5 Players From The 2025 NFL Draft That Already Look Like Busts And 5 That Look Like Superstars
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
If there’s one thing the 2025 NFL season taught us, it’s that it’s never too late for so-called “Draft busts” to find success. Eight years after he was drafted third overall by the New York Jets? Sam Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl 60 championship.
How about Daniel Jones, Trevor Lawrence, and Bryce Young all breaking out, just when so many of you thought neither would amount to much?
The point is, you can’t judge an NFL player’s career entirely after one season. But man, do some of the 2025 draftees have a lot of work to do if they want to avoid the “bust” label. On the more positive side, a handful of rookies have already entered “Superstar” territory.
Without further ado, let’s dive into five 2025 NFL draft picks that already look like busts, and five that look like superstars.
Who are stars or busts in the famed 2025 NFL Draft?
Bust: Cam Ward
Maybe we’re being a little unfair here. Perhaps expectations were a little too high for Ward, who didn’t have the lights-out rookie year that other guys like CJ Stroud, Caleb Williams, and Jayden Daniels enjoyed.
And we know, the Tennessee Titans didn’t give Ward much of a supporting cast. The coaching staff was horrendous, too, with head coach Brian Callahan getting the boot after a 1-5 start.
Then again, Joe Burrow jumped out to a strong start as a rookie on a lousy Cincinnati Bengals team. Williams dazzled despite coaching malpractice and taking 68 sacks in his rookie season. So yes, Ward has to take some of the blame here.
Ward completed just 59.8 percent of pass attempts for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He took a league-high 55 sacks, which is astonishing when you consider he’s supposed to be a dual-threat QB.
Ward, by the way, was hardly a dual-threat QB. He only mustered 159 rushing yards. Spencer Rattler, Shedeur Sanders, and JJ McCarthy had more rushing yards, by the way.
No, Ward’s career isn’t over. Look at how quickly Bryce Young erased that “bust” label. But woof, he’s got a long way to go to become that franchise quarterback that Tennessee envisioned.
Superstar: Tetairoa McMillan
Hey look! The Carolina Panthers got the memo! Supply your young quarterback with a real No. 1 receiver via the NFL Draft, and watch the rest unfold!
Carolina drafted the big-bodied receiver out of Arizona with the No. 8 pick. Lo and behold, the Panthers’ offense began to take off.
McMillan won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after catching 70 receptions for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. He helped Carolina snap an eight-year playoff drought and led them to a surprise NFC South division crown, despite a losing record at 8-9.
McMillan even gave the Panthers a fighting chance against the heavily-favored Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round, catching five passes for 81 yards in the loss.
McMillan, Young, and Rico Dowdle formed a potent offensive nucleus that finally brought new life to this long-struggling Carolina franchise. And the best part for Panthers fans? 2025 was only the beginning. McMillan hasn’t even hit his ceiling yet. Nor has Young, for that matter.
Bust: Shemar Stewart
Stewart was regarded as a boom-or-bust prospect heading into the NFL Draft. Believing it was the former, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Stewart with the No. 17 selection, hoping he could form an explosive pass-rushing tandem with Trey Hendrickson.
Stewart’s rookie year got off to a rough start. He entered a lengthy contract dispute, with the two sides reportedly disagreeing over the language of his rookie contract. Finally, Stewart and the Bengals resolved the matter, and he signed his rookie deal on July 25.
Still, that was valuable practice time lost for Stewart. Sure enough, he looked awfully rusty at the start of his rookie year. Quite frankly, Stewart never really got comfortable.
A string of injuries limited Stewart to eight games. He tallied just one sack and finished with a horrible Pro Football Focus grade of 41.5. That, by the way, ranked him dead-last among PFF’s 115 graded edge rushers.
And seeing how much of a disaster the Bengals were in 2025, it’s safe to say they’re already regretting the Stewart draft pick.
Superstar: Colston Loveland
The No. 10 pick got off to a sluggish start with the Chicago Bears. For some Bears fans, it was hard not to be discouraged to see fellow rookie tight end Tyler Warren — taken four spots after Loveland — immediately light it up for the Indianapolis Colts.
But as the season progressed, the Michigan product came into his own and emerged as Caleb Williams’ favorite target. Loveland led the Bears with 58 catches and 713 yards. His six touchdown receptions were also tied for the team lead.
Loveland felt like a luxury pick, with Chicago already boasting DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet in the passing game. But while those three have had down years, Loveland emerged as the Bears’ top playmaker in the second half.
His efforts led Chicago to a surprise NFC North division crown and a stunning comeback win over the archrival Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round. In two playoff games, Loveland had 12 receptions for 193 yards.
Now, we sit back and wait and see what this young Bears offense will do in 2026 and beyond. They’re just getting started.
Bust: Kenneth Grant
The Miami Dolphins’ front seven was anything but an issue heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. They had veteran stars Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, as well as 2024 rookie standout Chop Robinson, to lead the way.
Nonetheless, then-Dolphins GM Chris Grier used the No. 13 pick on Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant. It was one of the more head-scratching day-one picks of the 2025 draft, and it looks even worse a year later.
Grant was primarily used in a rotational role, recording just two sacks and a pair of tackles for a loss. The metrics paint an even uglier picture, with Grant garnering an ugly per Pro Football Focus grade of 48.4. So basically, Grant was doing way more harm than good on the field. He wasn’t even an average-level player.
It was moves like this that got Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel fired. Now it’s on rookie head coach Jeff Hafley and new defensive coordinator Sean Duggan to help Grant turn it around before he goes down as Miami’s next big-time round-one bust.
Superstar: Nick Emmanwori
The Seattle Seahawks rode the “Darkside Defense” to a Super Bowl 60 championship. And not, it’s not too early to wonder if this defense might be better than the Legion of Boom.
Seahawks GM John Schneider built up an elite secondary led by Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love, Coby Bryant, and Riq Woolen. But the finishing touch was the selection of North Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori, who somehow fell to Seattle at No. 35 overall.
The Hawks traded up via the Tennessee Titans to get Emmanwori with that pick. And if time travel were possible, there is no way Emmanwori would have been available on day two of the NFL draft. No sir.
Though he’s listed as a safety, Emmanwori lined up all over the field on Mike Macdonald’s defense. He had one interception, 11 pass breakups, 2.5 sacks, and nine tackles for a loss.
He also finished as a top-30 safety in Pro Football Focus’ grading for pass-rush, coverage, and run defense. Emmanwori elevated his game in Seattle’s playoff run, allowing just a 64.3 passer rating when targeted.
Did we mention the Seahawks won Super Bowl 60 by dismantling the New England Patriots? And Emmanwori was only a rookie who stands to improve even more in 2026.
Bust: Derrick Harmon
Jaxson Dart, a potential successor to Aaron Rodgers, was there on the board. So were wide receiver Luther Burden III, Carson Schwesinger, Jihaad Campbell, and Josh Simmons, just to name a few.
But nope! Even with TJ Watt, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig headlining an elite front seven, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to draft Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the No. 21 pick. Because, why the heck not?
Harmon was hardly an impact player in his rookie season. He had three sacks in 12 games, but only played 54 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps. He also finished with a “meh” Pro Football Focus grade of 53.4, which ranked 83rd among interior defensive linemen.
It’s miraculous that the Steelers won the AFC North with a middling offense and mediocre defense. But, we can’t help but wonder how different it could have been if they used their first-round pick on a real position of weakness. Imagine having Schwesinger or Burden instead of an unproductive defensive tackle?
We’ll see if Harmon can turn it around and bounce back in 2026 under new head coach Mike McCarthy. But we still don’t know why Pittsburgh felt the need to add another defensive lineman when they already had a deep front seven.
After one year, it already looks like a mega mistake of a draft pick.
Superstar: Carson Schwesinger
As bad as the Cleveland Browns were in 2025, their rookie class was sure one of the best in recent memory. Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Shedeur Sanders, and Harold Fannin Jr. all made noticeable impacts.
But none of them were as dynamic as linebacker Carson Schwesinger, whom GM Andrew Berry snagged in the second round at No. 33 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. And to think they got Judkins three picks later!
Schwesinger was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after a “beast-mode” season: Two interceptions, three pass breakups, 2.5 sacks, 156 combined tackles, and 11 tackles for a loss.
Did we mention that Myles Garrett won Defensive Player of the Year after breaking the single-season record for sacks? Yeah, good luck to opposing offensive linemen on having to block Garrett, Graham, and Schwesinger for years to come!
Bust: Matthew Golden
There was so much excitement among Green Bay Packers fans when they selected Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden with the No. 23 pick. It was the first time since 2002 that Green Bay used a first-round pick on a receiver. More importantly, the selection addressed a pressing organizational need.
Wide receiver has been a problem since Green Bay traded All-Pro wideout Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. Consider that none of their receivers have hit 900 yards in a season since the Adams trade.
The Packers expected Golden to fill that role. With top receiver Jayden Reed, veteran Christian Watson, and rising star tight end Tucker Kraft combining to play just 25 games, the opportunity was there for Golden to emerge as an immediate difference-maker on the Packer offense.
But Golden was hardly visible during his rookie season. In 14 contests, he caught just 29 passes for 361 yards and ZERO touchdowns. Mike Evans played eight games and had more yards than Golden.
Know who else had more yards than Golden? Josh Nailor. Adonai Mitchell. Jalen Coker. Ryan Flournoy and Xavier Hutchinson, just to name a few…
The Packers usually hit on their day-one picks. But man, does Golden have some work to do if he wants to avoid becoming one of the rare Green Bay draft busts.
Superstar: Jaxson Dart
Many expected Dart to be a top-10 pick, especially seeing how many teams needed a quarterback. But in a major surprise, Dart didn’t go until No. 25 overall. And that’s because the New York Giants traded up via the Houston Texans to get Dart.
Dart spent the first three games on the bench, with a past-his-prime Russell Wilson behind center. After they lost each game, though, the G-Men made a switch and put Dart behind center.
Dart quickly breathed new life into the Giants’ football team, even if the win-loss results weren’t there. The Ole Miss product completed 63.7 percent of pass attempts for 15 touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with 487 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
What was especially amazing about this? Dart lost his top wide receiver, Malik Nabers, and No. 1 running back, Cam Skattebo, to season-ending injuries. The offensive line was horrific. And head coach Brian Daboll was fired after a 2-8 start. Interim head coach Mike Kafka didn’t fare any better.
So now, Dart heads into his sophomore year with a healthier offensive supporting cast and a Hall of Fame-caliber head coach in John Harbaugh. Yeah, it won’t be long until the Giants are back to contention.
And their resurgence will start with Harbaugh and Dart.
