2025 NFL Draft Review: Day 1 Winners & Losers

Atlanta Falcons:

• Jalon Walker, S, Georgia
• James Pearce Jr., DE, Tennessee

The lack of pass rush has been a problem for the Falcons in the past few seasons, and Atlanta was aggressive to get it fixed on the opening night of the 2025 NFL Draft. Nobody expected Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker to slip to the 15th pick, but there he was, and the Falcons snatched him up. In 2025, Walker had 6.5 sacks as a part-time pass rusher, and he is a dynamic blitzer with the ability to rush from different spots.

After having Walker fall into their laps, the Falcons did not sit and wait for round two as they used next year’s first-round pick to make a huge jump back in the first round and select Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr. Pearce is coming off two excellent seasons of pass rush production in the SEC as he has 17 sacks and a plethora of pressures. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder could be a double-digit sack producer early in his pro career, and he has the upside to be one of the top quarterback hunters in the NFL. Both Pearce and Walker are NFL-ready, so the Falcons could start reaping the dividends as soon as next September. While it was an expensive night of spending draft capital, Atlanta won on the opening night and looks to have resolved a weakness that has been plaguing them for years.

Baltimore Ravens: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

In the months leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, many projections had Starks going in the top-20 picks. Starks had three seasons of rock-solid tape at Georgia to go along with rave reviews for his off-the-field character and his locker room leadership. It was a surprise when Starks slid to the 27th pick in the first round, and was there for the Ravens. Starks is a natural fit as a single high safety playing the deep middle of the field. With his instincts and intelligence, Starks is going to be a weapon for shutting down the deep part of the field. With Kyle Hamilton at strong safety, Baltimore has the makings for one of the best safety tandems in the NFL. Once again, the Ravens stayed patient and allowed a special prospect that should have gone much earlier to fall into their lap.

Philadelphia Eagles: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

Similar to the Ravens, the Eagles should not have had Campbell fall to them in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Campbell slid because of concerns about a shoulder injury, and some teams wondered if it would shorten his NFL career. However, sources from around the league at other teams said Campbell was a top-10 talent and one of the best players in the 2025 NFL Draft, regardless of position. Campbell is a phenomenal pick for Philadelphia. Campbell is a dynamic run defender with sideline-to-sideline speed and violent physicality. With his instincts, speed, and pursuit skills, Campbell is an outstanding linebacker to defend a running quarterback like Washington’s Jayden Daniels. He will also be an asset for defending the rush attack of teams like the Lions, Packers, or 49ers in the playoffs. Even though the Eagles were picking 32nd, they landed a top 10 talent that will make their team better next season.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado

The new Jaguars regime made a very bold move, trading up from the fifth pick to the second overall selection to take Hunter. Jacksonville gave up an insane amount of draft picks with their 2026 first-round pick, the 36th-overall pick this year, and the fifth-overall pick. While Hunter is a great prospect, the Jaguars are a bad football team, and they are not one wide receiver and/or cornerback away from being an elite team in the AFC. The Jaguars turned three starting players into one, or a maximum of two if Hunter can stay healthy enough to pull off being a full-time cornerback and wide receiver.

Hunter was injured every year in college, so it’s hard to believe he will be able to stay healthy and play both ways in the NFL. The Jaguars could have used those picks throughout the roster to build up a bad team, but now they need Hunter to play at a superhuman level to get an adequate return on investment. While Hunter is an excellent prospect, I think Jacksonville made a big error and gave up way too much for one player.

Washington Redskins: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon

Washington had a lot of good options in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but they took an offensive tackle who has anchor issues and problems blocking powerful defensive linemen. Conerly is a good athlete, but he struggles to anchor, and big, strong NFL defensive linemen could give him a lot of problems. That was visible on tape and at the Senior Bowl. Hence, I really don’t like Conerly matching up against the power defensive linemen in the NFC East like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Dexter Lawrence. I think Washington drafted a prospect who is a potential weak link when taking on their divisional opponents.