Cam Ward goes No. 1 overall and Shedeur Sanders slides out of the first round of the NFL draft

• The three-day draft is underway: The first of seven rounds was held on Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, outside of the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field where 205,000 fans gathered.

• The Titans stuck to the plan: The first selection of the player draft was quarterback Cam Ward. The Cleveland Browns followed up with a shocking trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars, which ultimately saw Travis Hunter go to the Jags.

• Shedeur Sanders slides: The Colorado standout and son of NFL star Deion Sanders was expected to be among the first players drafted. Instead, he’s dropped down in the draft and slipped out of the first round.

• Plenty of intrigue on the off-season’s biggest night: Headline quarterbacks were predicted to go near the top of the first round but didn’t. After Ward went No. 1, the only other QB to hear his name called was Jaxson Dart at No. 25 to the Giants.

• How to watch: Fans can watch all the picks on NFL Network and ESPN. The draft continues on Friday and Saturday.

Here are all the players drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft:

The story of the night ended up being a player who wasn’t drafted.

Shedeur Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who starred at Colorado for the last two years, was widely expected to be picked early on, where several quarterback-needy teams were waiting.

Instead, Sanders slid. And slid. And continued to slide. Eventually, he slid all the way out of the first round, stunning experts who had largely expected him to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board.

There were signs that something was up. The first couple times that ESPN cut to Canton, Texas, where Sanders was watching the draft, the set – covered in the player’s own logo – was empty. Eventually, cameras found Sanders watching the draft but he wasn’t exactly looking confident.

The slide echoes that of Aaron Rodgers, when a highly touted college quarterback dropped and kept dropping in the 2005 player draft. Eventually, Rogers was picked No. 24 in the first round by the Packers, but a similar lifeline would not be extended to Sanders.

The Colorado quarterback had once teased being picked by the New York Giants, wearing custom red, white and blue cleats during a game when the G-men were the top candidate for the first overall pick. A few days ago, he was making comments about how he would be throwing passes to receivers in Pittsburgh.

But when the Steelers passed on him with the 21st pick, it suddenly seemed possible that Sanders could drop all the way out of the first round. And then the Giants traded back into the first round with the 25th pick and were reportedly looking for a quarterback.

Instead of Sanders, it was Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart who will be making the trip to the swamps of Jersey to play for the Giants.

It’s possible that Sanders might come off the board with the first pick of the second round as the quarterback-light Cleveland Browns have the 33rd pick of the draft. It seems very unlikely that Sanders makes it too far into the second round before being snatched up.

Some key takeaways from tonight:

Big trade shakes things up: The first headline-grabbing moment of the night came early when Jacksonville traded its No. 5 pick and a slew of other picks to the Cleveland Browns to move up to the No. 2 position. The Jags then used that pick to grab Travis Hunter, a potentially game-changing player who excels on both sides of the ball. The Browns used their No. 5 pick on Mason Graham, a defensive tackle out of Michigan.

Cam Ward ends one stage of an incredible journey: Ward started his career as a zero-star recruit who went to Incarnate Word. Years later, he’s the No. 1 overall draft pick, headed to Nashville to play for the Tennessee Titans. He was left in tears by the selection, saying he was just remembering himself as a “little kid who wanted it.” That kid is now the franchise cornerstone for the Titans.

Players from College Football Playoff teams dominate: Sixteen of the 32 players drafted came from the teams that made the College Football Playoff, including four from national champions Ohio State, three from Georgia and three from Texas. Big-time players from big-time schools who have played in big-time moments are obviously at a premium.

New York Giants have a great night: If it’s a make-or-break year for the New York Giants, they got started on the right foot. First, they took Abdul Carter, an edge rusher out of Penn State, who is probably the best defensive player in the draft this year. Then they traded back into the first round to grab Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. It was a moment that some people thought Shedeur Sanders would be picked, but the Giants instead opted for Dart.

Josh Simmons was the last pick of the first round, but that likely wouldn’t have been the case if not for a season-ending injury early in the 2024 season.

Simmons started the first six games for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was still good enough to be an honorable mention all-Big Ten selection. His torn patellar tendon in his left knee cost him 10 games and he likely would have been a much higher selection if he had been able to play the full season.

He’ll be a solid addition to the protection for Patrick Mahomes and company.

With the final pick of the night, the Kansas City Chiefs pick Josh Simmons, an offensive tackle from Ohio State.

Maxwell Hairston might be small, but his speed is out of this world.

Hairston goes just 5-foot-11, 183 pounds, but he ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine, flashing his speed.

He had five interceptions in 2023 and had a pick-six in 2024, though he missed much of the season with a shoulder injury.

He’ll be expected to bolster a lackluster Buffalo pass defense and provide game-changing turnovers.

“Buffalo is picking the ultimate competitor, the ultimate teammate and they got someone who’s getting Josh Allen the ball back,” he said with a laugh in an interview with ESPN.

The Philadelphia Eagles are continuing to add young talent to their championship defense after selecting Jihaad Campbell with the No. 31 pick.

The Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker was a first-team All-SEC after leading the team with 117 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.

The two foes who met in the Super Bowl earlier this year have swapped first round picks as the first round comes to a close.

The Philadelphia Eagles are now on the clock after moving up one spot following a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. Chiefs will now select at No. 32 and received a fifth round pick as well.

At No. 30, the Buffalo Bills take Maxwell Hairston out of Kentucky, adding to their defensive backfield.

The pick was announced by Tommy, the second Make-A-Wish foundation honoree to make a draft announcement on Thursday.

While that one fan in Green Bay may have mocked the Lions for selecting Tyleik Williams, he’ll fill a role at which they sorely need depth.

The Lions defensive line was devastated by injury last year, including tackle Alim McNeill, who was having a stellar season before tearing his ACL.

Williams is a big run-stopper in the middle of the defensive line, going 6-foot-3, 334 pounds. In the run-heavy NFC North, he’ll play a massive role in containing the ground games of Detroit’s opponenets.

He tallied 46 tackles, including eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they ran to a national championship last year.

Jayden Daniels is getting himself more protection as the Washington Commanders selected offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with the 29th overall pick.

Out of the University of Oregon, Conerly was a third-team Associated Press All-American and a finalist for the Joe Moore Award (nation’s top OL).

Washington is coming off a surprising season that saw them make it to the NFC championship game and will look to get back there by building in the trenches.

The Detroit Lions selected Tyleik Williams, a defensive tackle out of Ohio State, with the 28th pick.

The pick was much to the chagrin of a fan who was seated next to one of ESPN’s mics in Green Bay, who laughed loudly and said, “You guys are crazy” a few times.

James Pearce Jr. is a big, fast prospect for the Falcons.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Pearce ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine and uses that explosive speed to make quarterbacks’ lives difficult. He had 7.5 sacks last year for the Volunteers after having 10 sacks as a sophomore in 2023.

If he can be consistent and evolve his technique, Pearce might be a fixture in NFL backfields very soon.

Another Bulldog is off the board as the Baltimore Ravens selected Malaki Starks with the 27th overall pick.

The Georgia safety led the team in tackles last year with 77 and was named a second-team Associated Press All-American. He was also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award for the second consecutive year.

Starks will join All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton in John Harbaugh’s defense this upcoming season in Charm City.

James Pearce Jr. out of Tennessee is the 26th pick, heading to the Atlanta Falcons.

The trade between the Rams and Falcons almost certainly means Shedeur Sanders is going to fall all the way out of the first round unless one of the teams selecting in the final six picks makes a shocking choice.

Baltimore chooses next, followed by Detroit, Washington, Buffalo, Kansas City and Philadelphia.

Well, another trade!

The Atlanta Falcons are on the clock after trading back into the first round with the Los Angeles Rams.

Just like everyone thought, er, um, Jaxson Dart is now the second quarterback off the board.

The 21-year-old – who started three years in Oxford under head coach Lane Kiffin – is coming off an impressive season, throwing for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions.

He joins a crowded New York QB room, who signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston this offseason.

Dart will follow the path of another Rebels QB – Eli Manning, who was under center for the Giants for a long time, leading them to two Super Bowl wins.

Welp… The Giants have passed on Shedeur Sanders but selected another signal caller with the 25th pick.

New York has taken Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Sanders, who once sported custom Giants cleats in game, continues his draft day slide.

We got our second trade of the night and this time it sees the New York Giants trade with the Houston Texans to get back into the first round.

Is this where Shedeur Sanders gets selected?

The love fest in Green Bay is over.

After massive cheers for Golden, the boos rain down on the Minnesota Vikings, who select Donovan Jackson, a guard from Ohio State.

Jackson was a three-year starter for the national champion Buckeyes. He was named to the all-Big Ten first team twice and was second team all-Big Ten as a sophomore.

He was drafted as an offensive guard but he also started nine games at left tackle – a crucial position for protecting the quarterback – for OSU this year.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Jackson was described by NFL.com as the “guard prototype.” He’ll play a big role in protecting JJ McCarthy as he embarks on his first season starting for the Vikings.

The thousands of Packer fans at the draft gave their new player, wide receiver Matthew Golden, a rousing welcome to his new home after Green Bay selected him with the 23rd overall pick.

The Texas Longhorn proved to be a weapon for Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning last year in Austin as he reeled in 987 yards and nine touchdowns.

Now he will be Jordan Love’s new weapon on the Frozen Tundra as the Packers will begin their quest to win their 5th Super Bowl in franchise history this upcoming season.

Golden was known as a big game player after his transfer to Texas from Houston before last season and made it known that was going to continue in the NFL.

“I am a reliable target and I get open anywhere on the field … I am bringing that dog mentality,” Golden told the ESPN broadcast.

Omarion Hampton was prolific over the last two years at North Carolina and Chargers’ head coach Jim Harbaugh has to be licking his chops at getting a running back of his caliber at No. 22.

Hampton ran for 1,660 yards in 2024 after going for 1,504 in 2023. He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award as the top running back in the country in both seasons, also being named second-team Associated Press all-American and first-team all-ACC.

A 6-foot, 221 pound bruiser, Hampton ran the 40 in 4.46 seconds at the combine and is expected to be an every-down back in the NFL.

He’ll add a new dimension to Harbaugh’s offense as the Chargers look to build on a successful 2024-25 season under the former Michigan coach.

The Los Angeles Chargers selected Omarion Hampton, a running back from North Carolina, with the 22nd overall pick.

Shedeur Sanders might be about to slip out of the first round.

The Colorado quarterback and son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was widely expected to go early in this player draft. After the Pittsburgh Steelers just passed on him at No. 21, let’s look at the teams coming up.

The Los Angeles Charges are set with Justin Herbert. The Green Bay Packers are locked into Jordan Love. The Minnesota Vikings are banking on JJ McCarthy. The Houston Texans have CJ Stroud.

The Los Angeles Rams might be a potential spot at 26. Matthew Stafford is getting up there in years and likely doesn’t have long left in his NFL career.

The final picks – the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles – all have franchise quarterbacks that they’re building around.

If it’s not the Rams, Sanders might fall out of the first round completely. He stayed behind in Canton, Texas, instead of heading to Green Bay for the draft. Maybe his camp knew something that the experts didn’t.

One of the fastest men in the draft is off the board.

Jahdae Barron won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back and was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the player combine, including a 10-yard split of 1.5 seconds.

Barron had an incredible senior season in Austin, becoming a first-team AP All-American, first team all-SEC, won the MVP of the Peach Bowl after making 11 tackles against Arizona State.

His five interceptions were good for fourth in the nation and led his team with 11 pass breakups.

All in all, a solid addition to the Denver defensive backfield.

Well, the Shedeur Sanders watch continues after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick.

The junior, out of the University of Oregon, finished last season with 27 tackles and five sacks while helping lead the Ducks to an undefeated season before their CFP loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

He was named a second-team Associated Press all-American and third-team all-Big Ten.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the clock and with a need at quarterback, could this be where Shedeur Sanders’ draft day slide comes to an end?

Let’s find out…

A quick recap of the top 20 picks in this year’s draft:

The Denver Broncos picked Jahdae Barron, a cornerback from Texas, with the 20th pick in the draft.

The pick was announced by a 17-year-old Broncos fan named Sam, who has battled cancer. He made the pick announcement as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Baker Mayfield has a new weapon at his disposal.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with the 19th pick in the draft.

The 22-year-old won a national championship last season with the Ohio State Buckeyes. In the title game, he reeled in six receptions for 64 yards in the 34-23 victory over Notre Dame.

Egbuka finished the year with 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He cemented himself as one of the best receivers in OSU history, becoming the school leader in receptions, passing KJ Hill’s record of 201 catches from 2016-2019.

With the 18th overall pick, the Seattle Seahawks selected Grey Zabel, an offensive guard out of North Dakota State.

Zabel decided to stick around at North Dakota State to play with his brother at the FCS school, passing up the chance to rake in a ton of NIL money at a bigger-name school.

It appears that decision has paid off.

The first team Associated Press FCS All-American started all 16 games for the national champion Thunder. He’s a big dude – 6-foot-6-inches tall, 312 pounds – and has a ton of flexibility in where he plays on the line. He played at four of the five positions on the offensive line and started double-digit games in college at two different spots on the line.

Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart put on a show in February’s NFL scouting combine but his pass rushing numbers did not translate on the field.

Stewart’s career-high for sacks is 1.5 in a season and only accumulated in four sacks in three seasons in College Station, Texas.

The big talker of the offseason has been the future of four-time Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson in the Queen City.

Could Stewart be the replacement for the All-Pro?

Hendrickson had a whopping 17.5 sacks for the Bengals last season and has been rumored to be on the trade block as extension talks have stalled.

But in the meantime, Stewart says he is “built” to play in the NFL.

“I’m made for it. I am a hardbody. I’m made from this,” Stewart told ESPN.

Walter Nolen is tall, big and still has a ton of work to do to refine his raw athleticism into production.

The 6-foot-4, 296-pound Nolen mostly relies on his raw talent to propel him to success, to the tune of being a first-team Associated Press All-American, first-team all-SEC and a finalist for the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top lineman.

He finished his third season in Oxford, Mississippi, with 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. It was easily his top season after registering five sacks in his first two seasons combined.

He’ll join a talented Arizona pass rush that features Calais Cambell at tackle and newly signed Josh Sweat, who had eight sacks last year for Philadelphia.

Cincinnati Bengals selected edge rusher Shemar Stewart with the 17th overall pick.

Stewart had 1.5 sacks for Texas A&M last season.

At No. 16 overall, the Arizona Cardinals select Walter Nolen, a defensive tackle out of Ole Miss.

The Atlanta Falcons went into their backyard and selected University of Georgia defensive end Jalon Walker with the No. 15 pick.

Walker won the Dick Butkus Award, given to the nations top linebacker, after compiling 60 tackles and 6.5 sacks for the Bulldogs last year.

He also led the team with 10.5 tackles for loss.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Walker becomes the first Bulldog picked in the first or second round by the Falcons since 1966.

A polarizing prospect in the draft process has been quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

While he has plenty of attributes necessary for NFL success – accuracy and poise in the pocket – experts say Sanders has several things to improve upon for him to be a top-level star.

His name-brand alone means he’s had plenty of attention, and with plenty of quarterback-needy teams near the top of the first round, Sanders was still thought to go inside the top 10 picks.

But so far Sanders has remained unselected. The next few teams up – Cincinnati, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Denver – all are well set at the quarterback position. The next likely stop? Pittsburgh at No. 21.

Penn State’s Tyler Warren is going to Indianapolis after being picked at No. 14.

Standing at six-foot-five, Warren possesses the size to dominate defenders trying to cover him while also having the quickness to break away into space.

He plays with “best player on the field energy,” according to NFL analyst Lance Zierlein, who also predicts that Warren could “become one of the best tight ends in the league.”

Warren was given the John Mackey Award last season for the best TE in the country and left Penn State having set school records for a tight end in almost all categories with 153 receptions, 1,839 receiving yards and 19 receiving touchdown

That’s a big, excited guy in Green Bay.

Tyler Booker lands in Dallas and immediately provides a massive boost to the Cowboys’ offensive line, which has traditionally had a very strong o-line. After he’s picked, he jumped for joy with his family, hugging them while bouncing and then running off to get his new hat.

The junior from Alabama has been on all-conference teams each of his three years in Tuscaloosa and started the last two years.

He’s a high football IQ guy who uses his brain as much as his 6-foot-5-inch, 321-pound body. He didn’t impress scouts at the combine with his drills, but has great technique as a pass blocker.

Booker said the Cowboys are getting a new locker room leader.

“They’re getting a leader, somebody who loves to work, somebody loves to practice. … I can’t wait to be a part of this tradition of success in Dallas,” Booker told ESPN.

The Miami Dolphins have selected defensive tackle Kenneth Grant with the 13th pick.

The junior is the second Michigan defensive lineman to be selected in this year’s draft.

Grant finished last season with three sacks.

At No. 12, the Dallas Cowboys select Tyler Booker, an offensive guard from Alabama.

A quick recap of the top 10 picks in this year’s draft:

We got our first Georgia selection of the night.

The San Francisco 49ers have selected defensive end Mykel Williams with the 11th overall pick to pair him up with All-Pro Nick Bosa.

The 20-year-old had five sacks last season and won a national championship with the Bulldogs in 2022.

The Chicago Bears are met with huge jeers from the crowd, though they subside for the remembrances of Walter Payton and Steve McMichael, who passed away yesterday.

When it’s time to make their pick, the Packers fans boo again and Michigan tight end Colston Loveland is now the newest player for Green Bay to loathe.

The NFL’s 2025 schedule is going to be released on May 14, the NFL announced at the draft.

After a prolonged introduction, the date was shown on the big screen. Every game will be revealed on that date, according to the announcement.

Now the Chicago Bears are up, to massive boos from the Green Bay crowd.

Tetairoa McMillan wasn’t expected to be one of the first wide receivers taken in the draft, but he has the skills to become a big-time wideout in the NFL.

The Arizona product is a workhorse of a wide receiver, leading the team with 84 catches in 2024 and third in the nation with 1,319 receiving yards. That followed up a 2023 season with 1,402 yards and 90 catches.

He’s a big play receiver and is going to hook up with quarterback Bryce Young in Carolina.

“I’m ready to do whatever it takes. I know I’ve got a quarterback I can trust in, a coaching staff that I believe in and teammates that are ready to play for me and I’m ready to play for them. The sky’s the limit for this organization, I can’t wait,” he told ESPN.

The New Orleans Saints selected offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. with the ninth pick.

Banks won both the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award as the best lineman in college football last season with the Texas Longhorns.

With the eighth pick in the draft, the Carolina Panthers selected Tetairoa McMillan, a wide receiver from Arizona.

Many say that football is a great sport because it is the ultimate team game, but waiting to be drafted is one of the most isolating moments of the sport.

It is the one moment of your footballing career when it is just you, not we. And this isn’t helped by the unknown.

Your heart is racing and you have a thousand questions running through your head. Where am I going to go? When am I going to be picked? Am I even going to get picked at all?

I was told I would be a mid-round pick, but that doesn’t stop those questions entering your brain.

It happens even to the guys tipped to be drafted in the first round.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was thought to be a potential first overall pick in the 2005 draft. But when the San Francisco 49ers selected Utah quarterback Alex Smith, Rodgers fell.

Six prospects were in the green room for the event. The other five were selected within the first eight picks, leaving Rodgers alone.

Teams passed and passed and passed, until Green Bay finally selected him 24th overall after four and a half hours of waiting.

Rodgers later said: “You start questioning everything, from where you worked out to how hard you worked to the people you surround yourself with to leaving college. It’s very humbling.”

After a disappointing last season with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, it’s a new regime in Florham Park for the New York Jets.

Gang Green selected offensive tackle Armand Membou with the seventh overall pick to start for the Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey era.

Ashton Jeanty is headed to Las Vegas after a historic season at Boise State.

Jeanty’s skillset of vision, speed, ability to break tackles and powerful blocking makes him the perfect all-around running back. In his final season at Boise State, he led the NCAA with 2,601 rushing yards – finishing just 28 yards short of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record set in 1988 – and scored 29 rushing touchdowns as he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Jeanty to LaDainian Tomlinson during the draft process, high praise with the former San Diego Chargers’ standing as an all-time NFL great, MVP and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Jeanty is small and powerful – 5 feet 8 inches tall and 211 pounds – and has breakaway speed. He’ll be a fun tool in new Raiders coach Pete Carroll’s box as the veteran head coach looks to run the ball in Sin City.

“I think just that same energy, that attitude, that he comes with – that no one can tackle him on a football field,” Jeanty told ESPN, when asked how he planned to emulate Marshawn Lynch – another one of Carroll’s talented running backs from the past.

The Las Vegas Raiders selected Ashton Jeanty, running back from Boise State, with the sixth pick.

Will Campbell is perhaps the best offensive lineman in this draft and he’s definitely the one with some of the most impressive accolades.

As a freshman, he was second-team all-SEC at LSU, a freshman all-American and started all 13 games in his first year in school. He did the same thing the next year, becoming a first-team all-SEC and being on the offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s top line.

Last year, he topped himself – first-team all-American, first-team all-SEC, co-winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, finalist for the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman and started 12 more games.

He’s extremely athletic and is going to be an anchor for years to come on the Patriots’ offensive line, protecting quarterback Drake Maye.

Campbell was clearly emotional after the pick, shedding tears during interviews.

“Just all the hard work,” he said on NFL Network, before breaking into tears. “I’ve worked my entire life to be up here. To hear my name called by a franchise like New England means everything to me.”

When asked what he can bring to the New England line, his message was simple.

“I’m going to fight and die to protect them with everything I got,” he said.

Even neutrals in the crowd cheered that statement.

Defensive tackle Mason Graham was selected with the fifth pick by the Browns and is already looking forward to bringing his “fierce competitor” mentality to Cleveland.

“I want to come in there and win,” Graham told ESPN. “Get to the top and then win a Super Bowl, so that’s my one mission. Coming in and that’s what I am going to do.”

Graham was a finalist for the Outland Trophy last season, given to the best offensive or defensive lineman in college, having blossomed into a player with all the aspects needed to succeed in the NFL.

He possesses the speed to evade blocks, the strength to overpower offensive linemen and the motor to outlast his opponents.

After the shocking trade down, the Browns have finally made a selection.

The Browns selected defensive tackle Mason Graham, out of the University of Michigan.

Graham, expected to be an anchor on the Browns’ defensive line for years to come, had 46 tackles along with 3.5 sacks last season for the Wolverines.

The New England Patriots selected Will Campbell, an offensive tackle from Louisiana State University, with the No. 4 pick in the draft.

Abdul Carter is officially entering enemy territory but that is a-ok with the Penn State edge rusher after getting selected by the New York Giants with the third pick.

Carter, who grew up an Eagles fan in Philadelphia, quelled any allegiance issues about his fandom.

“I am all New York,” Carter told ESPN. “New York is getting everything from me. All that passion I have, all the love I have, all the excitement.”

Carter was an unanimous All-American last year.

The New York FOOTBALL Giants have a new edge rusher.

The team selected Penn State’s Abdul Carter with the third pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

The 21-year-old had 12 sacks last season while helping lead the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have selected Travis Hunter, the Heisman trophy winner, with the No. 2 pick in the draft.

The Jags pick up a player that had been widely thought to be headed to Cleveland – the team’s general manager called him a “unicorn” during the pre-draft process.

“They hadn’t talked to me since the combine, so I’m super excited to go back home and play for an organization that thought I was worth trading up and getting,” Hunter said.

He is from West Palm Beach, Florida.

Under head coach Deion Sanders, Hunter blossomed into a superstar with 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense as well as 15 passes defended, four interceptions and a game-winning forced fumble on defense.

He’s been compared to Shohei Ohtani in baseball as a potential two-way player who is unlike anyone else in the sport.

After sharing an embrace with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the newest Titan Cam Ward said he’s “ready” to get to Tennessee.

“It’s all I’ve been dreaming for, was the opportunity to play in the National Football League,” Ward told the NFL Network broadcast. “And they blessed with me it. So, I’ll make sure they get everything I got.”

Last season, Ward set an NCAA Division I record after throwing for 158 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

One of the rarest qualities in all of team sports is the ability to impact a game in multiple ways.

Athletes are seldom able to sway contests both offensively and defensively to an equal degree and those who are – referred to as two-way players – become some of the most highly coveted stars in their respective professions.

The term two-way player has become everyday parlance in various sports when referring to greats such as basketball’s Giannis Antetokounmpo or baseball’s Shohei Ohtani, but it is incredibly unique when it comes to football.

Only a handful of players have carried out multiple roles on the football field, like Devin Hester, Deion Sanders and Julian Edelman.

Now, Travis Hunter is the latest to prove that one can excel on both offense and defense. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner starred for the Colorado Buffaloes on both sides of the ball in equal measure during a remarkable collegiate season.

Playing at both wide receiver and cornerback, Hunter put together a year for the history books, which culminated in joining the select few to win the Heisman

We have our first trade of the evening! It’s a big one!

The Cleveland Browns have traded the second pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are now on the clock for the No. 2 pick.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Jags are targeting Travis Hunter from Colorado.

The Browns move back to the No. 5 pick. According to the team, they also send a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick to the Jaguars. The Jags are also sending a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and their 2026 first-round pick to the Browns.

With the first pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans have selected quarterback Cam Ward.

Ward, out of the University of Miami, was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season after finishing with 4,313 yards passing and 39 touchdowns.

The 22-year-old, who was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school, also played at Incarnate Word and Washington State in his five-year collegiate career.

The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears have the oldest rivalry in the NFL and it’s not taking any days off, even on draft day.

Former Packers star Clay Matthews took the mic from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to say a few words and immediately said he was going to go off script.

Matthews said he had just gotten off the phone with President Donald Trump, who had asked him to pass along a message to the fans of all 32 franchises.

Matthews then unfolded a piece of paper and began to read: “My fellow Americans…”

He then paused slightly to show the paper to the crowd and screamed out the words that were written on it.

“The Bears still suck!” he bellowed.

Massive cheers went up from everyone not in orange and blue. Matthews apologized to Chicago sheepishly as former Packer Ahman Green high-fived him.

The ESPN broadcast said there were over 100,000 fans at the player draft.

So many people in fact that the Packers have halted more people from entering the space.

Goodell suggested the attendance had exceeded the population of the city of Green Bay.

As traditional for the Green Bay Packers at training camp – players riding bicycles to practice – Roger Goodell entered the stage riding a bike (and was met with the “traditional” boos from the crowd).

Goodell was joined by Lil Wayne, a Packers super fan, and other former Packers.

The 2025 NFL draft from Green Bay, Wisconsin, is underway with the Tennessee Titans officially on the clock.

Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders have dominated the quarterback talk in the lead up to the NFL draft, which kicks off on Thursday night, but what about the other talented signal-callers in this year’s class?

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart has been a name on the rise in recent weeks, with some even projecting him to be a top-10 pick.

The 21-year-old – who started three years in Oxford under head coach Lane Kiffin – is coming off an impressive season, throwing for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is one of the few quarterbacks expected to be in attendance at the draft in Green Bay. Does he know something we don’t? Could he be a first round pick?

The junior has been nothing short of electric in his time in Tuscaloosa, but scouts are worried about consistency throwing the ball following an all-around disappointing season last year for the Crimson Tide under first year head Kalen DeBoer.

But running with the ball is where teams see a lot of potential; Milroe rushed for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns last season.

Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers was one of the most hyped recruits to ever come out of Texas and after a quick pitstop with Ohio State, he found himself back in the Lone Star State under Steve Sarkisian in Austin.

While consistency and injury concerns have played him out of the first round talk, the 22-year-old is still expected to go sometime on Day 2.

Ewers threw for 3,472 yards, 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024 while leading Texas to the CFP semifinal for the second consecutive year.

Two names who are projected to go towards the end of Day 2 or early on Day 3 are also familiar foes: Ohio State’s Will Howard and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard.

Both met in the national championship game with Howard’s Buckeyes coming out victorious despite gutsy play from Leonard’s Fighting Irish.

Some other names expected to hear their name called in the next three days: Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Louisville’s Tyler Shough.

Abdul Carter is also expected to be picked near the top of the draft having had a stellar 2024 season with Penn State.

The pass rusher led the FBS with 23.5 tackles for loss and ranked seventh with 12 sacks as he went on to be named a First-Team AP All-American.

At one point, the 21-year-old was slated to go first overall, but Cam Ward’s rise has dropped Carter down mock drafts. Carter didn’t workout during the pre-draft process due to a shoulder injury, but he is widely expected to be an impactful defensive lineman from the get-go.

The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got the 2024 NFL draft started by walking out onto the stage in Detroit to some boos from the gatherered Motor City crowd.

Within moments, the crowd changed its tune, with Detroit native Eminem following Goodell’s footsteps onto the stage.

So what happens tonight in 10 minutes?

Which star and song will Goodell choose to kick this off?

Players have arrived at the NFL draft site in Green Bay. But before they hit the green room, they’re walking the red carpet and showing off their best fits.

Colorful suits? Check? Flashy medallions? Check.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty might have already won the night. He showed up in these Crocs embedded with Swarovski crystals.

The NFL draft can offer teams and fans a chance to reset a franchise’s fortunes and there’s no better way to do that than with a rookie quarterback.

Just look at the Washington Commanders last year who, led by No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels, reached the NFC Championship game before being beaten by eventual Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.

And in 2025, there are a handful of teams who will be hoping a first-year quarterback can have a similar effect.

The Tennessee Titans are at the top of the list of quarterback-needy teams and, with the first overall pick, are likely to select Miami’s Cam Ward to fill that role on offense.

The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants – who hold the second and third picks respectively – are also in the market for a new passer but with potentially generational talents on the board in other positions, could return to quarterback later in the draft.

The Las Vegas Raiders could also be in search of a long-term answer at football’s most important position after signing Geno Smith to a deal this off-season, and, although they have strongly been linked with drafted Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at No. 6, it could also be something they try to address in later rounds.

The New Orleans Saints at No. 9 and the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 are the two other teams who are seeking fresh starts at QB and could be likely landing spots for Sanders or potentially Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart.

The Arizona State Sun Devils found life in college football’s most unexpected superstar last season: Cam Skattebo.

The senior running back helped lead the surging ASU football program to the College Football playoff, finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy vote after ending the year with 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground and 605 yards and three TDs through the air.

Skattebo is known for his bruising physicality, which is sure to entice an NFL franchise.

The first-team All-American is currently projected to be a mid-round pick.

CNN World Sport discussed the NFL Draft with NFL Network analyst and former NFL general manager Scott Pioli.

They say when you have a near death experience, your life flashes before your eyes. When you’re waiting to be drafted into the NFL, the same thing happens.

You reflect on what it has taken to get to this moment: not just the training, the dedication, the sacrifice, but the injuries and the pain.

You know you had to go through that, and that none of it made sense at the time, but this is the moment you realize it was all worth it.

I’ve never won the lottery, but I imagine the feeling is very similar. The moment you are drafted is the moment your lifelong dream comes true.

I was the 97th overall pick of the 2002 NFL Draft, chosen by the Buffalo Bills with their third round selection.

Part of the thrill and stress of the draft for players is the unknown of where you will end up.

When it comes to college, a number of colleges may extend scholarship offers to you, but in the NFL when a team picks you, you say yes.

I played for Stanford during college in sunny California, and I was drafted by Buffalo, where some of the snowiest NFL games in history have been played. I went from palm trees to snowmen, but I couldn’t have been happier.

Dating back to when I was seven years old, my parents had never missed a single one of my games. And that includes when I moved to the other side of the country for college. Home or away, they were always there.

So to learn that my team was only a five hour drive from my parents’ home filled me with joy.

I knew they were going to be able to drive up and watch me live out my dream in every game.

• Read more

In a session with local reporters hours ahead of the start of the draft, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell praised the Green Bay Packers and the city, calling the team “one of the oldest franchises, maybe one of the smallest markets, but maybe the mightiest.”

“I think this is going to be a great event,” Goodell said. “This community deserves it.
The franchise deserves it, and I think it’s going to be great for the NFL and this country.”

Goodell also spoke about what this event means for the league.

“It’s a little bit of a mini Super Bowl, and it’s not even mini anymore,” Goodell said.

“It’s really an incredibly important offseason event for us of a football team, but much more importantly it’s a chance for us to engage our fans and our communities, and I think it’s really that turning of the wheel to the hope we are looking for the next season.

“The schedule will be coming out in a couple more weeks and so I think it’s a really important moment to celebrate our game.”

Colorado’s Travis Hunter could become the first full-time two-way player in NFL history having excelled at both wide receiver and cornerback with the Buffaloes and is coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning season.

Under head coach Deion Sanders, Hunter blossomed into a superstar with 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense as well as 15 passes defended, four interceptions and a game-winning forced fumble on defense.

There are still question marks over whether Hunter’s two-way game will translate to the NFL or whether his coaches will prefer to have him specialize on one side of the ball, but the 21-year-old has shown he possesses all the skills to be a game-changer wherever he is deployed. In fact, Browns general manager Andrew Berry called Hunter a “unicorn” player in a pre-draft press conference.

Although there is a consensus No. 1 overall pick in many people’s eyes, lots of questions still remain about the other selections in the first round.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward is widely expected to be drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the first pick as the clear cut best quarterback in the class and with the franchise in dire need of a difference-maker at the position.

While he still has room to grow, NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah says that Ward could have a “very high ceiling” if he can be “reined in” from his gunslinging nature.

This year’s NFL draft could perhaps be one for the history books

For the first time since 1967 (since the common draft era began), not a single first-round draft pick has been traded… but there is still a enough time for that to change!

Picks can be swapped at any point as long as the team currently owning the slot is still on the clock.

It’s OK to brag on a teammate, right?

CNN Sports’ Coy Wire is as humble as they come – always giving full attention to those who seek out his passion and joy for sports and beyond.

The thing is, if you didn’t really know him like we do, you wouldn’t expect he has the ultimate flex over most, if not all, of us wannabe athletes roaming the globe.

He rarely plays his NFL card and never to brag, but here he is talking about a day when he experienced something that always makes us smile (a lil’ jealous/impressed).

You’ll note a slight authentic twinkle (or is that dust in here) around the minute mark…

The Los Angeles Rams are honoring Southern California firefighters as they take their draft headquarters on the road this year.

The team will conduct their 2025 NFL draft operations from Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Air Operations, honoring first responders following the wildfires that swept across the Los Angeles area earlier this year.

LAFD’s Air Operations plays a vital role in emergency response efforts, particularly in combating wildfires across the Los Angeles region, according to the team.

The devastating wildfires swept through the city earlier this year, displacing tens of thousands of residents in the Pacific Palisades area and testing the city’s emergency response systems. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires – the most destructive in recent years – left 29 people dead and scorched nearly 60,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

With the help of Zillow, the Rams and LAFD will alter a room within LAFD Air Operations to serve as general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay’s draft headquarters. A separate hangar will be used as a space for coaches, scouts, team personnel and media.

It’s no secret that the 2025 NFL draft is being hosted by the smallest market in the league.

But Green Bay is a city with a rich football history, headlined by the Packers’ 13 NFL championships – including four Super Bowls – leading to the nickname “Titletown, USA.”

The home of the Cheeseheads is ready to host one of the NFL’s biggest events of the year outside the iconic Lambeau Field.

The NFL draft is broadcast live on television every year as millions tune in and hundreds of thousands more attend in person to revel in the hoopla of it all.

It’s a far cry from the event’s humble beginnings, when the player picked first didn’t even know it was happening and soon walked away from the game without ever earning a cent.

Two-hundred-fifty-seven players will be drafted this week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and anyone chosen in the first round – which begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday – will be set for life with guaranteed multi-million-dollar contracts. It was all very different in the first year of the draft back in 1936 when just 81 players were selected through nine rounds in the inaugural draft.

There was little doubt that University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger would go first that year. At 6-foot tall and 195 pounds, the standout player of his class had just received the first ever Heisman Trophy and been named as the Chicago Tribune’s Big 10 player of the year.

The Hartford Courant described the first draft as “no gala, more like a penny-ante poker game. Nine cigar-puffing, mogul wannabees, some of whom were paying their players with IOUs, stubbornly trying to salvage their dream of professional football.”

Berwanger told the Courant in 1994 that he was oblivious to the draft at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia.

“I found out I was drafted by reading it in the newspaper,” he said, “I didn’t even know the draft was going on.”

Philadelphia Eagles owner Bert Bell had persuaded his peers to formalize a draft in order to cease the expensive and “self-defeating” bidding wars for college players and he’d proposed that teams should choose players in reverse order from the previous season’s standings. That meant the worst team, Bell’s own 2-9 Eagles, went first and chose Berwanger, quickly dealing his rights to the Chicago Bears. The Eagles didn’t think they’d be able to afford Berwanger’s salary demands, and the Bears owner and coach George Halas soon realized he didn’t have enough money, either.

According to the Courant, the two met in the lobby of a downtown hotel in Chicago.

“He asked what I wanted,” Berwanger recalled, “and I had my tongue in my cheek. I told him, $25,000 for two years. He looked at my date and said, `Nice to have met you; have a nice time tonight.’ And that was the end of it.”

• Read more

The first round of the 2025 NFL draft will be held on Thursday, with the second and third rounds taking place on Friday and the remaining four rounds happening on Saturday.

Like years prior, the draft is set to be a huge event with fans from all across the US traveling to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to watch names being read out by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and others, with the event being held outside the famous Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.

Fans at home can watch all the picks on NFL Network and ESPN, with the first pick of the first round being made at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. Friday’s action begins at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday kicks off at noon ET.

Here’s the draft order for the first round:

1. Tennessee Titans

2. Cleveland Browns

3. New York Giants

4. New England Patriots

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

6. Las Vegas Raiders

7. New York Jets

8. Carolina Panthers

9. New Orleans Saints

10. Chicago Bears

11. San Francisco 49ers

12. Dallas Cowboys

13. Miami Dolphins

14. Indianapolis Colts

15. Atlanta Falcons

16. Arizona Cardinals

17. Cincinnati Bengals

18. Seattle Seahawks

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. Denver Broncos

21. Pittsburgh Steelers

22. Los Angeles Chargers

23. Green Bay Packers

24. Minnesota Vikings

25. Houston Texans

26. Los Angeles Rams

27. Baltimore Ravens

28. Detroit Lions

29. Washington Commanders

30. Buffalo Bills

31. Kansas City Chiefs

32. Philadelphia Eagles