After months of mock drafts and mind-numbing speculation, the NFL Draft is upon us.
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 will conclude with the final four rounds on Saturday (noon ET, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network).
Ahead of the first pick in Green Bay, Yardbarker NFL writers identify the best bet in the first round for each NFC team. (First-round draft position is in parentheses.)
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS (12) | WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona | With a host of talented running backs available in later rounds, the Cowboys can finally give CeeDee Lamb help by making McMillan their No. 2 receiver. A consensus All-American in 2024, Arizona’s all-time leading receiver averaged 1,141 receiving yards and 8.7 touchdown catches in three seasons as a Wildcat, and at 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds, he’d tower over most NFC East defenders.
NEW YORK GIANTS (3) | DE Abdul Carter, Penn State | If Cleveland, which has the second overall pick, plans on drafting QB Shedeur Sanders and CB/WR Travis Hunter, as former Browns receiver Josh Cribbs suggests, Carter should be the obvious choice with the third overall pick. The 6-foot-3, 259-pound All-American led the FBS with 24 tackles for loss in 2024 and set career marks with 68 tackles and 12 sacks in a breakout season.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (32) | Safety Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina | No safety scored higher at the NFL Scouting Combine than Emmanwori, an exceptional athlete who impressed by running 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds and finished the weekend with a perfect 10.00 RAS (Relative Athletic Score). He still needs work, but the Eagles can let him grow behind second-year cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, especially in the absence of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, whom they traded to the Texans.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (29) | CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky | A shoulder injury limited Hairston to seven games in 2024, but he had 89 tackles, six interceptions and three forced fumbles in three years at Kentucky. (Five interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, and 68 tackles came in 2023.) At 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, Hairston must bulk up, but with 4.28 speed (fastest among cornerbacks at the combine), his presence would allow the team to move Mike Sainristil to the slot and play Marshon Lattimore on the other side. — Bruce Ewing
NFC West
ARIZONA CARDINALS (16) | DL Kenneth Grant, Michigan | The Cardinals could go in a lot of directions here, but even after some upgrades in free agency, they need more help on their defensive line. Head coach Jonathan Gannon, a former DC with the Eagles, knows the importance of a great, deep defensive line. Grant (6-foot-4, 331 pounds) — a "freaky tester," per NFL.com — would be an excellent pick.
LOS ANGELES RAMS (26) | Safety Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina | The Rams need more playmakers in their secondary and Emmanwori is one of the best athletes available on defense in this class. He also has the versatility and size (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) to play close to the line of scrimmage and make an impact all over the field.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (11) | OL Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas | Tackle Trent Williams is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career, so the 49ers must upgrade their offensive line. Banks Jr. (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) can play guard or tackle, and could step into the lineup and help upgrade one of the bigger weaknesses on the roster.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (18) | Guard Tyler Booker, Alabama | The offensive line has been a massive need for the Seahawks for years, and that is especially true on the interior. Booker (6-foot-5, 321 pounds) could step into their starting lineup and help make a big impact on the running game. — Adam Gretz
NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS (10) | OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas | The Bears have placed an emphasis on fortifying the offensive line for second-year QB Caleb Williams this offseason, and Banks (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) could be the final missing piece at left tackle. The Texas product is light on his feet and has a high ceiling because of his excellent athleticism.
DETROIT LIONS (28) | EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia | If Williams falls to the end of the first round, the Lions should take a page out of Eagles GM Howie Roseman’s book and rebuild the defensive line with a Georgia Bulldog. Williams (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) has incredible upside as a pro, and he would be a great complement to Aidan Hutchinson on a defense that needs more athleticism in its pass-rush.
GREEN BAY PACKERS (23) | WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State | An injury-plagued receiver corps sidetracked the Packers in the playoffs last season, making Egbuka a great pick. Egbuka (6-foot-1, 202 pounds) is NFL-ready after recording 24 touchdowns and a school- record 205 catches at Ohio State.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (24) | Safety Malaki Starks, Georgia | DC Brian Flores will love the pick of Starks (6-foot-1, 197 pounds), who could patrol the back line of his defense. The impressive defensive back has great ball skills and loves to blitz. The Vikings must invest in a safety because Cam Bynum left in free agency and Harrison Smith is close to retirement. — Jack Dougherty
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS (15) | EDGE Mike Green, Marshall | The 6-foot-3, 251-pound redshirt sophomore soared during the predraft process and is widely considered among the best edge-rushers in this year’s class. In 2024, Green had 54 total pressures and led FBS with 17 sacks, making him a potentially valuable asset for the pass-rush-deficient Falcons.
CAROLINA PANTHERS (8) | LB Jalon Walker, Georgia | The Panthers must solve their defensive issues after ranking 32nd in total defense (404.5 yards allowed per game) last season. Walker (6-foot-1, 243 pounds) has the positional versatility — he can play on the line or as an off-ball linebacker — to play a significant role in the unit’s revival.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (9) | QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado | With few logical fits for Sanders (6-foot-1.5, 212 pounds) ahead of the Saints, this year’s QB2 could fall in their lap at No. 9 overall. New Orleans has enough holes that it can hardly go wrong with its first-round pick, but landing a potential franchise QB would be a major coup.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (19) | LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama | The Bucs might be in a prime position to select the heir apparent to 13-year veteran inside linebacker Lavonte David, 35. Per SumerSports, Campbell ranked third among nine off-ball linebacker prospects in tackles for loss rate (1.9 percent) and posted the second-lowest missed tackle rate (5.2 percent) last season. — Eric Smithling
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Much has been said about the Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver room in the offseason, but there is also still a lot to discover about the group. For one, rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden, for all the hype he’s been getting, has yet to show what he can do downfield in an official NFL game. He will get his chances soon, though, with the NFL preseason coming up for the Packers and the 2025 NFL regular season just around the corner. Meanwhile, other wide receivers like Romeo Doubs are a known factor for the Packers, as he enters his fourth season in the NFL. Still, he must be motivated to have a big season ahead, considering that he has no contract beyond the 2025 campaign. Selected in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2022 NFL draft by the Packers, the former Nevada football star is hard at work in the offseason, improving his chemistry with his teammates, most importantly with star quarterback Jordan Love. Jordan Love, Romeo Doubs connect for spectacular touchdown at Green Bay Packers training camp During a recent training camp session, Doubs beat defensive backs Javon Bullard and Evan Williams downfield and caught a pass from Love for a huge 55-yard touchdown. A slo-mo video of that play was posted by the Packers on social media, particularly on X, leaving Green Bay and football fans buzzing. Last season, Doubs finished fourth on the team with 601 receiving yards to go along with four touchdowns on 46 receptions and 72 targets. He only played in 13 games, as he missed four games due to a concussion he suffered in a Week 12 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
To say that the Boston Red Sox are keeping MLB fans and analysts on their toes this season is an understatement. Almost two months after trading the face of their franchise, Boston signed MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, to an eight-year, $130 million extension. Between trading Rafael Devers and locking Anthony up through 2034, the Red Sox have been the boldest MLB team this season by far. But will this move pay off? Fans expected Sox owner John Henry to spend money on the team during the offseason, but no one anticipated a massive mid-year pact with a rookie would occur. Anthony has only played 46 MLB games, during which he has slashed .283/.400/.428 with 19 RBIs and two home runs. While his rapid ascent through the minor league and hot start to his professional baseball career are beyond what fans could’ve asked for, Anthony’s extension is still premature from a financial perspective. With a $16.25 million AAV on his contract, the Sox have piled high expectations onto a player who recently turned 21 years old. For Anthony’s sizable and long-term commitment to be worth the investment, he should produce an annual 2.0 WAR at least and earn at least three or four All-Star, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger Awards by the end of his contract. For reference, Marcell Ozuna and Kyle Tucker received contracts within $250,000 AAV of Anthony’s contract AAV, according to Spotrac. All three achieved this criterion before they were rewarded with lucrative agreements. Weighing these standards against Anthony’s newness to MLB, it’s nearly impossible to say Boston’s decision-making was backed by more than just impulse. Somehow, Anthony isn’t the first rookie the Red Sox extended this year. With five games of baseball under his belt, Boston closed an eight-year, $60 million deal with Kristian Campbell, who was MLB’s No. 6 prospect at the time. While Campbell’s $7.5 million AAV is drastically different from Anthony’s, the Sox’s strategy to hoard young players before they’ve had enough time to prove themselves isn’t logical. Keeping Anthony off the free-agent market for the next decade may be the best risk the Sox have ever taken, or it may be one of the most expensive decisions made. Anthony must deliver the high-performance projections his contract sets for his early extension to pay off, but odds are, Boston is putting the cart before the horse.
A delicate balancing act is required for the four quarterbacks on the New York Giants' preseason roster. Veteran Russell Wilson will be the Giants' Week 1 starter against the Washington Commanders. Per the depth chart released this week, Jameis Winston is QB2 and rookie Jaxson Dart is QB3. Tommy DeVito is QB4. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the Giants have to juggle Dart's development with the ego of Winston during the preseason. Because New York prefers not to have Winston or Dart behind the third-team offensive line, DeVito is taking extra snaps from Dart at training camp so he can play mop-up duty during the preseason. "It stands to reason the Giants will want to get Dart as much playing time as possible in the preseason since they’re committed to riding Wilson as the starter once the season starts," Duggan wrote. "But the Giants also won’t want to expose Dart to getting pulverized behind the third-team offensive line, so there will be a fine line to walk with his playing time. "That has to be the only reason No. 4 quarterback Tommy DeVito remains on the roster. If the Giants are reluctant to expose Dart behind third-string linemen, and it could be viewed as insulting to make Winston play the fourth quarter of preseason games, someone needs to take those snaps." Per Duggan, Dart has taken 149 reps in training camp to Wilson's 110. The disparity in reps was why it was a surprise to see the first-round pick behind Winston on the initial depth chart. DeVito has taken 64 reps in camp that could have otherwise gone to Dart or Winston. Keeping DeVito around for the preseason serves another purpose. Keeping him on the field more during games keeps Winston healthy, something the Giants might need if their 36-year-old quarterback has an issue in the regular season.