Live tracker, grades, and reactions: Keep up with every trade and selection made on Thursday night
Can't keep up with each pick or the information flying across your screen? Let me condense it for you.
We have finally made it! The 2025 NFL Draft is upon us.
While everyone loves to follow, not everyone loves to watch live. And even if you are watching live, it’s hard to keep up with all of the information flying across your screen. That’s why I’ve got you covered.
This article appears bare right now, but I will grade each pick and give my thoughts and reactions as the draft tolls along. So, as you watch live or as you follow along lightly, keep this article bookmarked to see just how each team has done throughout the evening.
Also, this is just a reminder that Dalton and I will be going live on Twitch and YouTube at midnight, directly following Day 1 and 11:30 p.m., following Day 2. So tune in for that!
Anyway, let’s grade some picks:
1. Tennessee Titans: QB Cam Ward
I get needing a quarterback, but Ward would have been probably QB6-8 in last year’s class, and the Titans are not a quarterback away. However, they do have a ton invested in the offensive line, so if Ward can elevate the island of misfit toys around him then all is well. At the end of the day, the Titans addressed the most important position in professional sports.
Grade: B+
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (via CLE): WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
The Jaguars gave up a ton to get Travis Hunter, their second round pick this year and their first round pick next year. However, they just landed a unicorn and the best player in the draft. It’s hard to be cynical about assets when you put a face to the pick.
Grade: A
3. New York Giants: EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
The Giants got the consensus No. 2 player in the draft without having to give up the haul the Jaguars had to get Hunter. Abdul Carter is a problem and is going to continue to get better after just one season off the edge. They now pair him with Brian Burns, but perhaps expect Kayvon Thibodeax to be traded this weekend.
Grade: A
4. New England Patriots: OT Will Campbell, LSU
The Patriots do their best to protect Drake Maye. While Campbell may have short arms, every team views him as a tackle. Expect him to plug into the left tackle slot for the Patriots from Day 1. They could have taken Armand Membou from Missouri here as well, but Mike Vrabel gets a very Mike Vrabel player here with the No. 4 pick in the draft.
Grade: B+
5. Cleveland Browns (via JAX): DT Mason Graham, Michigan
So you have to consider the haul the Browns got in this trade. Adding the No. 36 overall pick and a future first round pick to just fall back three slots is highway robbery. But it’s not Travis Hunter.
Regardless, Graham is the best defensive tackle in the class, and the Browns continue to give defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz an elite pass rush up front. I was told this pick was handpicked by none other than Myles Garrett.
Grade: B-
6. Las Vegas Raiders: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
I don’t love a running back this early, but the Las Vegas Raiders have an awful room and an awful receiving corps. So if you want to take pressure off of Geno Smith, get a guy you can hand the ball to 25 times per game. Ashton Jeanty is one of three blue chip players in this class and is going to be an immediate impact player.
Grade: B
7. New York Jets: OT Armand Membou, Missouri
We heard we were going to get an early run on offensive tackles, and that has lived up to the hype thus far. Armand Membou becomes the second offensive tackle off the board in the first seven picks here. After taking left tackle Olu Fashanu in the first round last year, the Jets fortify their offensive line with young talent by getting him a bookend. It’s hard to find a flaw in this pick.
Grade: A
8. Carolina Panthers: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
The Panthers add a true X receiver here, but they just drafted another in Xavier Legette, who fits that mold as well. So finding how to puzzle piece them on the field together might be a difficult task. At the end of the day, the Panthers are continuing to attempt and salvage the selection of quarterback Bryce Young. Getting him new weapons is never a bad idea.
Grade: B-
9. New Orleans Saints: OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
The third offensive tackle has come off the board here. Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks lands with New Orleans. This is a reach. Many viewed Banks as a guard given his body type and balance issues. I am among them. Banks is a fine player, but somewhere in the back-half of the first round, not the top-10, would have been a better landing spot. There is not much that separates Banks from someone like Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson, who may not even go in the first round.
Grade: C
10. Chicago Bears: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
I’ve harped on this fit, and even mocked Loveland to the Bears in my last mock draft. I love this fit with Caleb Williams. The Bears are going to run a ton of 12 personnel, Ben Johnson made Sam LaPorta a star out of the slot, and the Bears have a need in the slot after the departure of Keenan Allen. This is going to be a flawless fit.
Grade: A+
11. San Francisco 49ers: EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia
Mykel Williams brings a high floor to the 49ers as a ready-made and elite run defender. I love the fit, love the defensive line coach Williams gets to work with to develop his lacking pass rush upside. However, Jared Verse and Will Anderson Jr. have shown us that winning with speed-to-power off the edge first is the wave. And Williams can do that even if he is tight in the ankles. I would have preferred Shemar Stewart here, but Williams and Stewart are basically a wash as long as Williams can figure out a bit more pass rush nuance.
Grade: A-
12. Dallas Cowboys: OG Tyler Booker, Alabama
Boy…
I am not so sure that a top-12 pick is justified for a guard like Tyler Booker. Especially for a team that loves to get their offensive linemen on the move. I do not see this fit. I guess Dallas is moving more towards a gap-heavy scheme? Regardless, they could have grabbed a player of similar value in round two.
Grade: D+
13. Miami Dolphins: DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
So both Michigan defensive tackles are the first two off the board as the Miami Dolphins land Kenneth Grant. Grant is more elusive than one would think for his size, but his pass-rush upside is still a bit limited at this point. I’d love to see his explosiveness translate to tape a bit better, but Grant is a stout run defender and brings a high floor. It’s a fine pick.
Grade: B-
14. Indianapolis Colts: TE Tyler Warren, Penn State
The Colts were not quiet about their intentions to land a tight end, and that’s just what they did. And they landed my TE1 at that, after Colston Loveland was the first one off the board. Tyler Warren is going to give that room an immediate boost and give Anthony Richardson an immediate new favorite target. I love this fit and pick, even if it was extremely obvious.
Grade: A+
15. Atlanta Falcons: EDGE/LB Jalon Walker, Georgia
So the question here is, what are the Falcons going to ask Jalon Walker to do? Because that’s a question that I don’t think I even have a solid answer to. Given the state of both their linebacker rooms and EDGE rooms, it could be a bit of both. I have my worries about Walker’s transition to the NFL level, though. It’s gonna take a creative mind, and maybe Raheem Morris is that guy. For now, I remain skeptical.
16. Arizona Cardinals: DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
Which Walter Nolen is Arizona getting? The highs from Walter Nolen are the best in the class. However, there are drives and game-long stretches where Nolen disappears. He is also not much of a run defender at this point in his playing career, either. If Nolen can lock in consistently, he will be one of the best in the class. But that consistency has not been there throughout his college career.
Grade: C
17. Cincinnati Bengals: EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
Production be damned, Shemar Stewart is a top-10 player in this class. He’s long, explosive, has flexible ankles, and is already a stout run defender. This is an elite fit to replace Sam Hubbard opposite Trey Hendrickson, then potentially give the Bengals a contingency plan if they cannot work out a deal with Hendrickson. He’s also still extremely young. The sky is the limit here.
Grade: A+
18. Seattle Seahawks: OL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
Addressing the offensive line is never a bad idea. But man, I cannot get on board with taking Grey Zabel over Donovan Jackson. While he was stellar at the Senior Bowl, I wish his tape was better. While he played left tackle in 2024 and projects inside as a better fit at the NFL, I just do not love this value here.
Grade: C-
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
The Buccaneers understand that if you think you have enough wide receivers, then you need one more. The Buccaneers double-tap on a Z/slot receiver here and take the Ohio State standout. With Chris Godwin set to miss the beginning part of the season, Egbuka will have a big role right away. Then he has a chance to really boom from 2026 on. I love this fit with the Tampa offense.
Grade: A
20. Denver Broncos: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
This was certainly unexpected. All the buzz was that they loved TreVeyon Henderson from Ohio State. And they could still find a way to get him in the second round. Here, though, they get a running mate for Patrick Surtain II, but with a healthy Riley Moss, Barron becomes an apex demon for Vance Joseph, who can play nickel, rotate over the top, or drop into the box. This feels like Joseph may have pounded the table in the draft room here.
Grade: B
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon
Harmon is the second-best defensive tackle in this class. I had heard at the NFL combine that the Steelers viewed Harmon as Cam Heyward 2.0 and were extremely high on him. They stuck with their word here and made him the newest Steeler and add depth and upside to their defensive tackle room. Harmon is a ready-made run defender and possesses fluid hips and nice hands as a pass rusher too. This is one of the best picks of the night.
Grade: A+
22. Los Angeles Chargers: RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
Of all of the fits for Omarion Hampton, I cannot think of a better one than under the pound-the-rock philosophy of Jim Harbaugh. Not to mention the offensive line they’ve built in front of him and the quarterback he gets to play with. The physical bowling ball is set up to be a Day 1 force in Los Angeles. Love this fit and the player behind that offensive line.
Grade: A
23. Green Bay Packers: WR Matthew Golden, Texas
I knew the rise of Matthew Golden after his 4.29 40-yard dash was a bit phony. And I say that as an early fan of Golden. This is an appropriate draft slot for him though. I like the value here with a team that needs to add another wide receiver in the worst way. The Packers draft a nice Z to pair with Jayden Reed and the rest of that wide receiver room.
Grade: B+
24. Minnesota Vikings: OL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
The Vikings get a guard after whiffing on Ed Ingram and trading him to the Houston Texans. Jackson is a stellar pick. He’ll be a Day 1 starter at guard, but can be a spot-starter at left tackle too if Christian Darrisaw has any lingering issues returning from his injury. The Vikings, already a good team, get even better here.
Grade: A
25. New York Giants (via HOU): QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
The Giants, after taking Abdul Carter with the third overall pick in the draft, they come back up and donate two Day 2 picks to select Jaxson Dart. Boy. A bad processor with average tools. What do you do with that? What is there to even develop? This pick isn’t saving Joe Schoen or Brian Daboll’s job.
Grade: F
26. Atlanta Falcons (via LAR): EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
An explosive edge rusher that can’t defend the run after an edge rusher that might be a linebacker? I am not quite sure I understand what the Falcons are trying to accomplish. Not to mention, they gave up a future first round pick to make it happen. That’s a steep price to pay for a guy who is likely a designated pass rusher early in his career.
Grade: F
27. Baltimore Ravens: S Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
*insert Jesse Pinkman meme*
They can’t keep getting away with this! Year after year, the Ravens just continue to make drafting easier than everyone else. Want to overthink an excellent football player? The Ravens will take them. And now they get to pair the best safety in the class with Kyle Hamilton. My goodness.
Grade: A+
28. Detroit Lions: DT Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
This is the picture perfect Lions pick. I think they’ll have some issues finding ways to get both Alim McNeil and Williams on the field together, given their overlap in skillset. However, with D.J. Reader entering a contract year, this sets Williams up well to be a rotational player as a rookie before taking over as a starter in 2026.
Grade: B+
29. Washington Commanders: OT Josh Conerly, Oregon
Josh Conerly has rare tools as an offensive tackle. He’s a former five-star who just continues to grow into his body and get better. But the question to ask after also trading for Laremy Tunsil: are the Commanders planning to move Conerly to right tackle? For a player with some core strength issues, that could cause some stunted growth early on in his NFL career. We’ll see how that looks in Washington.
Grade: B-
30. Buffalo Bills: CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
The Bills need cornerback help, and they got it. Hairston is one of the most explosive, twitchy players in the draft. He has unbelievable transitional burst and can carry any receiver down the field. I’m honestly shocked Hairston wasn’t drafted earlier. Great get for the Bills.
Grade: B+
31. Philadelphia Eagles (via KC): LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
Slipping because of a medical red flag, the Eagles (like the Ravens) strike again. They get a top-20 player in this class here with the 31st pick in the draft after moving up one spot with the Chiefs. Campbell can do it all. He can backpedal and cover ground better than most linebackers, he’s a firm tackler in the box, and can even rush off the edge. If the medicals check out long-term, the Eagles just landed another perennial Pro Bowler.
Grade: A+
32. Kansas City Chiefs (via PHI): OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
The Chiefs may have signed Jaylon Moore in free agency but that did not stop them from nabbing Josh Simmons. Had he stayed healthy this season, Simmons had a shot to be the first offensive tackle off the board. Instead, he falls into the laps of a dynasty as the rich get richer. Recovering from a torn patellar as well, the Chiefs could potentially redshirt Simmons as well.
Grade: A