2025 NFL Draft: Ranking The NFC Rookie Classes

Thor Nystrom examines each of the NFC rookie classes from the most recent NFL Draft and UDFA signings, and ranks them according to talent acquisition.

Welcome to my annual Draft Haul rankings! These rankings seek to quantify the total talent that each team acquired during the NFL Draft process—combining their draft and UDFA hauls—and compare that against draft equity spent to give us an ROI metric on each team’s 2025 performance. 

In simple terms: Which teams maximized their resources best during the 2025 NFL Draft process? 

Below, you’ll see how each team ranked after this draft process in a variety of metrics—draft class, UDFA class, combined Draft/UDFA talent acquired, draft equity spent, and, finally … overall draft process ROI (total draft/UDFA talent acquired against equity spent). 

Teams below are listed in ranked order of their draft process ROI. Check back Thursday for Part 2, when we dive into the AFC’s Draft Hauls.

Philadelphia Eagles

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 16 | Draft Equity spent: 29 | Overall ROI: 2

NFL Draft Grade: A-

LB Jihaad Campbell fell due to injury questions, but an encouraging letter from his doctor the week of the draft assuaged Philadelphia’s concerns. If Campbell is indeed healthy, the Eagles may have gotten a steal.

Campbell is former five-star 3-4 OLB recruit who wound up starting the past two years at off-ball. He logged a tick over 10% of his career snaps off the EDGE. Campbell spent the pre-draft process training exclusively as an EDGE defender at Exos.

On tape, I was surprised by how natural Campbell looked in zone coverage. He’s smooth and efficient backpedaling to appropriate depth, and he has a clear understanding of his responsibilities. 

Campbell is a bursty, sideline-to-sideline presence against the run. He’s a wrap-up tackler who keeps a base under him into contact (95th-percentile missed tackle rate the past two years). Campbell was 83rd-percentile in PFF coverage grade the last two seasons.

Round 2 S Andrew Mukuba was one of this class’ best center fielders in coverage, while Round 4 DT Ty Robinson is athletic, productive and experienced – he fell because of short arms. 

The same was true of Round 5 C Drew Kendall, the most underrated interior OL prospect in this class. Kendall’s father, Pete, played 13 years in the NFL. Drew Kendall tied for No. 2 in this center class in pass-pro efficiency last season.

QB Kyle McCord is an aggressive pocket passer with average arm strength. McCord is accurate, and his placement and touch hold to the third level. McCord had a redemptive final season at Syracuse, finishing No. 3 in PFF’s Wins Above Average metric while leading the FBS in big-time throws. 

OT Cameron Williams, once considered a first-round possibility, free-fell to No. 207. He’s a one-year starter who could have used another season in college. He’s shown tantalizing high-level flashes against premier competition, but remains raw and inconsistent, with sloppy technique.

UDFA class rank: 4

This is the fourth-consecutive process that the Eagles have finished with a top-8 UDFA class by my metrics. Philadelphia’s UDFA class consisted of three players with draftable grades on my board, headlined by Rutgers OT Hollin Pierce.

There are some Mekhi Becton vibes, here. Pierce weighed more than 450 pounds in high school. He started playing football and ultimately lost more than 100 pounds, turning himself into a Second-Team All-Big Ten performer in his fourth and final year as a starter.

Pierce has utterly ludicrous length, with a wingspan of 7-foot-4. His lateral shuffling has gotten smoother as he’s lost weight and improved his technique, playing up the effect of that length even more. Pierce needs to work on lowering his pad level in the run game. In pass-pro, his biggest issue is counter-moves that force the big fella to quickly adjust to rushers crossing his face.

Another name to keep an eye on here is S Maxen Hook, a first-team All-MAC selection in 2024. He finished top-25 in the FBS last year with 8.92 tackles per game. The Eagles, light on safety depth, have the room to roster Hook this fall if he impresses in camp.

Arizona Cardinals

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 7 | Draft Equity spent: 17 | Overall ROI: 4

NFL Draft Grade: B+

In the 1.16 hole, Arizona took DT Walter Nolen—a decision that looked all the more sage as the NFL subsequently got aggressive with the DT class. 

A former five-star recruit, Nolen’s game is led by a primo combination of quickness and country strength. What Nolen does best is simply get into the backfield—run or pass, you can count on him shedding and hunting quickly.

Nolen is seen as a mercenary because he was enrolled at four different high schools, and he played at two different SEC schools. Perhaps because of that, Nolen does not get the credit he deserves for the evolution of his game these past few years.

Nolen’s work in run defense, in particular, grew by leaps and bounds in 2024. He finished No. 2 in the FBS behind the aforementioned Mason Graham in PFF's positively graded run plays. There was play-in-play-out, havoc-wreaking consistency. Nolen was the only player in the nation to have 35 or more pressures with a missed-tackle rate under 5%. This is a difference-making, three-down three-technique at the NFL level.

In the next stanza, Arizona stopped the free-fall of CB Will Johnson. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that a knee issue led to Johnson’s precipitous drop. It was only the most recent lower-body injury that Johnson has dealt with. Last season, a toe injury limited Johnson to just six games (he also had a shoulder injury!). A hamstring injury prevented him from participating in the combine.

If he stays healthy at the next level, however, Johnson is going to be a steal. He was one of the country’s very best lockdown boundary CBs for Michigan’s 2023 national title team, earning first-team All-American honors while allowing a microscopic 30.9 QB rating on targets.

Johnson’s not an elite athlete—lacking world-class speed—but he’s coordinated and fluid, with a smooth backpedal. Johnson has oily hips and quick feet. He is rarely beaten over the top because he flips his hips and accelerates so seamlessly. 

Perhaps because of that blink-fast smoothness, Johnson is emboldened to take more risks than your average corner, looking to spring passing lanes. Over the last two years, Johnson picked off six balls while allowing zero TDs in coverage.

During that span, he finished 97th-percentile or higher in PFF single-coverage grade on passes where the ball was out in three seconds or less and passer rating allowed. Johnson is willing in run defense, but one area of his game he can clean up is tackling technique. He had a career 15.7% missed tackle rate.

I also liked Arizona’s picks of EDGE Jordan Burch, LB Cody Simon, and CB Denzel Burke with the next three picks. Not only did that trio continue Arizona’s emphatic mission statement of improving its defense through this draft, but they represented exceptional values in their slots.

UDFA class rank: 31

The biggest signing was Ohio State OT Josh Fryar. Arizona had an offensive line need but ended up spending only a R7 pick on it during the draft, taking Texas OG Hayden Conner. The Cardinals’ new offensive line coach is Justin Frye, who coached Fryar at Ohio State the past three seasons. I expect Fryar to make the team out of camp.

New York Giants

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 2 | Draft Equity spent: 4 | Overall ROI: 6

NFL Draft grade: A+

The Giants needed a transformative draft and they may have gotten it. 

That started with doing the right thing and staying parked in the 1.3 slot to select Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter. He was utterly dominant in 2024 after shifting from LB to EDGE, leading the FBS with 22 TFL and finishing 97th-percentile or higher in PFF Pass Rush Grade, True Pass Set Rush Grade, and Pass Rush Win %. 

Carter has slingshot propulsion off the snap. He bends neater corners than Marie Kondo, and he becomes a T-800 Terminator in pursuit, closing with ferocity and finishing with violence. Carter is the ever-rare EDGE defender who can legitimately say he has a sideline-to-sideline impact in the run game. 

On multiple occasions, I saw him shed, get flat down the line, and chase down and finish a running back around the line of scrimmage outside the opposite tackle. A third-year declaree who just turned 21, it’s scary to think of the potential Carter has left to untap. His education as an EDGE defender has only just begun.

The Giants made a second splash in Round 1, sending Nos. 34 and 99 along with a 2026 R3 pick to the Texans to move up nine spots for QB Jaxson Dart. Dart has the pedigree, statistical profile, and physical tools of a first-rounder. He checks all seven of Bill Parcells' QB criteria boxes. 

Dart became a master of Lane Kiffin’s shotgun-spread system. Kiffin simplifies things post-snap, with schematic garnish juicing the odds of success for the initial reads. Dart went to the first one a lot. 

Between that, and the preponderance of quick-hitters and screens in the playbook, 34.2% of Dart’s attempts went to wide-open receivers, ranking No. 11 in the FBS, per ESPN. Dart can, at times, be a bit mechanical in his thinking post-snap—sticking to the pre-snap script instead of taking advantage of post-snap coverage look. 

Dart throws from multiple arm slots, with a smooth, repeatable motion and a quick release. Dart’s arm shines brightest in the intermediate area. He knows how to spin it. Dart consistently beats defenders to the spot with fastballs into tight windows, big-boy NFL throws. Dart ranked No. 1 in this draft class in both intermediate and over-the-middle completion percentage.

Dart doesn’t have a downfield howitzer—deep balls flutter on him when his eyes get bigger than his stomach. But when Dart stays within his means, he has the touch and placement to confidently challenge single-coverage. One area for development is footwork. Dart’s feet can have a mind of their own, a habit that can skew his accuracy down to the layups.

I absolutely loved the value that the Giants got on DT Darius Alexander, RB Cam Skattebo, OL Marcus Mbow, and TE Thomas Fidone II.

DT Alexander starts out each rep with a head start thanks to a long first step that erases distance and the defibrillators attached to his long arms. Alexander is an angular long-strider, and thus not as sudden or quick side-to-side in a phone booth—he’s looking to win with power, not agility.

Alexander has developed a nifty swim move to free himself from offensive linemen who get their cleats planted too deep out of respect for his power. Over the past two seasons at Toledo, Alexander posted an impressive 87 pressures and was 96th-percentile in PFF pass-rush win rate.  During that same timeframe, Alexander’s 27.7% positively graded run-play rate ranked No. 9 in the country, while his PFF run-defense grade checked in at 89th-percentile.

RB Skattebo has a classic bowling-ball build, short and dense. He runs low to the ground, with one of the surest centers-of-gravity of this running back class. Skattebo lacks speed. But he is extremely quick, accelerating to his top gear in a few steps. 

Skattebo has quick feet and can change directions suddenly with a hard cut. You also can’t get lower than him when he goes into his battering-ram routine and loads up behind his shoulder pads. Skattebo is a tackle-breaking machine who finished No. 2 in the FBS behind Jeanty last year in forced missed tackles.

Skattebo is a value-add in the passing game. Arizona State gave Skattebo bell-cow work as a runner, and Skattebo also finished No. 2 on the team in receptions. He led this RB class with 1.92 YPRR. New York no doubt is envisioning that Skattebo will play David Montgomery as Tyrone Tracy plays a poor man’s Jahmyr Gibbs.

OL Marcus Mbow overcomes his lack of bulk and play strength with movement, brains, and technique. Mbow is an extremely good zone-run blocker who needs to keep improving in pass protection. In the NFL, Mbow’s pass-pro will play up on the inside, where his movement and technique will carry the day on assignments he can physically handle, and he can get a hand when matched up with power.

TE Thomas Fidone II was an inspired Round 7 dart throw. Fidone is a former top-40 overall recruit who was the No. 1-ranked tight end in the 2021 recruiting class. He had a snake-bitten start to his career, missing his first two seasons with separate ACL tears. Fidone has an ideal blend of size and athleticism with plenty of inline experience. 

UDFA class rank: 4

CB O'Donnell Fortune is a fifth-year prospect with poor testing numbers and raw elements to his game on the field. But he’s well-built—tall and long—and I like his instincts in zone coverage. Fortune isn’t explosive, but he’s a fluid mover, and he gets good downhill jumps when his eyes are on the quarterback. When Fortune arrives on time, his length is a problem at the catch point. Last year, Fortune had a 91st-percentile PFF coverage grade as a boundary CB and 94th-percentile in zone coverage.

The Giants added three WRs in my pre-draft top-330: Da'Quan Felton, Beaux Collins, and Juice Wells. New York didn’t use a pick on a WR in the draft. Expect the winner of this three-man camp battle to make the roster.

WR Felton has all the size, athleticism, and physicality he needs for the NFL, and he’s a really good blocker. On the boundary, he’s capable of getting downtown. But his routes and ball skills both need work, and that combination in an older prospect clearly spooked the NFL.

If you would have told me after WR Antwane “Juice” Wells’ true junior season that he would one day go undrafted, I wouldn’t have believed you. As a sophomore in 2021 at James Madison, he had an absurd 83-1,250-15 receiving line. 

The next year, Wells led the SEC in receiving (928 yards) at South Carolina despite starting only six games (13 appearances). But Wells fractured his left foot working out in Summer 2023. He rushed back from surgery, but was a non-factor in three games in September before an aggravation of the injury shut down the rest of his season. 

Wells transferred to Ole Miss for his final season and finished No. 4 in both catches and yards. He has skill at the catch point, and gets his Juice nickname from his YAC ability, but Wells is a mediocre athlete with a history of foot injuries. Signing with the Giants reunites him with R1 QB Jaxson Dart.

Atlanta Falcons

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 4 | Draft Equity spent: 13 | Overall ROI: 7

NFL Draft Grade: C+

I loved the picks Atlanta made, and I love the immediate-help talent they brought in at positions of pressing need. But I could not in good conscience grade them any higher than this after surrendering their 2026 R1 pick in order to acquire EDGE James Pearce Jr. (who, granted, is a perfect fit).

In that trade, the Falcons sent Nos. 46 and 242, along with the 2026 R1, to the Rams for Nos. 26 and 101. 

Pearce’s calling cards are vicious acceleration and speed off the edge—he ran a 4.47 40 at 245 pounds wearing a performance hoodie at the NFL Combine!—with bend. The past two seasons, Pearce generated pressure on 107 of 500 pass-rushing snaps (21.4%). 

Pearce misses too many tackles—20.9% career missed tackle rate—and he lacks the sand in the pants to set a hard edge. You’re drafting Pearce to harass quarterbacks, and that’s exactly what Atlanta paid through the nose for him to do. Atlanta finished No. 31 in both sacks and pressure rate last season.

Pearce, of course, followed Atlanta’s 1.15 selection of hybrid LB/EDGE Jalon Walker. Walker comes to the NFL at the perfect time—a modern defensive answer to the continued spread-and-space evolution of offensive football.

Walker has shown exceptional prowess for getting after quarterbacks—the past two seasons, he was 96th-percentile in PFF pass-rushing grade. He’s dangerous off the EDGE and also when sent as an off-ball blitzer.

As a pass rusher, I didn’t see Walker’s “lack of size” hinder him much. He’s bendy and flexible, dipping low and using his shoulder pad as a shield to absorb the offensive linemen blow before turning the corner.

Walker is extremely sudden side-to-side and has proven to be an effective second-level spy, forcing dual-threat quarterbacks to think twice before running. Walker does take false steps in run defense, but often gets back on schedule and then some with a sharp veer and instant acceleration the other way.

Atlanta also selected my two favorite safeties in the class—Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman. They complement each other’s skillsets well. Watts is a centerfield FS. I believe Bowman—a kamikaze with a nose for the ball—will be a nickel defender.

You see Watts’ past as a receiver at the catch point. Watts had an absurd 13 interceptions the past two seasons, easily leading the nation, while allowing zero TDs in coverage. He reads route concepts very quickly, with early jumps downhill onto the straight-line-path freeway.

He plays more athletically than he tested, erasing distance quickly with the ball in the air. The past two seasons, Watts checked in 92nd-percentile in forced incompletion percentage and 96th percentile in passer rating against on targets.

Watts is a willing, if inconsistent, run defender. He triggers quickly and flies downhill. He makes good use of his arms at contact, either wrapping the target or raking at the ball. But Watts has a kamikaze bent in this phase that can get him into trouble.

The Falcons are indisputably better today than they were pre-draft. But GM Terry Fontenot has put the organization right up there on the tightrope with him in sacrificing next year’s Round 1 pick. That was a steal-for-the-future measure from a man who won’t see it if Atlanta doesn’t contend next season.

UDFA class rank: 1

The team that tied with the Vikings for least-picked players in the draft? The Atlanta Falcons. Whereas Minnesota has made a regular home in the top-5 of my UDFA rankings the past three years, Atlanta’s UDFA strategy this process was in stark contrast to recent years. The previous two cycles, the Falcons finished bottom-4 in my UDFA rankings—including No. 32 a year ago.

This time, Fontenot came out swinging with three UDFAs that I had draftable grades on, each one ranked in my top-225 overall. It was shocking to see CB Cobee Bryant fall out of the draft. An NFL source told me that poor interviews played a part in that. Either way, Bryant picked the right spot—Atlanta has precious little depth at CB.

I believe OL Joshua Gray will make the roster as the backup center to Ryan Neuzil. The Falcons don’t currently have one of those, and Gray appears to have been signed for that reason. Gray has position versatility and can also provide guard depth.

The Falcons have very little behind starting slot WR Ray-Ray McCloud, giving WR Nick Nash a clear path to win a Week 1 gig on the roster. The Falcons would like to get bigger in the slot, and Nash can help with that.

Seattle Seahawks

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 6 | Draft Equity spent: 11 | Overall ROI: 8

NFL Draft Grade: B+

The first pick – NDSU’s Grey Zabel – addressed an interior offensive line that for years has desperately been in need of help. In 2024, Zabel finished 98th-percentile in PFF pass-block grade, 97th-percentile true pass set grade, and 91st-percentile in positively graded run block rate. 

At the Senior Bowl, coaches moved Zabel between OT, OG, and C. Zabel didn't lose a single rep in one-on-ones, earning Practice Player of the Week honors from NFL executives. The collegiate OT will kick inside at the next level.

I was lower on S Nick Emmanwori than the rest of the media, but Seattle got him at a perfectly acceptable price range. Emmanwori was a first-team All-American in 2024 who went on to light up the NFL Combine with a 4.38 40 and 43-inch vertical at linebacker-size.

Emmanwori is a sideline-to-sideline mutant in run defense. He had a team-leading 88 tackles while missing only 7.2% of attempts last season. Emmanwori took 413 snaps in the box last season—the next-highest total amongst my top-15 safeties had 358 (Jonas Sanker). 

Emmanwori will tangibly improve your run defense and will have flashy field-flipping plays in pass defense. But since I don’t feel I can trust him in man or playing deep, and since I can’t count on down-to-down consistency in the lower-leverage coverage role I’ll be assigning him to, there are pass-down limitations reflected in my grade.

TE Elijah Arroyo is an overlap in skillset with Noah Fant, which is not good news for Fant. Arroyo is an athletic big slot. He had a breakout season in 2024—posting a career-best 35-590-7 receiving line. He entered the year with a mere 11 career receptions. After functioning as a reserve as a freshman in 2021, a torn ACL limited Arroyo to 11 games over the next two seasons combined.

I like what I’ve seen from Arroyo down the field and in the red zone—and acknowledge the value of that. But Arroyo’s struggles blocking defensive ends means he’s a big slot, and I’m concerned that at present he’s a bit of a one-trick pony in that capacity. He also has a history of knee injuries.

While I saw that pick as a gamble at a steep price point, I saw the next – QB Jalen Milroe – as a gamble at an extremely reasonable price.

Milroe has the same kind of twitchy, elastic arm strength that Michael Vick did. Milroe’s rainbow deep balls are a thing of beauty. Over the last two years, Milroe accumulated an utterly ridiculous 36/4 TD/INT rate on +20-yard throws, with 42 big-time throws against only one turnover-worthy play on 123 attempts. Milroe also flexes his arm-strength muscles with outside-the-hash lasers down the sidelines. 

Milroe is a truly exceptional rushing threat. He’s built thick and strong, and he runs with rugged power. He ran a 4.4 40during the pre-draft process and has legitimate angle-erasing speed on the field. Milroe ran for 806 yards in 2023, and 879 yards in 2024. 

Milroe’s skill set is a nightmare to defend when he’s connecting down the field. You can keep two deep safeties on the field to prevent him from getting one-on-one looks. But if you do, it’s difficult to spy Milroe, or to send extra pressure at him. 

Milroe’s future hinges on whether he can improve short and intermediate. At present, Milroe is a one-speed thrower. Milroe struggles with rhyming his drop to receiver breaks on timing concepts, and he’s often late because he wants to see the receiver open. Milroe posted an unsightly 13/13 TD/INT rate the last two years on throws within 19 yards of the line of scrimmage. 

I loved the Day 3 picks of RB Damien Martinez and WRs Ricky White III and Tory Horton.

WR Horton is a wiry, quick-footed boundary receiver. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at CSU in 2022-2023 before a season-ending knee injury in October 2024 snapped that streak. He returned to run a 4.41 40 at the NFL Combine.

Horton is a slick route-runner with a diverse release package. He sells a bill of goods to the defender along his route path. The past two seasons, Horton was 91st percentile in separation rate, per PFF. Horton has very strong hands, logging a strong 5.6% drop rate. Precious little of his production came from manufactured touches. Over the past three seasons, Horton had more targets 30+ yards downfield (43) than screen targets (41).

RB Martinez is a big, physical back with sweet feet. For a bigger back, Martinez is extremely fluid. The violence of Martinez’s one-cut direction changes can surprise defenders. Martinez runs with power, snapping arm tackle attempts. He’s extremely effective between the tackles. I love Martinez’s leg-drive through contact—the play isn’t over until you have him dead to rights. Martinez profiles as an early-down grinder, and I think he’s going to be a good one.

WR White was a productive collegiate receiver who fell to R7 because of poor athletic testing. His athletic profile caps his ceiling, but White’s exceptional special teams ability alone was worth picking at least one round higher.

UDFA class rank: 3

I thought the Seahawks had one of the NFL’s better draft classes. They followed that up with a top-3 overall UDFA haul in the NFL.

EDGE Jared Ivey is a skilled power end with speed limitations and lower-body stiffness. Ivey’s combination of muscle and hand usage is likely to turn him into a long-term NFL backup. His pass-rushing production from last year—his 31 hurries were No. 14 in the FBS—is the thing he’s going to lose in translation.

CB Zy Alexander is another productive defender from the SEC with an ideal frame but poor athletic testing numbers. Alexander is an experienced press-man corner who was 81st-percentile PFF coverage grade last season. Blessed with long arms and sound technique, Alexander ranked No. 2 in this class with a 3.2% missed tackle rate last season.

LB Jackson Woodard is an intriguing sleeper who profiles as a strong special teamer—he played 634 special teams snaps over five seasons in college and could immediately be a core special-teamer in the pros. A former walk-on at Arkansas, Woodard made good the last two seasons at UNLV. He was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and a Second-Team All-American in 2024.

WR Tyrone Broden and EDGE Connor O'Toole are two other deep-deep sleepers who flashed on special teams in college and have projectable traits.

Dallas Cowboys

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 12 | Draft Equity spent: 14 | Overall ROI: 10

NFL Draft Grade: B+

Dallas got aggressive in selecting OG Tyler Booker at 1.12. With the top three OTs already off the board, that pick set the tone for a ferociously aggressive offensive line market over draft weekend.

Booker is a young powerhouse with a well-proportioned, made-in-a-lab frame. He has the second-longest wingspan in the iOL class. I really like Booker’s work in the run game when he’s coming forward in a phone booth—he’s springy off the snap and uncoils into a forklift on contact.

Booker tested poorly at the NFL Combine and is a bit heavy-footed. He’s not as good when asked to go east-to-west to hit his mark. In pass pro, similar story—Booker’s length stakes him to leads in the rep, and his anchor can neutralize even nuclear power. But gap-shooting, twitchy three-techniques who can counter can get the elephantine Booker on teetering stilts.

Dallas hit a pair of home runs on Day 2, stealing EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku and CB Shavon Revel. Ezeiruaku has worked very hard to add bulk, but is likely now maxed out in that capacity. 

Though Ezeiruaku has a sawed-off frame, he does have one genetic quirk that has proven very helpful in his vocation: Of my top-30 ranked edge defenders, Ezeiruaku is tied for the third-longest wingspan. He’s a relentless pass-rusher with superb hand usage and a diversified portfolio of counters that his length creates opportunities for. Last year, Ezeiruaku’s 1.38 sacks per game led the FBS.

Ezeiruaku has natural limitations holding his ground to set a clean edge against hulking power tackles. I still like his run defense work—he’s extremely active, he’s always in the backfield, and he rarely misses tackles. He’s going to accumulate plenty of TFL in run defense as a 3-4 OLB in the NFL.

CB Revel, a former track star, is tall and springy. Revel uses his 94th-percentile wingspan as a weapon in press coverage, jolting receivers off the line. You see Revel’s track background when his assignment goes deep. Revel runs upright, with long strides that chew up large swaths of grass. 

ECU had implicit trust in Revel in one-on-one press coverage. He is active in Cover 3 coverage when playing forward, with his instincts and anticipation having a force multiplier effect on his north/south athleticism.

Revel gets after it in the run game, flying downhill like a safety. He’s a really good tackler—a wrap-up form-tackler with long arms—who had a stellar 5.6% missed tackle rate in college.

Considered a surefire Round 1 pick heading into the fall, a torn ACL in September complicated his evaluation. Revel, however, is expected to be fully cleared in advance of training camp.

UDFA class rank: 26

The headliner of the Cowboys’ class in both my rankings and contract guarantees was UCF S Alijah Clark, who got $259,000. The winner of the camp battle between Clark and fellow UDFA S Mike Smith Jr. is making this roster.

Carolina Panthers

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 10 | Draft Equity spent: 12 | Overall ROI: 11

NFL Draft Grade: B

Carolina read the room correctly and scored strong values in the slots they picked in. That began with WR Tetairoa McMillan, who Carolina smartly prioritized before this meager receiver class summarily fell off a shelf.

McMillan’s ball skills are out of this world. Standing a shade over 6-foot-4, McMillan has a fisherman’s-net catch radius. His vice-grip hands ensure that no fish gets off the line.

McMillan is a problem downfield. The former basketball and volleyball standout is very comfortable in the air, and there is no defensive back getting higher than him. McMillan’s ball adjustments are a thing of beauty, he consistently gets the best of the positioning game.

McMillan forces defenders to go through his back to defend balls. He went 19-for-31 in contested situations last year—the second-most contested catches of any receiver in this draft class. He also finished No. 2 in the class in that category in 2023.

It’s next-to-impossible to defend McMillan on a slant route in man coverage if you can’t impede his progress at the line. McMillan is an underrated runner after the catch, not slowing down when plucking the ball. He isn’t sudden, but when he gets moving, his giraffe steps chew up grass very quickly. His 4.48 40 was 80th percentile.

Tet knows what he’s doing against zone coverage. McMillan was charted as open on a ludicrous 94.3% of his targets. Against man, that plummeted all the way to 53.6%. McMillan finished 39th percentile in separation rate against single-man coverage. McMillan tends to create the small amounts of space that he needs to use his ball skills as a trump card.

The next two picks were used on EDGEs Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, and Carolina got good value on both. Particularly Umanmielen, a toolsy pass-rusher who broke out in 2024. His commitment has been questioned—proving that theory wrong will be the thing that ultimately determines his NFL destiny.

Scourton is a muscled-up, powerful, bully-ball edge defender with long arms. He sets a hard edge in the run game and uses speed-to-power machinations to win as a pass-rusher. Scourton is a linear athlete who does not profile as a superstar, but rather a reliable long-term starter.

My favorite Day 3 picks were S Lathan Ransom and TE Mitchell Evans. Ohio State coaches swear by S Ransom, who was overshadowed publicly last season by high-profile portal acquisition Caleb Downs. TE Evans has proven to be a trusted blocking option in-line, and he has good hands. Evans’ ceiling is capped by solid-but-not-elite athleticism.

UDFA class rank: 17

OG Luke Kandra, a multi-year standout starter in the Big 12, had the size, strength, and athletic profile of a Day 3 interior offensive lineman. But Kandra has stiff hips—making it difficult to consistently win the leverage game—and has feet that can get stuck in the mud on sudden direction changes. It’s possible that he’s a Quadruple-A player, but it’s also possible that Kandra will wind up being a valued depth piece.

DT Jared Harrison-Hunte is raw and old—25 as a rookie—but he’s a fun developmental flier. A former basketball player and a great athlete, Harrison-Hunte didn’t begin playing football until his junior year in high school. He was mostly a rotational player for five years at Miami, but Harrison-Hunte had a scintillating TFL/snap rate. Last year as a full-time starter at SMU, he posted 6.5 sacks and 8.5 TFL. 

K Ryan Fitzgerald was probably a little chapped that two kickers were picked in the draft and he wasn’t one of them—but he couldn’t have asked for a better landing spot than this. Eddy Pineiro wasn’t re-signed. The only competition for Fitzgerald— first-team All-American in 2024—is perennial camp leg Matthew Wright.

Washington Commanders

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 27 | Draft Equity spent: 30 | Overall ROI: 14

NFL Draft Grade: C+

The Commanders hit it solidly down the fairway with this five-man class. That began at the end of R1, where the Commanders were boxed out of their preferred two-way EDGE defenders with run defense utility. Washington ultimately did not select a player at that position.

Instead, Washington audibiled to OT Josh Conerly right before the offensive tackle class fell off a shelf. A former five-star recruit, Connerly began his high school career as a running back. Play strength is a question, but Conerly is an extremely gifted pass-protector. Over 1,091 career pass-pro reps—nearly all of them at left tackle—he allowed only two sacks. 

Connerly had an impressive showing against Penn State’s Abdul Carter in the Big 10 title game, allowing no hurries or pressures over 35 pass-pro reps. The lack of pop shows up in run blocking—Conerly was 35th-percentile in gap run-block grade the past two seasons—but he’s got the movement to develop on zone concepts.

With Washington’s lone Day 2 pick, the Commanders stopped the fall of CB Trey Amos, who had late Round 1 steam. Amos’ addition might allow Washington to move the undersized Mike Sainristil off of the boundary.

With the next two picks, Washington added speed merchants in WR Jaylin Lane and LB Kain Medrano. Lane tested like Tyreek Hill this spring but needs polish. Medrano is a good athlete who flies around the field – but he misses tackles in bunches. If he can clean up his haphazard technique, Washington will have unearthed a late-round gem.

RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt got absolutely hosed by the NCAA last year, with an erroneous eligibility issue wiping out his final season. He’s never shown anything in the pass game, but he’s a shifty runner with feel who could see the field as a rookie.

UDFA class rank: 20

Washington’s UDFA class checked in at No. 20 overall in the NFL.The Commanders signed one player I had a draftable grade on, Florida State CB Fentrell Cypress II. 

Cypress is a sixth-year prospect with 38 career starts in college. His calling cards are length, 4.43 speed, and peskiness at the catch point (93rd-percentile forced incompletion rate the last three seasons). He is susceptible to giving up chunk plays, however, a consistency issue that must be addressed if he is to hang long-term.

Louisville WR Ja’Corey Brooks has a shot to stick. He’s a former four-star Alabama signee who broke out with a 61-1,013-9 line last season. He’s thin and lacks athleticism, though, so his game isn’t likely to be flattered in translation.

Washington’s highest-priced UDFA signing was NC State OL Timothy McKay, who got an eye-opening $275,000 in guarantees. That indicates he’s an odds-on favorite to win a spot on the Week 1 roster. McKay split 2,784 collegiate snaps mostly between RG and RT—he’s a projected guard at the next level.

Los Angeles Rams

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 31 | Draft Equity spent: 32 | Overall ROI: 19

NFL Draft Grade: C+

The Rams took advantage of desperate Falcons GM Terry Fontenot, sending out Nos. 26 and 101 in exchange for Nos. 46 and 242 and a 2026 R1. If the Falcons flat-line in 2025, this will go down as one of the best trades in Rams franchise history.

I liked the decision to take Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson once the Rams finally made a selection. A smooth mover with prototypical size, Ferguson stole the show at the NFL Combine, besting the TE group with a 4.63 40, 1.55 split, and 39-inch vertical. Ferguson has been contributing since his true freshman season, logging 2,050 career snaps. 

Ferguson is a strong route runner, quick off the line and sudden in his route breaks. He uses his body well at the catch point. Ferguson has good ball skills. He has reliable hands, and endears himself to quarterbacks by spearing balls outside his frame. Ferguson posted a strong 5.0% drop rate over 183 career targets. Ferguson is one of the more well-rounded tight ends in this class.

The Rams prioritize on-field athleticism metrics over pre-draft testing more than any organization in the NFL. The selections of R3 EDGE Josaiah Stewart and R5 LB Chris Paul Jr. fit that ethos snuggly.

Stewart is an undersized, unorthodox EDGE rusher who was extremely effective in college. The Rams staff should be able to figure out a way to squeeze value out of him. LB Chris Paul Jr. was a star linebacker in college who lacks size and athleticism. If he works out, the media will call him the front office’s defensive answer to the famous Kyren Williams pick.

Speaking of Williams – and his backfield mate Blake Corum – mid-round pick RB Jarquez Hunter is an interesting complementary option. There are kinks to work out in Hunter’s game, but his film is speckled with intriguing flash plays.

UDFA class rank: 25

The Rams signed two of this draft class’ most-popular undersized warriors, iOL Willie Lampkin and LB Shaun Dolac. Both were outstanding collegiate players whose measurables were questioned by the NFL during the pre-draft process.

Lampkin is a former wrestler with an understanding of grappling and leverage that are suited for his sawed-off frame. Lampkin was a five-year starter in college who made the all-conference team each year. That culminated last year in First-team Associated Press All-American honors at UNC. He’s got a shot to stick as a backup center.

Dolac is a tweener with the build of a safety. But he’s a strong athlete with good instincts who was ultra-active in the MAC. Last year, he posted 168 tackles, 19 TFL, 6.5 sacks, and 5 interceptions en route to consensus All-American honors.

Minnesota Vikings

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 30 | Draft Equity spent: 31 | Overall ROI: 20

NFL Draft grade: D

Last spring’s trades that ultimately led to EDGE Dallas Turner were largely built with equity from this draft. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah entered with a league-low four picks and a league-low in total draft equity. 

We saw this manifest early with the pick of OG Donovan Jackson. I saw Jackson as a late first-rounder. But with the consensus top-three OTs, Tyler Booker and Grey Zabel, and the class’ consensus top-4 DTs all off the board before 1.24, the board fell poorly for the Vikings.

Adofo-Mensah had no choice but to stick-and-pick the last sure-thing trench option for immediate help. He appeared to be vindicated minutes later when Hosuton bailed out of its slot, presumably because Jackson was no longer available.

In my opinion, Jackson is the best pure guard in this class above Tyler Booker. He will start immediately at LG. Jackson has a premium combination of length—with the longest wingspan in the iOL class—and power in an athletic package. He’s a hammer in the run game. 

The Vikings chose Maryland WR Tai Felton at 3.102 – a nod to the team’s precarious receiver depth with a suspension for WR Jordan Addison looming. Felton has 4.37 speed and both YAC juice and the ability to get downtown. He’s stick-thin, though, and lacks play strength – he will need to prove he can get off the line against press-cover bullies, and he needs to clean up his ball skills. Felton dropped eight balls last year, and particularly seemed to have an issue when jostled at the catch point. 

There’s long-term starter ceiling in Felton’s profile, but it comes with risk. The same could be said of fourth-round EDGE Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. Ingram-Dawkins is an eye-of-the-beholder ball of play. He’s young, he’s athletic, and he has a rangy frame. If you squint, you can see a long-term starting 3-4 defensive end. If you want to see the glass half-empty, you’ll perceive him as an unfinished product with a tweener profile – two years away from being two years away. 

The Vikings traded back from their fifth-round pick, multiplying it into Nos. 201 and 202 via trade with the Rams. With the first of those picks, Minnesota took LB Kobe King, who I ranked closer to the slot they had traded down from. Quietly, the Vikings had a lack of linebacker depth, with little on the roster proven behind the starters. King should provide quality depth.

The Vikings’ depth at the TE position was also precarious, so it wasn’t a surprise that the other selection was used on a tight end. I think it was a mistake to take Pittsburgh’s Gavin Bartholomew over Nebraska’s Thomas Fidone II, who went shortly thereafter. 

Adofo-Mensah told the media over the weekend that, in the circumstances that he was in, hitting it down the fairway was the best course of action. That’s what he did, adding an immediate starter at LG while fleshing out the roster’s depth. 

UDFA class rank: 2

This is the third consecutive year that the Vikings have finished top-5 in my UDFA rankings. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has clearly prioritized this phase of the process. Over the past three years, six UDFAs have made the Vikings' Week 1 roster: Ryan Wright, Ivan Pace Jr., Gabriel Murphy, Taki Taimani, Bo Richter, and Dwight McGlothern.

The Vikings’ class was headlined by Kansas OL Logan Brown, my top-ranked overall UDFA. Brown – seen as a mid-rounder by most analysts heading into the draft – is going to make this roster. The Vikings have little in the way of proven OL depth behind Blake Brandel and Justin Skule. 

Because of that, OG Joe Huber is also someone to monitor in camp. Brown and Huber—former teammates at Wisconsin—will battle 2024 draft picks Walter Rouse and Michael Jurgens in camp for bench spots.

QB Max Brosmer and RB Tre Stewart, meanwhile, will take on QB3 Brett Rypien and RB3 Ty Chandler, respectively. Each has a legitimate shot. Because of the team’s precarious depth situation at tight end, TEs Benjamin Yurosek and Bryson Nesbit might ultimately be battling with one another for a roster spot. If neither impresses this summer, look for the Vikings to be monitoring August tight end cuts from other rosters.

EDGE Tyler Batty was right on the draftable line for me. He’s a four-year starter at BYU with a north/south game, generating speed-to-power. Batty has the frame and game to hang around as a 3-4 DE.

An NFL coach—not on the Vikings staff—told me after the draft that LB Austin Keys might have been a fifth-rounder were it not for injuries. This coach believes Keys will beat out R6 pick LB Kobe King if Keys stays healthy this summer.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 21 | Draft Equity spent: 20 | Overall ROI: 22

NFL Draft Grade: C-

I didn’t love Tampa Bay’s pick of WR Emeka Egbuka at 1.19, but I thought the Bucs had strong showings on Days 2 and 3. Egbuka is a fine player— just an odd fit in this crowded receiver room – and an odd priority over the acute defensive needs. 

A well-built slot at 6-foot-1, 202 pounds, Egbuka is a smooth operator. In the past three seasons, Egbuka was 95th-percentile in separation percentage. Egbuka has this class’ quickest zone-coverage processor—he gets one snapshot of defender movement post-snap, and he’s got the whole picture. 

In man coverage, it’s all angles, spatial manipulation, and leverage. Ohio State’s elite boundary receivers afforded Egbuka the intermediate spacing that he thrives in. Space is an ocean, and, with enough of it, Egbuka will drag your nickel into depth to drown.

Egbuka is a composer out there, with the guitar riffs of unpredictable tempo changes playing over the relentless drumbeat of his quick feet. Egbuka’s hands are strong and reliable. His 5.5% drop rate (per PFF) on 205 career receptions was stellar.

He doesn’t run with much power, and he doesn’t deploy many open-field pyrotechnics, but his YAC is adequate because of his acceleration and vision. The first helps him get into space, and the second improves his odds of staying there.

While I believe he projects as a strong long-term starting NFL slot receiver—and that’s where I think Jalen McMillan profiles best. It’s also where Chris Godwin is best deployed. And even though I liked the R7 value on WR Tez Johnson, the stick-thin 154-pounder only has a shot at sticking in the slot at the next level.

Slot receiver madness aside, the Bucs did very well in their middle picks with strong values on the defensive side of the ball. CB Benjamin Morrison will be a steal if his hip isn’t a long-term issue. Morrison would have been a top-20 pick had he not gotten injured.

With Tampa Bay’s other picks, CB Jacob Parrish brings nickel help, EDGE David Walker brings an unorthodox disruptor, and EDGE Elijah Roberts brings no-nonsense power.

UDFA class rank: 24

Tampa Bay didn’t have a backup to C Graham Barton on the roster, and it didn’t take any offensive linemen in the draft. So the Bucs got aggressive in the UDFA process, shelling out a combined $525,000 guaranteed to Cs Jake Majors and Ben Scott. 

Each received contracts typically indicating that a team will carry an undrafted rookie into the regular season. What makes this two-step interesting, then, is that neither Majors nor Scott—despite both playing heavy career snaps—have ever played guard. 

Scott played a season-and-a-half at RT at Nebraska, and is the better bet to be able to handle guard duties. That’s of importance, here, because Tampa Bay’s depth at guard is also thin.

Speaking of the offensive line, the Bucs won a spirited post-draft bidding war for Georgia State OT Ben Chukwuma, giving him $300,000—the most guaranteed money any UDFA received this cycle. Chukwuma isn’t listed in the table above because I only ranked out 58 offensive tackles in the pre-draft process—and, looking back into my larger 2025 draft database, Chukwuma ultimately finished as my OT60.

Clearly the NFL was higher on Chukwuma than me. I can tell you why: He’s a really interesting ball-of-clay lottery ticket who scouts can dream on. On the one hand, Chukwuma struggled in the Sun Belt last year in his only season as a starter—his only season starting on a football field ever. Chukwuma tested poorly during the pre-draft process—at 6-foot-6/303 pounds with a 3.43 RAS, he's more smooth than explosive—and he’s as raw as it gets on the field.

But this is where it gets interesting from a projection standpoint: Chukwuma never even played high school football … he barely even knew about the sport in high school. Chukwuma moved to the U.S. from Nigeria at 17. He found himself on the GSU football team after showing up for a walk-on tryout his freshman year. He’s got a long way to go, but Tampa is betting that there’s more potential here left to untap.

New Orleans Saints

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 14 | Draft Equity spent: 8 | Overall ROI: 23

NFL Draft Grade: C

I loved what New Orleans did on Days 1 and 3, and thought they went off the grid on Friday night. Add it all up, and they came out with a true middle-of-the-road “C” in my curve grading.

The correct decision was made to take the last of this class’ big-three offensive tackles with OT Kelvin Banks at 1.9, a former five-star recruit and the reigning Lombardi winner. Banks allowed only three sacks in his college career. He’s a nimble athlete with one of the longest wingspans of any tackle in the class. Over the past two seasons, Banks was 96th percentile in true pass set pass-pro grade. 

I saw Round 2 QB Tyler Shough as a fourth-rounder. Shough was a colossal bust over three years at Oregon, and a colossal bust over three injury-plagued seasons at Texas Tech. In Lubbock, Shough had a 20/11 TD/INT rate while dealing with a different serious injury in all three campaigns—a broken collarbone in 2021, a re-injured shoulder in 2022, and a broken fibula in 2023.

Shough transferred to Louisville in 2024 and had a resurgent final season for HC Jeff Brohm, an underrated quarterback whisperer who previously sent Mike White, David Blough, Aidan O’Connell, and Jack Plummer to the NFL. 

Shough is an above-average athlete in a big frame. He’s got arm talent, and has shown the ability to win in the quick game and also beat defenses downfield. Shough is a creative thrower who uses multiple arm angles. He throws a catchable spiral.

My two-fold concern with Shough is that he didn’t break out until his seventh season in college, and that he had significant durability issues in college. He’ll be 26 as a rookie. I felt the fourth-round grade was fair, all things considered. I saw New Orleans’ pair of third-rounders – DT Vernon Broughton and S Jonas Sanker – as fifth- and fourth-rounders, respectively.

New Orleans got its act together on Day 3. LB Danny Stutsman and CB Quincy Riley were both “my guys” all process. I think both are underrated, and I love the way each of them play. Stutsman is a tackle machine, Riley stays in your hip pocket off the bus.

New Orleans next took my favorite RB sleeper with Kansas’ Devin Neal. Neal is an instinctual slasher in a big package. His feet are elite—choppy, blur-fast, and precise. In space, Neal is slippery, and hard to square up. 

He adds to the illusion by toggling speeds, messing with defenders’ angles. Neal runs with vision and patience, staying on schedule behind his line. If a cutback lane opens, he’s going to find it. 

Neal caught 51 balls the past two years. The Jayhawks should have been more creative with his usage. Neal’s career 0.5 aDOT tells that story. He brings untapped potential as a receiver to the NFL.

UDFA class rank: 18

I’m a big fan of Delaware RB Marcus Yarns, an undersized speed demon. He runs with shot-out-of-a-cannon urgency and keeps to his straight-line path. Yarns is a really interesting weapon in the passing game.  

He was an unfair assignment for FCS linebackers or safeties. Yarns would sprint past them on wheel routes, or leave them in the dust with a one-cut direction change on an angle route. Among all RBs in this class, only Yarns posted 1.8 YPRR or better each of the last two seasons.

Yarns looked like a natural on concepts where Delaware shifted him into the slot (7.6% of snaps). In 2023, only three running backs in the FCS or FBS had 20-or-more catches with an aDOT higher than Yarns’ 3.2. And despite missing time with injury in 2024, only nine D-1 RBs had more catches with a higher aDOT than Yarns. The NFL asked Yarns to work out as a receiver at the NFL Combine—that’s a second developmental bullet if the RB thing doesn’t work out.

I thought P James Burnip was better than Jeremy Crawshaw—the only punter taken in this year’s draft. Burnip, my top-ranked punter, will battle incumbent Matthew Hayball—a 2024 UDFA signing, and a fellow Australian. I expect Burnip to win that competition.

Chicago Bears

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 17 | Draft Equity spent: 7 | Overall ROI: 26

NFL  Draft Grade: C

Many pegged the Bears for an offensive tackle in Round 1 – that became non-viable at 1.10 after the class’ top-three consensus OTs went in the top-9. So Chicago audibled to TE Colston Loveland, a decision that Caleb Williams will appreciate.

Standing a hair under 6-foot-6 with long arms and baseball-mitt-sized hands, Loveland’s catch radius is enormous. He maximizes every inch by extending to the ball, and meeting it at its highest point downtown.

His hands are strong and soft. Loveland had a strong 7.1% career drop rate, but he posted an elite 3.4% drop rate in 2024. He turns incompletions into completions, spearing errant throws outside his frame. Loveland flashes late hands, delaying the defender’s reactions at the moment of truth.

Loveland is pliable at the catch point, with sudden adjustments and contortions to get himself into the best position to corral the ball. Loveland was 96th-percentile over the past two seasons in yards per route run.

You can send him anywhere on the field running a receiver’s route tree. Loveland is a sleek athlete for his size, quick-footed and fluid. Loveland is difficult to impede off the snap, and he pushes the envelope immediately. He’s got the speed to get downtown, where he’s a problem for one defender—Loveland converted 7-of-7 targets 20-plus yards downfield in 2023.

Loveland has a natural understanding of angles and feel for leverage. He’s sudden at the route break and swift in transitions. Loveland’s hip swivel and lateral quickness are difficult to deal with underneath. He was 93rd percentile in separation rate the past two seasons.

As a blocker, Loveland is perfectly acceptable in the slot/boundary, where his length and feet are enough to wall. But Loveland is given fits by power when deployed inline—he’s not built to win the leverage or power game. Per PFF, Loveland finished with a meager 18th-percentile career positively graded run-block percentage. 

Loveland turned 21 a few weeks before the NFL Draft. His skillset makes him a potential matchup nightmare in the NFL, with too much size and catch radius for defensive backs, and too much athleticism for linebackers.

WR Luther Burden was taken in Round 2 to address Keenan Allen’s departure. They are both slot receivers, but couldn’t be more different. With the ball in his hands, Burden looks like a star running back—he’s extremely sudden, with a NAS acceleration button.

The issue is getting it there. The Tigers would use the boundary receiver on Burden’s side to pick/rub Burden’s man, or send him out on dummy clear-out patterns to create space for Burden. These various “clear-out” concepts were designed to get Burden the ball with one tackle to break for an opportunity at an explosive play. He’s always a threat to do so because of his skill with the ball in his hands.

The thing Burden doesn’t do is create throwing windows for his quarterback—those need to be generated for him. Over his three-year career, Burden had 192 catches—84 of them came behind the line of scrimmage (43.7%!). By contrast, Burden had only 48 catches 10-plus air yards down the field (25%). His career aDOT was 15th percentile.

Burden is very much like Percy Harvin in that his north/south explosion not only chews up yards quickly, but it converts into an element of power that gives him a little tackle-breaking juice. When Burden gets chugging, he’ll bounce off off-angle attempts from defensive backs. Burden could be a flammable third banana in this offense. 

After his selection, Chicago got to work on the trenches. That began with OT Ozzy Trapilo, the son of former NFL OL Steve Trapilo. A nimble skyscraper who uses his length to great effect in pass-pro, he has electric hands and wins initial salvo in skirmishes.

He finished 87th-percentile or above over the last two seasons in PFF pass-block grade, true pass set grade, and pass block grade without play-action. Because of Trapilo’s stretched-out build, he struggles to fire low in the run game. By the numbers, he was roughly an FBS-average run-blocker the past two seasons.

Chicago’s third Round 2 pick, DL Shemar Turner, is a former five-star recruit with untapped potential. I appreciated the Bears’ strategy to start Day 3, adding a pair of hyper-athletic defenders that need polish in LB Ruben Hyppolite II and CB Zah Frazier.

UDFA class rank: 30

LB Power Echols is an aggressive downhill linebacker with cement feet. He had nearly 300 tackles over the last three seasons as a starter at UNC. If Echols is to win the last linebacker spot on Chicago’s roster, it’ll be because he won a role on special teams. Echols logged 464 special teams snaps during his career at UNC.

Green Bay Packers

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 28 | Draft Equity spent: 23 | Overall ROI: 27

NFL Draft Grade: D-

The Packers, who played host to this year’s draft, used the occasion to let their hair down. After years of eschewing receivers in the first round in defender to infrastructure positions, the Packers took WR Matthew Golden at 1.23. They weren’t done, double-tapping WR Savion Williams two rounds later.

Golden blazed a 4.29 40 at the NFL Combine, the eighth-fastest showing by a receiver since 2013. Golden proved in college that he could win at all three levels from either the slot or boundary. Over his three-year career, Golden was 85th percentile in separation rate, per PFF. 

In 2024, Golden was 89th-percentile in receiving grade against single-coverage. Of the consensus top-5 receivers in this class, only Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan had a higher target share in the middle and deep sectors of the field than Golden in 2024. 

Golden shoots off the line with a dealer’s-choice cornucopia of releases, and creates indecision up the route stem with upper-body deeks and false cuts. He toggles speeds like a jet ski and disguises when breaks are coming.

Golden is better deep than you might think from his physical package. He caught 13-of-22 targets 20+ yards downfield, going 7-of-10 on contested situations en route to a 124.1 passer rating on deep targets. Golden gets off the carpet and attacks the ball in the sky, with kinetic body contortions.

In 2024, at Texas, Golden started out behind fellow transfer Isaiah Bond in the pecking order. And Texas looked to leverage QB Quinn Ewers’ strength in short/intermediate concepts with RBs and TEs a major part of the game plan (TE Gunnar Helm and RBs Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue combined for 146 receptions). Despite these factors, the cream ultimately rose to the top—Golden had 19 more receptions and 447 more yards than any other Texas receiver. 

Golden needs to clean up the concentration drops. I’m bullish in that department, because the progress he has already made—Golden’s 6.5% drop rate last year was a strong showing and easily a career-best. Still, he entered 2024 with a career drop rate north of 10%, a red-flag region.

Golden projects as a premium WR2 on a contender—somebody who will lick single-coverage, make plays for you at all three levels, and naturally shift between the boundary and slot as needed.

WR Savion Williams is the love child of Cordarrelle Patterson and Laviska Shenault. He’s an elite athlete with great burst and speed, and he runs with power. But Williams utterly lacks route-running feel and ball skills. You must manufacture his touches close to the line of scrimmage.

In 2023, TCU miscast Williams as a stretch-the-field (12.2 aDOT) boundary receiver. In 2024, Williams had a 6.7 aDOT as nearly one-third of his snaps came the slot or in the backfield. TCU peppered Williams with screens, touch passes, and drags/slants in 2024. The Horned Frogs also brought Williams into the backfield for handoffs and direct snaps.

Around those picks, Green Bay hit the offensive trenches and the defensive front-seven. That was the correct strategy, but I disagreed on the prospects that were selected. OT Anthony Belton has huge power, but he might have to kick inside due to heavy feet. I also didn’t like the value of the Day 3 picks.

UDFA class rank: 9

The above list doesn’t include one of their higher-priced acquisitions, UNLV nickel defender Johnathan Baldwin, who finished just outside my position rankings at the safety position. Baldwin received $115,000 in contract guarantees. 

Baldwin, along with CBs Tyron Herring and Kahzir Brown, made good decisions in picking Green Bay. Following the departures of CBs Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine, and Robert Rochelle in free agency—only Nate Hobbs was added—the Packers’ cornerback depth is spotty. And that’s before resolution to the Jaire Alexander saga. Alexander reportedly nixed a trade around the draft because he wouldn’t rework his contract.

Elsewhere, I saw DT Nazir Stackhouse and LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson as top-200 prospects—each has a very real chance to win a bench spot. The same is true for the winner of the camp battle between UDFA RBs Jalen White and Amar Johnson. Green Bay doesn’t have much behind Josh Jacobs and MarShawn Lloyd on the RB depth chart.

San Francisco 49ers

Draft/UDFA Talent Acquired: 20 | Draft Equity spent: 10 | Overall ROI: 30