Lou Pickney's Draft Insight
2025 NFL Draft Running Commentary
April 24, 2025
If you have any questions/comments, feel free to contact Lou Pickney via X, Bluesky, or email (lou@loupickney.com).
Lou (3:32 p.m. CDT): Had lunch today with my buddy Max out in west Nashville. Nice to get out of the house after spending the past few days chasing/vetting the draft week scoops.
It surprised me to see so many final mock drafts with Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan going to the Jacksonville Jaguars at #5. Perhaps it will happen, but it wasn't what I had expected.
There has been a notable late odds shift toward Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. being the betting favorite at #6.
More later.
Lou (4:58 p.m. CDT): At last check, Jeanty is still the betting favorite to go #5, yet the team with the shortest odds to draft him is the Chicago Bears. Hmm.
Welcome to opening night.
Lou (5:56 p.m. CDT): The rumor mill is in full effect right now. Unlike Monday-Wednesday of draft week, when the real intel drops tend to happen, the day-of stuff is largely nonsense and time-filler.
But this from Mary Kay Cabot caught my attention. If a local reporter is going to get a Cleveland Browns scoop, it's going to be her.
Lou (6:18 p.m. CDT): The "Tush Push" has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with some NFL people being uncomfortable with how it looks.
Don't believe anything else. These maniacs pushed from 16 to 17 (and likely soon 18) regular-season games. Safety is a relative thing when the bottom line is involved.
Lou (7:05 p.m. CDT): Why is Commissioner Goodell riding a bicycle on stage? That's a rhetorical question, mind you.
Finally, it's time for the good stuff. The Tennessee Titans are on the clock.
Lou (7:16 p.m. CDT): It's Miami QB Cam Ward to the Titans at #1 overall. Welcome to Nashville, Cam.
Lou (7:21 p.m. CDT): Trade! The Jacksonville Jaguars worked a deal with the Browns and moved up from #5 to #2.
The anticipation is that the Jags will select Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter.
Lou (7:34 p.m. CDT): It's Hunter to Jacksonville as expected for pick #2, then the New York Giants chose Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter at #3.
The New England Patriots already have their pick in for the #4 selection, apparently.
Lou (7:39 p.m. CDT): Not surprisingly, New England has selected LSU OT Will Campbell at #4. Now it gets interesting with Cleveland back on the board again, this time at #5 after the Jacksonville trade.
Lou (7:49 p.m. CDT): After trading back, the Browns selected Michigan DT Mason Graham at #5 overall.
And now the Las Vegas Raiders have drafted Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty at #6. Ultimately, the Raiders didn't have trade up to select Jeanty, and they didn't get leapfrogged by the Chicago Bears.
Lou (8:04 p.m. CDT): Unexpectedly, the Carolina Panthers selected Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan at #8. Most indications suggested the Panthers would go with an EDGE rusher, but instead they selected the first pure receiver (e.g. not Travis Hunter) to come off the board tonight.
Lou (8:09 p.m. CDT): Another surprise at #9, with the New Orleans Saints drafting Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. over an anticipated EDGE rusher.
Lou (8:12 p.m. CDT): Am I watching an SNL skit? Unveiling the date of the schedule reveal like that was an odd choice.
Meanwhile, the pick is in for the Chicago Bears but we're kept waiting.
Lou (8:17 p.m. CDT): A nice tribute to Steve McMichael before the Bears selection. I like how the Green Bay crowd waited to boo the Bears until the tribute was complete.
The Bears went tight end at #10, though surprisingly it's not Penn State TE Tyler Warren (my prediction) but instead Michigan TE Colston Loveland.
Lou (8:25 p.m. CDT): At #11, the
San Francisco 49ers went defensive line with Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams, matching the late whispers that it wouldn't be offensive line there.
Lou (8:29 p.m. CDT): It's another offensive lineman off the board with the Dallas Cowboys drafting Alabama OL Tyler Booker at #12.
Lou (8:35 p.m. CDT): The surprises continue at #13, where the Miami Dolphins selected Michigan DT Kenneth Grant. There had been talk that Miami preferred offensive tackle over cornerback at #13, but instead the Dolphins went with the 331 pound Grant to shore up their interior defensive line.
Lou (8:39 p.m. CDT): With Colston Loveland off the board, the Indianapolis Colts opted for another tight end with Penn State TE Tyler Warren. This looks like good value for the Colts relative to the pre-draft anticipation that Warren was a likely top ten pick.
Lou (8:47 p.m. CDT): Nice spot for the Atlanta Falcons at #15 with so many elite EDGE prospects still on the board, and Atlanta opted for Georgia EDGE/LB Jalon Walker.
Lou (8:54 p.m. CDT): There was enough late buzz on Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen for me to project him to Miami in my final mock. But instead he was there at #16 for the Arizona Cardinals.
Lou (9:05 p.m. CDT): The expectation was that the Cincinnati Bengals would target an EDGE rusher at #17, and that happened as the Bengals selected Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart.
And now at #18, the Seattle Seahawks did what I predicted they'd do, selecting North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel.
Lou (9:14 p.m. CDT): My last decision before freezing my final 2025 mock was keeping Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka, who I thought would be there at #29 for the Washington Commanders. Instead, Egbuka goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at #19.
Lou (9:22 p.m. CDT): For all the talk of the Denver Broncos targeting a running back at #20, the Broncos instead took a player I thought would be gone by now: Texas CB Jahdae Barron.
Lou (9:26 p.m. CDT): Quite the build-up to the #21 pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the possibility of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, but instead the Steelers selected Oregon DT Derrick Harmon.
The expectation was defensive tackle for Pittsburgh if they didn't take Sanders, so that part didn't surprise me with Harmon being the selection.
Lou (9:36 p.m. CDT): I wondered where North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton might end up when he didn't go to Denver at #20, and we got the answer two picks later as Hampton was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers at #22.
And now the Green Bay Packers are on the clock. Hyped for the crowd pop.
Lou (9:47 p.m. CDT): What an atmosphere in Green Bay for the Packers selecting Texas WR Matthew Golden at #23. It reminded me of how Pete Rozelle used to announce the position first before the name back in the old days.
I like the way they do it now better, but it worked great here to get a reaction with the "For the first time since 2002" setup.
Lou (9:52 p.m. CDT): The Minnesota Vikings went offensive line at #24, drafting Ohio State OL Donovan Jackson. I had thought the Vikings would go for a safety there, but instead it's the versatile Jackson going to Minnesota.
And here's a trade-up by the New York Giants to #25. This should be interesting.
Lou (10:00 p.m. CDT): The Giants traded up to #25 to get a quarterback, but it's Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart.
And now here's the Atlanta Falcons showing back up after a trade with the Los Angeles Rams at #26.
Lou (10:05 p.m. CDT): After going with Jalon Walker at #15, the Falcons add another pass rusher with Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr. at #26.
The Baltimore Ravens are on the clock.
Lou (10:10 p.m. CDT): As I predicted, the Ravens drafted Georgia safety Malaki Starks at #27. Quality prospect, should be a good fit in Baltimore.
Lou (10:30 p.m. CDT): At #28, the Detroit Lions went interior defensive line with Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams. Reflective of the demand for high-end defensive tackle prospects.
The Washington Commanders selected Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. at #29. I had Conerly going to Kansas City at #31 in my final mock.
My projection of Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston to the Buffalo Bills at #30 was a direct hit.
Surprisingly, the Philadelphia Eagles have traded up one spot with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lou (10:42 p.m. CDT): The Eagles moved up to get Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell. I had projected Campbell to the Falcons, but instead it's a great pickup for the defending Super Bowl champions.
Lou (10:58 p.m. CDT): The Chiefs closed out night one by drafting Ohio State OT Josh Simmons. As noted earlier, I had Conerly going to the Chiefs in my final mock, a late switch from Simmons in that spot.
Props to Nick Jacobs of KSHB-TV in Kansas City, who earned the highest 2025 score on The Huddle Report, just ahead of last year's top scorer Jason Boris.
I hit 27/32 on my predictions as far as players going in the first round. Hit enough direct predictions late to not lose face, but this was a tough year. Congrats to those who figured it out. Good night.
Lou (11:59 p.m. CDT): UPDATE- Congrats to Cory Rindone of The Huddle Report who appears to have tied Nick Jacobs based on the current scoring.
Latest info here, many thanks to Robby Esch for the great work he does with The Huddle Report.
AFC East: Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots |
New York Jets | Miami Dolphins
AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns | Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South:
Houston Texans | Indianapolis Colts |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Tennessee Titans
AFC West:
Denver Broncos |
Kansas City Chiefs | Las Vegas Raiders | Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys |
New York Giants |
Philadelphia Eagles |
Washington Commanders
NFC North:
Chicago Bears |
Detroit Lions |
Green Bay Packers |
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South:
Atlanta Falcons |
Carolina Panthers |
New Orleans Saints |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals |
Los Angeles Rams |
San Francisco 49ers |
Seattle Seahawks
