2025 NFL Draft: 5 Players Who Would Be Huge Round 1 Mistakes
In the first round of the NFL draft, teams will target potential franchise quarterbacks, prospects who can make an immediate impact in starting roles and players with tremendous upside. Clubs also want to avoid a complete whiff.
If a team misses on a first-round quarterback, it can cost a general manager and coaches their jobs and set back a franchise.
Though poor selections at other positions aren't as catastrophic in the big picture, finding a Pro Bowl or All-Pro talent over an average player or a bust can open up a Super Bowl window.
Talent evaluators will rely mostly on film to make their draft decisions, but they should take recent workouts and interviews into account to detect red flags.
Let's go back to the 2024 collegiate season, Senior Bowl practices, the NFL Scouting Combine and dig into the buzz around potential first-rounders to figure out which prospects teams should avoid on Day 1 of the 2025 draft.
G Tyler Booker, Alabama
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You can find several mock drafts with Tyler Booker listed in the first round. He's a 6'5", 352-pound powerhouse from a highly respected program.
Booker could be the second interior offensive lineman to come off the board in the draft, but his combine performance raises some concerns.
USA Today's Ayrton Ostly put Booker's workout numbers into perspective relative to other offensive linemen.
"He had the second-slowest 40-yard dash among all offensive linemen at 5.38 seconds but had by far the slowest 10-yard split at 1.96 seconds. No other prospect was slower than 1.90 seconds. He was the only offensive lineman not to clear eight feet in the broad jump. He's still considered a plug-and-play starter at guard but that lack of athleticism may limit which teams would consider using a first- or second-round pick on him."
Even though general managers shouldn't be worried about how fast a 350-pound offensive lineman runs a 40-yard dash, teams may see Booker's lack of explosivity as an issue in getting out of his stance or beating a defender to a spot.
When you juxtapose Booker's uninspiring workouts with North Dakota State product Grey Zabel's impressive showings going back to Senior Bowl week, teams should be wary of taking the Alabama product in the first round.
WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
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Following a breakout 2023 season, Luther Burden III generated buzz as a potential first-round pick going into 2024.
However, Burden didn't build on a strong year in which he caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns. He hauled 61 passes for 676 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Furthermore, Theo Wease Jr. overshadowed Burden in Missouri's passing attack for stretches of the previous campaign.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. (starts at 11:23 mark) explained why Burden isn't a first-round lock.
"He was the guy that people couldn't handle. So, you expected this year for an improvement to basically happen and, all of a sudden, Luther Burden III is a top-ten pick in the NFL Draft. Didn't happen. He was quiet in some of those games. Theo Wease Jr. was the guy they went to."
In 2024, Burden still led Missouri in catches and touchdown receptions, but he went scoreless in five consecutive outings and was essentially a no-show in a big road game against Alabama, catching three passes for three yards.
Even in a wide receiver class that lacks high-end talent, Burden shouldn't be pushed up draft boards. He's a second-rounder who's a No. 2 wideout on the pro level.
RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
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This year's running back class could feature multiple starters. That said, teams shouldn't be overzealous with prospects in a deep group.
If you're looking for a running back to sneak into the first round with Ashton Jeanty and maybe Omarion Hampton, you may want to consider a prospect who had a better showing at the combine than Kaleb Johnson.
NFL.com's Chad Reuter projected Johnson's stock to drop after the Iowa product's unimpressive combine workout numbers.
"Johnson was an effective back in Iowa's zone scheme, following blocks and bursting into the open field for big gains. Unfortunately, the 4.57-second 40 and 1.62-second 10-yard split he posted on Saturday won't help him, and he did not participate in the jumps. Johnson underwhelmed in the short-area agility drills, and he tends to clap down on the ball as a pass catcher instead of smoothly bringing it in."
Johnson has three years of film that outweigh a disappointing combine performance. He also posted gaudy rushing numbers last season, racking up 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.
However, teams looking for a ball-carrier who can produce chunk gains against defenders with the heightened speed of the pro game should not have a first-round grade for Johnson.
Johnson has the ability to carry the majority load on early downs, but he's not an exceptional playmaker in space, which will hurt his standing within a strong running back group.
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QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
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The 2025 rookie quarterback class has two first-round talents: Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Teams shouldn't reach for a need with this incoming group of signal-callers.
Some clubs may see Jaxson Dart as the third-best quarterback in the class, but that doesn't mean he's a first-round prospect.
After Senior Bowl week, one team executive addressed the first-round buzz around Dart via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"An NFC executive agreed that first-round talk is misguided, noting that Lane Kiffin's system at Ole Miss is a "mess" for incoming NFL quarterbacks and doesn't translate. That showed early in the week, with Dart looking uncomfortable calling plays in the huddle and taking snaps under center. But he improved his comfort level in later practices. The safer bet for Dart would be early Day 2, but supply and demand looms large in the quarterback market over the next three months."
Coming from a quarterback-friendly system, Dart will likely need time to adjust to the pro game. While that's typically not a major issue for a first-rounder with a fifth-year option built into a rookie contract, his learning curve could be longer than expected because of the nuanced pro-style aspects of the quarterback position.
Because of those hurdles ahead of Dart, one can make the case that he's more of a long-term developmental project than a first-round talent.
EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
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Every year, we hear about a potential first-rounder's "character concerns." This year, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and James Pearce Jr. have been the targets of such rumors.
Because Sanders plays the most important position in football, he's unlikely to slide out of the first round, and quarterback-needy teams aren't going to pass up on a prospect who can turn the franchise around.
If teams have legitimate character concerns about Pearce, it could significantly impact his stock, but let's focus on what talent evaluators can see on the field.
One general manager pointed out that Pearce relies on his physical tools a lot more than technique and struggles to recognize the complexities of run-blocking schemes.
"He doesn't fight with his hands very well right now. You see the build, and the traits, his arm length, but you see him winning with those traits alone," said one general manager via Sports Illustrated's Caleb Sisk. "He has a hard time right now recognizing pullers, shrinking space and defeating blocks in the run game."
The anonymous general manager may have a valid point in why Pearce saw a slight drop off in production over the last two years. Though he made plays this past season, recording 38 tackles, 13 for loss and 7.5 sacks, some clubs may be concerned that the Tennessee product has reached his ceiling unless he works on his technique.
With rumors about Pearce's demeanor and questionable upside, he's a high-risk pick in the first round.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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