Liam Koch, Contributing Writer
The NFL draft concluded on Saturday, the 26th, and it was not without controversy. The first round had a few moves that raised eyebrows. Namely, the Cleveland Browns traded away their first-round pick, which everyone had them using to draft wide receiver and Cornerback Travis Hunter. However, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded two first-round picks in exchange for the second overall pick, which they used to grab Hunter. The Jaguars got the best overall player in the draft and are incredibly happy with this deal. The camera in their draft room showed everyone celebrating the trade.
The Browns might have gotten the poorer end of this deal. After trading away their star wide receiver, Amari Cooper, last season, the browns could use a difference maker to help their offense run. Instead, they decided to load up on defense and draft a defensive tackle, Mason Graham. Graham will line up with veteran Myles Garrett, making for a lethal pass rush defense. However, with how the draft ended up working out, Cleveland could have had both Hunter and his close teammate, Sedeur Sanders.
The most surprising part of the draft, and most controversial, was Sedeur Sanders. Before the draft, around the time of the combine, Sanders was projected as a first-round pick and expected to go in the top three. However, he saw his draft stock sharply fall since then. But no one could have predicted how far it would fall. Sanders was not drafted in the first round, nor the second; it took until the fifth round for the Browns to draft him. Five quarterbacks were drafted before him.
Two quarterbacks went in the first round: Cam Ward, who everyone knew was going first, and Jaxson Dart, whom the NY Giants traded up for. The Giants had a strong first round, picking up Abdul Carter and a young QB to be mentored by their veteran talent. But even the Browns picked up a different QB before Sanders. Now the Browns have a loaded quarterback room with five total people. Sanders is likely the best of these quarterbacks, and the Browns got him for incredibly cheap.
The most surprising part of this is the Steelers’ passing on Sanders, instead, they got a late quarterback in Will Howard, the quarterback of Ohio State, who is coming off winning the College Football Championship. The Steelers have been needing a quarterback all offseason and have been hoping to acquire Aaron Rodgers. However, they picked up a great player who should be able to fit well into an already strong team. Now it’s a question of whether they bring Rodgers in to train the young player or not.
The rest of the draft went smoothly with some fun moments. For the first time since 2005, the Green Bay Packers picked a wide receiver in the first round who was met with a ton of love from the city. He was cheered by the massive crowd when he came out. Also, Patriots pick, Will Campbell has become instantly beloved in New England after he said he would “Fight and die” to protect their quarterback.
Overall, the 2025 NFL draft has provided some great moments for young players, however, it is not without controversy, and Sanders plans to strike back and get his revenge for the disrespect he received from the NFL.
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