Day Two of the NFL Draft is in the books, and what a day it was. This was the meat of the 2025 NFL Draft Class, which had fewer blue-chip players than the average draft but was very deep through rounds two and three. A lot of fantasy-relevant players were drafted on day two. Not every player landed in a great situation, and plenty of incumbents were hurt. Let’s take a look at some of the important winners and losers from day two.

 

 

 

2025 NFL Draft Day 2 Winners

Chase Brown, RB Cincinnati Bengals

Chase Brown was a wonderful surprise for the Bengals and a big value for fantasy football gamers in 2024. After Zack Moss’ injury, Chase Brown was a workhorse and played well while doing so. He even became a much better player in pass protection, which was one of his biggest weaknesses. But this is a story we’ve seen many times before. Running backs who were drafted on day three are frequently pushed to the side regardless of how well they’ve performed. Some stick around, but more often than not, they don’t. The Bengals not using a day two pick on a running back is great news for Brown.

Now, with the Bengals using at best a day three draft pick on a running back, Chase Brown looks to be in the clear for at least 2025. It makes sense, too. The Bengals have already dedicated the majority of their cap space to Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, so the offense isn’t a worry. Their defense, on the other hand, was dreadful in 2024 and needed to be addressed. Brown has an open pathway to another year of at least a near-workhorse role on one of the best offenses in the NFL. That’s a great place to be.

Quinshon Judkins, RB Cleveland Browns

Despite being one of the better landing spots for a running back due to the thin depth chart and great running system, the Browns drafting a running back in the second round didn’t make a lot of sense entering the NFL Draft. Using high draft capital on running backs is more of a move for competing teams. The Browns have a lot of holes and are in no position to compete currently. Quinshon Judkins was also selected before teammate TreVeyon Henderson, who was getting first-round buzz before the draft. That combined with the draft capital shows how highly the Brown’s think of him.

But, as previously mentioned, it really is a good landing spot for Quinshon Judkins. The only real depth on the team is Jerome Ford, who is a good change-of-pace back who can handle a large workload when needed, but he’s not keeping a good prospect like Judkins off the field. Judkins should immediately get the majority of the rushing opportunities for the Browns and get all of the short-yardage/goal-line work. Ford should retain the third-down snaps as he’s solid there, and Judkins isn’t, but Judkins still has the potential for 300+ opportunities as a rookie.

Mason Taylor, TE New York Jets

The son of NFL great Jason Taylor, Mason Taylor, enters the NFL as a smooth-moving tight end with solid hands and is an effective player after the catch. The Jets entered the draft with a clear hole at tight end after letting Tyler Conklin leave via free agency. They also had a need for weapons as they were lacking after Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. This is a clear case of positional need and positional talent matching up perfectly for a team.

We’ve been spoiled as of late with rookie tight ends. Adjusting from college to the NFL is tough for tight ends as they have more roles than the average player, making it difficult for rookies to produce right away. But, in recent years, we’ve seen many tight ends make instant impacts, sometimes at a high level. NFL offenses now feature tight ends of all different styles to find mismatches. With Mason Taylor’s receiving ability and the easy path to opportunity, he could surprise as a rookie. 

Kyle Williams, WR New England Patriots

Kyle Williams was a late riser through the NFL Draft process for most of the media, but it’s likely teams always liked him, and the rest of us were slow to catch up. But spending five years in college and playing for a lower program like Washington State over the last two years can do that to a player. Williams had a fairly underwhelming production profile before his final college season, but his tape stood out. Despite being a little on the thin side, Williams was able to consistently beat press coverage and was dynamic after the catch.

Few teams were more barren for weapons than the Patriots going into the draft. After swinging and missing on Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker last year, wide receiver was a massive need. The Patriots tried to lure every high-profile wide receiver to sign with them during free agency, but they were only able to add Stefon Diggs, who is 31 years old and coming off a torn ACL. Kyle Williams has an instant path to targets as he projects to start from day one with a chance to become Drake Maye’s number one target. 

 

 

 

2025 NFL Draft Day 2 Losers

Shedeur Sanders - Still Undrafted

Perhaps no player has seen his stock fall more during the NFL Draft than Shedeur Sanders. During the college season, Sanders vs Cam Ward for QB1 in the class was a serious conversation. Now we’re through three rounds, and Sanders hasn’t been drafted. We started to get rumors leading up to the draft that Sanders was having bad meetings with teams due to his attitude, but it’s always hard to parse through rumors like that. It’s clear now that those reports were true, and teams lost interest in Sanders.

It’s hard to have any faith in Sanders now. Day three quarterbacks rarely find success in the NFL. We have recent examples that say otherwise, like Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy, but they are the exception. Now, Sanders isn’t the average day-three quarterback. It’s possible that falling in the draft like this will humble Sanders, and he will work hard to bounce back. Sanders’ career isn’t over. He just has a much longer way to go now.

Luther Burden III, WR Chicago Bears

Falling to the second round of the NFL Draft is bad. Landing on a team like the Bears, who aren’t short on weapons, makes it even worse. Entering the draft, the Bears already had a great all-around wide receiver in DJ Moore, a top 8 draft pick from 2024 in Rome Odunze, and a solid tight end in Cole Kmet. Then they added Colston Loveland in the first round, who can play like a big wide receiver. This is a crowded team. It can be a good move for the Bears in terms of actual team building, but for fantasy, it’s hard to get excited.

With all this competition, it will be hard for Burden to earn enough opportunities for him to make a big difference for our fantasy teams. When there are this many high-profile weapons, at least one player is going to lose out, if not more. The Bears would have to have an elite offense to be able to support all of them. I have a lot of faith in what new head coach Ben Johnson brings to the table for improving the offense, but not that much. Burden already had red flags for how he got his college production and his off-the-field attitude, this landing spot might be the nail in the coffin for me.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB New England Patriots

Rhamondre Stevenson has been a nice find for the Patriots after they drafted him in round four of the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s played well for most of his time in New England, earning him a four-year contract extension worth up to $36 million. But, everything was not as it seemed. It’s important to know that the Patriots had a large amount of cap space, giving themselves the ability to pay Stevenson what looks like a good contract while not worrying about money. Additionally, they can easily get out of the contract after two years. Stevenson’s job wasn’t as safe as it may have seemed.

In walks TreVeyon Henderson, who the Patriots drafted early in the second round. Henderson is a dynamic playmaker both as a runner and receiver, who was possibly the best pass-blocking running back in the draft. Henderson was talked about possibly being a first-round pick, so to see him fall to the Patriots was a bit surprising, but I’m sure the Patriots didn’t mind. Henderson may not be a 20 opportunity per game player, but he will easily lead the Patriots' backfield. Stevenson is now a premium handcuff who may have some standalone value in deep leagues, which is a far cry from where he’s been.

Jaylin Noel, WR Houston Texans

Jaylin Noel was one of my favorite wide receiver prospects going into the NFL Draft. He’s a supreme athlete with solid route running, giving him the ability to easily create separation. He does most of his work from the slot but is capable of playing outside as long as he doesn’t have to face press coverage and can stretch the field from either position. Going in the third round isn’t much of a surprise, but going after the likes of Isaac TeSlaa and Pat Bryant is. Landing on the Texans, after they already drafted his former teammate Jayden Higgins, isn’t helping either.

We have to remember that sometimes the order in which players of the same position get drafted isn’t always an indication of talent. Teams can look for different things in the players they draft. So there’s some glimmer of hope there. But landing on a team featuring alpha Nico Collins, recently acquired Christian Kirk, and the aforementioned Jayden Higgins doesn’t inspire confidence. It’s important to bet on talent first, so I’m not completely out on Noel, but he has to beat out multiple players ahead of him now.

 

 

 

2025 NFL Draft Day Three Players to Watch

This is a deep draft, so there are still plenty of exciting players left, and every year we get fantasy values from day three. Puka Nacua, Bucky Irving, and Tyrone Tracy are just a few of the players drafted on day three who have made early impacts in recent history. There are running backs like Cam Skattebo, Devin Neal, Dylan Sampson, and others who were all considered possible day two picks. At wide receiver, there are a few interesting players left, like Elic Ayomanor, Jalen Royals, and Tory Horton. Stay tuned.