2025 NFL Draft: 5 key takeaways from Day 2

Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft didn’t disappoint with a flurry of trades dominating the night’s festivities. Let’s dig into some of the major storylines from this evening.

It’s official—Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books.

The theme of tonight? A flurry of trades that dominated both the second and third rounds. On top of that, a particular quarterback prospect fell out of Day 2 and is still available for quarterback needy teams at the start of the fourth round. Without further ado, here are five takeaways from tonight’s festivities.

Seattle Seahawks move up to select versatile safety Nick Emmanwori

It didn’t take long for the first trade of the night to happen. Teams eager to get their highest-ranked player on the board usually don’t have an issue paying a premium to get to the top of the round. That was the Seattle Seahawks who dealt their second and third round picks to the Tennessee Titans to move up and grab South Carolina standout Nick Emmanwori.

One of the draft’s best athletes and defenders, Seahawks faithful might get some Kam Chancellor vibes watching him on tape. Second-year Head Coach Mike McDaniel loves utilizing safeties closer to the line of scrimmage to be aggressive against the run and also deployed as blitzers. He’s a physically imposing defender who will be a difference maker to help revamp their defense. A lot of people felt he would go in the first round, so for the Seahawks to be able to get a high-ranked player early in round two feels like a good value.

Ohio State running back duo comes off the board early

With just Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton going in the first round, there was a wealth of talent available at the running back position early on Day 2.

But two of the top-ranked backs went off the board quickly. Quinshon Judkins will stay in Ohio as he was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 36th pick. One of my favorite backs in this year’s class, Judkins should be poised to make an immediate impact for the Browns on offense.

After that, his Ohio State teammate was the next running back to come off the board. The New England Patriots added Will Campbell to protect Drake Maye in the first round and gave him a dynamic playmaker by selecting TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th pick. These were both players I thought would have been tremendous picks for the Broncos. Alas, they will begin their careers with other franchises.

Broncos conduct multiple trades; add three players into the fold on Day 2

The Broncos originally held the 51st pick in the second round, but General Manager George Paton traded back multiple times to improve Denver’s slotting in the third and fourth rounds, as well as acquiring a late fourth-round pick in the process. Though by the end of the night, the Broncos had less picks than what they originally started out the draft with.

Fans who wanted a running back on Day 1 were disappointed, but Head Coach Sean Payton got a guy he coveted with UFC standout RJ Harvey. Harvey is a quality receiver out of the backfield and has the vision and patience to excel on Denver’s inside zone concepts. His production was off the charts and he put together some of the most explosive runs of any collegiate back in this year’s class.

I don’t doubt the talent or the fit in Payton’s offense. If there was a coach who can get the most out of his talent—Payton would certainly be it. However, I do have some concerns. He is already 24 years old, had nine fumbles over the course of his career (one for every 78 touches) and had a prior ACL tear that ended his 2021 season prematurely. To me, this is a bit of a reach. I preferred a lot of other running backs, but I’m going to trust the Broncos brass on this one and hope for the best.

In the third round, the Broncos selected Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant with the 74th selection. Bryant was a player I had mocked to Denver, but in the fifth-round as opposed to the third. To me, this is about a round of value higher than I expected, but I don’t doubt the fit at all. He’s great with contested catches, a quality run blocker, and also is a chain-moving and redzone threat. As I wrote in my mock, people rave about his football character and intelligence, and he was a team captain for the Illini.

To end their Day 2 endeavors, the Broncos moved up to the 101st pick and selected Sai’vion Jones from LSU. This is a pick I like. He’s a strong player at the point of attack and is relentless each and every snap. He has the traits and physicality to develop into a quality 3-4 defensive and presumably will be a replacement for John Franklin-Myers, who is in the final year of his contract.

Shadeur Sanders’ draft day tumble continues

Shadeur Sanders is a talented football player who has the ability to be a starting quarterback in the league. Nevertheless, his draft day tumble continued, and he was not picked on Day 2 of this year’s draft. This may arguably be the biggest storyline of this year’s draft and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

A handful of other prospects at the position went ahead of him. Louisville’s Tyler Shough was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the second round. Whilst Alabama prospect Jalen Milroe was taken by the Seattle Seahawks in round three. Even Oregon signal caller Dillon Gabriel found a home on Day 2 with the Cleveland Browns.

It’s always hard to talk about issues of why prospects fall, but it truly appears NFL teams and personnel may have significant reservations about his character and other outside influences. At this point in time, it’s the most reasonable explanation for his draft day free fall. I’d have to think at some point in the fourth round, a team will be willing to bet on his talent, but you never know.

I guess the major question is, when will his slide stop and what team will be willing to take him?

Plenty of talent will be on the board for the start of Day 3

Each and every year, good prospects slip through the cracks for a variety of reasons. This year is no exception, and I feel there is a tremendous number of talented players who are still on the board who I thought would be gone by now.

On offense, Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals, Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, Kansas State running back D.J. Giddens, and Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor are good offensive players that I feel teams will be in hot pursuit of tomorrow. For teams looking to upgrade the offensive line, Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow would present tremendous value in the fourth round.

On defense, Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer, Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke, Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman, Florida State defensive tackle Joshua Farmer, and South Carolina edge rusher Kyle Kennard are prospects I believe have starting traits that can help teams out immediately.

I’m not sure why these guys fell, but the teams who select them tomorrow should be excited about the potential they will bring to their franchise.