The 10 Biggest Steals of the 2025 NFL Rookie Draft Class
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Every year, NFL front offices spend millions of dollars on scouting, analytics, and psychological evaluations—all trying to answer one question: which NFL players will outperform their draft slot?
Yet it feels like, without fail, every April, they get it wrong… and the 2025 class was no exception.
But one man’s blunder is another man’s diamond in the rough!
Let’s take a look around the league and call out the players who made general managers look like geniuses—and made 31 other teams wonder how they let them slip away. Here are the 10 biggest steals from the 2025 NFL Draft class.
Who were the top steals of the 2025 NFL Draft?
Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns: Round 2, Pick 33
While it wasn’t a storybook year for the Browns, as the team continues to toil away in quarterback purgatory… The story of the 2025 NFL draft class begins with a former walk-on who became the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Carson Schwesinger arrived at UCLA as an unranked recruit, didn’t earn a start until his fourth season, but climbed the depth charts and developed into a bona fide NFL prospect.
Like many late bloomers, however, he ended up falling to the second round despite being named a semi-finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker.
Cleveland took a swing, eager to fill out their depth at the position after Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s career-threatening neck injury, and Schwesinger immediately became the defensive quarterback—wearing the green dot and calling plays as a rookie.
The results were impressive to say the least. 156 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions while playing 97% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps.
He recorded double-digit tackles in seven games, including a six-game streak that was the longest by any player in the league.
Schwesinger became just the fifth non-first-round pick in 40 years to win Defensive Rookie of the Year and the first Browns player to claim the honor since Chip Banks in 1982. From walk-on to award winner—that’s as good as draft steals get.
Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears: Round 7, Pick 233
The Bears entered 2025 with D’Andre Swift as their clear lead back, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai was supposed to battle for roster scraps.
Instead, the Rutgers product became the heartbeat of the NFL’s third-ranked rushing attack with his bull-like running style.
When all was said and done, Monangai finished with 783 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 169 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt while adding 164 receiving yards through the air.
Here’s the stat that matters most, though: Monangai was the only rookie running back in the entire league to post multiple 100-yard rushing games—including a 176-yard explosion against Cincinnati when Swift went down with an injury. Not Ashton Jeanty. Not Omarion Hampton. And not Quinshon Judkins.
The 233rd pick. He also became just the third Bears rookie to score a rushing touchdown in four consecutive games during the Super Bowl era, joining Walter Payton and Jeremy Langford.
It wasn’t just his impact on Chicago’s ground game, but also everything that unlocked for Caleb Williams and that passing attack through the play action.
If Monangai can keep developing, that will be a duo to watch out for for years to come.
Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders: Round 7, Pick 245
The final running back selected in the 2025 NFL draft might end up being remembered as the best.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt—nicknamed “Bill”—was the 245th overall pick, a selection where making the 53-man roster is considered a win. Instead, the Arizona transfer forced his way into meaningful snaps by the season’s second week and never looked back.
Croskey-Merritt’s compact frame and violent running style earned comparisons to a young Marshawn Lynch, and his college tape showed the kind of contact balance that translates regardless of competition level.
He finished his rookie season with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns—the latter leading all rookies.
The headliner was his Christmas Day performance against Dallas… it was a masterpiece: 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 72-yard scoring run that was the fourth-longest touchdown rush in franchise history.
In a loaded 2025 running back class featuring first-rounders and highly-touted prospects, the last back off the board proved that draft position means nothing once the pads come on.
And now it looks like Washington might have finally found its guy to complement Jayden Daniels in the backfield—and it only cost them a seventh-round pick.
Xavier Watts, S, Atlanta Falcons: Round 3, Pick 96
How does a two-time consensus All-American with 13 interceptions over his final two college seasons fall to the third round?
If you ask us, it is a classic case of scouts over-indexing on the combine and not actually watching enough tape of the guys playing between the numbers…
All of the discussion heading into the draft was about Xavier Watts’ 4.56-second 40-yard dash, and suddenly, scouts started to wonder if his ball skills would translate.
Well, the Falcons traded up to find out, and Watts immediately answered every skeptic. He finished his rookie season with five interceptions—tied for second in the entire NFL and the most by any rookie.
That total matched Deion Sanders’ franchise rookie record from 1989. Not too bad!
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich called Watts’ ball skills, instinct, and feel for the game “exceptional,” and playing alongside veteran Jessie Bates III, Watts proved that his Notre Dame production was no fluke—his ability to read quarterbacks and find the football is a rare gift that no stopwatch can measure.
Nick Emmanwori, S, Seattle Seahawks: Round 2, Pick 35
The Seahawks traded up to grab Nick Emmanwori in the 2025 NFL Draft after his freakish combine performance—where he posted a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score, the best from a strong safety prospect since 1987.
Seattle needed a chess piece for Mike Macdonald’s defense, and Emmanwori delivered a Super Bowl ring in Year One.
Despite missing three games with an ankle injury, the South Carolina product finished with 56 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, one interception, and a blocked field goal.
And once the playoffs came around, he only raised his level… In fact, his versatility was a huge factor in the team’s success on D.
Emmanwori lined up in the box on 51% of his snaps—one of just two defensive backs above 45%—while also playing slot corner and even rushing off the edge.
In the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco, he was a force to be reckoned with, flying all over the field and making plays like nobody’s business!
There is a reason that analysts couldn’t stop talking about how special the rookie was and how important he was to the Seahawks’ defense going into the Super Bowl, even though he wasn’t 100%.
Emmanwori finished as runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year and has a championship ring before his 22nd birthday.
Most players wait their entire careers for that kind of validation, and he got it in Year One… not bad for a second-rounder.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns: Round 3, Pick 67
When Cleveland spent a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on a tight end from Bowling Green, eyebrows raised. David Njoku was already on the roster, making big money. Why double down at the position?
But Harold Fannin Jr. wasn’t just any mid-major prospect—he had shattered FBS tight end records with 117 receptions and 1,555 receiving yards in his final college season, numbers that seemed almost fictional.
Those skills translated immediately. Fannin finished his rookie year with 72 receptions for 731 yards and six touchdowns, leading the Browns in all three categories despite playing with three different quarterbacks, each of which came with their own unique flavor of difficulty to play with
His 72 catches ranked second among all rookies—behind only first-round pick Tyler Warren—and he broke the franchise’s rookie reception record.
What made Fannin special was his reliability. Thrown into a starting role when Njoku went down with injuries, the Canton, Ohio native delivered eight catches for 114 yards in a nationally televised game against Tennessee.
And keep in mind, Fannin was the 67th selection from a MAC school, and he outproduced damn near everyone.
For a Browns offense still searching for answers at quarterback, having a safety valve like Fannin makes the transition that much easier for whoever ends up under center in 2026.
Jacob Parrish, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Round 3, Pick 84
Tampa Bay’s secondary was decimated by injuries in 2024, so the Buccaneers decided to double down on cornerbacks in the 2025 NFL draft.
While second-round pick Benjamin Morrison struggled with hamstring issues and missed seven games, third-rounder Jacob Parrish stepped into the fire and played rather well.
The Kansas State product finished with 54 solo tackles, two interceptions, and seven pass deflections—and was among the shortlist of best rookie cornerbacks in the game.
Head coach Todd Bowles, one of the NFL’s most demanding defensive minds, praised Parrish from Day One: “He’s been good since the first day he got here. You correct him very little, and that’s a scary thing, especially for me.”
Parrish’s signature moment came in Week 11 against Buffalo when he picked off Josh Allen at the one-yard line—a play that went viral by halftime.
Listed at 5-foot-10, Parrish was projected as a slot-only player, but Bowles insisted he’s an outside corner first and then a nickel second—and the usage rate is starting to bear that out, as he played 67% of Tampa’s defensive snaps and looks like a long-term starter.
In a league where cornerback depth is worth its weight in gold, the Buccaneers found a starter in the third round while their higher-drafted corner spent half the season in the training room.
RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos: Round 2, Pick 60
Sean Payton wanted a dual-threat running back, and RJ Harvey delivered exactly that.
The UCF product led the Broncos with 12 total touchdowns—seven rushing, five receiving—while contributing 540 rushing yards and an impressive 46 receptions on 54 targets.
That receiving production was among the best for running backs—and he served as a lightweight version of Christian McCaffrey or Bijan Robinson for that Broncos offense.
Harvey’s three-touchdown performance against Dallas in Week 8—including a 40-yard rushing score—marked the first three-touchdown game by a Broncos rookie since Clinton Portis in 2002.
What separated Harvey from other rookie backs as well was his pass protection. Analytics experts noted he was the only first-year running back who showed a genuine understanding of blocking schemes—a detail that matters in Payton’s offense.
Denver reached the AFC Championship Game, and Harvey’s versatility was a major reason why.
It looks like the Broncos may have found their bell cow for the foreseeable future.
Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears: Round 2, Pick 39
When Luther Burden slipped to the Bears at pick 39, Chicago couldn’t believe its luck.
Burden immediately became Caleb Williams’ security blanket, using his elite separation ability to consistently win against NFL coverage.
The Bears traded up for Burden after he responded to his first-round snub by hitting the practice field for a late-night workout—a dedication that translated to professional success.
Playing alongside veteran receivers like DJ Moore and rookie tight end Colston Loveland, Burden helped Chicago capture the NFC North title and finish 11 and 6, capturing their first NFC North title for what feels like the first time in forever.
Burden consistently giving Williams a reliable target when defenses collapsed the pocket was a huge part of their success offensively.
For a Bears franchise that has historically struggled to develop receivers, landing a player of Burden’s caliber 39th pick in the NFL draft was a franchise-altering steal.
The Williams-to-Burden connection is only going to grow stronger. And if Ben Johnson can keep scheming him open, we might be looking at one of the best receiver steals of the decade.
Billy Bowman Jr., S, Atlanta Falcons: Round 4, Pick 118
The Falcons found gold twice in the defensive backfield this year.
While Xavier Watts grabbed headlines with his interceptions, fourth-round pick Billy Bowman Jr. quietly won the starting nickel job out of training camp and played at an All-Rookie level before a devastating Achilles tear in a November walkthrough ended his season.
The Oklahoma product was known as a ball hawk in college, and his physicality translated immediately to the NFL. Bowman’s ability to play nickel, safety, and even some outside corner gave Atlanta tremendous flexibility in their defensive packages.
General manager Terry Fontenot praised his toughness and football IQ, while head coach Raheem Morris noted Bowman’s versatility allowed them to “keep a lot of people guessing.”
The Falcons selected both Bowman and Watts to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, marking the first time Atlanta landed two defensive backs on the squad since the franchise’s early years.
Bowman’s injury was a brutal blow—the kind that can derail a promising career. But his ceiling suggests he’ll be a cornerstone piece when healthy.
If he comes back as the same player, the Falcons will have one of the youngest and most talented safety groups in football heading into 2026.
