2025 NFL Draft: 5 key takeaways from an action-packed first round

Offensive linemen, defensive lineman, and edge rushers accounted for more than half of the selections in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the books.

It was an exciting night that started off with a blockbuster trade, plus some movement from teams picking at the bottom half of round one. There’s a lot to digest, but I’ll try to keep it short and sweet.

Let’s dive into some of my instant reactions from Day 1 of this year’s draft.

Jaguars make a bold move up to select Colorado phenom Travis Hunter

A very long time ago, the Cleveland Browns had the opportunity to select Julio Jones. You may remember him being widely regarded as a generational prospect at wide receiver. Instead, the Broncos opted to trade back, accumulate more picks, and virtually none of them panned out and helped their franchise win ball games. All the while Jones went on to have a Hall of Fame caliber career.

Perhaps history is repeating itself again. The Browns traded back with the Jacksonville Jaguars who selected Colorado standout and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. A true 1-of-1, Hunter’s ability to excel at both cornerback and wide receiver make him a homerun pick for rookie General Manager James Gladstone.

Giving up a ‘25 second-round pick and 2026 first-round selection is a steep price to pay, but Hunter is arguably the most talented player in this draft and could take the National Football League by storm with his versatility and skillset.

Las Vegas Raiders upgrade rushing attack with selection of Boise State star Ashton Jeanty

Throughout the pre-draft process, I had written how the Raiders selecting Ashton Jeanty would be a nightmare scenario for myself and likely a lot of Broncos Country. With Head Coach Pete Carroll in the fold and a penchant for running the ball, Jeanty seemed like a mortal lock for them throughout the process. Tonight, that became a reality—much to the chagrin of rival fans across the AFC West.

Jeanty’s a rare player who could immediately cement himself as one of the league’s best running backs in his first season. Whether it’s making defenders miss as a runner or receiving the ball out of the backfield, he was easily head and shoulders above the rest of this year’s running back talent.

With Brock Bowers in the fold, the Raiders now have two top-tier offensive weapons for Geno Smith to utilize in their offense. This makes them a lot more competitive than any other direction they could have gone with that selection.

Offensive linemen fly off the board with seven selected in the 1st Round

One of the bigger storylines that I was interested in for tonight’s festivities surrounded when the run on offensive lineman would begin. It didn’t take long with three tackles going in the Top 10.

The New England Patriots took LSU standout Will Campbell, the New York Jets picked Mizzou’s Armand Membou, and the New Orleans Saints select Texas product Kelvin Banks Jr. Offensive linemen are coveted by every team in the league, so it’s no surprise to see these great players go early. Nor was it particularly off the wall to see seven come off the board in the Top 32 selections.

The Dallas Cowboys took Crimson Tide guard Tyler Booker with the twelfth pick—the heir apparent to Zach Martin. After that, the Seahawks took North Dakota State star Grey Zabel to provide Sam Darnold with some much-needed pass protection. He will also be a plus player for them in the run game. I think his best fit is on the inside at guard or center and will be interested to see what their vision is for him.

A sixth offensive lineman was taken when the Washington Commanders selected Oregon standout Josh Conerly Jr., who should immediately earn the starting job at right tackle for them and give Jayden Daniels the protection he needs to kick his game up a notch. And to round out the first round, the Kansas City Chiefs took Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons. As I said in my instant pick analysis, he could have very well been a Top 15 selection had he not gotten injured. I’m sure Patrick Mahomes is thrilled with this pick—he certainly needed a friend to protect his blindside.

The Broncos surprise and select versatile Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron

If you had Jahdae Barron slated to go to the Broncos in the first-round—congrats—you might have been the only person on the planet to do so. It’s certainly not a development I saw coming, but he was my second-ranked defensive back in this year’s class.

I’ve seen quite a few fans upset that Denver didn’t opt to take a running back, but getting the nation’s Jim Thorpe Award is a homerun pick by the Broncos. The Longhorn standout had five interceptions in 2024. He has a knack for making big plays when it matters most and is one of the best tacklers in this year’s class. On top of that, he is able to line up all across the secondary and bolsters the Broncos’ defense greatly.

It’s important to note that the Broncos’ secondary did struggle when Riley Moss went down last year. And while I’m high on Kris Abrams-Draine, Ja’Quan McMillian is set to hit the free agent market down the road. Denver needed some depth here, but they came away with an All-American prospect that can be a fixture in Vance Joseph’s defense for years to come. I felt he was a sure-fire Top 15 pick, so for the Broncos to snag him at 20 is incredible value.

Defensive linemen and edge rushers were also in high demand

Seven offensive linemen were selected in this year’s draft, but another nine players that will play defensive line or edge rusher were selected as well. That’s the theme of the night for over half of the team’s in the National Football League—protecting their quarterbacks or getting after opposing ones.

One prospect that went higher than I thought was Michigan’s Kenneth Grant. I figured he would be a first-round selection, but didn’t expect the Miami Dolphins to take him that high, even though they have arguably the worst defensive line in the league.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was the Atlanta Falcons trading their first-round pick in 2026 to the Los Angeles Rams to take Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr., even though they took Georgia prospect Jalon Walker earlier in the first round. Those two together should become terrors for opposing defenses and reinvigorate Raheem Moriss’ defense which was one of the worst in the league last season.