NFL Draft Round 1 Winners and Losers: Shedeur Sanders, Giants, and a Trade Between Cleveland and Jacksonville
Players and teams who "won" or "lost" something during Thursday night's first round of the draft.
“Winners and losers” is such a subjective concept. Every team probably thinks that they are walking away winners unless things totally turned sideways and they were forced into a move they didn't want to make. With as much preparation as these franchises put in, I can't imagine anyone leaves the first round thinking they are losers.
This is more about outside perception and expectations. Expectations are usually set by others, though, not by ourselves. Don't judge yourself based on the expectations of others. That's the way general managers must feel if they are going to brave the fans, the team, and the owners after every pick.
Having said all that, let's put some of our own expectations and evaluations toward teams and players and hand out some winners and losers. Despite the aforementioned shortcomings, it's still good content and a fun process, so we won't let practicality stop us. We'll go mostly in order, starting near the top of the draft.
Winner?: New York Giants
New York got the guy who I thought was the best prospect in the draft third overall. Abdul Carter's skill is undeniable, and he also plays what's probably the most important position outside of quarterback: pass rusher.
I listed them here as a winner before the Giants traded back into the first round to take quarterback Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss. New York will be a big-time winner if Dart becomes their quarterback of the future, but the Texans (who traded back from No. 25 so the Giants could move up) got a much better deal by the measure of draft value charts. We can call Houston a winner even though they didn't make a pick.
Loser: Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville moved up from No. 5 to No. 2 to choose two-way player Travis Hunter from Colorado. Hunter isn't the issue here, as he was seen as a clear top-two prospect and should be a guy with Pro-Bowl upside. Instead, it's because Jacksonville paid a hefty price to move up, giving up an extra first-round pick of surplus value to the Browns.
We won't know who actually gets the best of these trades for years, but Jacksonville had a huge loss with this trade by the measure of the draft value charts.
Winner: Cleveland Browns
If Jacksonville is on the losing side, it makes sense that the team who heisted them would be a winner. The Browns picked up Jacksonville's 2026 first-round pick in the trade, a selection that could end up in the top 10. If that's the case, we'll look back at this as a huge boon for Cleveland, who still got their own blue-chip prospect in defensive tackle Mason Graham.
Hunter has to turn into a star for this trade to have been worth it for Jacksonville; that's a lot to put on one guy, especially one who isn't a quarterback. There are multiple paths toward this being a successful trade for the Browns, generally a sign that Cleveland got the better end of the deal.
Loser: Las Vegas Raiders
Ashton Jeanty should have won the Heisman; he was the most spectacular player in college football from a number's perspective. He will probably be a really good pro. Jeanty also plays the most replaceable position outside of special teams, a position that's been devalued leaguewide for the past decade or so.
Vegas has needs at offensive line, defensive line, cornerback, and wide receiver. Those are all premium positions, and players were available at each of the four who would have made sense at No. 6. The Raiders still have some major holes, but at least they added a big-time prospect. I just would have preferred better positional value.
Winner: Justin Fields
Fields had his chance to become the franchise guy in Chicago, and it didn't work out. While the Steelers were winning with Fields in the lineup last season, they made the switch to Russell Wilson as soon as Wilson was healthy, and Fields barely saw the field after Week 6. He now has another chance to seize a starting job, this time with the Jets, where Fields is the only reasonable starting option on the roster.
He got a major boost in the draft when the Jets locked down one of their biggest needs, filling right tackle with Missouri's Armand Membou. Membou rose up draft boards throughout the year, eventually getting to where he could have been the first offensive lineman off the board.
The Jets now have three first-round picks, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick starting on their offensive line. Fields could maybe use a few more skill players around him (let's see how the rest of the draft goes), but the Jets have put in the resources to build a solid unit in front of their new QB.
Winner: Atlanta's Pass Rush
Loser: Atlanta's Draft Capital
Like the Giants, the Falcons traded into the back portion of the first round for a second pick on Thursday night. Also like New York, Atlanta paid a big-time premium to do so. The Falcons lost the value of a first- or second-round pick depending on which draft chart you like to follow.
Like the Texans, the Rams can be called a winner here even though they didn't pick in Round 1. Los Angeles picked up that surplus value lost by Atlanta, including the Falcons' first-round pick in 2026. That pick next year is likely to be higher than LA's No. 26 pick they traded away.
The Falcons walked away with a pair of pass rushers in Georgia's Jalon Walker and Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. They could be a great duo for the next decade. Atlanta will feel the hurt if they struggle in 2025 and send the Rams a top-10 pick, though.
Winners: Offensive and Defensive Linemen
Even if the player they pick doesn't pan out, a team can almost always follow a logical strategy by drafting a lineman in the first round.
Out of the 32 picks on Thursday evening, 18 primarily play either on the offensive/defensive line or rushing the passer. Players at those premium positions made a lot of money by getting picked in Round 1, and the acquiring teams should be happy with their newest players.
Loser: Shedeur Sanders
There are a few really good players who dropped out of the first round. The end of the first round/beginning of the second round is usually a good place to find value, so there's nothing inherently wrong with falling to Friday. It's different for Sanders, though.
He was projected as high as the second or third pick to Cleveland or the Giants, and there were potential landing spots with the Raiders, Saints, Steelers, and Rams. The Giants even traded up to take a QB and skipped Sanders for Dart! Sanders likely won't last long on Friday; the Browns have the first pick of the second round and could take him, or someone could trade up with the extended time to work out a deal.
For Sanders, there has to be a degree of embarrassment; this possibility may have played a big part in him skipping the draft to have his own party. The most important thing will be where he ends up and how he reacts. This fall down the board doesn't define Sanders' career; he can still be someone's franchise quarterback. His wallet and his ego took the hit on Thursday night, though.
