The 2025 NFL Draft is over. Are you still catching up? We have plenty for you to read.
Read our instant grades for every Day 1 and Day 2 pick. Check out our winners and losers series for Day 1 and Day 2. You can find every team’s undrafted free agent haul here. We also have a pick tracker for every selection of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Here are four teams who aced the draft.
New England Patriots
The first draft of the Mike Vrabel Era in New England had one overarching assignment.
Help quarterback Drake Maye.
The Patriots and Eliot Wolf, the team’s Executive VP of Player Personnel, knocked that assignment out of the park. It began with LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell at No. 4, who immediately endeared himself to Patriots fans — and Maye himself — with this moment:
But the help for Maye did not end there. New England added running back TreVeyon Henderson at No. 38, Washington State WR Kyle Williams at No. 69, and some more help for the offensive line with Georgia C Jared Wilson in the third round.
Aid for the defensive side of the ball started coming in on Saturday, with three consecutive defenders in California safety Craig Woodson, defensive tackle Joshua Farmer, and LSU EDGE Bradyn Swinson. But with what New England added around Maye, both in free agency and the draft, this is a completely new roster in Foxborough. And a much-improed one at that.
Carolina Panthers
I loved the Panthers draft from top to bottom. After QB Bryce Young flourished in his finish to the 2024 season, the Panthers added WR Tetairoa McMillan to start their draft with the 8th overall pick. McMillan’s ability to separate and win in the intermediate and short areas should help a Panthers offense that didn’t have anyone to consistently create separation, and immediately becomes the alpha receiver they’ve been looking for.
However, elite teams are made on Days 2 and 3, and I think the Panthers hit these days out of the park. Trading up for EDGE Nic Scourton and then doubling down with EDGE Princely Umanmielen is really good, complementary work. If Scourton can keep his weight down, he’s a hammer on the edge who has a sneaky second gear. Then the Panthers can rotate in Umanmielen on passing downs, where he can put his burst to good use as a pass rusher only. Then on Day 3, adding Georgia RB Trevor Etienne, Notre Dame TE Mitchell Evans and Florida DT Cam Jackson is really smart, all guys that I think can come in and serve important roles early. I’m super high on Evans, who could end up being a quality starter for them. Carolina might’ve had my favorite draft.
Kansas City Chiefs
Good teams stay good by nailing the draft, and the Chiefs passed with flying colors. I thought they would have to trade up for Ohio State OT Josh Simmons, but instead they traded back and were still able to get him at 32. If Simmons’ knee is fully cleared, the Chiefs get a player who I thought was one of the 20 best players in this entire class. Their work on Day 2 was even better, adding more depth and impact on defense with perfect schematic fits. I think I like the selection of Louisville EDGE Ashton Gillotte the most, a hard charging edge defender who wins with heavy hands and power.
Omarr Norman-Lott and Nohl Williams on Day 2 are great fits, both have potential to start or play big roles right away. On top of that, the Chiefs selected Utah State WR Jalen Royals in round 4, when I thought he would go one day earlier. He’s going to bring more juice to the receiver room and give them a boost from the slot. The Chiefs have stayed at the top by winning the draft, and this year feels like another example of that.
Las Vegas Raiders
What a start for the Pete Carroll/John Spytek era in Vegas. They came into the draft wanting to build an identity, and their picks helped solidify it. Getting Ashton Jeanty at 6 is awesome–yes, I’m aware of drafting a RB early, but Jeanty is such a factor as a receiver and breaking tackles that he should be really good with OC Chip Kelly drawing up plays for him. On Day 2, the Raiders added TCU WR Jack Bech, then two impressive linemen in Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant who could be plus starters down the line.
On Day 3, adding Donte Thornton when they did surprised me, but his size and speed should help open up a lot of lanes in between the hashes for Jeanty and Bech, and then taking Tommy Mellott from Montana State (who will be playing WR) is a really fun pick. The Raiders wanted to build an identity and through this draft, they’ve taken a strong first step.
