2025 NFL Draft: Jaguars’ blockbuster trade for Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders falling among biggest surprises

The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books and, for a draft that didn’t have much fanfare coming into the event, there were plenty of fireworks. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars were the first to make a splash, orchestrating a blockbuster trade to move into the No. 2 slot to add Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Meanwhile, quarterbacks were naturally a key storyline as well. Cam Ward going No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans didn’t catch anyone off guard, but the rest that ensued at the position certainly did. Just one other quarterback heard his name called on Thursday night, and it wasn’t the one most expected. Instead of Colorado signal-caller Shedeur Sanders, it was Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, who was QB2 in this class, as the New York Giants moved back into the bottom half of the first round to punch his ticket to the Big Apple. 

And all that was the tip of the iceberg. With the dust settled, let’s take a look at some of the biggest surprises from Day 1 of the draft. 

1. Jaguars make blockbuster trade up for Travis Hunter

Throughout the day on Thursday, reports telegraphed that Jacksonville was trying to make a big statement on Day 1 of the draft, and first-year GM James Gladstone certainly delivered. Initially sitting with the No. 5 overall pick, the Jaguars executed a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up to the No. 2 overall pick, where they selected Heisman Trophy winner and dual-threat weapon Travis Hunter. The wide receiver/corner hybrid is a rare talent who is arguably the top player at both positions in this class. While he’s expected to play both ways in Jacksonville, it will be fascinating to see him pair up with 2024 first-round wideout Brian Thomas Jr. on offense. 

Throughout the pre-draft process, Penn State’s Tyler Warren had been looked at as the top tight end in this class. Yes, some stumped for Michigan’s Colston Loveland — like our own Mike Renner — as TE1, but Warren was the favorite on the betting markets to be the first player at his position drafted, while Loveland was in the +300 range to be the first tight end drafted as of Thursday morning. 

With the 10th overall pick, however, the Chicago Bears decided to bring Loveland aboard as the new tight end in Ben Johnson’s offense over Warren. While he doesn’t hold the title of TE1, the Nittany Lion didn’t have to wait too long to hear his name called as the Indianapolis Colts scooped him up at No. 14 overall. 

3. Shedeur Sanders falls out of the first round

Given his wide draft range, it’s hard to call Sanders falling out of the first round truly surprising. After all, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones did have Sanders falling out of the first round in his mock draft. That said, to see it actually happen was jarring. Sanders was CBS Sports’ No. 2-ranked quarterback prospect, and despite being on the board for various QB-needy teams, he did not hear his name called on Day 1. Maybe the most surprising angle of Sanders’ fall was the Pittsburgh Steelers passing on him at No. 21 overall. Even with reports noting Mike Tomlin’s affinity for the player and the Steelers still in Aaron Rodgers purgatory, they went in a different direction, adding Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon instead. Sanders’ fall and where he’ll ultimately end up will be the big story heading into Day 2.  

4. Giants trade back into first to select Jaxson Dart

Piggybacking off the Sanders story above, the Giants trading back into the first round for a quarterback was another surprising storyline. Not only was New York able to get back up to No. 25 overall in a trade with the Houston Texans, but they turned heads by forgoing the opportunity to select Sanders and instead went with Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Giants didn’t break the bank to trade up (No. 34, No. 99, and a 2026 third-round pick), but how Dart’s career pans out compared to Sanders will be a storyline linked to the franchise for the foreseeable future.

The Atlanta Falcons were busy on Thursday night. They initially enjoyed Georgia pass rusher Jalon Walker falling to them at No. 15 overall but didn’t stop there when it came to adding help along the defensive line. Atlanta traded back into the first round to bring in another pass rusher, moving up to No. 26 to add edge rusher James Pearce Jr. out of Tennessee. And it cost them a pretty penny to do so. To acquire No. 26 (and No. 101), Atlanta shipped out No. 46 and No. 242 overall in this year’s draft along with their first-rounder in 2025. While this further addresses a key need, it’s expensive and more than what New York paid to move up just ahead of them with Houston, and that was for a quarterback.