Shedeur Sanders was not selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. / Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I guess I was wrong about the Grizzlies not standing a chance against the Thunder. Well, sort of. Memphis took a 29-point lead before allowing OKC to stage the largest comeback in NBA playoff history.
In today’s SI:AM:
Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft went how most drafts go. There were a bunch of selections (like the Tennessee Titans selecting Cam Ward with the first pick) that had been telegraphed for weeks, but there were also a ton of surprises. Let’s dive into the most notable developments.
Depending on who you listen to, this was either a massive shock or a totally foreseeable development. Early in the draft process, Sanders’s name was thrown around as a possible top-three pick. But it eventually became clear that teams didn’t view him with the same enthusiasm as the civilian draft analysts. There are legitimate on-field reservations about Sanders, like his smaller-than-average frame, his non-elite arm strength and his tendency to abandon the pocket quickly, that outweigh positive traits like his accuracy and competitiveness. And then there are the much talked-about nonfootball concerns. Multiple anonymous team officials have bashed his attitude during pre-draft interviews, and then there’s the baggage that comes along with drafting a player whose father is as opinionated and outspoken as Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
Sanders’s drop down the draft board became the primary narrative of ESPN’s broadcast. The network repeatedly showed live shots of the Sanders family draft party in North Texas, and veteran draft analyst Mel Kiper was incredulous that he was still on the board after the Pittsburgh Steelers picked at No. 21. ESPN even displayed a graphic attesting that its own draft prediction model believed there was a 96.9% chance Sanders would be selected by the 21st pick.
Sanders will have to wait until Friday night to hear his name called, but it’s anyone’s guess which team will take him. The Cleveland Browns need a quarterback and hold two of the first four picks in the second round. The New Orleans Saints could also use a signal-caller. They’ve got the eighth pick in the second round. But slipping out of the first round also expands the list of possible suitors beyond the usual suspects. A team without a pressing need at quarterback might be more likely to jump on Sanders if they perceive him to be a bargain. The wait won’t be easy for Sanders, but at least he knows it’ll be over by the end of the night.
After Ward was selected with the first pick, everyone knew that Sanders’s Colorado teammate, the two-way stud Hunter, would be next off the board. The surprise was that he wasn’t selected by the Browns, who originally held the pick, but instead by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jags gave up a serious haul to acquire the pick, sending Cleveland the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s draft, the No. 36 pick on Friday night, a fourth-round pick this year (No. 126) and a first-round pick next year. Cleveland sent its fourth- and sixth-round picks this year to Jacksonville along with the No. 2 pick.
Hunter is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and a player who many believe is capable of being a star on both sides of the ball at the NFL level. He was widely viewed as the best player in the draft. But it’s still a risk for Jacksonville to bet so heavily on Hunter. Yes, he has off-the-charts athleticism, but he also has room to improve at both receiver and defensive back, particularly as a route runner. There’s also the added challenge of teams finding the right usage pattern to maximize his talents. Do you let him play on both sides of the ball? If you do, what’s the proper balance of snaps? Hunter’s potential is unlimited, but it’s also an unprecedented situation for the Jags.
At one point, the New York Giants had been rumored to be interested in taking Sanders with the No. 3 pick in the draft. Obviously, that didn’t happen, and their actions later in the night showed why that was never really a realistic possibility.
The Giants selected Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick, then traded back into the first round at No. 25 to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. (New York sent the 34th and 99th picks, as well as a 2026 third-rounder, to the Houston Texans in exchange for the pick.)
It was a surprise that Sanders wasn’t the second quarterback off the board, but the Giants had long been rumored to be enamored with Dart. He’s an experienced player, having been a three-year starter at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin. After a so-so sophomore season, he threw for a combined 7,643 yards with 52 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his final two college seasons. Scouts praise his athleticism and arm talent, but there are concerns about his ability to process defenses, something he didn’t have to do much in Kiffin’s straightforward offensive scheme.
In almost any other draft year, Dart wouldn’t have been a first-round pick, but this year’s quarterback class is far weaker than average. He’s going into a good situation in New York, though. Coach Brian Daboll confirmed on Thursday night that Russell Wilson will be the team’s starting quarterback this season. The Giants also have veteran Jameis Winston on the roster. That will allow Dart to develop on the bench for a year without the pressure of immediately becoming an NFL starter.
The 2024 draft was a weird one. There were a record 14 consecutive picks from the offensive side of the ball to open the night and only nine defensive players selected in the first round. That draft also saw a record six quarterbacks selected—all in the top 12 picks.
This year’s draft was more typical, though, at least in that regard. It featured either 13 or 14 defensive players in total, depending on whether you count Hunter among that group. There were eight defensive players (including Hunter) selected in the top 17.
But the 2025 draft was also out of the ordinary in a few ways. The most notable is the lack of quarterbacks selected in the first round. For just the fourth time since 2010, there were fewer than three QBs selected in the first round. It’s also just the sixth time since 1997 that only quarterback was selected with the first 24 picks of the draft.
The lack of top quarterback prospects opened the door for players at other positions, though. Two tight ends, Michigan’s Colston Loveland and Penn State’s Tyler Warren, were selected within the first 15 picks. (Loveland went to the Chicago Bears and Warren went to the Indianapolis Colts.) That’s just the third time in NFL history that has happened, and the first since 1997. As had been widely expected, two running backs were selected in the first round for just the second time since 2018, as the Las Vegas Raiders took Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and the Los Angeles Chargers selected North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton.
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
… things I saw last night:
5. Kirill Kaprizov’s buzzer beater at the end of the second period for the Wild. Minnesota went on to win and take a 2–1 series lead over the Golden Knights.
4. Chet Holmgren’s game-tying three for the Thunder. He hit five threes in the second half as OKC completed its historic comeback.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns’s nasty fadeaway for a clutch late bucket.
2. Pirates rookie Matt Gorski’s homer in his first MLB at-bat.
1. Simon Benoit’s big slap shot to win it for the Maple Leafs in overtime. It was the second straight OT win for Toronto, which now holds a 3–0 lead over the Senators.
