2025 NFL Draft: 3 Biggest Winners Of The First Round

The first pick of the 2025 NFL Draft went as we all expected, but there were surprises throughout the rest of the first round on Thursday night in Green Bay.

3 Winners From Round 1 Of The 2025 NFL Draft

Which teams had the best nights building the future of their franchises? We take a look at winners of the first round of this year’s draft:

Cleveland Browns

The Browns traded out of the 2nd overall pick, which allowed the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up and select Travis Hunter. The haul that Cleveland received in return made them arguably the biggest winners of Thursday night’s first round, which will pay dividends both this year and next.

In exchange for moving down just three spots, the Browns not only picked up a valuable second round pick in this year’s draft (36th overall), but they also are now the owners of Jacksonville’s first round pick in 2026. Unless Jacksonville sees a huge improvement during the 2025 NFL season, it could end up being a top-15 or even top-10 selection.

With the 5th overall pick, they selected Mason Graham out of Michigan, who many had as the top defensive line prospect in this year’s class. They also own the first pick of the second round, meaning that they’ll make two picks within the first five on Day 2.

New York Giants

The Giants did what many thought they would with their top-5 pick, selecting elite pass rushing prospect Abdul Carter with the third overall selection. The choice fills a need for Brian Daboll and company who bolster their offensive front in a division filled with great quarterback play, and also add the player that some believed was the top overall talent in this year’s class.

But it was the move that they made later in the night that make them winners of Day 1 of the NFL Draft. In a trade with the Houston Texans, the Giants moved back up into the first round, acquiring the 25th overall pick in exchange for the 34th and 99th picks in addition to a 2026 3rd rounder.

Many wondered if they traded up in order to pick Shedeur Sanders. They went with a quarterback, but instead took Jaxon Dart out of Ole Miss, who they were apparently high on during the evaluation process. So not only did they select potentially the best defensive player available, but also nabbed the player who could possibly be their signal caller of the future.

Indianapolis Colts

The Bears made a somewhat shocking decision with the 10th overall pick that opened the door for the Colts. Chicago selected a tight end at the 10 spot, but it wasn’t the prospect that many believed it would be. Instead of Tyler Warren, who was widely regarded as the top tight end in the class of 2025, they instead took Coleston Loveland out of Michigan.

The Colts were likely licking their chops at the development. None of the three teams picking ahead of them had any type of glaring need for a tight end, and Indianapolis looked like they were in prime position to nab Warren.

They did, making him the 14th overall pick, and making themselves a big winner of Day 1. If Warren turns out to be the elite player as many have projected, he could end up being one of the biggest steals of the 2025 NFL Draft.