Shortly after 8:00 p.m. on April 24, the seven rounds of the 2025 NFL draft began with the Tennessee Titans selecting Cam Ward. The draft concluded the next day around 7:00 p.m., with the selection of Kobee Minor, a defensive back from Memphis. After being selected by the New England Patriots, Minor earned the title of “Mr. Irrelevant,” a nickname given to the last pick of the NFL Draft every year. This year’s draft was no less full of more surprise picks, heartwarming stories, and fan overreactions than any year prior.
Ward’s selection was representative of the landscape of college football right now, which is being defined increasingly by the transfer portal and NIL money. He began at the University of Incarnate Word before transferring to Washington State and eventually the University of Miami. At Miami, Ward broke school records in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completion percentage, making him a finalist for the Heisman trophy. College football has come to be defined by the transfer portal and NIL deals, leading many to start at smaller schools and gain experience before transferring to Power 5 programs offering big money later in their college careers. The Power 5 refers to the US’s five most prestigious and influential college football conferences: the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Pac-12, and Southeastern Conference. The Jacksonville Jaguars then traded up by sending future draft picks to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the number two pick in this year’s draft, using that pick to select two-way superstar Travis Hunter with the second pick.
Last year Hunter was the winner of the Hesiman Award, given to the best player in college football, also transferred schools during his college career, beginning at Jackson State before following his coach and former NFL player Deion Sanders to the University of Colorado. After playing wide receiver and cornerback in college, the Jaguars plan to continue to let Hunter play both sides of the ball, offense and defense, to begin his NFL career, although many think he will have his success by focusing on the defensive side in the long run. Hunter was heavily questioned about this subject before the draft. Still, he said in one interview regarding doubts surrounding his ability to play both positions, “I don’t think there’s a position that’s more taxing. I just go out there and play football. A lot of people say it’s kind of difficult to do both, but for me, I’ve been doing it my whole life. So I don’t think it’s difficult. I just go out there and play.”
One of the major surprises of the draft was the University of Colorado quarterback and coach’s son, Shedeur Sanders, who was said by many to be the second-best quarterback in the draft behind Ward. Although he was unlikely to be available in the second round, he ultimately fell to the fifth round before eventually being selected by the Cleveland Browns. However, many fans were confused by this pick as the Browns already had three quarterbacks heading into the draft and had selected Heisman finalist and Oregon quarterback Dillion Gabriel two rounds prior. It is unclear how the quarterback battle will take shape heading into training camp.
The draft is filled with remarkable stories each year, from players being doubted their whole life because of their size to many overcoming difficult situations growing up to make the league. One of those stories came this year with the selection of Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon by the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick number 21. Harmon was selected earlier in the draft than many expected, which gave him time to rush to the hospital where his mother, Tiffany Saine, was on life support, and tell her that he made it just before she died. Although it was a bittersweet moment for the Steeler pick, he expressed appreciation for her afterwards by saying, “[my mom] is the reason why I’m here. She’s the one that did everything for me to get to this point. I love you, mom. Everything I do is for you. I’m forever grateful,” expressed Harmon in an interview with ESPN. Harmon will head into the NFL knowing his mother is backing him every step of the way.
The ups and downs of this year’s NFL draft were just the beginning of the buildup for the action-packed season that is sure to come. Beginning September 4th, follow your favorite team to see if their draft picks help lead them to victory.
