The first night of the 2025 NFL Draft led to a pair of Big 12 players being selected — and a notable Big 12 star falling out of the first round.
So what happened? How did it all unfold? Why is that star on the outside looking in?
Here are the biggest takeaways from the first night of the NFL Draft from a Big 12 perspective.
HUNTER GOES HOME
Colorado wide receiver defensive back Travis Hunter went No. 2 overall. That’s what pretty much everyone expected.
It just wasn’t to the Cleveland Browns. It was to the Jacksonville Jaguars, thanks to a massive trade that went down just as quarterback Cam Ward was making his way to center stage after being selected No. 1 overall by Tennessee.
That’s not quite Robert Griffin III level, but it’s in the neighborhood. It’s a gamble for both teams. Jacksonville is giving up a lot for a player than many believe can play both ways, thus increasing his injury risk. Cleveland is risking being roasted for passing on the Heisman Trophy winner, if Hunter is the player everyone expects him to be.
But that’s the NFL Draft. There’s always risk.
Hunter was pumped. He practically bounced to center stage to get his Jags jersey. By the way, he’s from West Palm Beach, Fla., so he’s going home.
The happiest person in Jacksonville must be Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. I mean he gets to throw to this guy for the next five years — at least.
Hunter is undeniably talented. On athletic ability alone he should have gone No. 1 overall. This might end up being a steal for the Jags, if we’re being honest.
He also became Colorado’s latest first-round pick, with the last one in 2011. There were two that season — offensive tackle Nate Solder and defensive back Jimmy Smith.
T-MAC ON CAROLINA TIME
The Carolina Panthers made Tetairoa McMillian their first-round pick at No. 8 overall, a bit higher than some draft experts thought he would be selected (many Cowboys fans were desperately hoping he would fall to No. 12). But he ended up heading to Carolina where the Panthers’ quarterback situation is, well, let’s look that up.
Andy Dalton. Jack Plummer. Bryce Young.
Makes one envious of Hunter’s situation in Jacksonville. But, the upside is there should be a lot of work for McMillian in Carolina. Last year’s leading receiver was Adam Thielen and he was only able to play 10 games. The receiver situation looks no better based on the roster.
Carolina drafted a position of need, clearly. McMillian should be a starter right away. He’s every asset you could ask for from a wide receiver. But, for some reason, Todd McShay had him ranked as the No. 50 overall player?
No sir. Incorrect. McMillian has the potential to make the offense much better than a year ago. At minimum, he’ll be a great red zone target for whoever is under center.
McMillian is now in rare company, too.
SHEDEUR’S SLIDE
Much to Mel Kiper Jr’s dismay, no one selected Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the first round. And, frankly I don’t get it either.
It became one of the dominant storylines as the night progressed. Once he slipped out of the Top 10, the line of demarcation became the No. 21 overall pick, which belonged to Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are, shall we say, quarterback challenged. The roster features Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. Yeah, that’s not gonna work (no offense to EMAW Nation).
Aaron Rodgers has been flirting with them, but so far no deal.
I’m not sure Pittsburgh was the right place for Sanders to land. But I’m surprised someone didn’t try to trade into the last several picks of the first round to pick a quarterback.
Oh, wait. The New York Giants did that and picked Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. I’m sorry, but Dart isn’t better than Sanders, at least not in my view.
Sanders is a pocket passer with a quality arm, high accuracy and worked under a former NFL offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Pat Shurmur, which gives him a head start on the league. By the way, Shurmur used to work for the Giants.
Sanders is not a finished product, obviously. But he’s a first-round talent.
So, then you have to ask yourself, why? Well …
Also, this …
As someone who covered the NFL for four years, I can tell you that teams spend as much time trying to find reasons not to pick a player as they do trying to find reasons to pick a player. Some of those reasons are incredibly dumb.
This feels like one of those incredibly dumb reasons — and it feels like some team is going to get a steal on Friday.
And if there’s one thing I know, a motivated Sanders — Deion or Shedeur — is a dangerous Sanders.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
