Grading All 32 NFL First-Round Draft Picks From 2025 So Far
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The 2025 NFL first round was packed with quarterback drama, surprise risers, and blue-chip defenders expected to become instant cornerstones. Now that we’re halfway through the season, the early returns are finally clear.
Some rookies have exceeded expectations and become immediate impact players, while others are still struggling to adjust to the league’s speed and physicality. From breakout stars reshaping their franchises to first-round gambles that haven’t paid off yet, we break down how every 2025 first-round pick has performed so far — and what their trajectory looks like heading into the second half of the season.
Which players from the 2025 NFL Draft performed well so far this season?
1. Cam Ward: C-
It’s unfair to fully blame Ward for the Tennessee Titans’ struggles. But like, Caleb Williams and Robert Griffin III had excellent rookie years on horrible teams with textbook coaching malpractice.
Ward is barely completing over half his pass attempts, is in danger of finishing with more interceptions than passing touchdowns, and, oh yeah, has his Titans in a spot to potentially pick first overall again in April.
It’s too soon to bring up the bust label, but the Titans certainly expected better than what we’ve seen so far.
2. Travis Hunter: B
Hunter hasn’t made the superstar-like impact that many expected when the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to select him in the No. 2 spot in the 2025 NFL Draft. But you can’t be harsh on a rookie who’s learning to play two different positions in the pros.
Hunter was on pace to finish with around 700 receiving yards before landing on the IR. He may have to take a No. 3 role upon returning following the trade for Jakobi Meyers.
But Hunter had been rock-solid on defense, too. He’s allowed no touchdowns in coverage over his first seven games before going to the IR.
3. Abdul Carter: C+
Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo look like budding stars for the New York Giants. But the first pick in their 2025 NFL draft haul has been shaky at best.
Carter’s stat sheets show a lot of zeroes, and his metrics at Pro Football Focus aren’t wowing anybody. But he’s among ESPN’s top-20 edge rushers in pass-rush win rate, a strong indicator that the sacks will come soon.
4. Will Campbell: C-
The New England Patriots have been a pleasant surprise this year. However, Campbell has been a giant liability on their offensive line.
Per Pro Football Focus, Campbell allowed four sacks and committed six penalties during New England’s first eight games. His run-blocking has been solid. However, he’s got a lot to clean up if Drake Maye is to stay upright against more formidable opponents.
5. Mason Graham: B+
Graham’s stats don’t jump out at first glance. But let’s remember that many of those would-be sacks are going to teammate Myles Garrett.
Graham has quickly asserted himself as one of the best young interior defensive linemen. He ranks among ESPN’s top 20 defensive tackles in pass rush win rate. Graham has been a bright spot who will wreak havoc with Garrett for years to come.
6. Ashton Jeanty: C+
Jeanty hasn’t lived up to the super-sky-high expectations yet. However, he’s still on pace to rush for over 1,000 yards behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines….with one of the league’s worst quarterbacks, Geno Smith, at his side.
Maybe it was unfair to expect 1,500 yards from Jeanty as a rookie. However, 1K is no small feat for any rookie running back, though. And hey, nobody said he can’t turn it up a notch in the second half.
7. Armand Membou: A
Amid another miserable season in New York Jets land, Membou has been a shining star for Aaron Glenn’s squad. Though penalties have been an issue, he’s quickly emerged as a top-10 offensive tackle in run-blocking, which is precisely what the rush-heavy Jets need.
Most rookie offensive linemen struggle out of the gate when they’re thrown into a starting role. But Membou already looks like a future All-Pro and long-term cornerstone piece in Gotham as one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
8. Tetairoa McMillan: A+
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The Carolina Panthers needed a weapon for Bryce Young. They rolled the dice on the Arizona product, and it paid off.
McMillan has been a rockstar in a “meh” rookie wide receiver class. He’s given Carolina its first true No. 1 receiver since DJ Moore. He is on pace to eclipse the 70-catch and 1,000-yard marks.
9. Kelvin Banks Jr.: C
We liked the New Orleans Saints’ idea of attacking the other bookend spot by taking Banks and pairing him with 2024 first-round pick Taliese Fuaga. If it works out, they’ll be set on the o-line for years to come.
Banks has struggled mightily in his rookie year. However, it’s hard to blame him given the lousiness that is the 2025 New Orleans Saints. He’s struggled with penalties but has been solid as a pass-blocker. Erase the penalties and refine his run-blocking, and he could be a long-term starter in the Big Easy.
10. Colston Loveland: C+
It was a slow start to the year for the Chicago Bears’ tight end, but he’s slowly but surely getting into a rhythm here.
Loveland had his coming-out party in Week 9 against the Bengals, catching six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a thrilling comeback win. Now, if he could just be more consistently productive…
11. Mykel Williams: C+
Before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 9 against the Giants, Williams hadn’t been much of an impact player in the pass-rushing department. However, he did make up for it with excellent run defense.
Williams had shown improvement after a sluggish start to his career, but his journey to becoming a star will have to wait another year.. Just a devastating and terrible break for the kid.
12. Tyler Booker: B
Booker missed three games in the first half with an ankle injury, but there’s certainly been more good than bad here.
The Dallas Cowboys’ first-year guard allowed just one sack over his first five NFL games, per Pro Football Focus. His 75.3 run-blocking grade also placed Booker eighth among all guards during that period.
The Cowboys have a knack for quickly developing stud offensive linemen. Booker got the memo, alright.
13. Kenneth Grant: F
We didn’t understand why Miami reached for Grant here when they already had Chop Robinson, Jaelan Phillips, and Bradley Chubb on the defensive line. Indeed, they haven’t seen any significant returns on their investment.
No exaggeration here, folks. By PFF metrics, Grant could finish 2025 as the worst defensive tackle in the NFL this year. Is a sub-40 grade good for a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft?
14. Tyler Warren: A+
Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor are getting most of the credit for the Indianapolis Colts’ stunning rise to the top of the AFC Standings. But how about some love for the rookie tight end out of Penn State?
Warren has emerged as the Colts’ top pass-catcher this season. He, too, is on pace to eclipse the 70-catch and 1,000-yard marks, with double-digit touchdowns also a possibility. We know GM Chris Ballard has his critics, but he hit the jackpot on this pick.
15. Jalon Walker: C
Walker has missed time with a groin injury, but his on-field production has been relatively lackluster up to this point.
Walker has played less than half of the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive snaps in the games he’s been available for. He had one sack over his first five games before logging two against the Patriots. Let’s see if he can build off that from here.
16. Walter Nolen: C+
A calf injury sidelined Nolen for the first seven games, but he made an immediate impact in his NFL debut against the Cowboys in Week 9, recording a sack off Dak Prescott in a 27-17 upset win.
Arizona won’t be a playoff team this year, but it’d sure be nice to see Nolen emerge as an impact player throughout the second half.
17. Shemar Stewart: C-
Stewart missed four games in the first half with an ankle injury, yes. But he hasn’t produced much on the field, and his struggles have been evident on a horrendous Cincinnati Bengals defense.
Stewart ranks outside the top 100 among PFF’s grade edge defenders in pressures and overall grades. This isn’t to say he’ll go down as a draft bust. It hasn’t been the most encouraging rookie year for a guy who didn’t get his rookie deal finalized until January.
18. Grey Zabel: C
The Seattle Seahawks have been one of football’s biggest surprises this season, but Zabel isn’t exactly a reason why.
Zabel has sub-60 PFF grades in both pass-blocking and run-blocking. The Seattle pass-blocking has been leaky at best this year, too. They’re fortunate to have Sam Darnold and Kenneth Walker there to mask the flaws.
19. Emeka Egbuka: A+
The 19th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft has been a rock star for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Plain and simple.
With Mike Evans missing almost all of 2025 and Chris Godwin struggling to stay healthy, Egbuka has emerged as the new No. 1 receiver in Tampa. Seriously, where would Baker Mayfield be without his rookie sensation?
Egbuka is a prime favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Now, imagine how dangerous this offense will be in the future at full strength.
20. Jahdae Barron: C+
The Denver Broncos have the league’s best defense, so they haven’t rushed Barron’s development whatsoever. He’s only playing about a quarter of their defensive snaps, with some playing time on the special teams as well.
But Barron has been solid in coverage in the few times where quarterbacks have thrown in his direction. He’s not seeing a whole ton of playing time as a rookie. The Broncos obviously know what they’re doing with his usage.
21. Derrick Harmon: C
We remain surprised that the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted the Oregon defensive tackle when they had plenty of depth in the front seven. Sure enough, Harmon hasn’t been much of an impact player for a team in win-now mode.
The Steelers are using Harmon in a rotational role. Though he logged two sacks over his first three NFL games, Harmon has a sub-50 grade at PFF. In hindsight, the Steelers should have traded a wide receiver or a cornerback.
22. Omarion Hampton: A
Before Hampton landed on the injured reserve with an ankle injury, he was on pace to finish with over 1,000 yards rushing and 1,500 scrimmage yards.
The long-term injury doesn’t take away what he did in his first five games. The Los Angeles Chargers’ ground game didn’t pick up as expected under Jim Harbaugh last year. But they do have a budding star to headline the backfield long-term here in Hampton.
23. Matthew Golden: C+
A breakout year from tight end Tucker Kraft and a career season thus far from Romeo Doubs mean Golden hasn’t put up the WR1 stats that many expected. But that’s okay.
Remember, Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson didn’t light it up as rookies for the Green Bay Packers. Golden is putting up fine numbers as a No. 3 receiving option on a deep Packers offense that has them in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s top seed.
24. Donovan Jackson: C
The Vikings’ o-line was supposed to be a strength after signing former Colts stars Will Fries and Ryan Kelly…and after using their first-round pick on Donovan Jackson.
But the unit has been a mega disappointment in terms of both pass and run-blocking. Jackson, who’s been hampered by a wrist injury, is struggling in both departments, and it shows clearly on the game tape.
25. Jaxson Dart: A
Not much has gone right for the Giants over the past decade, but moving up via the Houston Texans to take the Ole Miss QB was a stroke of genius.
Even without superstar wide receiver Malik Nabers for most of the year, Jaxson has been throwing, well, a ton of darts. He led the Giants to stunning upset wins over the Chargers and Eagles in the first half, and nearly another win over the Broncos in Mile High City.
Dart looks like a seasoned vet on a lousy Giants team. They have their QB of the future. Now it’s about building a winner around him.
26. James Pearce Jr.: C
The Falcons gave up a king’s ransom to move up via the Los Angeles Rams so they could take Pearce with the No. 26 selection, including their 2026 first-round pick. Not good, because that looks like it’ll be a top-15 selection.
Pearce is only playing half of Atlanta’s defensive snaps in a rotational role and is struggling to get after the quarterback. His stat sheet leaves a lot to be desired, too.
27. Malaki Starks: C+
Starks, like the entire Ravens defense, got lit up like a cigar time and time again during Baltimore’s ugly 1-5 start. However, the defense has slowly regained its form, with Starks playing a significant role in the turnaround.
He logged his first NFL interception in a Week 9 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins.
28. Tyleik Williams: C
Williams has played about half of the Detroit Lions’ defensive snaps as they patiently develop the Ohio State defensive tackle. His run defense has been decent, but there’s not a lot coming in the pass-rush department. A whole lot of “zeroes” in his week-to-week stat sheets.
29. Josh Conerly Jr.: F
There’s no sugar-coating it. This has been a very difficult season for the Washington Commanders’ first-round pick.
The Commanders threw Conerly into a starting role right away, and it hasn’t at all been pretty. He has sub-50 pass and run-blocking grades at PFF and currently grades as a bottom-10 offensive tackle. Penalties haven’t helped the kid’s cause.
30. Maxwell Hairston: B+
A knee injury sidelined Hairston for the first six games of the season, but he’s been electric since hitting the field for his NFL debut in Week 8 against Carolina.
Hairston recorded his first career interception off Patrick Mahomes in the Bills’ Week 9 home win over the archrival Chiefs. Going off the early game tape, Hairston looks like anything but a rookie who’s missed most of the season thus far.
31. Jihaad Campbell: A+
Through Week 8, Carolina Panthers tight end Mitchell Evans was the only rookie with a higher PFF grade than Campbell, who had an 83.1 grade up to that point.
Campbell has been a Swiss Army Knife for Vic Fangio’s defense. His run defense is the main strength. He’s been very good in coverage and boasts one of the league’s lowest “missed tackle” rates.
As if the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles didn’t have enough superstar talent before…
32. Josh Simmons: B+
Simmons has missed time because of personal reasons, but he’s been rock-solid in pass protection in the limited time on the field.
Before his absence, Simmons allowed just one sack on 224 pass-blocking snaps and had a 71.2 pass-blocking grade at PFF, 25th among positions. His run-blocking needs work, but the main job is to keep Patrick Mahomes upright.
And the kid has embraced the challenge.
