The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, left, answers questions as General Manager James Gladstone, right, sits next to him during a press conference Friday, March 25, 2025 at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] No NFL team ever believes it takes an L during draft week. Theoretically, that makes sense because no team’s talent level should decrease while picking through the best players college football has to offer.
But some teams clearly benefited more than others this weekend in Green Bay. Rather than point out the teams that didn’t get much done (cough, New Orleans Saints, cough), we’re keeping it positive and spotlighting the squads that had the most success.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
Many NFL experts believe new Jaguars general manager James Gladstone overpaid when he essentially sent the Cleveland Browns next year’s first-round pick and this year’s No. 36 overall pick just to move up three spots in Thursday night’s first round. But when the prize is Travis Hunter, how do you criticize making that deal?
Hunter was regarded as the best receiver and best cornerback in the draft — and he’s eager to be a regular on both sides of the ball. Even if he only plays 75 percent of the snaps on each side, you’re getting an elite athlete giving 150% — shattering the previous NFL record of 110% held by almost every other player in history.
Just as important, the 34-year-old Gladstone and new coach Liam Coen have given the Jags fanbase real hope. After years of being jacked around — home games outsourced to London, wins outsourced to most opponents, etc. — fans finally have a reason to be jacked up.
2. Arizona Cardinals
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Michigan Wolverines cornerback Will Johnson on the red carpet before the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images At the bare minimum, the Cardinals are going to dominate the Big Ten this fall. After they grabbed All-American defensive tackle Walter Nolen in the first round, they jumped on elite cornerback Will Johnson (Michigan), lightning-quick edge rusher Jordan Burch (Oregon), productive linebacker Cody Simon (Ohio State) and four-year starting cornerback Denzel Burke (also from national champion Ohio State).
That’s a lot of ready-to-deploy ammo for head coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense, which was middle-of-the-pack last year (15th in points, 21st in yards). It doesn’t take much to project the Cardinals earning just their second playoff berth in the last 10 seasons.
3. Chicago Bears
Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Boston College offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo (OL42) answers questions at a press conference during the 2025 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images New coach Ben Johnson had so much fun running the NFL’s highest-scoring offense in Detroit, he’s doing his best to replicate that personnel with the Bears. He snagged his new Sam LaPorta — Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, who had 17 TDs and 146 catches in two years. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, multiple teams were trying to trade up to get the 6-foot-6, 248-pound freak.
Then the Bears doubled down on unique offensive weapons by grabbing elusive Missouri receiver Luther Burden III in the second round. Though the combine confirmed he has tiny hands, endless video confirms he’s really hard to get to the ground once he gets the ball in those mitts.
Caleb Williams now has D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, Loveland and Burden on his radar. He also welcomes second-round pick offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo to boost an O-line that added multiple free agents. Now it’s time to find an RB buddy to go with D’Andre Swift.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
Apr 25, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders first round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft Ashton Jeanty, speaks to the media at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images The Bears will never admit it, but they gladly would have bypassed Loveland if running back Ashton Jeanty had somehow fallen to No. 10. Instead, the Raiders scored this franchise back with the sixth overall pick. He runs, he catches, he never dies easy a la Walter Payton.
Better yet for the Raiders — whose last playoff win (Jan. 19, 2003) came 11 months before Jeanty was born — they added several more impact players on offense in glue-handed Jack Bech (TCU), tall burner Dont’e Thornton Jr. (Tennessee), and offensive linemen Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant. Cornerback Darien Porter, a former receiver, blazed a 4.3-second 40 at the combine.
5. New England Patriots
Sep 7, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs for a touchdown against the Western Michigan Broncos during the second half at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-Imagn Images New coach Mike Vrabel gets to mold the draft’s best offensive tackle (Will Campbell), an instant do-it-all running back (TreVeyon Henderson), a versatile big-play receiver (Kyle Williams) and some immediate help for the defense, too.
We’re not saying Vrabel will lead the Pats to the playoffs in his first year — there’s a lot of ground to make up — but we’re saying they’ve done the right things to help second-year quarterback Drake Maye lead the team toward a brighter tomorrow.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
In scary Talladega moment, tire carrier gets brushed by car on pit road, but he’s fine
Bit of a scary moment at Talladega on Sunday afternoon, as the tire handler for Carson Hocevar took a pretty hard hit from the incoming car of Josh Berry. Hocevar's car was canted out onto pit road, and when Berry came through, well, a touch of chaos ensued.The tire carrier, Jarius Morehead, said in a brief television interview afterward that he was fine after the hit. Morehead played college football at N.C. State. Here's him in a more favorable moment:As a safety, Morehead surely made a few hard tackles ... though none as hard as getting hit by a car. Fortunately, all is well; that's why pit road speed limits exist.
NBA admits refs missed critical foul in Pistons’ last-second loss to Knicks
<!--> Referees missed Detroit’s Tim Hardaway Jr. getting fouled by New York’s Josh Hart on the final play of the Pistons’ playoff matchup against the Knicks on Sunday, the NBA acknowledged shortly after Game 4 ended.It was a critical missed call: Detroit lost the game by a single point, 94-93. Hardaway’s 3-point shot officially came with 0.3 seconds remaining. Had the foul been called, he would have gone to the foul line for three free throws that could have given Detroit the lead."During live play, it was judged that Josh Hart made a legal defensive play," crew chief David Guthrie told a pool reporter after the game. "After postgame review, we observed that Hart makes body contact that is more than marginal to Hardaway Jr. and a foul should have been called."ADVERTISEMENT -->New York’s win gave the Knicks a 3-1 […]
Paulo Nunes sinaliza time com a pior defesa do Brasil hoje: “Precisa contratar”
Paulo Nunes, comentarista do Grupo Globo (Reprodução/Globo) Paulo Nunes considera essencial que o Corinthians contrate novos zagueiros. Em sua análise, são notórias as falhas cometidas pelos defensores que não transmitem confiança aos seus torcedores. Neste domingo (27), por exemplo, o Timão levou quatro gols do Flamengo na sexta rodada do Brasileirão. Com Everton Cebolinha, Arrascaeta e dois de Pedro, o Rubro-Negro não teve muito trabalho para golear o adversário paulista. Nem mesmo Hugo Souza passou ileso, falhando clamorosamente no terceiro tento dos cariocas. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “É necessário e urgente que o Corinthians contrate um zagueiro. Ele não tem zagueiro. Se o Felix Torres tem jogado, é porque algo tem de errado”, disse Paulo Nunes. Alertado por Paulo Nunes, Corinthians é massacrado no Rio Novo técnico do Timão, Dorival Júnior acompanhou das tribunas do Maracanã o chocolate levado pelos corintianos. O […]
Boston’s Jarren Duran held back in confrontation with Guardians fan who allegedly heckled him over mental health struggles
Content warning: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide and needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.The Cleveland Guardians apologized on Sunday afternoon after a fan at Progressive Field got into a heated confrontation with Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDuring the seventh inning of the Red Sox’s 13-3 win over the Guardians, a fan near the Boston dugout started yelling at Duran. That sparked an altercation where Duran had to be held back by multiple coaches, umpires and teammates.The fan in question, according to Cleveland.com, was then seen running away from the confrontation up the aisle, onto the concourse and out of the stadium.Though it’s unclear exactly what was said or what led up to it, Red Sox analyst […]
Referees acknowledge missed foul call at the end of Pistons-Knicks Game 4
DETROIT — Crew chief David Guthrie acknowledged that the game-sealing non-call during Sunday’s New York Knicks-Detroit Pistons game should have been called a foul.With the clock winding down in the game’s final seconds, Pistons star Cade Cunningham missed a stepback jumper. The ball smacked off a couple of hands, with the Knicks still up 94-93, and trickled to Detroit wing Tim Hardaway Jr., who rose for a 3-pointer in the left corner with New York energizer Josh Hart flying over to close out. Hardaway leaned in Hart’s direction and let go of an errant jump shot as Hart bumped him.AdvertisementNo call. The Knicks won by one, and they have a 3-1 lead in their first-round series with the Pistons.After the game, Guthrie told a pool reporter that there should, in fact, have been a foul called on Hart on the […]
Manchester City tem interesse na contratação do goleiro Diogo Costa, do Porto
Manchester City sonda goleiro do Porto (Foto: Divulgação/FC do Porto) O Manchester City pode ter novidades na próxima temporada em seu elenco, uma delas no gol. A equipe inglesa vem monitorando atletas da posição, com a possibilidade de Ederson deixar a equipe ao final do atual ano da Premier League E vem de Portugal o candidato dos sonhos dos Citizens para assumir a titularidade do gol. Segundo informações da imprensa europeia, Diogo Costa, atual arqueiro do Porto, está na mira da equipe azul da cidade de Manchester e já teria feito proposta aos Dragões pela contratação do atleta PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Porto recusa proposta As notícias indicam que o City ofereceu pelo titular da seleção portuguesa cerca de 40 milhões de euros (perto de R$ 260 milhões) por sua contratação. A proposta foi recusada pelo Porto, que estipulou que a multa […]
Related
In scary Talladega moment, tire carrier gets brushed by car on pit road, but he’s fine
Bit of a scary moment at Talladega on Sunday afternoon, as the tire handler for Carson Hocevar took a pretty hard hit from the incoming car of Josh Berry. Hocevar's car was canted out onto pit road, and when Berry came through, well, a touch of chaos ensued.The tire carrier, Jarius Morehead, said in a brief television interview afterward that he was fine after the hit. Morehead played college football at N.C. State. Here's him in a more favorable moment:As a safety, Morehead surely made a few hard tackles ... though none as hard as getting hit by a car. Fortunately, all is well; that's why pit road speed limits exist.
NBA admits refs missed critical foul in Pistons’ last-second loss to Knicks
<!--> Referees missed Detroit’s Tim Hardaway Jr. getting fouled by New York’s Josh Hart on the final play of the Pistons’ playoff matchup against the Knicks on Sunday, the NBA acknowledged shortly after Game 4 ended.It was a critical missed call: Detroit lost the game by a single point, 94-93. Hardaway’s 3-point shot officially came with 0.3 seconds remaining. Had the foul been called, he would have gone to the foul line for three free throws that could have given Detroit the lead."During live play, it was judged that Josh Hart made a legal defensive play," crew chief David Guthrie told a pool reporter after the game. "After postgame review, we observed that Hart makes body contact that is more than marginal to Hardaway Jr. and a foul should have been called."ADVERTISEMENT -->New York’s win gave the Knicks a 3-1 […]
Paulo Nunes sinaliza time com a pior defesa do Brasil hoje: “Precisa contratar”
Paulo Nunes, comentarista do Grupo Globo (Reprodução/Globo) Paulo Nunes considera essencial que o Corinthians contrate novos zagueiros. Em sua análise, são notórias as falhas cometidas pelos defensores que não transmitem confiança aos seus torcedores. Neste domingo (27), por exemplo, o Timão levou quatro gols do Flamengo na sexta rodada do Brasileirão. Com Everton Cebolinha, Arrascaeta e dois de Pedro, o Rubro-Negro não teve muito trabalho para golear o adversário paulista. Nem mesmo Hugo Souza passou ileso, falhando clamorosamente no terceiro tento dos cariocas. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “É necessário e urgente que o Corinthians contrate um zagueiro. Ele não tem zagueiro. Se o Felix Torres tem jogado, é porque algo tem de errado”, disse Paulo Nunes. Alertado por Paulo Nunes, Corinthians é massacrado no Rio Novo técnico do Timão, Dorival Júnior acompanhou das tribunas do Maracanã o chocolate levado pelos corintianos. O […]
Boston’s Jarren Duran held back in confrontation with Guardians fan who allegedly heckled him over mental health struggles
Content warning: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide and needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.The Cleveland Guardians apologized on Sunday afternoon after a fan at Progressive Field got into a heated confrontation with Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDuring the seventh inning of the Red Sox’s 13-3 win over the Guardians, a fan near the Boston dugout started yelling at Duran. That sparked an altercation where Duran had to be held back by multiple coaches, umpires and teammates.The fan in question, according to Cleveland.com, was then seen running away from the confrontation up the aisle, onto the concourse and out of the stadium.Though it’s unclear exactly what was said or what led up to it, Red Sox analyst […]
Referees acknowledge missed foul call at the end of Pistons-Knicks Game 4
DETROIT — Crew chief David Guthrie acknowledged that the game-sealing non-call during Sunday’s New York Knicks-Detroit Pistons game should have been called a foul.With the clock winding down in the game’s final seconds, Pistons star Cade Cunningham missed a stepback jumper. The ball smacked off a couple of hands, with the Knicks still up 94-93, and trickled to Detroit wing Tim Hardaway Jr., who rose for a 3-pointer in the left corner with New York energizer Josh Hart flying over to close out. Hardaway leaned in Hart’s direction and let go of an errant jump shot as Hart bumped him.AdvertisementNo call. The Knicks won by one, and they have a 3-1 lead in their first-round series with the Pistons.After the game, Guthrie told a pool reporter that there should, in fact, have been a foul called on Hart on the […]
Manchester City tem interesse na contratação do goleiro Diogo Costa, do Porto
Manchester City sonda goleiro do Porto (Foto: Divulgação/FC do Porto) O Manchester City pode ter novidades na próxima temporada em seu elenco, uma delas no gol. A equipe inglesa vem monitorando atletas da posição, com a possibilidade de Ederson deixar a equipe ao final do atual ano da Premier League E vem de Portugal o candidato dos sonhos dos Citizens para assumir a titularidade do gol. Segundo informações da imprensa europeia, Diogo Costa, atual arqueiro do Porto, está na mira da equipe azul da cidade de Manchester e já teria feito proposta aos Dragões pela contratação do atleta PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Porto recusa proposta As notícias indicam que o City ofereceu pelo titular da seleção portuguesa cerca de 40 milhões de euros (perto de R$ 260 milhões) por sua contratação. A proposta foi recusada pelo Porto, que estipulou que a multa […]
Be the first to leave a comment