The 2025 draft made numerous headlines. Some teams surprised, while others raised questions with their decisions.

Many of the top prospects went to the expected positions, but some franchises surprised with their picks and made the predictions look ridiculous.

For one or two youngsters, the talent draft even turned into an unexpected cliffhanger.

Winners: Las Vegas Raiders

The team from the gambling city made it clear with the signing of Pete Carroll as its new head coach that there will be no slow rebuild.

The 73-year-old already got his dream quarterback in the offseason with the trade of Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks.

In the draft, the mastermind and general manager John Spytek consistently pursued their plan to get the team back on track in the short term. As expected, they used their sixth pick to select the best running back in the class, Ashton Jeanty, who is expected to make an immediate impact.

Through clever trades, they collected a total of eleven picks – the most in this year’s draft, along with the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. In the second round, Smith was given an additional weapon in wide receiver Jack Bech, and in the third round, he was given further protection in the form of offensive linemen Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant.

In the later rounds, the focus was on players with potential. Sixth-round pick Cam Miller is a quarterback project who, with the help of minority owner Tom Brady, could be brought along steadily in the best-case scenario. And that’s not all: dual-threat QB Tommy Mellott, picked two spots earlier at 213, is already being compared to Julian Edelman, who also converted to receiver.

Winner: New York Giants

The Giants did their homework this year and had a strong draft.

With edge rusher Abdul Carter, they picked one of the best players in this class with the third pick. Together with defensive tackle Darius Alexander, selected in the fourth round, the New Yorkers have built one of the best defensive lines in the league, which already includes interior lineman Dexter Lawrence and edge Brian Burns.

In addition, head coach Brian Daboll’s team avoided the inevitable media hype that would have accompanied the signing of Shedeur Sanders.

Instead, they provided clarity early on at quarterback and traded their way back into the first round. With the 25th pick, the franchise signed Jaxson Dart as their quarterback of the future, even though the choice drew criticism from some experts.

Alongside veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, as well as Tommy DeVito, Dart will have enough time to get used to the demands of the NFL and won’t have to be thrown into the starting role prematurely.

On the third day, the Giants selected running back Cam Skattebo, a good addition to starter Tyrone Tracy Jr. (105th pick). Offensive tackle Marcus Mbow (154th pick) is also a player with starter potential.

Winner: Ohio State Buckeyes

If there were any questions left as to why Ohio State was able to play its way through the College Football Playoffs to the National Championship last season, the draft answered them all in impressive fashion.

A total of 14 Buckeyes were selected, the second-highest number of players from any college in the seven rounds of a draft ever. In the first two rounds alone, seven of the first 45 players selected were from Ohio State.

Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was the first Buckeye to be taken off the board, going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 19th pick.

Winner: Green Bay Packers

What a mega event was celebrated at this year’s draft in Green Bay!

The rush was tremendous. According to ESPN, a total of 600,000 spectators were on site over the three days.

This far exceeded forecasts. Packers CEO Mark Murphy had announced a week earlier that a total of 250,000 visitors were expected. With 205,000 spectators, this figure was almost reached on day one.

This was truly remarkable given the relatively small population of Green Bay, which is less than 110,000.

The response from organizers and visitors was overwhelmingly positive. It was an absolute treat for every fan of the franchise.

Loser: Shedeur Sanders

The story of this year’s draft.

A few weeks before the draft, the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders was still considered a potential top pick in the first round. However, the quarterback’s stock fell inexorably as the event drew nearer, partly due to acute concerns about his attitude in various interviews.

What followed was one of the rarest crashes of a polarizing prospect, in which even US President Donald Trump got involved, until the Cleveland Browns finally redeemed Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round with the 144th pick.

After the media hype surrounding the 23-year-old, the Browns now have more questions than answers. In addition to the injured scandal-prone Deshaun Watson, the roster also includes offseason signings Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. It’s already a crowded QB room, but in addition to Sanders, another passer was selected in the third round (94th pick) in Dillon Gabriel.

The plan of those responsible in Cleveland is unclear so far. The US experts at the draft inevitably asked the only logical question: How on earth are the limited reps with the team going to be distributed among so many playmakers in the preseason?

Five quarterbacks suggest that at least one more should go.

Loser: Quinn Ewers

When you say that Sanders suffered a painful fall in the draft, you can’t forget another quarterback: Quinn Ewers.

The former Texas Longhorns playmaker wasn’t considered one of the top prospects at his position going into the draft, but having to wait until almost the end of day three was still a big deal.

Especially considering that the 22-year-old could have stayed in college for another year. Even two kickers and a punter were picked before him.

With the 231st pick in the seventh round, Ewers was finally selected by the Miami Dolphins, where he will now compete with Zach Wilson for the backup spot behind starter Tua Tagovailoa.

Loser: Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers waited until the sixth round to select a quarterback. With the 185th pick, they selected Will Howard from Ohio State.

The move is in line with statements made a few days ago by owner Art Rooney II, who told Steelers Nation Radio that veteran Aaron Rodgers still “really wants to come here” and that the team is fully focused on him.

However, Pittsburgh missed an opportunity this weekend to strengthen its roster with a more promising prospect, instead placing its trust in the 41-year-old veteran, who is past his prime.

According to Rooney, there were no plans to start a drafted quarterback in the near future anyway. “It will be someone who will develop and maybe play later. It’s not someone who will have a big impact on this season,” the owner had previously indicated.

Loser: Sam Darnold

After a surprise season, is Sam Darnold facing a similar fate to veteran Kirk Cousins?

The quarterback played big last season as a replacement for injured rookie J.J. McCarthy with the Minnesota Vikings, helping the team to a strong 14-3 record and a playoff berth. Previously, the New York Jets’ third pick in 2018 had failed to live up to high expectations at various stops.

This offseason, the Seattle Seahawks signed the 27-year-old to a three-year contract worth $100.5 million. Nevertheless, the franchise picked a young quarterback on day two, with Jalen Milroe coming in the third round with the 92nd pick.

The Hawks are thus playing it safe, should Darnold really have been a one-season wonder, fall back into old patterns, and see his performance decline significantly again.

Cousins himself can tell you a thing or two about that. In the 2024 offseason, he signed a lucrative contract with the Atlanta Falcons, only to see the franchise draft Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick in the first round just one month later as his replacement. Towards the end of last season, the Falcons actually made the switch from old to young at the starting quarterback position after Cousins failed to live up to expectations.