Surprises and Slides: A Peek Inside the 2025 NFL Draft Weekend

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With a crowd bigger than the population of Green Bay, Wisconsin, the NFL Draft kicked off on April 24, 2025 with more than 125,000 fans in attendance. The draft is 3 days accompanied by drama, heartwarming moments and surprising storylines. 

Hosted outside of Lambeau Field, the Tennessee Titans took Cam Ward as the first overall pick. Sparks flew right away when the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled a last minute trade with the Cleveland Browns to receive the second overall pick. 

Travis Hunter, the top Cornerback and No. 2 Wide Receiver in college out of Colorado, danced his way onto the draft stage as he was picked second overall. 

The New York Giants then made a big pick taking Abdul Carter, an Edge Rusher from Penn state, third overall, leaving their need for a Quarterback still open. 

Hours later the Giants then made a trade with the Houston Texans to pick up their new Quarterback, Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss at No. 25. 

However, the big storyline of the draft was the shocking slide of Shedeur Sanders, a Quarterback out of the University of Colorado. He once was projected as a potential first round pick, but with his offseason behavior the Quarterback slipped into the fifth round. 

Shedeur’s father - Deion Sanders, a pro football hall of fame Cornerback, head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes and Shedeur’s agent - accompanied him on offseason team visits. 

During the visits, reports noted that the pair appeared as ‘overconfident’ and ‘entitled’ during the interviews. Despite his impressive college stats, teams decided to pass on him in the draft. Leading him to fall into the fifth round. 

The Clevelands Browns traded their No.166 (Fifth round) and No. 192 (sixth round) picks to the Seattle Seahawks to move up and select him at No. 144 in the fifth round. 

Meanwhile, day two of the draft saw more teams focused heavily on filling key roster needs, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines. 

The Miami Dolphins made an aggressive move by trading up with the Las Vegas Raiders to select Offensive Lineman Jonah Savaiinaea at No. 37, showing their commitment to protecting their franchise Quarterback. While the Raiders continued to add to their speed and offense, by selecting wide receiver Dont'e Thornton, at No. 108, a pick they received from the Dolphins. 

The last day of the 2025 NFL Draft saw teams rounding out their rosters, finding hidden gems and developmental players. 

The Seahawks, who entered the draft with 10 picks, made headlines with their trade to the Cleveland Browns that led to the selection of Shedeur Sanders. Seattle stayed true to their usual draft strategy. 

They were busy making multiple trades throughout the day, moving back several times to collect extra picks and build depth across their roster. Seattle was among the teams to make the most selections in the draft, leaving the 3 days with 11 draftees  

Late-round trades kept the excitement alive on the last day. Day 3 served as a reminder that stars can emerge from any round, just ask legends like Tom Brady or Mr. Irrelevant himself, Brock Purdy.