2025 NFL Draft grades for every team: Giants, Raiders, Commanders deliver; Steelers, 49ers receive poor marks

After three marathon days, the 2025 NFL Draft is complete, which means it is time to immediately analyze all the selections. After spending months speculating about potential picks, it’s only right that we give snap judgments for the decisions of all 32 teams, right? 

That’s what you’ll get below. These were written and constantly updated during the draft, as the picks came flowing in from Thursday evening through Saturday. 

The grades for the individual picks from Round 1 were courtesy of Pete Prisco. The grades for picks in Round 2 through Round 5 were mine, and Josh Edwards provided the individual pick grades for the sixth and seventh rounds. 

Let’s get to the team-by-team grades! 

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have gone to extreme lengths to improve the defense this offseason, and that theme continued in the draft. Nolen has immense upside as a pass rusher, and Johnson was probably picked at the proper value in the second round. Both are youthful, splash-play creators. 

Burch was a strange selection in Round 3, as he’s somewhat of a tweener who looks the part yet was hardly productive in any one area at Oregon. Simon can command the middle of the defense in time, and Burke represents quality depth at cornerback later. 

Grade: B- 

Atlanta Falcons

General manager Terry Fontenot has no chill — he didn’t just avoid picking an offensive skill-position player in Round 1; he doubled dipped at edge rusher that included a massive trade up for the uber-talented James Pearce Jr.

Watts is about as high floor as a deep safety prospect can get, and Bowman is boom or bust. He’s a madman carrying out a variety of defensive back roles, but seemingly misses every other tackle attempt and has a tiny frame. 

Grade: B-

Baltimore Ravens

General manager Eric DeCosta is one of the savviest decision-makers in football, routinely allowing the draft to come to him. Starks creates a crowded element in the safety room, but he can do it all as a defensive back. Green and Buchanan are two explosive defenders up front with modern-day, well-rounded games, and Jones and Vinson are two developmental types up front on offense, although Jones is much closer to being starter-ready. 

Kone has the ball skills to be a starting outside corner sooner than later, and there probably was a legitimate need to add a new kicker. Keep an eye on Peebles as an explosive interior pass-rusher. Great Round 6 find. Another prudent draft weekend for Baltimore. 

Grade: B+

The overwhelming majority of job openings on this Bills team are on the defensive side of the ball, and general manager Brandon Beane added some candidates for said openings with a defensive-laiden draft. Hairston raises the ceiling of the cornerback room — which was very much needed — and Sanders gives Buffalo another explosive interior rusher. Jackson has upside on the edge, and Walker is the mammoth nose tackle the defensive front had to get in this draft. 

The other Day 3 picks represented high-floor depth to make the Bills sturdier on the back end. In a draft that many believed had to be defensive-heavy, Beane delivered in a big way with a fine collection of picks. 

Grade: A-

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals went through it in this draft, and improved late. Seeing Mykel Williams, Kenneth Grant and Walter Noel go off the board in front of them at No. 17 overall must’ve been tough. Stewart has a chance to pop, yet is undoubtedly a risky proposition after they took a similar (and what appears to be a failed) gamble with Myles Murphy two years ago. 

They didn’t need to force the Knight selection in Round 2, and I didn’t get the double-dip at linebacker with Carter. However. Fairchild is an overachiever at guard, which was a gigantic need in front of Joe Burrow. Rivers added more insurance up front, and Brooks and Chase Brown can become a quality former sixth-round tandem in the backfield. 

Grade: C

I love the way general manager Dan Morgan approached this draft. Get Bryce Young a premier weapon first, then throw loads of resources at the defense. Scourton and Umanmielen have polished games and rocked in the SEC at defensive end. 

Etienne is a young runner with Chuba Hubbard-like ability, and Ransom will provide stability at safety. Jackson blocks out the sun on the interior, and Evans is an overachieving tight end who could become a favorite security blanket for Young. 

Grade: A-

Chicago Bears

General manager Ryan Poles appears to be in lock-step with new head coach Ben Johnson, as the Bears drafted two matchup nightmares in the first two rounds in Loveland and Burden. Trapilo is an athletic grinder and Turner adds pass-rushing depth — plus upside — on the interior of the defensive front, which was needed.

The Hyppolite pick felt forced. The Frazier selection made up for it, because he has elite-level upside as an outside, playmaking cornerback. Poles understood the assignment — foster an even better environment for Caleb Williams, keep the offensive line deep and add pieces to the defense. Smart draft.

Grade: B+

Cleveland Browns

Have we ever seen a draft strategy like this one? The Browns passed on Shedeur Sanders like 50 times, picked Dillon Gabriel to round out arguably the strangest quarterback room in modern NFL history, then decided to pick Sanders in the fifth round. It wasn’t a brutal idea — just strange. 

On top of that, two running backs for a clearly rebuilding club, with one early in Round 2? I did adore and highly respect general manager Andrew Berry’s decision to trade back from No. 2 overall to gain extra picks, especially that 2026 first-rounder. Fannin and Schwesinger are dynamic players who’ll rock in the middle of the field on their respective sides of the ball for a while in Cleveland. 

Grade: B

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John Breech

Dallas Cowboys

After some highly questionable drafts of late, Jerry and Stephen Jones — and Will McClay — have totally redeemed themselves in 2025. Ok, so I didn’t love the Tyler Booker selection at No. 12 overall due to his athletic deficiencies. But I will acknowledge guard was a monster need on this offense. 

Beyond that, Ezeiruaku was picked at proper value and gives Micah Parsons a new, young running mate on the edge. Revel was a sensational find at No. 76, and Blue has serious juice when there’s a lane out of the backfield. James is raw but smooth in a three-down role. The Cowboys got noticeably better this weekend. I do wonder what the plan is at outside receiver, though. 

Grade: B

Roller-coaster draft from the Broncos in my estimation. I didn’t love the Barron selection in Round 1 — yes I’m in the vast minority there. In Round 2, the Harvey pick was sensational because of his acceleration and pass-game abilities for Sean Payton and Bo Nix. Bryant is a high-floor outside weapon — although I do think there were better receiver options on the board at the time. 

The duo of Jones and Robinson will bolster the pass rush because of their athletic traits. Jones is massive. Robinson was a low-volume player at Alabama and flashed in a big way around the corner. 

Grade: B

Detroit Lions

Every Lions draft seemingly gets a giant Dan Campbell stamp of approval every year. Williams in Round 1 was much earlier than I’d pick a run-stuffing nose tackle. The Lions did need more beef up front. Rateledge and Frazier are nasty, athletic guards, and TeSlaa makes the middle of the field even more dangerous when facing the Lions. He’s a big slot with serious vertical juice who catches everything.

Hassanein was a sneaky-good add late because of his burst and bend around the corner. I would’ve liked to see the Lions address defensive end earlier, though — Aidan Hutchinson still needs help!

Grade: B

Green Bay Packers

The Packers have the most crowded receiver room in the NFL given the additions of Golden and Williams, who couldn’t be more different stylistically. Belton was picked too early because of his technical deficiencies, but I do like the landing spot given Green Bay’s long history of developing blockers picked outside of Round 1. 

Sorrell and Oliver are solid, yet I have doubts about their long-term potential, and Brinson at No. 198 is my favorite selection of all of these Packers picks. He’s long, athletic, powerful and plays with a non-stop motor. 

Grade: B-

Houston Texans

How about the Iowa State receiver duo everyone raved about for the entirety of the pre-draft process moving to Houston together? Love it! C.J. Stroud suddenly needs a mostly revamped receiver room. 

Ersery was a first-round tackle in my estimation because of his balance and power. At the absolute very least, he can be a stellar guard. Another need for Stroud. The Smith pick felt early, and I did not understand the massive overpayment in a trade up for Marks, a running back, with a litany of quality runners still available. 

Can’t forget about Reed, a determined box safe, and there’s a glimmer of Jeff Driskel to Graham Mertz’s game, although I’m decently surprised he was drafted. 

Grade: C+

Indianapolis Colts

I wasn’t as enamored with Tyler Warren as the masses, although I do acknowledge he could become the focal point of the offense in Indy like he was at Penn State. 

Tuimoloau raises the floor of the defensive end position, and Travis has All-Pro upside at tackle. He’s enormous, athletic and balanced. Giddens will be a fun complement to Jonathan Taylor because of his lateral cutting skill. Those were my favorite picks from the Colts. 

Walley went early for my liking, and I didn’t see an NFL future for Riley Leonard, although the quarterback spot is far from secured on this team. The middle of this class was better than the beginning and the end.

Grade: C+

Jacksonville Jaguars 

Getting Travis Hunter in the building was spectacular, although the vast overpayment to do so sours that transaction a bit. Suddenly, Trevor Lawrence has two DUDES at receiver. Ransaw in Round 3 was ideal. He’s a fast, do-everything type. 

Tuten in Round 4? Steal of the running back position in this class. And even though Kiser is 25 years old, he’s more fundamentally sound than many professionals. Milum bolsters the depth along the offensive line, and McLeod is a fun hybrid linebacker/edge rusher. 

Grade: B+

Kansas City Chiefs

General manager Brett Veach did work in this draft. Simmons can be a long-term answer at left tackle. He just needs to get healthy. Norman-Lott and Gillotte are high-upside pass-rushing options at defensive tackle and edge rusher, respectively. 

Williams is the pesky man-to-man cornerback Steve Spagnuolo will adore, and Royals has a game very reminiscent of Rashee Rice — he rocks after the catch. Veach found quality players at clear need positions. I like the receiving upside of Smith in Round 7.

Grade: A-

Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders new general manager John Spytek, take a bow. What a debut. Jeanty was one of the clear blue-chippers available in this class. Bech is one of the most complete receivers in the class who’s going to rock in the middle of the field. Throw in the addition of Thornton, a 6-foot-5 burner with 4.30 speed, and Geno Smith should be popping champagne.

Porter has immense upside because of his athleticism and length at cornerback, and Rogers possesses similar potential as a stellar athlete in his own right who played nearly 4,400 snaps in college at four positions. Pegues and especially Hemingway give the defense pass-rushing juice on the inside. I even compared Cam Miller to Brock Purdy. 

This is a masterpiece for a team that needed skill-position weapons on offense and depth on defense.

Grade: A

Los Angeles Chargers

While he’ll be a workhorse in Los Angeles, I’d be lying to you if I wrote I loved the idea of Hampton in Round 1. I wasn’t as high on him as the majority, and it didn’t represent great value position-wise. Harris is a upside-play at the “X” position on offense, which was undoubtedly a need. 

Caldwell is more flash than substance at defensive tackle. I did understand the interior of the defensive front had to get sturdier, and he provides girth there. Kennard is a measureables freak, yet comes with a bad workout and overt stiffness on film.

The late-round adds of Gadsden and Lambert-Smith will provide some middle-of-the-field and downfield juice to the offense, just like Harris should, in time. 

Grade: B-

Los Angeles Rams

General manager Les Snead’s history provides so much confidence in his drafting talent. Moving back, getting that extra first-round pick in the 2026 draft… spectacular. Then nabbing my TE2 in this class, Ferguson in the second… magnificent. 

Stewart can jump right into a speed-rushing specialist role immediately on this already uber-deep front, and Hunter gave me legit Kyren Williams vibes on film. Paul lacks in size and counters with cerebral, well-polished play. Not flashy. Just shrewd selections and draft navigation galore. 

Grade: A

Miami Dolphins

If nothing else, give a round of applause to general manager Chris Grier for flipping the draft philosophy and finally building through the trenches. Grant was picked too early for the nose tackle position, yet I wouldn’t be stunned if he’s one of the best players at that niche spot in three or four years. 

Savaiinaea is a dancing bear with positional versatility — which was needed — and Phillips is a dynamic one-gap penetrator at defensive tackle. I didn’t love the two defensive back selections, although Marshall brings plus man-coverage skills to the field. Gordon can be a hammer at running back, he’ll compliment Achane well. 

Grade: B

Minnesota Vikings

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah started this draft with four selections, added one more, and knocked this selection process out of the park. Jackson in Round 1 directly helps J.J. McCarthy and the run game. He’s a pro-ready guard with All-Pro upside. 

Felton’s speed is evident on film — and from looking at his combine workout — but there’s also run-after-the-catch pop his profile, and Ingram-Dawkins can be another chess piece for Brian Flores up front.. 

King is a throwback type linebacker who provides much needed size to that position, and Bartholomew was probably the most underrated receiving tight end in the class. Needs met, and they were aligned with prospects snagged at the right values.

Grade: A

New England Patriots

This draft was bound to be flashy, because the Patriots desperately needed to get more offensive talent on the roster, and the club was stockpiled with picks. Campbell is exceptionally high floor in Round 1, and Henderson, while picked slightly early, is a dynamic dual-threat runner. 

Williams is a sharp route runner with some YAC juice, and Wilson, in time, can be this team’s starting pivot, snapping the football to Drake Maye. Woodson is a crafty playmaker in the secondary, and Farmer has plus size and immense length at defensive tackle. Look out for Swinson to make a name for himself around the corner too. General manager Eliot Wolf had himself a weekend. 

Grade: A-

New Orleans Saints

Saints entered this draft with a plethora of needs, so it wasn’t so much about trying to address them. It was more about selecting quality players. They mostly did that, although the Shough pick at No. 40 overall was remarkably too rich. 

Banks will be a steady blocker for a long time, and Broughton has a high floor too on the other side of the ball. Stutsman has plus range and comes too, with a pro-ready game. Riley has some of the best pure ball skills and spatial awareness at the cornerback position in this class, and Neal is a boulder of a back with deceptive wiggle and plus contact balance. 

Grade: B

New York Giants

General manager Joe Schoen was in dire need of a home-run draft, and he went full Aaron Judge on draft weekend. Carter can be an All-Pro edge rusher in short order, and while Dart comes with some risk because of the gimmicky offense in which he operated in college, that’s why Brian Daboll is the head coach. 

Alexander is a dynamic chess piece next to Dexter Lawrence with serious power and athletic gifts, and I love the complementary tandem of Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo in the backfield. 

Mbow can be a mobility-based guard — or right tackle in a pinch — and Fidone is a towering, receiving based tight end who’ll push Theo Johnson. Lastly, Korie Black, the speedy, feisty, Oklahoma State cornerback in Round 7 was tremendous. He’ll be a playmaker on this defense. 

Grade: A

New York Jets

Methodical draft this year from the Jets. Membou fortifies the right side of the offensive line, and Thomas provides Aaron Glenn a moldable ball of clay to work with at cornerback. Taylor was picked too early for one of the youngest players in the class. In time, he can be a super-smooth separator at tight end. 

Smith is electric down the field and runs quality routes, his hands are just very suspect. Moore and Mauigoa are two consistent defenders at safety and linebacker respectively. It certainly doesn’t hurt to add depth at either of those two positions. Frankly, Moore could start as a rookie and has the mental capacity for it. 

Grade: B+

Philadelphia Eagles

General manager Howie Roseman has embarked on his journey to rebuild the Eagles defense, and he started by actually selecting a linebacker in the first round! Mukuba was picked slightly early and I’m not sure there was a major need at safety. 

Robinson is a no-nonsense, thick and athletic rusher inside, and McWilliams a super-chippy and sudden cornerback with some Avonte Maddox to his game. As per usual, some of my favorite Roseman picks occured later, especially the three-pick stretch of Hinton, Williams, and Powell-Ryland. The two blockers have plus starter upside, and Powell-Ryland would’ve probably been a Day 2 pick if he had longer arms. 

Grade: B+

Pittsburgh Steelers

General manager Omar Khan did mostly prudent work without a bevy of selections in this draft, although the glaring omission was quarterback, unless you believe in Will Howard. There is some upside with this passer because of his experience and mobility. Ironically, he’s a lot like Mason Rudolph. 

Harmon has some Cam Heyward to him, and Johnson is a smooth operator in a classic, feature-back frame. Sawyer will be a tireless worker up front in a rotational role, and Black adds more beef to the interior. That pick felt forced when another receiver or offensive-line help probably would’ve been better ideas. Don’t sleep on seventh-rounder, Bruener. He has the athleticism and refinement to outplay his draft position at linebacker.

Grade: B-

San Francisco 49ers

For as much as much as I revere Kyle Shanahan as a play designer and cannot argue with the team’s success with him at the helm, I rarely see eye-to-eye with him — and general manager John Lynch — in the draft. San Francisco clearly wanted to make it known it wouldn’t be pushed around on the ground anymore — the first two selections of Williams and Collins screamed that. Both are project-y as pass rushers. 

Not something you typically want to see with Round 1 and Round 2 picks on defense.

Martin is an out-of-control rocket at linebacker, but I can get down with Stout as a sudden slot corner at pick No. 100. West is a hefty run-defender with pass-rushing potential, and Sigle is another young, dynamic, hard-hitting safety added to this defense. I was confused by the prospects they picked at running back and receiver in the middle of this draft. Then again, Shanahan will probably get the most out of James in the backfield.

Grade: C

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Jared Dubin

Seattle Seahawks

General manager John Schneider is quietly one of the best in the business when it comes to the draft. Zabel may take time to pop. Once he adds more weight, he can be an All-Pro center. I adored the aggressive move to get Emmanwori, whom I bet Mike Macdonald sees as Kyle Hamilton 2.0. Arroyo is a smooth seam-stretcher, and Milroe in Round 3 was a steal. Love him as a run-package type weapon early while serving as insurance behind Sam Darnold. 

Mills and Horton are two ready-go-players at defensive tackle (when healthy) and receiver. I like how Horton diversifies the receiver room with a classic outside target. Martinez is a young, thick running back with underrated elusiveness and contact balance. This was a sneaky-good draft for the Seahawks in this new chapter of the organization.

Grade: A

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

General manager Jason Licht, another underrated decision-maker. I don’t know if I would’ve picked Egbuka as early as he did, yet there are some Chris Godwin elements to his profile, so I get it. 

Morrison could be the steal of the cornerback position in this class if he stays healthy, and Parrish is a chippy inside-outside defensive back. Love the double-dip there. 

Walker brings tenacity and a developed pass-rush move arsenal to the defense front, and Roberts is on the other end of the size spectrum at the same position. More diversification on defense. 

Grade: B+

Tennessee Titans

Starting with Ward, this is going to be a new-look Titans team that has more juice offensively. I liked Ayomanor much more than Dike, yet the receiver room was essentially barren at the start of this draft. Helm is a dependable receiving tight end option with quality hands and plus YAC skills. 

Winston can be the quarterback of the defense once he’s healthy — he’ll rarely miss a tackle and has All-Pro caliber athleticism. 

Slater is the type of electric athlete worth selecting from the small-school ranks along the offensive line, and Harris was one of three very well-coached, athletic Cal defensive backs from this class. Nothing truly sensational here from the Titans. Beyond Dike and Mullings, nothing that felt like a clear reach, either. 

Grade: B-

Washington Commanders

General manager Adam Peters is rising star in the industry. Two drafts in, that’s safe to say. Conerly was the pruden albeit non-sexy pick in Round 1. He can start at guard then eventually bump out to tackle, where starred at Oregon. Amos has a high floor at boundary corner — a clear need opposite Marshon Lattimore — and Lane is a dynamic slot receiver with 4.34 speed and wiggle post-catch. Croskey-Merritt absolutely has the size, cutting skill and effortless power to be a tremendous seventh-round find at running back.

Grade: A