The NFL Draft is one of the most anticipated days on the sports calendar—a day when stars are born, championships are won, and dynasties are built. Each year, teams and scouts spend months preparing, hoping to find the future of their franchise. While it’s nearly impossible to predict how good a player will be before they step onto an NFL field, front offices try anyway, building formulas to spot the perfect prospect. And while general managers are under immense pressure, fans watching from the couch are never shy about critiquing their every move.
At Mamaroneck High School, football fans think they know more than the pros — all thanks to ten-minute highlight tapes. So, who do students think nailed the 2025 NFL Draft? And who completely blew it?
Many students agreed the New York Giants were clear winners. After an underwhelming season, the Giants held the third overall pick, a high second-rounder, and two third-rounders. They started strong, taking Abdul Carter—a generational edge rusher out of Penn State—at No. 3. The surprise came when they traded back into the first round for quarterback Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, a controversial pick that split the fanbase. The Giants followed up with two fan-favorite selections: Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander and Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, who stood out in the Peach Bowl against Texas.
As MHS freshman Casey Huppert (’28) puts it, “Whenever you pick up a franchise edge rusher, QB, and running back in the same draft, you’re a winner.”
Another widely praised draft came from the Baltimore Ravens, who once again turned limited draft capital into major value. They grabbed Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the late first round—a player most experts projected to go in the top 20—pairing him with Kyle Hamilton in the secondary.
Oisin Daly (’27) called Starks “the most impressive defensive player in all of college football.” The Ravens followed up with a steal in the second round: Marshall edge rusher Mike Green, who led the nation with 17.5 sacks and was widely expected to be a first-rounder. Just these two picks alone may solidify the Ravens as Super Bowl contenders.
The Seattle Seahawks also earned praise for their athletic, upside-heavy draft. After struggling with offensive line play last season, they picked North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel—the draft’s most versatile lineman.
In the second round, they grabbed South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori, possibly the most athletic player in the draft, then added Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo to give Sam Darnold another weapon.
The Seahawks flashiest pick may have been Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in round three—a raw but electric dual-threat prospect. “We’re going to look back at the 2025 Seahawks draft and understand how their roster is constructed so well,” explains Patrick Mulcahy (’28).
Not every team impressed MHS students. The Cleveland Browns were nearly unanimously viewed as the biggest losers of the draft. The trouble started early, when they traded out of the No. 2 overall pick— passing on Travis Hunter, widely seen as the best player in the draft—in favor of defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5.
Though Graham is solid, he’s hardly a franchise-changing pick. Things spiraled from there: the Browns reached for a linebacker and a backup college running back in the second round, then took Dillon Gabriel in the third—a quarterback few believe has NFL starter potential. Inexplicably, they drafted another running back, Dylan Sampson, in the fourth, and then traded up in the fifth to take Shadeur Sanders, their second QB of the draft. “A draft no one would have expected from all 31 other teams,” says Browns fan Ben Snyder (’28), “but what else can we expect from the Browns?”
As the dust settles, we’ll see which picks pan out, which become cautionary tales, and which teams get the last laugh. But if one thing is certain, it’s that the NFL Draft never goes how anyone expects—not even the experts.