The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft was complete chaos Thursday evening. Going into the draft, there wasn’t much of a serious buzz, even though there were interesting characters in it. The quarterbacks in each draft class are always controversial, and there was a generational player in Travis Hunter, but there was plenty of drama and movement in the first round of the draft. From Hunter going to the Jaguars and so on, here are the five best picks from the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ranking The 5 Best 2025 NFL Draft First Round Picks
5. OG Grey Zabel, 18th overall, Seattle Seahawks
A standout at North Dakota State University, Grey Zabel was taken 18th overall by the Seahawks. The Seahawks have been starved for offensive line help for a couple of seasons now. Last season, Seattle allowed the third-most sacks in the league with 54. Zabel will be an immediate starter at guard, and Seattle hopes he can come in and be a force on their offensive line.
Zabel is lauded for his position flexibility, so even if Seattle does not play him at guard, he could also play at center or tackle.
4. OT Armand Membou, 7th overall, New York Jets
After securing their left tackle of the future in the 2024 draft by selecting Olu Fashanu, the Jets solidified their right side of the future by taking Armand Membou out of Missouri. Membou was described as an immediate starter at right tackle who is a machine blocking in the run game. That will help Jets quarterback Justin Fields, whose greatest asset is his legs. The Jets also have a stable of running backs that will benefit from adding Membou.
The Jets could have easily gone tight end or wide receiver, but instead decided to continue investing in the trenches, making this a home run pick for the Jets.
3. S Malaki Starks, 27th overall, Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens immediately upgraded their secondary with a chess piece in Malaki Starks. Starks is described as a do-it-all safety who can cover multiple positions on the field and was one of the driving forces of a Georgia defense that has dominated in the SEC.
Starks paired with versatile safety Kyle Hamilton could make the Ravens the best safety duo by mid-season in 2025. The Raven’s secondary took a hit last season and was among the worst in the league for the first half of the season. After some adjustments, the Ravens were able to be respected in the secondary, but they were not quite as good as they were in 2023. Starks should help the Ravens return to one of the better secondaries in the league in 2025.
2. WR Tetairoa McMillan, 8th overall, Carolina Panthers
Tetairoa McMillan, also known as “T-Mac,” was one of the five best picks in the NFL Draft Thursday night. A high-end wide receiver talent who stands at 6’4 220 pounds was one of the best wide receivers in the country in the last two seasons at Arizona. McMillan is known for his smooth route running along with his jump-ball skills, which will provide a unique skill set for the Panthers and a big target for third-year quarterback Bryce Young.
A widely used comp for McMillan is Mike Evans, the big-bodied receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ironically, Panthers head coach Dave Canales coached Evans as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers in 2023, so Canales knows a thing or two about how to use bigger receivers.
1. WR/CB Travis Hunter, 2nd Overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags were the biggest story of the first round Thursday night. Jacksonville was originally slotted at the fifth spot but traded up with the Cleveland Browns to the second spot in a blockbuster trade to take Hunter. It was a shocking trade as Cleveland had been tabbed all through the draft process to stay at two and take Hunter. However, the first-year Jags General Manager James Gladstone wanted to take a big swing in his first draft and did so by taking Hunter.
Hunter was widely regarded as the best player in the draft. Hunter played both defensive back and receiver in college at Colorado, won the Heisman Trophy, and was graded as the highest prospect at each of those positions in the draft. Simply put, Hunter is viewed as a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Jacksonville plans to play him primarily at wide receiver and gradually at cornerback. If you take the best player, you make the best pick in the draft.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
