The first night of the NFL Draft is over, with some interesting players falling and others getting selected way earlier than expected. This class didn’t have a lot of suspense in terms of the order of the top three, but it had a good amount of drama because of a flurry of potential trade-up scenarios and storylines. In a night that will define multiple franchises for better and for worse over the next couple of years, we’re looking at the best draft picks from the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
It’s not just the best prospects; if we did that, then it would just be littered with top 10-15 picks, but rather taking the value of the pick used alongside whatever capital was used to acquire the player if the team selecting them traded up for the prospect.
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10. Derrick Harmon – Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers already have Cam Hayward and T.J. Watt on their defensive line to get to the quarterback and crush an offensive line, so adding someone like Derrick Harmon to that group can take them to a special level. Instead of forcing the QB, they took a talented player who can produce for them almost immediately, and he’ll go to an organization that has a strong reputation for defensive development.
Last year, the Steelers were the highest-graded Pass Rush in the NFL but ranked 11th in Run Defense according to PFF, so bolstering the interior of their defensive line should allow them to jump from good to elite at stopping rushing plays. When you look at what works in the NFL, getting pressure on an opposing QB is the best way to force an offense to make a negative play, and the Steelers might lead the league in pressures with this unit.
9. OT Armand Membou – New York Jets
Armand Membou is a projectable tackle who can develop on the New York Jets, becoming the offensive line stabilizer that this franchise would love to add. It’s not as if their offensive line is truly abhorrent, but the Jets also weren’t good there either, which I think is the perfect situation to nab a high-upside tackle who is only 21 years old.
You’re drafting for the near and long-term future, and the Jets have done a good job in recent draft classes of taking swings on younger players and developing them over multiple seasons. I think they did an excellent job aggressively going after upside in the trenches, and if you can protect your quarterback while getting to your opponent’s quarterback, good things will happen.
8. WR/CB Travis Hunter – Jacksonville Jaguars
The only reason that the Jaguars don’t rank higher on this list is that they traded a lot to go up to No. 2 and get Travis Hunter. Here’s the thing: I think he’s arguably the best player in this draft class, and Jacksonville might end up maximizing the value of the pick by having Hunter play both as a receiver and a corner.
Jacksonville has a brutal roster; they were graded out as a bottom 10 team in coverage according to PFF, and now they can have Travis Hunter operate as a WR2 next to Brian Thomas Jr. The Jaguars’ defense takes a significant leap here and their offense is getting a lot better too, eliminating the excuses for Trevor Lawrence who has yet to truly establish himself as an elite QB. They’re providing the former number one overall pick with the talent to succeed, and that’s the right way to handle having a potential franchise option at QB, since they’ll know definitively whether to move on or not.
7. Abdul Carter – New York Giants
The New York Giants got a player who you could argue was the best player in this draft class at the third overall pick, which is a win regardless of how you view this team’s outlook. With Abdul Carter on the Giants, they have an unstoppable defensive line that can stop the run and get after the quarterback, and it’ll be scary to think about what he can do with Dexter Lawrence on the inside and Brian Burns on the other side of the defensive line.
We saw Kayvon Thibodeaux get sacks off the pressures the Giants have been able to generate, and I believe Abdul Carter is the better player, which leads me to believe he could put up monster numbers in his rookie season. The foot injury he has does scare me in the short term, but not enough to feel anything other than overwhelming joy at the idea of the Giants making an opposing QB see stars by the end of the game.
6. TE Tyler Warren – Indianapolis Colts
Tyler Warren joins a Colts roster that already has Alec Pierce, Michael Pittman Jr., and Josh Downs, which gives Anthony Richardson no excuses in 2025. Drops were an issue for this offense, so Warren is a nice blanket that can give the young QB a reliable option to go to in critical situations.
Indianapolis needs to have a stable passing game this year, and after signing Daniel Jones this offseason, the Colts are in a position where they’ll need to have tons of offensive support to make up for a lackluster QB room. I think that they just took the best player available, and that’s always a great thing to do when you have been middling in mediocrity for multiple years now.
5. WR Tetairoa McMillan – Carolina Panthers
Carolina had the worst receiving grade in the NFL according to PFF, and with Bryce Young emerging in the second half as a confident and capable signal-caller, the Panthers decided to give him some more weapons to work with. Picking a big downfield target for Young is the right call, it gives him a true WR1 who can create some mismatches for Xavier Legette, who had a disappointing rookie year.
Tetairoa McMillan has all of the skills to become a contested catch monster that can haul in 50/50 balls and create explosive plays for the Panthers’ offense. Stretching the field vertically is an important part of building a sustainable offense, and it can open up the short or intermediate game more for Bryce Young, who went from an easy QB to sack to someone who will throw the ball away or check it down when the situation calls for it.
4. Josh Simmons – Kansas City Chiefs
One of the biggest reasons I believe the Kansas City Chiefs got crushed in the Super Bowl was that they faced an all-time great pass rush with a mediocre pass-blocking line. Josh Simmons immediately provides a boost for this offensive line, and he wasn’t a player that you could call KC out for reaching on to fill a need.
If you’re drafting arguably the best player available and they happen to address one of the biggest holes on your roster, that’s a home run pick. Kansas City won their Super Bowl the year prior with a solid pass-blocking line, and the only way I see them getting back to the Super Bowl and beating a team who can get to the QB the way Philadelphia can would be to beef up that offensive line as much as possible.
3. DT Walter Nolen – Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals were not good on the defensive line this past season, but they’ve made a flurry of moves to improve that group this offseason. Walter Nolen is an excellent pick that again fits both a need and is arguably the best player available at that point in the draft, and that’s always going to get two thumbs up from me.
With Calais Campbell and Josh Sweat standing next to him on this defensive line, Nolen is going to create tons of pressure on the opposing offensive line and open the door for some sack opportunities. I love when a team builds through the trenches, and Arizona knows they have enough on offense to win football games if healthy. They could be a trendy pick to win the NFC West this upcoming season if they continue building up their defense like this.
2. LB Jihaad Campbell – Philadelphia Eagles
Once again, the Philadelphia Eagles get a player who should have gone earlier in the draft, this time because of an injury concern. Howie Roseman has shown the ability to just go after the best talent possible, even moving up from his pick when he identifies a player he just has to have. They tried to move up in this draft, but still ended up with a steal in the first round without having to do it.
Jihaad Campbell takes an already terrifying defense and makes it that much better. After losing some key pieces this offseason, the Eagles have some work to do in the draft to get back to the Super Bowl. One pick in, and they already have a player who could make both an immediate and massive impact on their ability to win in the regular season and postseason.
1. S Malaki Starks – Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens added a defensive star with Malaki Starks in the first round to improve a defense that got off to a cold start last year before heating up in the playoffs. Not much needs to be said about this franchise’s long lineage of brilliant defensive players, so this is both a win in terms of acquiring the best player on the board with that pick and being a great organization to maximize their output.
Playing the Ravens will be a nightmare for teams next season. They have a suffocating defense that can get to the quarterback and create turnovers, and they have an offense that can score through the air or on the ground better than anybody in the sport. If anyone is going to de-throne the Chiefs as AFC Champions this year, my money would be on Baltimore after a home run pick in the first round of the draft.