2025 NFL Draft Day 2 Grades: Saints get 'C' for passing on Shedeur Sanders, Bears get 'A+', and more

The 2025 NFL Draft began on Thursday, and teams made their first picks to make a statement for the upcoming season. The Tennessee Titans got us started by selecting Cam Ward, who is now tasked with becoming the next franchise quarterback for the AFC South team. Travis Hunter went next, and the Giants traded up to get Jaxson Dart as Shedeur Sanders slipped out of the first round.

The excitement of the first day set up Day 2 perfectly. It is in rounds 2 and 3 that teams actually build a team that can win championships. It includes names that will become future stars, and here is how all the 32 teams fared on Friday. Here are our snap grades for the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft.

2025 NFL Draft Day 2 Rounds 2 and 3 Grades by Team

Arizona Cardinals (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 47: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
• Round 3, pick 78: Jordan Burch, DL, Oregon

The Cardinals got Will Johnson, who would be a top-10 pick without his injuries, in the second round. This was a good pick for them, and they have now retooled their defense with the first two selections.

Atlanta Falcons (Grade B)

• Round 3, pick 96: Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame

The Falcons had a single pick on the second day of the draft and took safety Xavier Watts out of Notre Dame.

Baltimore Ravens (Grade B+)

• Round 2, pick 59: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
• Round 3, pick 91: Emery Jones Jr., OT, LSU

Mike Green has had off-field issues with sexual assault allegations, but he is a talented player and was selected in the second round to add further bite to the Ravens' defense.

Buffalo Bills (Grade C)

• Round 2, pick 41: T.J. Sanders, DL, South Carolina
• Round 2, pick 72: Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas

The Bills continued to primarily focus on their defense moving off the first round and did not prioritize help for Josh Allen.

Carolina Panthers (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 51: Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
• Round 3, pick 77: Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Ole Miss

The Panthers need improvements across the board, and they began Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft with a pass rusher.

Chicago Bears (Grade A+)

• Round 2, pick 39: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
• Round 2, pick 56: Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College
• Round 3, pick 72: Shemar Turner, DL, Texas A&M

The Bears did well with three picks in the second and third rounds, addressing needs on both sides of the ball.

Cincinnati Bengals (Grade A-)

• Round 2, pick 49: Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina
• Round 3, pick 81: Dylan Fairchild, IOL, Georgia

The Bengals needed to focus on defense on Day 2 and did so with Demetrius Knight Jr. in the second round.

Cleveland Browns (Grade B+)

• Round 2, pick 33: Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
• Round 2, pick 36: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
• Round 3, pick 67: Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
• Round 3, pick 94: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon

The Browns did not improve receiving options to begin with, but went with focusing on defense again before adding a running back on offense. They eventually added a tight end and a quarterback not named Shedeur Sanders.

Dallas Cowboys (Grade C-)

• Round 2, pick 44: Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
• Round 3, pick 76: Shavon Revel, CB, East Carolina

The Cowboys did not add a wide receiver in the second round, focusing on adding a pass-rushing threat to their defense.

Denver Broncos (Grade B)

• Round 2, pick 60: RJ Harvey, RB, UCF
• Round 3, pick 74: Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois
• Round 3, pick 101: Sai'vion Jones, DL, LSU

The Broncos took a running back after adding on defense on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft as they look to find a primary offensive rusher.

Detroit Lions (Grade B+)

• Round 2, pick 57: Tate Ratledge, IOL, Georgia
• Round 3, pick 70: Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Arkansas

The Lions chose to focus on protecting Jared Goff in the second round of the draft, but some more depth on defense might have been welcome.

Green Bay Packers (Grade C)

• Round 2, pick 54: Anthony Belton, IOL, NC State
• Round 3, pick 87: Savion Williams, WR, TCU

The Packers took a wide receiver first after more than two decades in the first round and followed that up with protection for Jordan Love in the second round. They then doubled down with another wideout in the third instead of getting help on defense.

Houston Texans (Grade B+)

• Round 2, pick 34: Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
• Round 2, pick 48: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
• Round 3, pick 79: Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
• Round 3, pick 97: Jaylin Smith, CB, USC

The Texans also focused on adding to the offensive options with their first picks on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft before selecting a defensive player at the end of Round 3.

Indianapolis Colts (Grade B)

• Round 2, pick 45: JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
• Round 3, pick 80: Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota

The Colts need more options on offense, but chose to focus on defense by bringing in an edge rusher to open their transactions on the second day.

Jacksonville Jaguars (Grade B)

• Round 3, pick 88: Caleb Ransaw, CB, Tulane
• Round 3, pick 89: Wyatt Milum, OT, West Virginia

The Jaguars did not pick in the second round but addressed needs on both sides of the ball with consecutive picks in the third round.

Kansas City Chiefs (Grade B)

• Round 2, pick 63: Omarr Norman-Lott, DL, Tennessee
• Round 3, pick 66: Ashton Gillotte, EDGE, Louisville
• Round 3, pick 85: Nohl Williams, CB, California

The Chiefs are rebuilding their trenches before getting any help on the backfields and went with a defensive lineman after choosing an offensive counterpart in the first round.

Las Vegas Raiders (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 58: Jack Bech, WR, TCU
• Round 3, pick 68: Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
• Round 3, pick 98: Caleb Rogers, OT, Texas Tech
• Round 3, pick 99: Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary

The Raiders got a running back and then followed up with a wide receiver. Geno Smith will have options as a starter in Las Vegas. He also got protection as the franchise focused mainly on the offensive side of the ball.

Los Angeles Chargers (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 55: Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss
• Round 3, pick 86: Jamaree Caldwell, DL, Oregon

The Chargers got some help for Justin Herbert, which should help him in his naturally expansive game. This was a move to placate their quarterback after deferring to their head coach's instincts in the first round.

Los Angeles Rams (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 46: Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon
• Round 3, pick 90: Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan

The Rams did not select in the first round and opened their 2025 NFL Draft with a tight end to help their offense before adding an edge rusher in the third round.

Miami Dolphins (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 37: Jonah Savaiinaea, IOL, Arizona

The Dolphins know they need to protect Tua Tagovailoa because he is central to their fortunes, and they prioritized the interior offensive line to open their Day 2.

Minnesota Vikings (Grade B)

• Round 3, pick 102: Tai Felton, WR, Maryland

The Vikings brought down the curtains on Day 2, adding another wide receiver option for JJ McCarthy.

New England Patriots (Grade A+)

• Round 2, pick 38: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
• Round 3, pick 69: Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State
• Round 3, pick 95: Jared Wilson, IOL, Georgia

The Patriots are adding nice pieces on offense for Drake Maye, and this draft could help them move away from the basement that they have occupied the past two seasons.

New Orleans Saints (Grade C)

• Round 2, pick 40: Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville
• Round 3, pick 71: Vernon Broughton, DL, Texas
• Round 3, pick 93: Jonas Sanker, S, Virginia

The Saints got a backup quarterback to Derek Carr but chose Tyler Shough instead of Shedeur Sanders. The future will tell whether it was the right choice, but the tape does not seem to support their bullishness on the Louisville player.

New York Giants (Grade B-)

• Round 3, pick 65: Darius Alexander, DL, Toledo

After two picks on Day 1, the Giants added only once on the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft, and that was to strengthen their defensive option in the trenches.

New York Jets (Grade A-)

• Round 2, pick 42: Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
• Round 3, pick 73: Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State

The Jets need help in many places, and they chose to get a tight end to help new quarterback Justin Fields. They added on defense in Round 3.

Philadelphia Eagles (Grade B+)

• Round 2, pick 64: Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas

The Eagles chose to focus on defense by adding a safety to open Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft, but the offense also needs some tweaking as they look to remain on top.

Pittsburgh Steelers (Grade C)

• Round 3, pick 83: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa

The Steelers added a single running back late in the third round but did not address any other options on the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft.

San Francisco 49ers (Grade B-)

• Round 2, pick 43: Alfred Collins, DL, Texas
• Round 3, pick 75: Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State
• Round 3, pick 100: Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky

The 49ers chose to go with defense to open their second day of the 2025 NFL Draft and kept up that theme throughout without getting much help on offense.

Seattle Seahawks (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 35: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
• Round 2, pick 50: Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
• Round 3, pick 92: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

The Seahawks added on both defense and offense in the second round, and they are adding nice depth to their roster. They also added Jalen Milroe as a quarterback insurance behind Sam Darnold.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Grade B+)

• Round 2: pick 53: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
• Round 3, pick 84: Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State

The Buccaneers chose to finally prioritize defense and got a defensive back with their first and second picks on the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Tennessee Titans (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 52: Oluwafemi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA
• Round 3, pick 82: Kevin Winston Jr., S, Penn State

The Titans took a quarterback to open the draft, and they complemented that with defensive pieces to begin and end Day 2.

Washington Commanders (Grade A)

• Round 2, pick 61: Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss

The Commanders added to their defense, which is their priority during the 2025 NFL Draft, and they found a good balance on the second day.