The first day of the NFL draft is in the books! Here are the biggest winners and losers from the first round:
Winners: Cleveland Browns:
Travis Hunter could be a generational talent, but Jacksonville gave up a generational haul that Cleveland could not pass up. To move from pick 2 to pick 5, Cleveland added #36, #126, and a 2026 first-round pick from a team that will likely be picking in the top ten in 2026. On top of that, they add DT Mason Graham to pair with Myles Garrett and have two of the first four picks in Round 2, which should allow them to take a QB (Shedeur Sanders?) and an RB. Great night for Cleveland!
Winners: New York Giants:
Firstly, New York took the best defensive player in the draft in Abdul Carter. Carter is truly explosive off the line and will wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Then, New York jumped back into the first round, trading their second-round pick, along with this year’s third and next year’s third, to take QB Jaxson Dart. Dart will have time to learn behind Russell Wilson, while Giants fans get excited for the future.
Losers: Dallas Cowboys:
Jerry Jones just loves taking OL. Guard Tyler Booker has the makings of a solid lineman, but Dallas could have traded down at least five or six picks and still would have had him available on the board.
Winners: Green Bay Packers:
After not taking a wide receiver in the first round for years, Green Bay decided to take Matthew Golden, who can take the top off any defense. Not only does this pick help Jordan Love, but it also allows Christian Watson to take his time recovering from injury.
Losers: Detroit Lions:
DT Tyleik Williams was projected to be a late second-day pick by most experts. Detroit has drafted well recently, but it feels like they missed out on a trade where they could have added some needed draft capital in 2025 or 2026.
Winners: Indianapolis Colts:
Imagine getting a player who many thought was going to go as high as pick 7 at pick 14. That’s exactly what the Colts did by taking Tight End Tyler Warren, who could have a Brock Bowers-type impact in 2025.
Losers: Los Angeles Chargers:
With a stud like Matthew Golden on the board, it was a little shocking to see Los Angeles take RB Omarion Hampton, especially after signing Najee Harris in free agency.
Winners: Las Vegas Raiders:
With all the draft rumors, the Raiders didn’t panic, waited until their pick, and got their guy—RB Ashton Jeanty, who is an elite talent.
Losers: Atlanta Falcons:
Getting Javon Walker was great at 15, but giving up a 2026 first-round pick to trade up to take James Pearce, Jr. was a big reach. Pearce has tons of immaturity issues and is far from a sure thing.
Losers: Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Are they preparing for life after Mike Evans? Are they worried about Chris Godwin’s injury? Are they not happy with Jalen McMillan? Emeka Egbuka is a stud receiver, but his fit in Tampa doesn’t feel obvious in 2025.
