Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo was one of the top free agents signed immediately after the … More
The National Football League draft last week was a smashing hit for host city Green Bay, where an estimated 600,000 fans attended the three-day coming out part for the next group of NFL stars. Even rain on Day 2 was not a deterrent.
A total of 257 players were selected by the 32 teams in the seven-round event, which ended Saturday night when the New England Patriots selected Memphis cornerback Cobie Minor with the final pick.
Minor was thus dubbed Mr. Irrelevant for 2025, although his relevance has yet to be determined.
Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, the last player taken in the 2022 draft, has helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to the 2023 Super Bowl and two NFC West division titles.
Highlights Of The 2025 NFL Draft
The draft held form for all of one pick, when the Tennessee Titans selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward (previously of Incarnate Word and Washington State) first overall as widely anticipated after his strong season showing and pre-draft workouts.
New Jacksonville general manager James Gladstone made a bold play at No. 2, trading with Cleveland to move up three spots to select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who has made it clear that he wants to play on both sides of the ball as he did as a wide receiver/cornerback at the University of Colorado.
The deal cost the Jaguars their second-round pick this year and a 2026 first-rounder, but the Jaguars and new coach Liam Coen wanted a wide receiver to pair with 2024 rookie first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. in hopes of finally unlocking the potential that made quarterback Trevor Lawrence the 1-1 pick in the 2021 draft.
Hunter, Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (first round. 14th overall), Arizona cornerback Will Johnson (second round, 47th overall), Tennessee safety Kevin Winston Sr. (third round, No. 82) and New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (fourth round, 105 overall) were considered value gets.
Johnson and Winston fell because of injury concerns.
The Saga Of Shedeur Sanders
By now, the fall of Shedeur Sanders. Hunter’s quarterback at Colorado, has been well documented. Whether he tanked some pre-draft meetings with teams to insure he would not be selected or not, his precipitous fall into the fifth round stunned most draft observers.
Cleveland traded with Seattle to take Sanders with the 144th pick overall, making him the sixth quarterback selected after most mock drafts ranks him below only Ward at his position.
The Browns took Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round, setting up an intriguing battle between the two rookies, veteran newcomers Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett and rehabbing DeShaun Watson for the starting spot.
Shedeur Sanders (2) and Travis Hunter share a moment during Colorado’s game against Oklahoma State. … More
“It wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but we do believe in best player available, we do believe in positional value,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said.
“We didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round. Once it got to a point where it felt like it was a pretty steep discount, we just felt like, especially relative to the alternative ways that we could use this selection, this made the most sense.”
Top Undrafted Free Agents
Going undrafted is hardly a career-ender. Priest Holmes, Wes Welker, Warren Moon and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner are among those that NFL talent scouts missed along the way.
Kurt Warner made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a non-drafted free agent out of Northern … More
It would not be a surprise to see some of these players handle the next level, as linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. did with Minnesota in 2023 and wide receiver Jalen Coker did with Carolina last season.
Top free agents after the draft ended:
- DE Jared Ivey, Mississippi
- WR Xavier Restrepo, Miami
- C Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State
- DT Junior Tafuna, Utah
- CB Zy Alexander, LSU
- CB Cobee Bryant, Kansas
- WR Isaiah Bond, Texas
- C Joshua Gray, Oregon State
- RB Montrell Johnson Jr., Florida
- TE Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech
- OT Logan Brown, Kansas
Ivey and Alexander have signed with Seattle, Restrepo with Tennessee, McLaughlin with Cincinnati, Tafuna with Houston, Bryant and Gray with Atlanta, Johnson Jr. with Philadelphia, Conyers with Miami and Brown with Minnesota.
Teams are waiting to see how Bond’s legal issues resolve. He has filed a defamation lawsuit after being accused of sexual assault. Bond was considered to be a high draft pick before that.
Keep An Eye On Xavier Restrepo
Wide receiver Restrepo was Cam Ward’s primary target at Miami last season, and the Tennessee Titans wasted little time in signing him to a free agent deal.
Restrepo does not grade out particularly grade well on the scout scale, thus his fall into free agency. He is only 5’10,” and he ran a 4.83 40-yard dash at Miami’s pro day, quite slow. He attributed that to a hamstring issue.
The NFL is about production, however, and it was there. He had 69 receptions for 1,127 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 16.3 yards per catch, which indicates an ability to shake a defender, and his 11 touchdowns were tied for seventh in the FBS. He opted out of the Hurricanes’ appearance in the PopTarts Bowl to prepared for the draft.
The Titans spent two of their three fourth-round picks on receivers Chimera Dike (Florida) and Eric Aymanor (Stanford) in an attempt to upgrade the receiver room behind Calvin Ridley, so there is plenty of opportunity for Ward’s college side-kick.
