The first round of the NFL Draft is in the books and there was much to digest after the opening selections were made in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Here are some of my takeaways from Thursday night.
Worth the wait for Ward
Playmaking quarterback Cam Ward had a zero-star rating coming out of high school but has just become the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That is a crazy journey for a young player who should now boost an attack that has averaged 18 points per game over the past three seasons (29th in the NFL).
Fortune favours the brave!
We went the whole offseason with all 32 NFL teams holding onto their own first-round picks. And the Cleveland Browns took seven minutes to trade away the second overall selection. The Jacksonville Jaguars got themselves the best receiver in the draft and arguably the best defender, all wrapped up in one Travis Hunter-sized package. The thought of Hunter operating opposite Brian Thomas Jr. should have Jags fans super-excited.
Copycat league
The Philadelphia Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions and one of their biggest strengths in 2024 was their power and depth on both lines. That is a major reason why we saw 10 defensive linemen and eight offensive linemen get picked in round one. And why some of those chosen could easily have slipped to round two. These teams were in a hurry to snap up the big bodies!
Shedeur slides
There were some pre-draft whispers about teams being divided on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Some went so far as to suggest – albeit anonymously – that he did not interview well. Despite Cleveland, the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers all having a need at the position, Sanders did not hear his named called. For all the wrong reasons, that is one of the biggest headlines to come out of round one.
Giants double up
The New York Giants made the obvious choice with their third overall pick by taking Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter. He was just too valuable to pass up having been compared to Micah Parsons and Von Miller. He was one of the elite players in this class. But New York got themselves back into round one with pick 25 and grabbed their QB of the future in Jaxson Dart, who has room to grow as he learns behind Russell Wilson and/or Jameis Winston.
Falcons living on the edge
The Atlanta Falcons have boasted one of the league's worst pass rushes for years now and have used their last four first-round selections on offense. But they woke up to their defensive needs on Thursday, grabbing Georgia's Jalon Walker at 15 and trading back into round one to take Tennessee's James Pearce at 26. He will be in the spotlight because Atlanta gave up their 2026 first-rounder to make that particular move.
Packers deliver for the fans
The Green Bay Packers are the only publicly-owned team in the NFL. Essentially, the fans own the team. And the fans were desperate for the Packers to grab a true number one wide receiver for star quarterback Jordan Love. That was some heavy-duty peer pressure from the fans because the Packers did just that, selecting the lightning-quick Matthew Golden out of Texas. He is going to be fun to watch in the green and gold.
Colts fill a major need
The Indianapolis Colts had to hold their nerve on Thursday night as they picked 14th in round one. They were desperate for a tight end and saw Chicago take Colston Loveland at that position with pick 10. Others were reportedly jockeying to get ahead of the Colts to take Tyler Warren, who has been compared to the great Rob Gronkowski. The Colts held firm, played a little poker and no one else moved up. General manager Chris Ballard got his man, but that must have been a nervous game of cat and mouse.
Old coaches never change their stripes
A couple of head coaches who are longer in the tooth stuck to their tried and trusted formulas on Thursday night. Pete Carroll (Las Vegas Raiders) and Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers) love to run the football. And it showed in their round one choices. The Raiders grabbed the best running back in the class in Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, while the Chargers will team North Carolina powerhouse Omarion Hampton with Najee Harris for a bruising combination.
Take a bow, Green Bay!
The scenes at the NFL Draft were truly memorable, from the moment NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell rode onto stage on a bicycle. More than 125,000 fans packed into the car park outside of Lambeau Field and they booed heartily every time there was a mention of the rival Chicago Bears… apart from when Goodell paid tribute to Bears legend Steve McMichael, who sadly passed earlier this week. Then you could hear a pin drop. That was a classy moment from a very classy fan base, who immediately resumed the booing as the Bears' first-round pick was announced.
