Winners and losers from Round 1 of 2025 NFL Draft

theScore's football editors evaluate the biggest winners and losers after the first 32 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Winner: Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars' 34-year-old first-time general manager, James Gladstone, may not be old enough to be President of the United States, but he's old enough to shake up the draft just 10 minutes after it starts. We don't know if the Jaguars will be good or bad in 2025, but they certainly won't be boring, as electric two-way star Travis Hunter is now heading to north Florida at second overall. Jacksonville gave up a haul to the Cleveland Browns to move from No. 5 to No. 2, but Hunter's tantalizing potential was too good to pass up. Hunter will feature heavily on offense for new coach Liam Coen while seeing time at cornerback on defense. That gives Trevor Lawrence a lethal one-two punch at receiver with Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. and helps address a pass defense that struggled mightily in 2024.

Loser: Titans

Cam Ward would still have a No. 1 beside his name in last year's draft, but there would almost certainly be another number beside it as he likely would've been picked in the teens. Ward was rated as the fifth or sixth quarterback in the loaded 2024 class but instead finds himself as the first name called in 2025 as the Titans turn over the keys to the franchise to the 22-year-old. He joins Vince Young, Jake Locker, Marcus Mariota, Malik Willis, and Will Levis as passers taken by Tennessee in the top three rounds since 2006. That quintet has combined to win one playoff game with the team, a contest that needed Mariota to throw a touchdown pass to himself en route to a one-point victory. Maybe Ward bucks the trend in Tennessee. While he may prove to be a standout, the Titans arguably missed a chance by not selecting the explosive Travis Hunter and opting for a different quarterback strategy. That's especially true, considering ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on the broadcast that the Titans declined the Giants' offer of the No. 3 pick, a 2026 first-round selection, and multiple other picks to move to No. 1.

Winner: Value of running backs

The stock market may have been on a roller coaster the past few months, but the value of the running back position is only headed up in the NFL. For years, the league devalued the position in both the draft and free agency, but it appears the importance of the running back has returned. Two rushers heard their name called in the first round Thursday for just the second time in the last seven drafts. The electric Ashton Jeanty became the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley when the Raiders took the Boise State star at No. 6. Jim Harbaugh couldn't resist adding Omarion Hampton at No. 22, putting the North Carolina bruiser in a running back room that just added Najee Harris. Rushers are also set to be heavily involved on Day 2, with the Ohio State duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins expected to lead the way.

Loser: Anyone trying to figure out Falcons

Last year, the Atlanta Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 even though they signed Kirk Cousins in free agency. It was ... unexpected. On Thursday, the Falcons took not one but two different edge rushers in the opening round, with their move to trade back into the first to select James Pearce Jr. at No. 26 coming at a very high cost.

Jalon Walker and Pearce may end up being standout players for a team that heavily needed some pop off the edge. However, Walker's addition alone would've improved that area significantly. Pearce's athleticism is eye-popping, but there are legitimate concerns about his ability to play on a down-to-down basis, and he likely projects as a specialist only at the NFL level.

Cousins' struggles last season saw Penix take control by the end, a move that made the unorthodox draft strategy more sensible. Perhaps that'll happen with the edge-rushing duo taken in the first round - general manager Terry Fontenot better hope so.

Winner: Recent first-round QBs

Playing quarterback in the NFL in your early 20s is arguably one of the most difficult situations in professional sports. Doing so with a lack of weapons at the skill positions is damn near impossible. In Thursday's opening round of the draft, several teams with young quarterbacks took significant steps to make their lives easier.

Bryce Young looked vastly improved down the stretch last year with a receiver room of Adam Thielen, Xavier Leggette, and Jalen Coker. He now gets to add Tetairoa McMillan as the big target outside, with the Panthers grabbing the Arizona star at No. 8. It's impossible to ignore Mike Evans comparisons for McMillan, especially given coach Dave Canales' success with the Buccaneers prior to taking the Carolina job.

Caleb Williams will now get to look for Colston Loveland at the tight-end spot after the Chicago Bears took the Michigan standout at No. 10. Ben Johnson used Sam LaPorta in numerous ways with Detroit. The new Bears coach will be looking to replicate that in Chicago with Loveland.

The Indianapolis Colts nabbed Tyler Warren at No. 14, making it the earliest we've seen two tight ends drafted in the modern era. The jury is still out on Anthony Richardson at quarterback, but the versatile Penn State senior should provide the passer with a much-needed additional weapon.

Loser: Shedeur Sanders

Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders' Colorado teammate, had a thrilling Thursday night, landing in his home state of Florida after the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to No. 2 overall to select the two-way star.

Shedeur, on the other hand? Not so much. Shedeur's dad, Deion Sanders, predicted last year that his son would be a top-five pick in 2025. Shedeur will now leave the first round undrafted and is still looking for a home in the NFL.

Shedeur was projected to be the second signal-caller drafted leading up to Thursday night. However, momentum swung this week with him sliding in the first round. Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart was ultimately the only quarterback selected on Thursday night after Ward.

It's unlikely Shedeur's fall will last long on Day 2. But not hearing your name called in the first round just five days after getting your number retired by Colorado is a bizarre stretch for the young quarterback.

Winner: Day's and Smart's recruiting eye

We're used to Ryan Day and Kirby Smart dominating sidelines in the fall, but that duo can add the last weekend in April to that list annually. With four Ohio State players taken in Thursday's opening round and three Georgia Bulldogs joining them, both coaches now have more first-round NFL draft picks than losses as head coaches. Day's 14 first-rounders at Ohio State are well clear of his 10 career defeats. Smart's 105-19 record at Georgia has produced 20 first-round picks.

Loser: Cowboys fans

Micah Parsons' reaction said it all.

Tyler Booker is a solid prospect who fills a need for Dallas after the retirement of longtime guard Zack Martin. But fans in Dallas have desperately been waiting for a home-run addition of a skill-position player, either through the draft or free agency, to help put the team's offense back on the right track and compete in the NFC. That didn't change Thursday despite the Cowboys owning the 12th overall pick, their highest draft selection since 2021.

There was speculation that the Cowboys would go wide receiver in the first round or even land Ashton Jeanty to address major roster needs. Instead, Dallas left Round 1 with an offensive or defensive lineman for the fourth straight year. Yes, both Jeanty and Tetairoa McMillan - arguably the class' best wideout - were gone in the top eight, but the Cowboys again didn't acquire the splashy, blue-chip player their fans have desperately been looking for.

Winner: Top contenders

The Ravens, Bills, Eagles, and Chiefs - four perennial Super Bowl contenders - all filled glaring needs at the end of the first round as obvious targets fell into their laps.

Baltimore found a running mate for Kyle Hamilton, taking the versatile Malaki Starks to create what could immediately become the best safety tandem in the NFL. Buffalo took another much-needed swing at cornerback, drafting Maxwell Hairston weeks after shipping out failed 2022 first-rounder Kaiir Elam.

Kansas City fortified a depleted offensive line, landing Josh Simmons after moving down a spot and recouping a fifth-round pick for its trouble. Philadelphia grabbed the consensus top inside linebacker in Jihaad Campbell, adding another playmaker to Vic Fangio's top-ranked defense.