The outstanding 2025 NFL Draft weekend in Green Bay has now come to a close. The 32 NFL teams churned through 257 total picks over three days.
Not every pick will turn out to be a good one, of course. That will play out on the fields around the NFL in the coming months and seasons. But right now, it’s time to go through and identify my favorite pick made by each team over the seven rounds.
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These choices are entirely subjective, a melange of my takes on the player, the value, the team need, positional fit and choices made vs. not made at the time of the pick.
CB Will Johnson – the playmaking Michigan corner fell out of being a potential top-10 pick due to serious injury concerns. If he’s healthy, Johnson is a ridiculous value in the middle of the second round. He’s a good schematic fit for the zone-heavy Cardinals, too.
EDGE Jalon Walker – high-risk/reward pass rusher for a team that desperately needed to take that risk at No. 15 overall, where it was surprising Walker was still on the board.
S Malaki Starks – A top-5 overall talent on my board, Baltimore got the versatile Starks at No. 27. He and Kyle Hamilton are instantly one of the best safety tandems in the league–potentially.
CB Dorian Strong – Hard to pick one here, but landing Strong in the sixth round is a great fit and landing spot for the long Hokies CB. Good scheme fit with starting upside.
EDGE Nic Scourton – The 2023 version of Scourton at Purdue might’ve been a top-10 pick. The heavier 2024 version at Texas A&M, not so much. The second-round shot is a smart investment for Carolina.
DT Shemar Turner – He’s not apt to be the most impactful of Chicago’s class, but Turner is exactly the type of consistently solid, bedrock-type defensive tackles the Bears needed. And they got him in the right range at No. 62 overall.
EDGE Shemar Stewart – Someone had to bet on the unprecedented athletic profile. At No. 17 overall, the Bengals will be able to mold an incredible athlete in the way they want–hopefully in a more useful way than the Aggies deployed Stewart.
QB Shedeur Sanders – All the considerable drama and controversy aside, landing a polished pocket passer with Sanders’ confidence and potential in the fifth round is worth it. Sanders is an infinitely better QB than the one the Browns took two rounds earlier. At 2 overall or even 33, I get the hatred. At 144, the headache is worth it.
EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku – A player who got a lot of first-round run, Ezeiruaku in the middle of the second round is a good value. He’s also a nice schematic fit in the role opposite Micah Parsons. Dallas didn’t reach for need here.
CB Jahdae Barron – Wasn’t what anyone expected at No. 20 overall, but Barron’s ability to play all over the secondary and make plays turns a pretty strong secondary into a formidable force. Forging a legit identity is never a bad idea, even if it wasn’t a big need.
EDGE Ahmed Hassanein – The 6th-rounder from Boise State has an incredible back story and a high developmental ceiling, and there might not be a more Dan Campbell-friendly defensive player in this class.
WR Matthew Golden – The hosts treated their fans to a long-overdue first-round receiver. Golden brings some sizzle to all layers of the field, a dynamic Green Bay just hasn’t found since Davante Adams left.
OT Aireontae Ersery – I enjoy the Texans keeping the Iowa State WR tandem together, but adding Ersery to the offensive line is a needed jolt of power and attitude.
CB Justin Walley – Walley fell through many draft analysts’ cracks, but the third-rounder has outstanding ball skills and man-coverage instincts. Love the value and the fit in the Colts defense.
Travis Hunter – Wide receiver, cornerback, playmaker. All of the above. It’s a franchise-defining move to trade up to No. 2 for the Heisman winner, and the Jaguars needed the jolt even at the heavy cost.
EDGE Ashton Gillotte – A personal favorite prospect, the Louisville EDGE is a strong addition to the AFC champs at an area in the draft where getting his potential is well worthwhile.
CB Darien Porter – With apologies to top selection Ashton Jeanty–a great pick–the value of a potential high-end cover man with Porter’s length is exactly what a team like the Raiders needs in the middle rounds. If they can develop him more fully…
WR Tre Harris – L.A.’s second-rounder offers big-play potential in a big, athletic package. His value at Ole Miss was very evident when he was out with an injury, and the Chargers need that kind of player.
LB Chris Paul Jr. – The fifth-rounder from Ole Miss lacks size but boasts a growing football IQ and possesses a great fight/size of dog ratio as a tackler.
DT Kenneth Grant – Miami’s first pick is a big one, and he can make everyone around him on defense better. High-floor and high-ceiling prospect for a Dolphins defense that sorely needs both.
OL Donovan Jackson – The Vikings landed a potential long-term, Pro Bowl-caliber fixture on the offensive line at No. 24 overall. For a team with few selections entering the draft, coming away with Jackson is a very smart choice.
EDGE Bradyn Swinson – A talent-needy Patriots team added several useful picks. I really like the value of Swinson, a toolsy developmental pass rusher, in the early part of the fifth round. Swinson can learn from new head coach Mike Vrabel.
S Jonas Sanker – Late in the third round, New Orleans tabbed the smart Virginia safety in the exact range where he belonged. Sanker could wind up starting for a long time.
EDGE Abdul Carter – The third overall pick is a cultural flag that the Giants are not going to be easy to block. Value and impact without overthinking it.
S Malachi Moore – New head coach Aaron Glenn crafted his secondary in Detroit around having a reliable safety who doesn’t make mistakes. That’s Moore and that’s a great pick in the fourth round.
DT Ty Robinson – The fourth-round pick from Nebraska is the steak part of an otherwise sizzle-filled Eagles draft. Robinson fits very well into the Philly DL rotation.
RB Kaleb Johnson – Pittsburgh was patient on the RB front and read the room correctly. Getting Johnson at No. 83 is a great value for a high-floor RB who can play a lot right away.
QB Kurtis Rourke – Look, he’s unlikely to make the team as an over-aged seventh-round prospect coming off injury, but I will forever be grateful to Rourke for his days at Ohio and his dual-threat style. The team that has Brock Purdy chasing the next Brock Purdy is a good story.
OL Grey Zabel – Seattle’s interest in Zabel at No. 18 was one of the draft’s worst-kept secrets. That doesn’t make it any less of a great decision. Zabel has high-end starting ability potential at multiple positions for a Seahawks team that needs multiple new starters across the line.
DL Elijah Roberts – Landing the aggressive SMU lineman in the fifth round is a smart shot on a good football player in search of a defined position.
EDGE Femi Oladejo – All the noise in Tennessee was about fixing the QB problem, but they also had a pretty dire need for pass rush help. Oladejo can be good right away and has a veyr high ceiling as he adapts to his new position.
WR Jaylin Lane – Lane brings extra value as a fourth-round wideout as perhaps the best return specialist in the draft, and he can get on the field as a gadget-play weapon right away.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Our favorite pick for each NFL team in the 2025 Draft
