold the front. But Martin and Stout feel like shots in the dark. A team that was once fearless now drafts like it’s afraid of its own reflection.

Seattle Seahawks — Grade: B+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 18: Grey Zabel, OG, North Dakota State
• Round 2, Pick 35: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
• Round 2, Pick 50: Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
• Round 3, Pick 92: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
• Round 5, Pick 142: Rylie Mills, DL, Notre Dame
• Round 5, Pick 166: Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State
• Round 5, Pick 175: Robbie Ouzts, TE, Alabama
• Round 6, Pick 192: Bryce Cabeldue, G, Kansas
• Round 7, Pick 223: Damien Martinez, RB, Miami
• Round 7, Pick 234: Mason Richman, OT, Iowa
• Round 7, Pick 238: Ricky White III, WR, UNLV

Analysis:

Seattle drafted like a team trying to outrun its own ghosts. Zabel, Emmanwori, Arroyo, Milroe—pure tools, pure upside, pure chaos. Some will fail. Some will rise. And the Seahawks, whatever happens, will be moving fast enough to survive it.

AFC Teams 2025 NFL Draft Review

Buffalo Bills — Grade: B-

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 30: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
• Round 2, Pick 41: T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina
• Round 3, Pick 72: Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas
• Round 4, Pick 109: Deone Walker, DL, Kentucky
• Round 5, Pick 170: Jordan Hancock, DB, Ohio State
• Round 5, Pick 173: Jackson Hawes, TE, Georgia Tech
• Round 6, Pick 177: Dorian Strong, CB, Virginia Tech
• Round 6, Pick 206: Chase Lundt, OT, Connecticut
• Round 7, Pick 240: Kaden Prather, WR, Maryland

Analysis:

Buffalo drafted not for beauty but for blood. They remembered that January football is played in ice and trenches, not in warm domes. Hairston to erase receivers. Sanders to eat gaps. Jackson to chase quarterbacks into mistakes. Deone Walker, a mountain disguised as a man. They stacked bodies, stacked toughness, stacked ugly wins. Buffalo drafted as if they expect winter, not wonder.

Miami Dolphins — Grade: B-

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 13: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
• Round 2, Pick 37: Jonah Savaiinaea, OG, Arizona
• Round 5, Pick 143: Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland
• Round 5, Pick 150: Jason Marshall Jr., DB, Florida
• Round 5, Pick 155: Dante Trader Jr., DB, Maryland
• Round 6, Pick 179: Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
• Round 7, Pick 231: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
• Round 7, Pick 253: Zeek Biggers, DT, Georgia Tech

Analysis:

Miami drafted like men layering sandbags before a storm. Kenneth Grant and Jonah Savaiinaea are not names built for neon—they are names built for third-and-one in December. Gordon to pound bodies, Trader to erase seams, Ewers to watch and wait. They chose strength and patience. The question is whether they chose them soon enough.

New England Patriots — Grade: A

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 4: Will Campbell, OT, LSU
• Round 2, Pick 38: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
• Round 3, Pick 69: Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State
• Round 3, Pick 95: Jared Wilson, C, Georgia
• Round 4, Pick 106: Craig Woodson, DB, California
• Round 4, Pick 137: Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State
• Round 5, Pick 146: Bradyn Swinson, EDGE, LSU
• Round 5, Pick 182: Andres Borregales, K, Miami
• Round 7, Pick 220: Marcus Bryant, OT, Missouri
• Round 7, Pick 251: Julian Ashby, LS, Vanderbilt
• Round 7, Pick 257: Kobee Minor, DB, Memphis

Analysis:

New England drafted not to please but to endure. Campbell to anchor. Henderson to break secondaries wide open. Wilson to snap clean across middle fields. Farmer and Swinson to break down walls and build them again. Belichick is gone, but the soul remains: build slow, hit hard, outlast them all.

New York Jets — Grade: B+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 7: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
• Round 2, Pick 42: Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
• Round 3, Pick 73: Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State
• Round 4, Pick 110: Arian Smith, WR, Georgia
• Round 4, Pick 130: Malachi Moore, S, Alabama
• Round 5, Pick 162: Francisco Mauigoa, DL, Miami
• Round 5, Pick 176: Tyler Baron, EDGE, Miami

Analysis:

The Jets drafted like men building an ark before a storm. Membou to protect the king. Taylor to catch his desperate prayers. Thomas and Moore to hold back the flood. Arian Smith to chase hope downfield. They are not complete yet. But they are closer than they were. And sometimes, closer is all you can ask.

Baltimore Ravens — Grade: B+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 27: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
• Round 2, Pick 59: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
• Round 3, Pick 91: Emery Jones Jr., OT, LSU
• Round 4, Pick 129: Teddye Buchanan, LB, California
• Round 5, Pick 141: Carson Vinson, OL, Alabama A&M
• Round 6, Pick 178: Bilhal Kone, CB, Western Michigan
• Round 6, Pick 186: Tyler Loop, K, Arizona
• Round 6, Pick 203: LaJohntay Wester, WR, Colorado
• Round 6, Pick 210: Aeneas Peebles, DT, Virginia Tech
• Round 6, Pick 212: Robert Longerbeam, CB, Rutgers
• Round 7, Pick 243: Garrett Dellinger, G, LSU

Analysis:

Baltimore drafted like prophets who have already seen the war to come. Starks to rewrite the back end. Green to set fire to quarterbacks. Jones to build walls with bruised hands. Every pick was a prayer for violence controlled, unleashed only when the city calls for it. And it will call.

Cincinnati Bengals — Grade: C

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 17: Shemar Stewart, DL, Texas A&M
• Round 2, Pick 49: Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina
• Round 3, Pick 81: Dylan Fairchild, OG, Georgia
• Round 4, Pick 119: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
• Round 5, Pick 153: Jalen Rivers, OL, Miami
• Round 6, Pick 193: Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech

Analysis:

Cincinnati drafted like men swinging blind at glory. Stewart could be a wrecking ball—or rubble. Knight and Carter and Fairchild could form a new spine—or collapse trying. The Bengals gambled for giants. They may wake up with ghosts instead.

Cleveland Browns — Grade: B-

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 5: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
• Round 2, Pick 33: Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
• Round 2, Pick 36: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
• Round 3, Pick 67: Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
• Round 3, Pick 94: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon
• Round 4, Pick 126: Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
• Round 5, Pick 144: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Analysis:

The Browns drafted the bruised and the bold. Graham will batter linemen. Schwesinger will patrol. Judkins will slash. But Gabriel and Sanders—two quarterbacks, two paths—will define this class long after the stats are forgotten. Two gambles. Two futures hanging in the cold Ohio air.

Pittsburgh Steelers — Grade: B

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 21: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
• Round 3, Pick 83: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
• Round 4, Pick 123: Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
• Round 5, Pick 164: Yahya Black, DL, Iowa
• Round 6, Pick 185: Will Howard, QB, Ohio State
• Round 7, Pick 226: Carson Bruener, LB, Washington
• Round 7, Pick 229: Donte Kent, CB, Central Michigan

Analysis:

Pittsburgh built as they always have—with fists first. Harmon and Black to choke running lanes. Johnson to hammer tired defenses. Sawyer to break pockets. They did not chase sparkle. They chased solidity. And in Pittsburgh, solidity is glory.

Houston Texans — Grade: B

Draft Picks:

• Round 2, Pick 34: Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
• Round 2, Pick 48: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
• Round 3, Pick 79: Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
• Round 3, Pick 97: Jaylin Smith, DB, USC
• Round 4, Pick 116: Woody Marks, RB, USC
• Round 6, Pick 187: Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State
• Round 6, Pick 197: Graham Mertz, QB, Florida
• Round 7, Pick 224: Kyonte Hamilton, DT, Rutgers
• Round 7, Pick 255: Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa

Analysis:

Houston drafted like a team that knows it has climbed the hill but not yet survived the storm. Higgins and Noel to catch C.J. Stroud’s prayers. Ersery to shield his future. Smith to add teeth to the secondary. Marks to break tackles and Reed to erase mistakes. Mertz, a quiet insurance policy in a league that forgets how fast hope can die. They fortified a city, not just a roster.

Indianapolis Colts — Grade: B-

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 14: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
• Round 2, Pick 45: J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
• Round 3, Pick 80: Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota
• Round 4, Pick 127: Jalen Travis, OT, Iowa State
• Round 5, Pick 151: DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State
• Round 6, Pick 189: Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame
• Round 6, Pick 190: Tim Smith, DT, Alabama
• Round 7, Pick 232: Hunter Wohler, DB, Wisconsin

Analysis:

The Colts drafted not for glamour but for war. Warren to move chains. Tuimoloau to set edges like concrete. Walley to clamp receivers. Travis to anchor. Giddens to bleed clock. Leonard to someday, maybe, answer the desperate call. They built depth because they know one truth: when winter comes, depth is the only armor.

Jacksonville Jaguars — Grade: A

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 2: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
• Round 3, Pick 88: Caleb Ransaw, S, Tulane
• Round 3, Pick 89: Wyatt Milum, OT, West Virginia
• Round 4, Pick 104: Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
• Round 4, Pick 107: Jack Kiser, DL, Notre Dame
• Round 6, Pick 194: Jalen McLeod, LB, Auburn
• Round 6, Pick 200: Rayuan Lane III, DB, Navy
• Round 7, Pick 221: Jonah Monheim, C, USC
• Round 7, Pick 236: LeQuint Allen, RB, Syracuse

Analysis:

The Jaguars drafted like men who saw the cliff ahead and jumped anyway. Travis Hunter is not a player—he is a revolution. Ransaw and Lane to stalk the air. Milum to protect. Monheim to anchor. They chose volatility, brilliance, spectacle—and in doing so, they might have chosen greatness.

Tennessee Titans — Grade: B+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 1: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
• Round 2, Pick 52: Oluwafemi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA
• Round 3, Pick 82: Kevin Winston Jr., S, Penn State
• Round 4, Pick 103: Chimere Dike, WR, Florida
• Round 4, Pick 120: Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
• Round 4, Pick 136: Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
• Round 5, Pick 167: Jackson Slater, OG, Sacramento State
• Round 6, Pick 183: Marcus Harris, DB, California
• Round 6, Pick 188: Kalel Mullings, RB, Michigan

Analysis:

The Titans drafted around fire. Cam Ward, the wandering star, found his home. Oladejo to chase quarterbacks. Winston Jr. to cover mistakes. Dike, Helm, Ayomanor—new voices for a new quarterback to find. They chose chaos. They chose rebirth. They chose the only path that could ever lead them back.

Denver Broncos — Grade: C+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 20: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
• Round 2, Pick 60: R.J. Harvey, RB, UCF
• Round 3, Pick 74: Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois
• Round 3, Pick 101: Sai’vion Jones, EDGE, LSU
• Round 4, Pick 134: Que Robinson, EDGE, Alabama
• Round 6, Pick 216: Jeremy Crawshaw, P, Florida
• Round 7, Pick 241: Caleb Lohner, TE, Utah

Analysis:

Denver drafted like men patching a roof in a hurricane. Barron to clamp the slot. Harvey to churn out yards. Bryant to fill desperate gaps. They needed more. They needed stars. They got stability instead. It may save them. It may not.

Kansas City Chiefs — Grade: B+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 32: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
• Round 2, Pick 63: Omarr Norman-Lott, DL, Tennessee
• Round 3, Pick 66: Ashton Gillotte, EDGE, Louisville
• Round 3, Pick 85: Nohl Williams, CB, California
• Round 4, Pick 133: Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
• Round 5, Pick 156: Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon
• Round 7, Pick 228: Brashard Smith, RB, SMU

Analysis:

Kansas City drafted like kings sharpening their swords. Simmons to wall the blindside. Norman-Lott and Gillotte to unleash hell on passing downs. Royals, a lightning bolt in cleats. They know what Mahomes needs, and they gave it to him—not with promises, but with protection.

Las Vegas Raiders — Grade: B+

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 6: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
• Round 2, Pick 58: Jack Bech, WR, TCU
• Round 3, Pick 68: Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
• Round 3, Pick 98: Caleb Rogers, OL, Texas Tech
• Round 3, Pick 99: Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary
• Round 4, Pick 108: Dont’e Thornton Jr., WR, Tennessee
• Round 4, Pick 135: Tonka Hemingway, DL, South Carolina
• Round 6, Pick 180: JJ Pegues, DL, Mississippi
• Round 6, Pick 213: Tommy Mellott, QB, Montana State
• Round 6, Pick 215: Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State
• Round 7, Pick 222: Cody Lindenberg, LB, Minnesota

Analysis:

Vegas drafted like pirates taking back a ship. Jeanty to batter defenses. Bech to move chains. Porter to stalk receivers. They drafted not like a team trying to rebuild—but like a team ready to raid again.

Los Angeles Chargers — Grade: C

Draft Picks:

• Round 1, Pick 22: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
• Round 2, Pick 55: Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss
• Round 3, Pick 86: Jamaree Caldwell, DL, Oregon
• Round 4, Pick 125: Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina
• Round 5, Pick 158: KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR, Auburn
• Round 5, Pick 165: Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Syracuse
• Round 6, Pick 199: Branson Taylor, OT, Pittsburgh
• Round 6, Pick 214: R.J. Mickens, DB, Clemson
• Round 7, Pick 256: Trikweze Bridges, CB, Florida

Analysis:

The Chargers drafted like a team plugging leaks with chewing gum. Hampton is a hammer. Harris flashes potential. But the rest? Hopes. Prayers. Shrugs. They needed a draft to push them back into contention. They found a draft to keep them afloat instead.

Top 10 Steals of Day Two & Day Three (with Shedeur Sanders Spotlighted)

1. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Cleveland Browns (Pick 144)

There was no greater theft. No greater insult. No greater opportunity. The man left standing when the lights dimmed, the king without a crown, the heir unchosen — now a force gathering in Cleveland’s long grey winter. They left him outside. He will not knock again. He will tear down the door.

2. Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears (Pick 39)

He runs not routes but revolutions. They doubted his refinement, forgetting his rage. Now paired with Caleb Williams, he will break games open and never apologize for the mess.

3. T.J. Sanders, DT, Buffalo Bills (Pick 41)

The Bills drafted a landslide disguised as a man. T.J. Sanders will not just pressure quarterbacks; he will devour the middle of the line and the hopes that hide behind it.

4. Will Johnson, CB, Arizona Cardinals (Pick 47)

When he is healthy, he is the sky locking itself over your offense. Arizona dared to believe in healing — and in return, they may have found their next great silence-bringer.

5. Nic Scourton, EDGE, Carolina Panthers (Pick 51)

His tape from Purdue whispered dominance. His season at Texas A&M, confusion. The Panthers believe in memory, not mistakes — and they will be rewarded with rage off the edge.

6. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys (Pick 44)

The bend, the hands, the hunger. He will not overwhelm you at once. He will erode you, snap by snap, moment by moment, until you are ground to dust.

7. Mason Taylor, TE, New York Jets (Pick 42)

There is no glamour in the work Mason Taylor will do. Only touchdowns in December. Only third downs converted when the lights are cold and cruel.

8. Jack Bech, WR, Las Vegas Raiders (Pick 58)

In an offense built for flash, he will become gravity — the man who always finds space, who always finds air, when others find defenders.

9. Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins (Pick 48)

No field is too small for his anger. No defender too large. He will catch the slant, take the shot, and rise again. Every time.

10. Upton Stout, CB, San Francisco 49ers (Pick 100)

They said he was too small. They said the league would break him. But he moves through offenses like a whisper, like regret. He will not be forgotten.

“They drafted dreams. They will bury regrets.”

And now it is done, or seems to be, though nothing is truly done, not when the ink still dries on the contracts and the cleats still hang unworn in lockers not yet scuffed by the long slow war of the season, not when the men drafted are still only promises made in empty rooms by men who will not be there when the price comes due, and the fields lie quiet for now but not for long, because the days will come when the arms grow tired and the legs cramp and the bruises turn purple under tape and doubt seeps in through every helmet crack and ankle twist and coaches scream not because they believe they will be heard but because they are afraid not to, and the ones who survive will not be the ones who smiled best at the podium but the ones who fought when no one watched, who clawed and stumbled and raged and rose again because there was no other choice, and so the draft ends, not with triumph, not with despair, but with the heavy grinding knowledge that the real war has only just begun, and somewhere in the silence between now and September, the future sharpens its teeth.

Joseph Angel | Chief NFL Draft Analyst for TheNSR Network