2025 NFL Draft Q&A: TV times, most picks, deepest position, more 

The 2025 NFL Draft is almost upon us.

Before the football world gravitates toward Green Bay, here's what you should know heading into the league's premier offseason event.

1. What is the draft schedule and how much time do teams get to make their picks?

The first round is Thursday (8 p.m. ET, NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes), followed by rounds 2 and 3 on Friday (7 p.m. ET, NFL Network, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes). The draft concludes with the final four rounds on Saturday (noon ET, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network).

Teams get up to 10 minutes to make their first-round pick, seven minutes in the second round and five minutes in third round. Teams get five minutes to make their selections in rounds 4-6 and four minutes in the seventh round. 

2. How many picks are there overall? Which team has the most?

257. The Ravens and 49ers lead with 11 selections, followed by seven teams with 10 (Bills, Browns, Chargers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Jaguars, Seahawks).

3. Which teams have the fewest?

The Vikings have a league-low four picks, with the Falcons and Commanders not far behind at five. 

During last year's draft, Minnesota traded its 2025 second-round pick to the Texans (along with two other picks) to acquire the No. 23 overall pick. Then it sent that pick (and 2025 third- and fourth-round picks) to Jacksonville to jump six spots and select edge-rusher Dallas Turner at No. 17.

The Falcons sent their third-round pick (No. 77 overall) to the Patriots during a 2024 training-camp trade for edge Matt Judon and were stripped of their fifth-round pick (No. 151 overall) for tampering after signing 2024 free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, tight end Charlie Woerner and wide receiver Darnell Mooney.

In October 2023, Atlanta traded its sixth-round pick (No. 190 overall) to the Rams for wide receiver Van Jefferson.

The Commanders parted with their third- and fourth-round picks (Nos. 93, 131 overall) in a trade with the Saints for cornerback Marshon Lattimore. They also dealt their fifth-round pick (No. 165 overall) as part of the trade that sent former first-round wide receiver Jahan Dotson to the Eagles. Washington gave the third-rounder it acquired in that deal to Houston when it traded for tackle Laremy Tunsil earlier this offseason.

4. Who are the top quarterbacks behind Miami's Cam Ward?

After beginning the draft process in a two-man race for the QB1 label with Ward (6-foot-2, 219 pounds), Colorado's Shedeur Sanders (6-2, 212 pounds) has fallen, with some even considering Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart (6-2, 223 pounds) a better pro prospect. Sixth-year senior Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough (6-5, 219 pounds) has risen on boards in recent months and could be a late Day 1 selection.

Alabama's Jalen Milroe (6-2, 220 pounds) has generated buzz as a player to watch early in the second round, where the Browns (No. 33), Giants (No. 34) or Raiders (No. 37) could pick him.

5. Who are the top skill-position players?

2024 Heisman finalists Travis Hunter (6-0, 188 pounds) of Colorado and running back Ashton Jeanty (5-9, 211 pounds) of Boise State are the top wide receiver and running back, respectively, in the class. 

Arizona junior Tetairoa McMillan (6-4, 219 pounds), Texas junior Matthew Golden (5-11, 191 pounds), Missouri junior Luther Burden III (6-0, 206 pounds) and Ohio State senior Emeka Egbuka (6-1, 202 pounds) should also be Day 1 WR picks, while North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton is expected to follow Jeanty in the first round.

Tight ends Tyler Warren (6-6, 256 pounds) of Penn State and Colston Loveland (6-6, 248 pounds) of Michigan are among the top-ranked players in the class and should be top-20 picks.

6. Best defenders?

Hunter doubles as the best corner in the class, and Penn State junior Abdul Carter (6-3, 250 pounds) is the best edge and No. 2 overall prospect, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, NFL.com and Pro Football Focus. 

Michigan junior Mason Graham (6-4, 296 pounds) is the best defensive tackle, while Georgia's Jalon Walker (6-1, 243 pounds) and Alabama's Jihaad Campbell (6-3, 235 pounds) are first-round caliber linebackers.

7. Let's give the big boys some love. Who are the best offensive linemen?

Questions about LSU lineman Will Campbell's arm length (33 inches at his pro day, per ESPN) have raised doubts about his ability to play tackle in the NFL, but few expect him to have difficulty transitioning to the interior if necessary. Campbell (6-6, 319 pounds) should be off the board within the first 10 picks, as should Missouri tackle Armand Membou (6-4, 332 pounds).

Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (6-5, 315 pounds) and Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons (6-5, 317 pounds) also graded highly in the pre-draft process and could anchor an NFL offensive line.

8. Where is the 2025 class deepest?

It's a good year to need defensive line help. Edge-rushers are bountiful, with 22 appearing in the top 100 on big boards from The Athletic's Dane Brugler, Scouts Inc. (h/t ESPN), NFL.com, Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions. Carter leads the group, and he should be followed in the first round by Marshall's Mike Green (6-3, 251 pounds), Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart (6-5, 267 pounds) and Georgia's Mykel Williams (6-5, 260 pounds).

Stewart's teammate, Nic Scourton (6-3, 257 pounds), provides depth alongside Ohio State edge-rushers Jack Sawyer (6-4, 260 pounds) and J.T. Tuimoloau (6-4, 265 pounds), three-year Ole Miss junior Princely Umanmielen (6-4, 244 pounds) and Oregon fifth-year senior Jordan Burch (6-4, 279 pounds).

We should also hear plenty of interior defensive linemen's names called. Wide receivers should be popular picks, too, with nine ranking as consensus top-100 prospects on The Athletic, Scouts Inc., NFL.com, Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions big boards. 

9. How many trades will there be, and when can we expect to hear about them?

Over the past four drafts (since 2021), 23 Day 1 first-round trades have been made, an average of 5.8 per year. The most during that span were nine in 2022, while 2021 only had three after the 49ers and Dolphins shook up the order a month before the first round.

The 2023 first-round trade between the Texans and Cardinals, in which Houston received the No. 3 pick, is the earliest Day 1 trade during that span. Chances are transactions will pick up later in Round 1, with 79.3 percent of trades occurring outside the top 10.

Interestingly, as important as quarterbacks are, teams rarely trade up for one. Of the 23 most recent first-round draft day trades, only two teams (8.7 percent) have moved up to take a quarterback. Teams were twice as likely to trade up for a cornerback and three times as likely to draft a wide receiver.

10. Who are the best players from mid-majors?

NIL deals and the transfer portal have resulted in fewer NFL-caliber players sticking with mid-majors throughout their college careers, but they still exist.

Jeanty and Green are the top prospects to emerge outside the power conferences. East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. (6-2, 194 pounds), Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals (6-0, 205 pounds) and Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (6-3, 241 pounds) also represent the mid-majors. All should be off the board by the end of Day 2.

Two FCS linemen, North Dakota State's Grey Zabel (6-6, 312 pounds) and William & Mary's Charles Grant (6-5, 311 pounds), are also worth monitoring. According to SumerSports, Zabel had a minuscule 1.8 percent pressure rate for the Bison playing every position along the line in five seasons. Per SIS, running backs averaged 3.6 yards before contact per attempt when rushing behind Grant, a fifth-year senior.