BOULDER, COLORADO – NOVEMBER 11: Quarterback Shedeur Sanders #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries … More the ball for a touchdown against the Arizona Wildcats in the first quarter at Folsom Field on November 11, 2023 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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Throughout the 2025 NFL pre-draft cycle, insiders and executives alike have labeled this year’s class as the weakest of the bunch when it comes to top-end talent.

“I don’t recall seeing a draft that was so light in the first 10 picks,” one general manager told Dianna Russini of the Athletic.

Another league source echoed a similar sentiment by stating “Picks 4, 5, 6 and 7 can get the same player at 20 that they can get at their current slots.” This may explain why as of draft day, no first-round selections have been traded during the pre-draft process.

This hasn’t stopped teams from engaging in preliminary trade conversations as it pertains to 2025 draft capital. There was a time in the month of January and February that the Tennessee Titans dangled the notion that they would deal its top-overall pick to any desiring team, before setting its sights on Cam Ward following his Miami Hurricane Pro Day.

In the past week, news has come out about the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants taking calls from teams that want to trade for their respective second and third overall selections. According to ESPN’s Peter Shrager, “It would be for (edge rusher) Abdul Carter, (cornerback/receiver) Travis Hunter or (running back) Ashton Jeanty.”

The general consensus around this year’s first-round draft talent is that its three best players are a defensive end, a running back and a rare two-way prospect who seems to have better upside at receiver than cornerback. While each of these positions have NFL value on a week-to-week basis, the top three prospects aren’t looked at as generational talents and neither is the draft’s quarterback prospects.

Cam Ward is slotted to go first overall and by many tenured NFL scouts, he would be viewed as the sixth or seventh-best quarterback prospect from last year’s draft class. Colorado signal caller Shedeur Sanders is looked at by many NFL analysts as a second-round talent that may be forced to go in the first round because of team’s dire quarterback situations.

“There’s not a ton of touchdown makers, star corners or QB’s” Russini recalled a general manager describing to his scouts. “But it’s all about the line of scrimmage in this draft.”

There’s tremendous talent along the offensive line that many teams could get extreme value for in the first and second round. While the likes of LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell and Missouri tackle Armand Membou are slotted to go in the first eight picks, Texas tackle Kelvin Banks and Oregon tackle John Conerly are just as talented and present immense value in the teens and twenties.

While this draft has been held to the fire for its lack of top-end talent compared to years past, there’s tremendous value throughout the class that teams can cash in on from a variety of positions. Whoever drafts Sanders is getting an NFL-caliber starter who can lead a team for the next eight-to-ten years with his accuracy, smarts and toughness.

Hunter’s generational athleticism makes him one of the more talented draft prospects from this decade. His ball skills, agility and feel for the game will stamp him as a potential All-Pro player thanks to his dual-threat talent.

Then there’s the likes of defensive ends such as Carter, Marshall’s Mike Green and Oregon’s Jordan Burch. All are athletes with high motors and an ability to get after the pass-rusher with ferocity. Value from selecting them will bolster any team’s NFL defensive front almost immediately.

Lastly, the cornerback and running back classes present the most value from this year’s draft. While Hunter and Jeanty carry the torch for their respective positions, other players such as Notre Dame corner Benjamin Morrison and Central Florida running back R.J. Harvey are every-down gamers who can be impact selections in the second or third round.

Making the correct pick won’t be decided today, Friday and Saturday, but in the coming months, seasons and decades that follow. When those seasons are solidified, maybe the narrative of the 2025 draft class will look better in the light.