NFL Draft: Sanders falls out of Round 1, Jags take Travis Hunter at No. 2
USA TODAY Sports’ Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the biggest storylines from Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sports Pulse
The 2025 NFL Draft is in its final day. We go through four more rounds, picks 103 through 257.
Of course, the biggest storyline of the day surrounds Shedeur Sanders. The Colorado Buffalo passer was once presumed to be a first-round selection, but his stunning slide down the draft board continues.
Sanders is joined by some other quarterbacks, including Texas product Quinn Ewers, Ohio State’s Will Howard and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard who could all hear their name called on Saturday afternoon.
Elsewhere, receivers could be in fashion. Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor, Utah State’s Jalen Royals and Oregon’s Tez Johnson could all come off the board quickly as skill position talent runs thinner.
It’s the final day of the 2025 NFL Draft, and much like professional wrestling icon Sting, the only thing that’s for sure is that nothing is for sure.
USA TODAY Sports is analyzing each Day 3 pick, from the fourth round through Mr. Irrelevant in the seventh round, as it unfolds Saturday:
▶ Complete Round 1 picks and analysis
▶ Complete Round 2 picks and analysis
Round 4103. Tennessee Titans: Chimere Dike, WR, Florida104. Jacksonville Jaguars: Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
Tuten ran a 4.32 40 at the 2025 NFL Combine, reflective of his game-breaking speed. He had fumbling issues at Virginia Tech, but his explosiveness out of the backfield and as a pass-catcher should make him a quality weapon in Liam Coen’s Jacksonville offense.
105. New York Giants: Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
Skattebo enjoyed a breakout season for the Sun Devils, leading them to a Big 12 title and racking up 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns on 293 carries. He’s well-built at just under 5-10, 219 pounds and is hard to tackle thanks to his combination of contact balance and power.
106. New England Patriots: Craig Woodson, S, California107. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jack Kiser, LB, Norte Dame
Kiser spent six seasons at Notre Dame and played in a school-record 70 games. He generated 90 tackles as part of a strong Fighting Irish defense in 2024 while serving as a team captain and key leader for the national runner-up.
108. Las Vegas Raiders: Dont’e Thornton Jr., WR, Tennessee109. Buffalo Bills: Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky
Walker is a 6-7, 331-pound defensive tackle prospect who once got first-round buzz. He wasn’t overly productive in his final season at Kentucky, but pairing the massive Wildcat with the smaller and quicker Ed Oliver could give the Bills a quality defensive tackle pairing.
110. New York Jets: Arian Smith, WR, Georgia
Smith has great athletic potential and ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. However, he recorded 10 drops during his final college season, so he will have to improve upon that at the NFL level.
112. New Orleans Saints: Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma113. San Francisco 49ers: CJ West, DT, Indiana114. Carolina Panthers (from Cowboys): Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia
Etienne, the brother of Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, has three-down versatility and good vision. He tested well at the NFL combine and could become a productive NFL running back if he’s able to stay healthy at the professional level. Etienne looks like a nice complement to Chuba Hubbard and provides insurance as 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks recovers from a second ACL tear in a 13-month span.
115. Arizona Cardinals: Cody Simon, LB, Ohio State116. Houston Texans (from Dolphins): Woody Marks, RB, USC117. Los Angeles Rams (from Colts): Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn
Hunter is a physical, downhill runner who averaged 6.3 yards per carry during his time at Auburn. Between him, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, the Rams have what should be a tough-to-tackle trio in their backfield.
118. Atlanta Falcons: Billy Bowman Jr, S, Oklahoma119. Cincinnati Bengals: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson120. Tennessee Titans (from Seahawks): Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
Helm emerged as a vertical threat down the seam in his final season at Texas. He became a favorite target of Quinn Ewers, logging a team-best 60 receptions, and has good hands, making him a viable receiving threat at the next level. Cam Ward should enjoy throwing to him during their respective rookie seasons.
121. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: David Walker, edge, Central Arkansas
Walker is undersized for the edge at 6-1, 231 pounds, but was highly productive playing in the FCS. He had 10.5 sacks during his final season and Todd Bowles should be able to figure out how to best use his explosiveness in a rotational setting. Walker starred at the Senior Bowl, helping instill confidence he can hold up against higher-end prospects.
122. Carolina Panthers (from Broncos): Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State123. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jack Sawyer, edge, Ohio State
Sawyer produced a career-high nine sacks during his final season with the Buckeyes and established himself as an strong, hard-working edge rusher. He will add depth to an already good Steelers pass rush and profiles as a great rotational player behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
124. Green Bay Packers: Barryn Sorrell, edge, Texas125. Los Angeles Chargers: Kyle Kennard, edge, South Carolina126. Cleveland Browns: Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
Sampson led the SEC in carries (258), rushing yards (1,491) and rushing touchdowns (22) last season. He and second-round pick Quinshon Judkins will create a dynamic one-two punch in Cleveland.
127. Indianapolis Colts (from Rams): Jalen Travis, OT, Iowa State128. Washington Commanders (from Texans): Jaylin Lane, WR, Virginia Tech129. Baltimore Ravens: Teddye Buchanan, LB, California130. New York Jets (from Eagles): Malachi Moore, S, Alabama
Moore played five seasons at Alabama and posted a career-high 70 tackles and eight pass defenses during his final seasons. His experience will allow him to seamlessly transition into Aaron Glenn’s defense, which relied on high-end safety play during the coach’s time in Detroit.
131. New Orleans Saints (from Commanders): Quincy Riley, CB, Louisville132. Chicago Bears (from Bills): Ruben Hyppolite II, LB, Maryland133. Kansas City Chiefs134. Denver Broncos135.Las Vegas Raiders (compensatory, from Dolphins)136. Baltimore Ravens (compensatory)137. Seattle Seahawks (compensatory)138. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory)Round 5139. Minnesota Vikings (from Browns)140. Carolina Panthers (from Giants)141. Tennessee Titans142. Minnesota Vikings143. Miami Dolphins (from Raiders)144. New England Patriots145. New York Jets146. New England Patriots (from Panthers)147. San Francisco 49ers (from Saints via Commanders)148. Chicago Bears149. Dallas Cowboys150. Miami Dolphins151. Indianapolis Colts152. Arizona Cardinals153. Cincinnati Bengals154. New York Giants (from Seahawks)155. Miami Dolphins (from Broncos)156. Pittsburgh Steelers157. Tampa Bay Buccaneers158. Los Angeles Chargers159. Green Bay Packers160. San Francisco 49ers (from Vikings)161. Philadelphia Eagles (from Texans)162. New York Jets (from Rams via Steelers)163. Carolina Panthers (from Ravens)164. Kansas City Chiefs165. Philadelphia Eagles (from Commanders)166. Cleveland Browns167. Tennessee Titans (from Chiefs)168. Philadelphia Eagles169. Buffalo Bills (compensatory)170. Buffalo Bills (from Cowboys; compensatory)171. New England Patriots (from Cowboys; compensatory)172. Seattle Seahawks (compensatory)173. Buffalo Bills (compensatory)174. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory)175. Seattle Seahawks (compensatory)176. Baltimore Ravens (compensatory)Round 6177. Buffalo Bills (from Giants)178. Tennessee Titans179. Houston Texans (from Browns)180. Las Vegas Raiders181. Los Angeles Chargers (from Patriots)182. Detroit Lions (from Jaguars)183. Baltimore Ravens (from Panthers)184. New Orleans Saints (reacquired via Commanders)185. Pittsburgh Steelers (from Bears via Seahawks)186. New York Jets187. Houston Texans188. Tennessee Titans (from Cowboys)189. Indianapolis Colts190. Los Angeles Rams (from Falcons)191. Philadelphia Eagles192. Cleveland Browns (from Dolphins via Bears)193. Cincinnati Bengals194. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Seahawks)195. Los Angeles Rams (from Steelers)196. Detroit Lions (from Buccaneers)197. Denver Broncos198. Green Bay Packers199. Los Angeles Chargers200. Jacksonville Jaguars201. Los Angeles Rams202. Los Angeles Rams (from Texans via Steelers and Bears)203. Baltimore Ravens204. Dallas Cowboys (from Lions via Browns and Bills)205. Washington Commanders206. Buffalo Bills207. New York Jets (from Chiefs)208. Carolina Panthers209. Los Angeles Chargers (compensatory)210. Baltimore Ravens (compensatory)211. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory)212. Baltimore Ravens (compensatory)213. Las Vegas Raiders (compensatory)214. Los Angeles Chargers (compensatory)215. Las Vegas Raiders (compensatory)216. Houston TexansRound 7217. Dallas Cowboys (from Titans via Patriots)218. Atlanta Falcons (from Browns via Chargers)219. New York Giants220. New England Patriots221. Jacksonville Jaguars222. Las Vegas Raiders223. Seattle Seahawks (from Saints via Eagles and Steelers)224. Miami Dolphins (from Bears)225. Arizona Cardinals (from Jets via Chiefs)226. Kansas City Chiefs (from Panthers)227. San Francisco 49ers228. Detroit Lions (from Cowboys)229. Pittsburgh Steelers (from Falcons via Eagles)230. Detroit Lions231. Miami Dolphins232. Indianapolis Colts233. Chicago Bears (from Bengals)234. Seattle Seahawks235. Tampa Bay Buccaneers236. Jacksonville Jaguars237. Green Bay Packers (from Steelers)238. New England Patriots (from Chargers)239. Dallas Cowboys (from Packers via Titans)240. Buffalo Bills241. Houston Texans242. Los Angeles Rams243. Baltimore Ravens244. Detroit Lions245. Washington Commanders246. New York Giants (from Bills)247. Dallas Cowboys (from Chiefs via Panthers)248. New Orleans Saints (from Eagles via Commanders)249. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory)250. Green Bay Packers (compensatory)251. Kansas City Chiefs (compensatory)252. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory)253. Miami Dolphins (compensatory)254. New Orleans Saints (compensatory)255. Houston Texans256. Los Angeles Chargers (compensatory)257. Kansas City Chiefs (compensatory)Sanders’ dramatic draft slide deeper than pure football?
USA TODAY Sports columnist Jarrett Bell opined Friday, regarding the free fall of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders: “Given all of the negativity heaped on Sanders in the weeks leading up to the draft – including shots from anonymous sources who attacked him as arrogant and entitled – I’m having a hard time shaking the feeling that the snub went beyond football. Sure, nitpicking is allowed – and expected as part of the due diligence of talent evaluations – when it comes to breaking down prospects. But in Sanders’ case, even if his correctable flaw of holding onto the football too long can be fixed (like flaws that can be found with any given prospect), it strikes me as a culture pick, too. Or non-pick.”
Round 1 winners and losers
The draft is only 12% complete in terms of picks used. That doesn’t mean Thursday night’s wild first round didn’t dispense some immediate winners and losers … plus a pair of highly scrutinized teams that warrant a “TBD” status.
First-round grades
Want report cards for Thursday night’s Round 1 proceedings? Draft expert Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz issued report cards for all 32 picks – and no one failed, but several teams will definitely need some improvement going into Day 2.
Deion Sanders weighs in on criticism of son, QB Shedeur Sanders
USA TODAY Sports columnist Jarrett Bell recently went to Boulder, Colorado, and discussed several topics with Hall of Famer and University of Colorado football coach, Deion Sanders – among them the pre-draft criticism of his son, former Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders, who wasn’t picked in Round 1.
“It’s silly to us,” Deion told USA TODAY Sports during an expansive interview. “Most of it is laughable. What I told him, too, is, ‘Son, what I’ve learned in my life is when it don’t make sense, it’s God. Because some of this stuff is so stupid it don’t make sense. That means God is closing doors and opening doors to make sure you get to where you’re supposed to go.'”
▶ Deion’s response after Round 1 snub
▶ Shedeur Sanders controversy dissected: Experts weigh in
50* biggest NFL draft busts of last 50 years
The asterisk because I couldn’t limit this list of names, which will take you down memory lane, to just 50. One reason? Rewind four years to the 2021 draft, supposedly chock full of quarterback talent … that mostly has yet to materialize.
NFL draft prospect rankings
NFL draft expert Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz has been evaluating and ranking players ahead of the 2025 NFL draft. Take a dive into his overall assessment plus those of the best offensive weapons:
▶ Top 50 big board (Feb. 25) | Top 200 big board (April 24)
▶ Five potential first-round surprises
▶ Draft’s 10 biggest boom-or-bust prospects
All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.