‘Twas the first day of training camp, when all through the state // not a 12 was bragging, not even actor dude, Rainn // For we have Sam Darnold, and we don’t know his fate // To get upstaged by our rivals again would bring pain.

It’s like Christmas for football fans, we’ve got injury reports, camp overreactions and a deluge of memes across our timelines already! Football season is coming. It’s already kinda here. All those offseason memes talmbout, “what I wouldn’t give to watch a TNF game between the Jags and Titans right now” is about to become a reality, buddy! We’ll see if you’ve got it in you to stick it out in a preseason game.

We probably won’t see many starters during the duration of preseason action; those appearances seem to have waned further and further over the years. What we will have, is a chance to see a lot of rookies and young players get a chance to spin. Luckily, there were some pretty interesting picks made during the draft… and not all in a good way. Many questions were addressed by each team heading into the 2025 season, but a whole host of new questions have cropped up in their place. There are Seahawks questions, but each and every team has questions and tribulations to go through.

The below list of rookies is not who I think are going to turn out to be the best players… in fact, some of these picks are interesting because I think they are strange fits! Either way, these are players that will make me tune in this summer, and possibly all season. Cue the circus music. In honor of actual football coming back to us in the 8th month of the year, here are the 8 most interesting picks in each round of April’s draft (keep an eye out for part 2: Rounds 4-7 coming soon) to keep tabs on this preseason.

ROUND 1

  • Cam Ward, Titans QB – (Pick #1) Three schools in his collegiate career, WSU legend and the first of some of these NIL top picks who moved around to find the best situation for themselves. He’s confident, aggressive and the fact that he clowned both Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in viral social media videos sets him up as a natural foil. Is he the least talked about #1 pick in a long time…? When asked about the pressure of being a franchise QB Ward had this to say: “I don’t feel no weight on my shoulders. I’m still a zero-star recruit, I just happen to be a high draft pick”. He goes on to state bluntly: “I’ll always remember what they said about me, it’ll never leave the back of my mind. It’s there every day”. That’s a CHIP on this man’s shoulders, and you love to see the competitiveness!
  • Travis Hunter, Jaguars WR/CB – (Pick #2) The youngest GM in the NFL took a huge swing with his very first draft action of his career. Jacksonville makes an aggressive move to jump out of mediocrity and provide Trevor Lawrence all the jet fuel he needs to come into all of his prodigious promise. The fact that corner was also a need on a developing defense makes this doubly interesting. Possibly the most valuable player by far, who some have prophesied could change the sport? Yeah, lemme see what’s goin on right quick 🍿. They got two of their birds, and it only took one stone: a (Glad)stone thrown with conviction behind it.
  • Mason Graham, Browns DT – (Pick #5) The 2nd-least flashy guy (outside of Cam Ward) who showed up to the draft green room in Green Bay. That’s ok, he’ll let his play speak for itself. M.G. utilizes leverage and a constant motor to stop the run. He will play next to another M.G., as Siaki Ika was supposed to with his big ahh… Is this the pick that kept Myles Garrett in Cleveland? Or is it the fact that it wasn’t going to be another top pick on a QB, but instead a trade down before this pick? The world may never know… either way, the Brownies seem determined to play ball-control football in stopping the run on defense (Graham, as well as MLB, Carson Schwesinger at the top of Round 2) and allowing more pass rush opportunities for Garrett and co. Will they ultimately regret trading down from the spot where they could’ve taken the multi-dimensional Travis Hunter?
  • Ashton Jeanty, Raiders HB – (Pick #6) In a year where Saquon Barkley is receiving all of the flowers, Vegas raises the Heisman runner-up as the highest drafted back since Barkley (2nd overall in 2018). He possesses speed, vision and balance and will assert those gifts to give this woebegone rushing attack some juice. It’s no secret that Coach Carroll covets a powerful ground attack. The young man who just gained the 2nd-most rushing yards in FBS history (trailing only Barry Sanders) should qualify for the role, in a sort of Alvin Kamara / LaDainian Tomlinson mold. In Jeanty’s words: “It’s tackle football, you know what I’m sayin’? I’d draft the guy they can’t tackle”. 👀
  • Tyler Warren, Colts TE – (Pick #14) An elite player who lined up as a Y-TE, in the slot, out wide, in the backfield, even as a wildcat QB and hell… even for one snap as a center… he’s an asset in both the run and pass game. I even heard words like Kittle tossed around when finding a pro comparison for this guy. Indy is souping up the chassis around starting QB, Daniel Jones. That’s right, I said Daniel Jones! I think he’ll have the chance to impress with the best supporting cast of his career. The Colts had the least amount of catches from TE’s last year…  Warren sliding to 14 might’ve been a preemptive godsend to Indy to make up for the Halliburton (NBA) injury.
  • Shemar Stewart, Bengals EDGE – (Pick #17) A guy whose measurables and traits outweighed his actual college production. Sam Hubbard retired, Trey Hendrickson is beefin’ with the front office, and now Cincinnati tried to put unprecedented language in the rookie QB-hunter’s contract… now Stewart and the team are at odds… who’s going to rush the passer in Cinci?! Will every game be a track meet with their highly paid QB and WR triumvirate? How truly odd it would be if this scenario ended up playing out because the Bengals wanted to start a new contract precedent.
  • Grey Zabel, Seahawks OL – (Pick #18) Versatile, agile and powerful… great traits for an outside zone offensive guard going to a team that struggled to protect their QB (3rd most sacks allowed) or run the ball (bottom-5 in rush yards) last year! All of Seattle let out a sigh of relief for this pick. Zabel posted the 3rd highest vertical jump by any offensive lineman ever at the NFL combine. He is as explosive of a guard prospect as has ever been measured. Is he the stabilizing force that the Seahawks have needed? The Steve Hutchinson to Charles Cross’ Walter Jones? I’ll believe it when I see it there, sheriff.
  • Josh Simmons, Chiefs OT – (Pick #32) A team that was coming off of back-to-back Super Bowls, was clearly feeling themselves and had sights set on history. that didn’t happen, as the Philly Eagles came in and roughed KC up. Get a blindside bodyguard for the chosen one: Pat Mahomes (who’s got a haircut 😬), and this is a new era for him. Simmons may need time to recover from an injury, but this pick could restore some power and pride to the offensive side of the ball for the NFL’s latest dynasty. I expect this team to be extremely driven this year…

ROUND 2

  • Nick Emmanwori, Seahawks S – (Pick #35) A young man who is bigger, faster and more explosive than Derwin James; he also possesses ball skills (most INTs in the SEC since the start of 2023) and plenty of confidence! In fact, his physical dimensions and metrics have surpassed so many other DB’s that the analysts at the combine moved on to comparing him to specimens like DK Metcalf (Seattle fans are familiar). Can he be Kam Chancellor (after being trained by the same guy in college)? Can he be Kyle Hamilton (destined to be coached by the same play caller in the NFL)? During his draft conference call Emmanwori mentioned that the Seahawks had stated that they think he and Hamilton are somewhat similar. If even a fraction of those comparisons, the Hawks have a HELL of a 3-safety set, joining Julian Love and Coby Bryant. Seattle traded a 27-y/o DK Metcalf and with the flexibility of the extra 2nd, reincarnated him with another player who is jumbo for his position of safety, then later in the round took a player (Elijah Arroyo) who could pitch in to help replace DK’s literal receiving production. Nick Emmanwori might be able to play anywhere on defense except interior defensive lineman. LASTLY, Sherm announces his name, as the Hawks traded way up for him, along with the NFL reveal of Nike Rivals?? Don’t even try to tell me this dude isn’t the Lisan Al-Gaib!
  • Jonah Savaiinaea, Dolphins OG – (Pick #37) Miami took a 331 lb. DT in Round 1, and now they select a 324 lb. OG to help protect QB, Tua Tagovailoa. The Fins are adding beef to try to become a more physical team, and it will come on the right side of the line (technically the southpaw’s blind side). The Dolphins have been built in such a finesse manner in the past, that things would absolutely ignite when everything was aligned and working right… the problem has been that things are rarely working all the way right. It’ll be interesting to see if this team can become a more resilient bunch when the going gets tough.
  • TreyVeon Henderson, Patriots HB – (Pick #38) They already had a couple good backs… but Nick Saban did say that this guy could have the biggest impact of any player so far 😲 a polished pass protector and future 3rd down weapon. Mike Vrabel starting off his Patriots tenure with two straight offensive players?! Somebody go and see if they cloned my man. After taking highly touted offensive tackle, Will Campbell in the top 5, New England sets out to make sure that Drake Maye is set up for (a little more) success early in his career.
  • Luther Burden III, Bears WR – (Pick #39) New head coach, Ben Johnson and his squad are really going pass game dominance or BUST here! They haven’t addressed any needs through two rounds and keep taking highly rated receiving threats (Colston Loveland at 10th overall, and now this). Burden is a Deebo / Amon-Ra St. Brown type player who can create catch-and-run yards out of the slot. Is the new HC play calling prodigy relying too heavily on the pass? Will Caleb Williams have a true breakout year with all of the weaponry at his disposal? I mean… with D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Loveland all being counted on, does Cole Kmet or Burden come off the bench. Sheesh! I thought a complimentary pass rusher could really elevate the Chicago stop unit, but Big Ben Johnson is ready to come at the whole league with an air assault! The new head coach seems bent on not letting the offense record the lowest yards per play mark in the league again, like last year.
  • Will Johnson, Cardinals CB – (Pick #47) Arizona ended the biggest draft day “slide” west of Shedeur Sanders, taking a young man who many considered at one point to be the top pure corner. I put “slide” in quotations because it only references a slide in value compared to what the amateurs think… many teams most likely knew about the red flags beforehand. I’m talkin’ more red flags than Love Island… and don’t pretend you don’t catch that reference either! Fitting that this man goes to the Red Sea. I kept seeing the description of young Will be painted out that he is a zone corner… well, ‘Zona ran man coverage schemes at a bottom-10 rate last year, so this could be a beautiful marriage. Johnson is a 6’2” corner with intelligence and ball-hawking talent (more pick-6 scores on defense than TDs given up). He is also a player who comes with both injury and speed concerns. If those prove to be of no material concern to his game, the Cards may have gotten a steal here. Arizona has been quietly building this defense in the shadows for a few years now and should not be taken lightly.
  • Elijah Arroyo, Seahawks TE – (Pick #50) Nick Saban called him “tough” and “smart”. This guy can fly down the field, run great routes, and is a decent blocker with room to improve. Capable of creating splash plays in the creases, he is the replacement for Noah Fant. How will it shake out between he and A.J. Barner? One thing we know is that Arroyo is a smooth and natural receiving threat who is willing to block. Confidence and effort should be expectations, if his draft media appearances are any indication. On some Metcalf type shii? ABC’s coverage even showed a highlight of him chasing down a defender on an INT, à la DK.
  • Nick Scourton, Panthers DE – (Pick #51) A guy who (reportedly) played at around 180 pounds in his 2024 college season as a power edge. He then (reportedly) weighed in at 157 at the combine in an impressive physical transformation. Where will he play? Interior D-line or EDGE? A mix of both? Will he be miscast? Does he know Sir Purr? Can the Panthers’ weak ahh defense (4th-worst and then dead last over the last two years) be salvaged? I’m going to start calling this guy the Riddler since I have so many questions. This organization’s motto is keep pounding, but they’ve been the ones getting pounded relentlessly ever since they let Spider-Man (Brian Burns) leave. If nothing else, a strong run game defender goes to the only team to allow more than six 100-yard rushers last season (Carolina allowed 10). Carolina even doubles up later with a more traditional finesse EDGE rusher in the 3rd (Princely Umanmielen).
  • Tre Harris, Chargers WR – (Pick #55) After taking a tone-setting runner with their first pick (Omarion Hampton), the Bolts nab an intelligent and hard-nosed perimeter threat to aid Justin Herbert in the air attack. A little bit of a trivia fact is that Harris is a player that was Malik Nabers’ HS quarterback… He is now the next in line of big-bodied wideouts to come out of Ole Miss. Will he be more A.J. Brown and DK Metcalf, or more Laquon Treadwell? He may need to step up and tag team with Ladd McConkey if Quentin Johnston continues to disappoint. Doesn’t help that veteran WR, Mike Williams abruptly retired past the midway point of July. Will Harris’ abilities be enough to help stretch this passing attack vertically, or will Los Angeles’ AFC team be hemmed into the short game again?

ROUND 3

  • Ashton Gillotte, Chiefs EDGE – (Pick #66) The Eagles won the Super Bowl over the Chiefs with a 16-pressure and 6-sack performance from their defense. The WILD thing is that Philly didn’t blitz ANY of Patrick Mahomes’ 42 drop backs 🤯 They caused that much disruption and chaos with a 0% blitz rate. Remember when the L.O.B. embarrassed the greatest offense of all-time to win a ‘ship? The Broncos then committed to becoming a tougher team and created the “No-Fly Zone” defense that went on to beat Cam Newton’s Panthers on the big stage two years later. Same vibe here, and I look forward to seeing how Kansas City reshapes itself to make another run at it. Can Gillotte overtake Charles Omenihu, Mike Danna and Felix Anudike-Uzomah to provide an effective one-two punch with George Karlaftis? He does bring power and production to the table. Good news, since KC resorted to blitzing at the 5th-highest rate last year… they had a rude awakening to seeing the light in why they need to change that. As a possibly versatile DE, does he give them more flexibility to lean into 3-4 schemes?
  • Harold Fannin Jr., Browns TE – (Pick #67) A hometown kid from Canton, OH who messed around and recorded more receptions and yards than any tight end in college football history… he was the only one ever to lead the FBS in overall receiving yardage. Will the Browns feature him and David Njoku simultaneously? is this them hedging their bets on the enigmatic Diontae Johnson? This guy may very well be the future of pass catching in Cleveland for whatever next QB ends up emerging after the fumbling of their B.M. Fannin will forever be compared to the five TE’s that were selected before him (Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, Mason Taylor, Terrance Ferguson, and Elijah Arroyo). This has the potential to be the G.O.A.T. tight end draft class 🫢
  • Darien Porter, Raiders CB – (Pick #68) When Pete Carroll hand picks a cornerback with any significant draft capital (first 5 rounds) he is usually right. Porter is a big, fast corner who possesses another unique trait that Coach Carroll has shown an affinity for: a WR turned DB. This also applies to players in the Seattle past such as Richard Sherman, Tre Flowers and Tariq Woolen who excelled in press zone coverage. It seems there is always criticism of Pete’s DB picks, as many analysts liked both Shavon Revel Jr. and Azareye’h Thomas more at this point in the process… we shall see, as we are dealing with a legendary teacher / evaluator of talent in the secondary. Carroll assembled the best collection of defensive backs of all time in Seattle, as a matter of fact.
  • Kyle Williams, Patriots WR – (Pick #69) Four consecutive scintillating selections in the third round. The New New England brass is making it a priority to support sophomore, Drake Maye in whatever way possible. They are the only team who I’ve predicted their 1st Round pick right in each of the last 3 years… they’ve made selections to address what I felt was 3 of their top 4 needs. Williams is Cougar Gold who has the speed and acceleration to stretch defenses vertically. My readers already know that I’m loyal to the soil, but like Lavar Burton: don’t take my word for it, as Steve Smith Sr. likes him, so you know he’s certified. A guy that I thought was a fit for Seattle at this point in the draft and will combine with Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker from last year and Cardi B’s new boo to form a Boston bombardment. Get your tea 🍵 ready.
  • Nick Martin, 49ers LB – (Pick #75) The Niners take a compact, tenacious and speedy off-ball linebacker who could use more seasoning. The good news is they are good at sprinkling the good stuff on with their LB core, recently housing names like the all-world Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Dee Winters. All were able to step up in a significant way at times. Some of the criticisms of Martin were surrounding his size… so SF taking physical, run stuffing DL with their first two picks (Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins) makes a lot of sense when it’s all interconnected. Even though Martin may be considered undersized, he tied for the most reps in the bench press (26) at the 2025 NFL combine 😤! San Francisco has committed to re-upping its front seven with young talent.
  • Jaylin Noel, Texans WR – (Pick #79) Noel joins his teammate, fellow Cyclone-turned-Texan and 2nd Round pick, Jayden Higgins. While Higgins may be the perimeter X-WR, Noel is an explosive, route running, slot-type wideout. With the two Iowa bros teaming up as fresh blood, and Christian Kirk arriving in free agency, C.J. Stroud will have an all-new arsenal to go along with Nico Collins. Will Tank Dell be able to make it back at some point this year? Jaylin Noel was a two-year captain who has drawn comparisons to Tyler Lockett… Houston will be hoping he can help remove the shroud of a sophomore slump with Stroud.
  • Savion Williams, Packers WR – (Pick #87) Downtown Green Bay just about exploded with cascades of brew-enhanced applause and jubilation once the Pack FINALLY selected a wideout in the 1st Round (first time in 23 years… at 23rd overall)! I know because I was there, fraternizing, jabbing at and talking ball with the nicest fans in the league. Matthew Golden has expectations to fulfill his destiny from the jump. Well, cheeseheads may have bitten off more than they can chew, as the host team doubled down on WR’s with the selection of Savion Williams here. It’ll be a dog-eat-dog competition in that position room, with a notable name or two probable to get cut or traded as the season looms. The veteran group of Watson, Doubs, Reed, Hardman and even Seattle legend Bo Melton (who was forced to move to DB) are joined by the two youngsters… and hey, competition is usually a good thing for results in a free market. We’ll see if that also applies to an air attack, and if we see J. Love’s squadron take a significant leap forward after injecting their arsenal with more talent. Either way, taking a Cordarrelle Patterson clone should bring some spice.
  • Jalen Milroe, Seahawks QB – (Pick #92) Quite possibly the most interesting pick in this entire draft, as Seattle reinvests the pick it got in trading away former QB, Geno Smith. The first Nigerian signal caller in the league? The 2nd fastest, and possibly even the fastest quarterback ever… wow. Seattle mixes it up in a way reminiscent of when they took Russell Wilson in this same round 13 years ago when they already handed out significant money to a starter type mere months earlier. This time, they take a transcendent athlete at the quarterback position who also had the most turnovers in college football last year. Even if he has the speed of Lamar and the strength of Cam Newton… can he develop into an efficient passer in the short to intermediate portions of the field? That is the huge developmental question here, and it’s a great thing that Sam Darnold DOES seem more entrenched than Matt Flynn was 13 years ago, giving this unrefined passer (Milroe) a chance to grow and form answers to those questions without immediate pressure. At the very least, new OC, Klint Kubiak (former Saints OC) may see this as an upgrade over what Taysom Hill brought to red zone packages (which New Orleans was very good at) as a threat as a passer and an electric runner. Nick Saban on his former QB at Alabama: “I’ll tell you, he’s going to give the Seahawks an element of offense that nobody else in this draft can give anybody”. Saban goes on to say that “he just needs a little refinement and consistency in the passing game, and he can be an outstanding player”. Will VR help to push him to a position where he can let the naysayers know? Get your popcorn ready for preseason with this guy…