The first round of the 2025 NFL draft delivered some big names and a few surprises that left some very talented players on the board. If round one was any indication, some of the 70 picks on day two — Friday, April 25 — will also raise some eyebrows.
The first shake-up on Thursday night took place just 30 minutes into the process, as the Jacksonville Jaguars made a bold move to grab Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter with the second overall pick.
Sanders falls out of the first round
Another surprise? The big-name player who wasn’t picked in the first round — Hunter’s quarterback at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders.
Shedeur and his Hall of Fame father Deion were standing by most of the night, but every team that needed a quarterback passed on the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
That includes the Pittsburgh Steelers, who took Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and the New York Giants. The Giants traded back into the first round to take Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. When New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen was asked if he considered Sanders as well, he said they went through an extensive process and “moved up for Jaxson.”
“We’re fired up to have him,” Schoen said. “At the end of the day, when we went through the process and we ranked him, this is how we had him ranked and with Jaxson, we felt the value matched up with where we saw the player.”
What was Sanders’ response after the first round?
Sanders’ responded to being passed over in a video posted to social media by Well Off Media. He addressed family and friends that gathered to watch the draft with him and seemed disappointed, but upbeat. While he said he “didn’t expect this,” Sanders added that he feels like with God, “everything’s possible.”
“All this is, of course, fuel to the fire,” Sanders said. “We all know this shouldn’t have happened. But we understand, we’re on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s the day. We’re going to be happy regardless.”
Who are the other top prospects available on day 2?
In addition to Sanders, there are some players still available in the second and third rounds. Will Johnson, the cornerback from Michigan is among them. He’ll likely be one of the first players picked Friday, April 25.
Pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku from Boston College is also bound to be picked quickly. He had 16.5 sacks last season which was ranked second in the nation.
The only player better than Ezieruaku was fellow edge rusher Mike Green from Marshall University, who had 17 sacks and was a projected first-rounder.
Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson and South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori are also still available as are a slew of big play wide receivers like Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins, Missouri’s Luther Burden III and Mississippi’s Tre Harris.
Who are the teams that might make noise Friday?
A few teams that could make noise Friday night, April 25, include the Houston Texans. They have five picks over the next two rounds to make up for the fact they did not have a first round pick this year.
The Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns both have four total picks in rounds two and three. Both teams need a future quarterback.
“I don’t know how the rest of the draft is going to unfold,” Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry said after the first round. “There’s talent across positions, including the quarterback position.”
