The 2024 NFL Draft was loaded with star power and instant successes, like such as franchise quarterbacks Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix, and elite receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Brock Bowers.

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The return on the 2025 draft has been far more modest. It starts at the top with Ward, picked No. 1 by Tennessee. He has started every game for the 1-11 Titans, throwing just seven touchdowns, and ranking bottom three among 33 quarterbacks in passer rating (75.2), completion percentage (59.7), and yards per attempt (5.7).

To be fair, Ward joined a dysfunctional Titans team that is light on talent and fired coach Brian Callahan after six games. But the best thing to say about Ward’s rookie season is he’s learning what not to do.

It’s been a rough rookie season for Cam Ward, who has started every game at quarterback for the 1-11 Titans.John Amis/Associated Press

Hunter, the No. 2 pick for the Jaguars after they made a big trade, was one of the biggest disappointments this season. He played a lot of snaps in seven games — 46 per game at receiver and 23 at cornerback — but didn’t make an impact at either position. Hunter had 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown, plus three passes defended and 15 tackles. He then injured his knee in practice in October and is missing the final 10 games.

Playing both ways full time is unprecedented in the modern NFL, and even more difficult for a rookie. The Jaguars put too much on Hunter’s plate.

“I really thought that we would see them focus on one side of the ball and then mix in the other, but they kind of went back and forth,” Brugler said.

Carter, the No. 3 pick for the Giants, was supposed to be a plug-and-play pass rusher, but instead has been underwhelming. While Carter does rank 11th in the NFL with 47 pressures, it has resulted in just one turnover and 1.5 sacks — and you could argue that his full sack against the Patriots last weekend was really on a designed run. In addition, Carter has been a headache for the Giants, getting benched twice for disciplinary reasons.

“If they redrafted tomorrow, Abdul Carter is still going to go high, but I don’t know if the Giants would still necessarily take him at 3,” Brugler said.

Defensive tackle Mason Graham, taken No. 5 by the Browns, has just 19 tackles and a half-sack. And Ashton Jeanty, taken No. 6 by the Raiders, has been running into a brick wall all season, ranking 21st with 635 rushing yards and 45th at 3.5 yards per carry. The 2-10 Raiders had no business taking a running back that high given their many other needs.

“He’s a good example of drafting a running back in the top 10 makes sense for some teams, and not others,” Brugler said.

The 2025 draft certainly produced productive players. The pass catchers from the first round are generally doing well — the Panthers’ Tetairoa McMillan (826 yards, six touchdowns), the Buccaneers’ Emeka Egbuka (791 yards, six touchdowns), Colts tight end Tyler Warren (684 yards, four touchdowns), and Bears tight end Colston Loveland (406 yards, three touchdowns). McMillan is the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year

Four of the five rookie quarterbacks have been terrible — Ward, Tyler Shough, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders — but Giants first-rounder Jaxson Dart has been a surprise with 18 total touchdowns and three interceptions in eight games.

“A lot of teams did not see him as a first-round pick,” Brugler said. “He has outplayed what a lot of people believed he would be, especially this quickly.”

The first-round offensive linemen in addition to Campbell are holding their own — Armand Membou is thriving as the Jets’ right tackle, Kelvin Banks has started 12 games for the Saints at left tackle, and guard Grey Zabel has solidified the interior of the Seahawks’ line.

Several late-round running backs are also excelling, from fourth-rounders Woody Marks and Cam Skattebo (now injured) to seventh-rounders Kyle Monangai and Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

All four are performing better than the two first-round running backs, Jeanty and Omarion Hampton, who has played only five games because of injury.

“It’s something we see fairly often, where a Day 3 running back will emerge,” Brugler said. “A lot of it is just situation and opportunity.”

But the receivers beyond the first round haven’t done much. The pass rushing class has mostly struggled, except for Falcons first-rounders Jalon Walker and James Pearce. Mykel Williams, the 11th pick for the 49ers, has one sack in nine games. Shemar Stewart, the 17th pick for the Bengals, doesn’t have a sack and has played only five games. The best defenders have been Day 2 picks like such as Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Falcons safety Xavier Watts.

As much hype as the NFL Draft generated in April, the production isn’t matching it this fall.

“When we talked about the draft 6-8 months ago, we talked about the top 10 not being a loaded group,” Brugler said. “It was more of a class where there are some decent guys at the top, but the depth of the class, Day 2 was going to be the strength.”

Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft each have a chance to be immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Nick Cammett/Getty

PATRIOTS’ PLACE?

Hall of Fame could get taste of New England

One prediction I feel pretty good about — get ready for the Patriots to play in next August’s Hall of Fame Game.

The Hall of Fame voting doesn’t take place until Super Bowl week in San Francisco in February. But the Class of 2026 should have a distinctly New England flavor.

Bill Belichick, a first-timer on the ballot, made it through as the finalist in the coach category. His six Super Bowl rings as a head coach, two as a defensive coordinator, and stretch of 17 AFC East titles in 19 years should make his selection a breeze.

“Belichick is a lock, despite what’s happened the last few years,” one voter told me, referencing Belichick’s 29-38 record post-Tom Brady and dysfunctional season at the University of North Carolina. Another voter called him “a no-brainer.”

Robert Kraft, though, could be a close call. One voter said there’s “a lot of momentum” for Kraft, who is a finalist as a contributor for the first time after being considered for a decade. Another voter said Kraft has an “excellent” shot, and another said he advocated for Kraft as the contributor, but isn’t sure if he will ultimately vote for him.

Kraft is competing against Belichick, plus senior candidates Roger Craig, L.C. Greenwood, and Ken Anderson, for three spots. If Belichick gets one, that leaves two spots for the other four.

Craig seems to have a lot of momentum for induction, as a two-time All Pro and the first player to have 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in the same season, a feat only matched by Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey. Greenwood was a two-time All Pro who would be the 11th player from the 1970s Steelers (plus the coach and owner) to gain induction. Anderson was the 1981 MVP and a two-time All Pro.

All have good cases, but the voters are human and like to get sentimental. With Belichick almost surely getting inducted, don’t be surprised if the voters pair him with Kraft and/or a player or two from the Patriots’ dynasty, with Rodney Harrison, Vince Wilfork, and Adam Vinatieri finalists on the regular ballot.

After 24 years together with the Patriots, Bill Belichick (left) and Robert Kraft could go into the Hall of Fame at the same time.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

ETC.

AFC East title up for grabs

A few notes on the Patriots as they take the weekend off:

▪ Next Sunday’s Patriots-Bills game will be a “hat and T-shirt” game for the Patriots with a chance to clinch the AFC East, no matter how the 8-4 Bills do Sunday against the Bengals. Should the Patriots beat the Bills, it would be their 12th win and the Bills’ fifth loss, and since the first tiebreaker is “head to head,” the Patriots will clinch the division title by sweeping the season series.

▪ The Patriots-Bills game remains at 1 p.m., which isn’t too surprising — they already played once in prime time this year, and the NFL has decent options for its national windows — Lions-Rams at 4:25 p.m., Vikings-Cowboys on Sunday night, and Dolphins-Steelers on Monday night. As bad as the Vikings, Cowboys, and Steelers have been this year, they bring huge TV audiences no matter their record.

But the Patriots-Ravens game in Week 16 is a prime candidate to be flexed into a national window. The Steelers-Lions 4:25 game won’t be moved, and the Monday night matchup of Colts-49ers is a good one, but the Sunday night Dolphins-Bengals matchup is ripe for flexing. Other options for that Sunday night spot are Cowboys-Chargers, Panthers-Buccaneers, and Broncos-Jaguars, but Patriots-Ravens has the best combination of star power and playoff contenders.

▪ Patriots fans can roll their eyes all they want, but facts are facts, and the team’s schedule has been significantly easier than everyone else’s.

The NFL’s weakest strength of schedule entering Week 14: Patriots .369, Bears .439, Broncos .444, Cowboys .452, and Chargers .461. The Patriots have played only three teams currently over .500: the 8-4 Bills, 7-5 Buccaneers, and 7-6 Panthers.

The NFL had an interesting week of quarterback returns (or not). The Browns announced that Deshaun Watson, out all year recovering from a twice-torn Achilles, has begun his 21-day practice window. It’s unlikely that Watson will play this year — insurance is covering most of his $46 million salary — but it could be a prelude to Watson returning to the starting role next year.

Watson has been a disaster in four years for Cleveland, and it seemed the Browns would buy their way out of the last year of his contract. But if they’re paying him $46 million anyway, and don’t have much at quarterback, it’s not the worst idea to squeeze one more year out of Watson.

The Cardinals announced Friday that Kyler Murray, whose “short-term” foot injury has turned into a seven-week absence, will not return this season. The decision is likely less about Murray’s foot and more about signaling the Cardinals’ desire to move on from Murray this offseason.

It’s not an easy move — Murray has $33 million fully guaranteed for 2026, another $7 million coming in March, and a $19.5 million guarantee in 2027 that vests this March as well. It’s possible another team could trade for Murray, but the Cardinals may just cut him before his $7 million and $19.5 million vests, and hope another team picks up some of the $33 million they owe him.

Finally, the Commanders announced Friday that Jayden Daniels will start Sunday against the Vikings. Daniels appeared to suffer a nasty injury when he dislocated his elbow at the end of a blowout loss in Week 9. And with the Commanders at 3-9, few would have blamed Daniels for taking the rest of the year off. But to see him back in the lineup after missing just three games, with little at stake, is an impressive show of leadership and toughness.

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was helped off the field after injuring his arm against the Seahawks on Nov. 2.Nick Wass/Associated Press

The Steelers certainly aren’t done at 6-6, but the Mike Tomlin era is increasingly appears to be over with after 19 seasons. The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, and even Steeler legends are piling on. Ben Roethlisberger said on his podcast this past week that “maybe it’s clean-house time,” and suggested both sides need a “fresh start.” James Harrison said on his podcast that, “something has to be done. And I know the Steelers historically don’t move on from coaches, but I think it’s time that history be made.” … Cornerback Darius Slay won a Super Bowl last season with the Eagles, and could’ve chased another one with the Bills. Slay, 34, was claimed off waivers this past week after being released by the Steelers, but instead told the Bills that he’s not going to report. “It wasn’t a bad fit, they just caught me at a bad time,” Slay told the “Speakeasy” podcast. “I’m trying to relax with my family and kid. I didn’t feel like packing up and moving. And no offense to Buffalo, it’s cold as hell.” Money probably factored into the decision — Slay is making the veteran minimum, and makes $350,000 over the final five weeks whether he plays or not … The Jets finally secured their second takeaway of the season last week, but it was just a muffed punt by the Falcons. The Jets don’t have an interception this year. The NFL record for fewest is two by the 2018 49ers … Playoff fever hasn’t quite caught on everywhere. In Jacksonville, the 8-4 Jaguars are begging fans to support the team in Sunday’s showdown with the 8-4 Colts. “I really hope the crowd is big time and they understand the importance of this game and how important they are to us playing well,” linebacker Devin Lloyd said. “I would love for everybody to show up.” In San Francisco, the 49ers are offering to pay all fees on single-game tickets for their three remaining home games, against the Titans, Bears, and Seahawks … Receiver Brenden Rice, son of Jerry, is collecting his airline miles. He was with the Chargers in training camp, the Patriots’ practice squad Nov. 4-11, the Seahawks’ practice squad Nov. 18-Dec. 2, and the Raiders’ practice squad this past week … The Broncos are the first team since Mike Vrabel’s 2021 Titans to win six games by 3 or fewer points. The record for a season is seven by the 2003 Panthers and 1998 Cardinals. The Broncos are also the first team since the 2000 Saints with 50 sacks in their first 12 games … Broncos coach Sean Payton misses his old pal, Bill Belichick. “I’ll be honest with you, I miss him not being in the league,” Payton said Wednesday. “I miss him not being in the league, and I wouldn’t be surprised, and I would be somewhat hopeful that he ends up back in the league. We’d all be better for it.” That’s probably only likely if Belichick is willing to join a team in an overseer role, similar to Bill Parcells with the Dolphins from 2008-10.

The Patriots continue to win but things are heating up in the AFC race. Ben and Tara discuss the Patriots’ competition going forward.

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.