- Falcons double down to fix pass rush: Atlanta lands Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. to address a front seven that ranked 31st in pass-rush win rate in 2024.
- Shedeur Sanders falls out of Round 1: The Colorado quarterback, once a projected top-10 pick, remains on the board despite elite production and poise.
- Celebrate the 2025 NFL Draft with 25% off PFF+: Get 25% off PFF+ and unlock access to player grades, fantasy tools and the 2025 Draft Guide.
The opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft delivered plenty of excitement and a fair few surprises.
From long-awaited pass-rush reinforcements in Atlanta to Philadelphia benefiting once again from the rest of the league’s missteps, here’s a deeper look at the five most significant themes that emerged from Day 1.
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Atlanta Commits to Fixing the Pass Rush
For the better part of the past decade, the Atlanta Falcons‘ pass rush has been among the least effective in the NFL. The 2024 defense ranked 31st in pass-rush win rate and 29th in total pressures, prompting urgent calls for investment.
On Thursday night, the franchise answered. At No. 15, the team took Georgia’s Jalon Walker, an athletic, flexible edge presence who earned an 83.0-plus pass-rush grade in each of the past two seasons. Then, they aggressively moved back into the first round to grab James Pearce Jr. out of Tennessee. Pearce brings explosiveness off the edge, an 84.1 run-defense grade and a 23% pass-rush win rate — elite traits that immediately elevate the floor and ceiling of Atlanta’s front.
For a franchise that has long patched holes on defense with short-term fixes, this double-dip into premium pass-rushers signals a positive shift.
Linemen Still Rule the First Round
Despite a talent pool rich with receivers, running backs, and defensive backs, Round 1 once again proved the NFL builds from the inside out.
Four offensive linemen and four defensive linemen were taken in the top 15 alone. The Patriots started it with LSU tackle Will Campbell at No. 4, a long-time SEC starter who ranked in the 95th percentile in true pass set blocking since 2022. The Browns followed with Mason Graham, who earned a nation-best 92.6 run-defense grade in 2024 and back-to-back 90.0-plus overall grades at Michigan. The Saints added protection with Kelvin Banks Jr., whose 2.1% pressure rate over two seasons was the lowest among Power Four left tackles.
These picks reflect a sustained league-wide priority: control the line of scrimmage, and everything else becomes easier to manage.
Shedeur Sanders’ Slide Was For Real
One of the biggest surprises of the night was Shedeur Sanders remaining undrafted through Round 1.
The Colorado quarterback was once considered a top-five lock, a polished and poised passer with impressive metrics: a 90.5 passing grade, the second-best adjusted completion percentage in the class (81.8%) and a turnover-worthy play rate of just 1.3%.
But Thursday exposed lingering concerns. His arm strength remains a divisive trait among evaluators, and his fit in pro-style systems drew questions during the pre-draft process. As teams prioritized athletic upside, Sanders’ fall highlighted how quarterback evaluations remain as team- and scheme-dependent as ever.
The Ravens Win by Standing Still
Few teams play the board better than the Baltimore Ravens.
At No. 27, they stayed put and landed Georgia’s Malaki Starks, one of the most complete defensive backs in the class. Starks is not only an elite run defender (85.6 grade) but also a fundamentally sound tackler, having missed just 8.1% of his attempts in 2024, one of the lowest rates among safeties.
His high football IQ and versatility will pair nicely with Kyle Hamilton, allowing both players to rotate between deep and box roles. It’s yet another example of the Ravens capitalizing on draft chaos by trusting their board and betting on high-floor, high-IQ talent.
Philadelphia Steals Another SEC Star
The Eagles have turned collecting SEC stars into an art form.
With the 31st pick, they added Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell — a rangy, explosive second-level defender who brings elite athletic traits and a nose for the football. Campbell totaled 30 coverage stops in 2024 and missed just 5.9% of his tackles, giving him one of the best finishing rates in the class.
While his coverage instincts will need refinement, the physical profile is too rare to pass up. With Zack Baun already in the building, Campbell won’t be rushed, but his long-term ceiling gives the Eagles yet another blue-chip defender from the SEC pipeline.
This news was originally published on this post .
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