(Photo courtesy of Sporting News) “The nation is keeping a close eye on the NFL Draft this year.”
James Guiry
Connector Staff
The NFL Draft is one of the most anticipated events in the sports world. Where college athletes from all over the country wait to hear the worst person alive, Roger Goodell, call their name.
As of Thursday morning, all 32 teams held their original first round draft pick.
The first overall pick was a mystery to many experts and fans. Many people believed Miami quarterback Cam Ward was the clear number one pick. However, there was a chance Abdul Carter, an edge rusher from Penn State, or Travis Hunter, an “athlete” from Coach Prime’s Buffalos, could be picked first.
The first pick ended up being the former, as Cam Ward (QB, Miami) was selected first overall for the Tennessee Titans. The next pick was where the surprises began, when the Cleveland Browns traded their second overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a haul. The Browns gave up the number two overall pick, a fourth round pick and a sixth round pick in exchange for Jacksonville’s number five overall pick, a second round pick, a fourth round pick, and a first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Jaguars used the second pick to select Travis Hunter (WR/CB, Colorado) who was projected in the top five in most mock drafts.
The third pick was Abdul Carter (EDGE, Penn State) for the New York Giants, the Patriots picked Will Campbell (T, LSU) with the fourth overall pick and the Browns picked Mason Graham (DT, Michigan) with the pick that they received from the Jaguars to round out the top five.
Other notable day one picks include Ashton Jeanty (RB, Boise State), who was picked sixth overall by the Raiders. Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in his senior season where he was a Heisman finalist.
The Giants traded three picks to move up nine spots for another first round pick, they used this pick to select Jaxson Dart (QB, Ole Miss). This pick was surprising because most analysts thought Shadeur Sanders (QB, Colorado) would be the second QB off the board.
The Green Bay Packers picked Matthew Golden (WR, Texas) with the 23rd overall pick. This would be the first time since 2002 that the Packers selected a receiver in the first round; they went Aaron Rodgers’ entire tenure without doing so.
The Ravens also got a big boost to their defense in Malaki Starks (S, Georgia), to play alongside young star Kyle Hamilton with the 27th overall pick.
The biggest story of the draft this year was Sanders not being picked in the first, second, third or fourth rounds. Sanders, the number two ranked quarterback in the draft according to ESPN and projected late first or early second round pick in most mock drafts, fell all the way to the 144th pick when the Cleveland Browns selected him in the fifth round. Quarterbacks Ward, Dart, Tyler Slough (Louisville), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), and Dylan Gabriel (Oregon) went before Sanders. Gabriel was also picked by the Browns as well with their second round three selection, so they will be fighting for a position this summer. Sanders threw for 4000 yards and 37 touchdowns in the 2024 college football season. Gabriel has played college football since 2019, with one shortened season, and has not thrown 4000 yards in any of those seasons.
Sanders’ fall in the draft overshadowed other falls such as Quinn Ewers (QB, Texas), who was projected to go in the second round of the NFL Draft and slipped all the way to the seventh, getting drafted by the Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots filled some big holes drafting Campbell in the first round, TreVeyon Henderson (RB, Ohio State) with the 38th pick of the draft in the second round, and Kyle Williams (WR, Washington State) and Jared Wilson (C, Georgia) in the third round. The Patriots used their fourth through seventh round picks to beef up the defense and add some special teamers (excluding Marcus Bryant, a tackle from Missouri who was drafted in round 7).
The Patriots drafted safety Craig Woodson (S, California) to begin the third and final day. That pick was followed by defensive tackle Joshua Farmer (DT, Florida State) in the fourth round. They also drafted Bradyn Swinson (EDGE LSU) and kicker Andres Borrengales (K, Miami). The Patriots finished up the draft by picking Bryant, Julian Ashby (LS, Vanderbilt), and Kobee Minor (CB, Memphis) in the seventh round.
