The NFL Draft never fails to deliver. And the 2025 NFL Draft was not different. There were trades, surprises, twists, and turns. Our fantasy football hopes and dreams in our dynasty leagues were made or they were dashed. Our favorite NFL teams gained hope and, hopefully, got better. Time will tell on that.

In the aftermath of the Round 1 chaos, it’s our job to recap the most important parts. And we’re going to focus on fantasy football for your dynasty rookie drafts coming up soon as that’s what is most exciting for us (if you want my take on EVERY first round pick, check out the 2025 NFL Draft Tracker located here). 

So here are the first round trades and surprises from the 2025 NFL Draft as well as thoughts on every fantasy-relevant player!

 

 

 

2025 NFL Draft Trades & Surprises: 1st Round

Jacksonville Jaguars Trade Up To 2 Overall For Travis Hunter

James Gladstone and Liam Coen are new to the Jacksonville Jaguars. And they made a big splash here with a trade-up. There were reports leading into the draft that they were infatuated with Travis Hunter as a prospect - a guy that can play both offense and defense. So, they made the big play to get him, giving up a second and fourth this year as well as a first next year.

With such a big move, we can almost certainly expect Hunter to play both ways. In fact, he said he’d rather not play at all than just play both ways. He should be a top two target right away alongside Brian Thomas 

New York Giants Trade Back Into First To Select Quarterback Jaxson Dart

With Shedeur Sanders still on the board, the Giants decide that Jaxson Dart is their guy. Sanders may be the more pro ready guy but the younger Dart is a great prospect with huge upside. 

Now he gets a chance to learn behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston while he develops into a professional. It’s worth noting that a guy like Patrick Mahomes has said that he would not be the player he is today if he had not spent time learning behind Alex Smith.

 

 

 

The Chicago Bears Select Tight End Colston Loveland Ahead Of Tyler Warren

The sports books and the mock drafts were in agreement on Tyler Warren ahead of Colston Loveland. The books especially had Warren closer to a top 10 pick with Loveland around pick 20. But that’s not how it panned out with the Bears taking Loveland at 10 with Warren falling to the Colts at pick 14.

In your dynasty leagues, where the long term outcome is the goal, it makes it difficult to rank Warren ahead of Loveland now. Not only did Loveland get selected first but he’s also the younger prospect with more upside built in. We’ll almost certainly have Loveland ahead in our dynasty rankings though Warren is also going to be a good pick. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Double Up On Slot Power With Emeka Egbuka

This is one of those picks that simultaneously makes a lot of sense and not a lot of sense. But we have to remember that most teams don’t draft for need. The Buccaneers love Chris Godwin but they know he won’t be around forever. In fact, he might not be around to start next year. 

Emeka Ebguka does a lot of things that Godwin does so they now have depth at a spot that is a focal point for this offense. 

The Los Angeles Chargers Double-Tap Running Back In the Offseason

As always, the NFL Draft is going to confuse us in fantasy football world. Everyone knows that Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman want to run the football. They tried piecing it together with JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards last year. This year they are pushing the chips. 

They signed Najee Harris. And drafted Omarion Hampton. The backfield could be split, which isn’t great for fantasy, but the Chargers will be bringing the hammer down on teams in the run game.

 

 

 

2025 NFL Draft Fantasy Football Relevant Picks

1.01 Cam Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans

The worst-kept secret was made official when the Titans took quarterback Cam Ward with the top pick. 

They already had Calvin Ridley and decided to add veteran Tyler Lockett for good measure before the NFL Draft. Ward will step in and start right away, hoping to revive the Tennessee Titans franchise. 

1.02 Travis Hunter, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

(see above)

1.06 Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders GM John Spytek joked that his son would leave the family if he didn’t take Ashton Jeanty. Well, his job atop the dad depth chart is safe because the Raiders got him. 

Jeanty is a true blue chip prospect who would have gone even earlier if he played at a more premium position. He’ll make an immediate impact and will absolutely be fantasy relevant. The question now is how high do you take him in redraft on the Raiders? 

1.08 Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

If you are looking to build the confidence for a young quarterback on the rise, especially a shorter one, drafting a big split end is a smart move. At 6’4” McMillan is a true X that can tether his foot to the line and beat the jam. 

As much as the addition of McMillan helps Bryce Young, it makes things tough on guys like Xavier Leggette, Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker, and Ja’Tavion Sanders. It’s rare for a team to have more than one or two fantasy-relevant pass-catchers.

 

 

 

1.10 Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears

(See above)

1.14 Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts

(See above)

1.19 Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(See above)

1.22 Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

(See above)

1.23 Matthew Golden, WR Green Bay Packers

Jayden Reed has never played more than 75% of the snaps in a game. Neither Romeo Doubs ro Dontayvion Wicks has had a 100+ yard receiving game in the regular season (Doubs had one in the playoffs). Christian Watson could miss the entire season. 

Josh Jacobs publicly said the Packers need a true star WR and they think Golden will be that guy. It’s the first WR they have taken in the first round since 2002. 

1.25 Jaxson Dart, QB New York Giants

(See above)

 

 

 

More NFL coverage coming your way – picks, props, and DFS content updated every week.

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