The final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft has been announced (Kobee Minor to the New England Patriots), and team grades are starting to pour out. While every fan base will discuss and analyze their own team’s picks, who were the best selections at each position (based on fit and value)? Here are the best picks for Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Tackle, Guard, Center, Edge, Defensive Line, Linebacker, Cornerback, and Safety.
This one is a complete no brainer. Many of the experts and sites who grade players going into the draft had Sanders listed as a top 25 talent. From the minute the first round ended, the only question being asked on every broadcast, and by every podcaster was, “When will Shedeur Sanders be drafted?”
The deeper into the event it got, the more social media and even pundits for the league began to speculate about collusion. Nobody could figure out how one of the best players in college football last season could get passed over time ands time again by quarterback-needy teams. The bleeding finally stopped at pick 144, when the Cleveland Browns, who had already selected Dillon Gabriel (and have three veterans on the roster), took the Colorado Buffalo.
There’s no denying Sanders’ talent and ability. In 24 career Division I games, he completed 71.8% of his passes for 7,364 yards (306.8 yards per game) and 64 touchdowns. He exhibits a lightning quick release, elite accuracy, and football IQ that hasn’t been seen in a prospect since Andrew Luck was the first overall pick. Sanders will be the the Browns starting quarterback by the end of the season.
Like Lightning McQueen, the Miami Dolphins are speed. They have arguably the two fastest wide receivers in the NFL (Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle), and the two fastest running backs (De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright). What would lightning be without thunder? That is exactly what the team got in round six of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ollie Gordon II out of Oklahoma State is big and powerful. He measures 6’2 and 225 pounds. Defenders bounce off of him, or get run over. He is the perfect compliment to the speedy backs already on the Dolphins roster, and could be the steal of the draft if he is able to recapture his form from 2023.
Gordon was an All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year just two seasons ago, rushing for 1,732 yards on 285 carries (6.1 yards per carry). He also caught 39 passes for 330 yards. 2024 saw a dip in numbers. He carried the ball just 189 times for 854 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns. He did catch 30 passes for 189 yards. Miami has to be grateful for the down year, because at the start of 2024, Gordon was considered a first round lock.
Jordan Love needs weapons, and for years, the Green Bay Packers have shied away from taking wide receiver early. The team owner, announced at pick 23, that for the first time since 2002 (Javon Walker), the team was taking a receiver in round one (Matthew Golden). Their pick in round three, however, would be the best pick at split end in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Savion Williams out of TCU is a big receiver (6’5 225 pounds) and versatile to a fault. The Horned Frogs utilized him in a number of different ways (from the slot, in the backfield, on the outside), similar to how the San Francisco 49ers have used Deebo Samuel. The quarterback play at TCU left much to be desired as well, and it was Williams’ draft stock that suffered for it.
The Packers found a gem, and one of the rare players who could see better numbers in the NFL than he did in college. Williams may not be Love’s first look on day one of camp, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be the go to option when the game is on the line in the 2025 playoffs.
Cleveland Browns fans must be building a statue of general manager Andrew Berry after this draft. The team makes the list again, this time for making the best pick at tight end. Jerry Jeudy was the team’s best receiver last year, and the team didn’t take a pass catcher in 2025, except for pick 67, when they grabbed Harold Fannin Jr out of Bowling Green.
There is some skepticism about how Fannin will perform as a pro. He played at a small school, is a bit undersized (6’3 and 230 pounds), and had just one season of great production. What a season it was. He hauled in 117 receptions for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns. This yeilded him a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 95.9 (better than Ashton Jeanty). His run blocking grade of 75.2 was better than first round tackles Josh Simmons and Will Campbell.
It’s not unreasonable to expect greatness from Fannin, and when the dust has settled, and Sanders has been the team’s starting quarterback for a stretch, time will likely reveal to be the best tight end in the entire draft, not just the best value at tight end.
Dion Dawkins is 31 years old, and the Buffalo Bills didn’t get great guard play last year from O’Cyrus Torrence. Spencer Brown may get the move to left tackle eventually, and who would fill the spot at right tackle. It could be a sixth-round pick out of UConn. Chase Lundt is a big man (6’8 and 305 pounds) who played big for the Huskies last season.
Lundt posted a PFF grade of 86.7 (87.1 run blocking and 73.9 pass blocking). He played 894 snaps at right tackle last season, allowing one quarterback hit and no sacks. He has improved every season, and maybe he’s just a depth piece, but he could push Dawkins inside, and really make the Bills offensive line dangerous. That’s why he was the best tackle selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick is the one that will get most of the attention in this draft, and rightfully so. Anytime a Heisman winner is selected, it’s a big news story. Jacksonville had more than just one hole to fill, though, and interior offensive line presented a couple of those holes. The team signed Patrick Mekari from the Baltimore Ravens, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire last year.
With pick 89, the Jaguars grabbed Wyatt Milum out of West Virginia. He played only left tackle for the Mountaineers, but will move inside for the Jags. He’s 6’6 and 317 pounds, and was brute in the team’s running game (89.2 PFF run blocking grade). He also dominated in the passing game. His 92.5 pass blocking grade was better than anyone taken in the first round of the draft.
Trevor Lawrence has to love this pick more than the receiver they got for him with the second overall pick. Good blocking means a better running game, and the two together mean a happy quarterback. This would be a great selection at tackle, but moving Milum inside makes this the best guard selection in 2025.
The Patriots signed former first round pick Garrett Bradbury after he was released by the Minnesota Vikings. There was a reason he was released, and it’s possible he was brought in less to replace David Andrews, and more likely to play guard for the Patriots next season. The team got it’s true center in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jared Wilson at of Georgia is a monster in the middle. He is 6’3 and 310 pounds, and excels more in the passing game than in the running game. This is music to the ears of franchise quarterback Drake Maye. Wilson posted a pass blocking grade of 84.9 last season, and will be an amazing sight for a signal caller who was sacked 34 times in 12 starts in 2025.
Edge: Jack Sawyer, Pittsburgh Steelers (Round 4
The Pittsburgh Steelers had a top 10 scoring defense in the league last season (20.4 points per game). This was in large part due to the addition of Patrick Queen from the Baltimore Ravens. TJ Watt managed 11.5 sacks and turned 30, while 35-year-old tackle Cam Heyward chipped in with eight. The team needs youth to pressure the quarterback.
Sawyer has good size for an edge rusher (6’5 and 260 pounds), and he played with a mean attitude. Last year he posted a defensive grade on PFF of 90.5 (82.5 against the run and 90.7 as a pass rusher). He had 38 hurries and 10 sacks in 16 games. The Steelers had 37 hurries in 2024 as a team. Pittsburgh has always been a smashmouth program, and the Sawyer pick ensures that will keep going.
The New York Giants sured up their pass rush by selecting Abdul Carter with the third overall pick, and in round four, they get a bit of a steal with Toledo’s Darius Alexander. He was a top-50 prospect, and they were able to snag him with pick 123. He is 6’4 and 310 pounds, and has the versatility and athleticism to line up anywhere on the front four, he will likely spend most of his career in side the tackles.
Alexander had 25 hurries last season, 40 tackles (8 for a loss), and 4 sacks. Adding him and Carter to a pass rush that already includes Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns will give the Giants a formidable defense. This pick represents significant value and fills an area of need in New York.
The Philadelphia Eagles had the fewest holes to fill in the 2025 NFL Draft. This should be obvious, because they are the current World Champions. THe rich get richer sometimes in the draft, and even though Jihaad Campbell, out of Alabama, isn’t a phenomenal value at 32, he does help the Eagles get richer on defense.
Campbell will likely replace Jalyx Hunt in the starting lineup, and completes a linebacking core that already includes Zach Baun, Nakobe Dean, and Nolan Smith. Campbell had 117 tackles last year for the Tide (12 tackles for a loss) and five sacks. Assuming he can get along with all of his Georgia Bulldog teammates, he makes a great defense a nightmare to face.
A few mock drafts had Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas going in the first round, and a few more had him going in round two. Few had him dropping to the third round, but that’s what happened, and the New York Jets were the benefactors. Sauce Gardner is one of the best in the game, but he wasn’t going to get much help this year from Brandon Stephens or Michael Carter.
In 12 games in 2024, Thomas allowed just 17 receptions for 141 yards, and didn’t allow a single touchdowns. When targeting him, opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 50.2. He is 6’2 and 198 pounds, and while he ran a 4.58 forty, he plays much faster. The Jets defense just got significantly better by adding him.
Derwin James is an All-World safety when he’s healthy, but he doesn’t have a counterpart deep with him. Alohi Gilman is not going to be the answer for the Bolts, and coach Jim Harbaugh got a great one at pick 214. Clemson safety RJ Mickens posted a PFF grade of 87.5 last year (89.8 in coverage and 69.2 against the run). His inclusion will allow James to play closer to the box and make more plays against the running game, where he shines as a tackler.
End Of My 2025 NFL Draft Rant
Building a team takes a lot of luck, and sometimes that means players falling from where they are projected. Each of these players will make an impact on their team next season, and some of them weren’t just steals, they were grand larceny.
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