Where you land matters. It may be advantageous to go to a well-run organization, but having an easier path to early playing time could be even more important. The 2025 NFL Draft came and went. All 32 NFL franchises made their series of picks, for better or worse. Now that the regular season is about a month out, I wonder if any guys who got varying degrees of overlooked in the draft will start.
Let's make one thing perfectly clear. Bona-fide blue-chippers like Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter were always going to be Week 1 starters for their respective teams. I would also say that other players such as Will Campbell and Ashton Jeanty were taken incredibly high for that reason as well. I am talking about guys where other teams made a decision to pass on them before they were picked.
Every draft story is different, but I can say for certain that for each player I am about to rattle was overlooked by at least one other team of note, if not more, or all of them in some cases... Either way, they have now arrived at their current employer, hoping to make some noise as rookies after getting passed over. It would not shock me if any of these players are starting games well before October.
Let's start with everyone's favorite fifth-round pick, a quarterback that we all love to love, or hate...
7. Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders
Against all odds, Shedeur Sanders might be in line to start games for the Cleveland Browns sooner rather than later. While I do think this is Joe Flacco's team, what happens if he ages like milk and this team stinks? For as good of a head coach as Kevin Stefanski is, he may be in self-preservation mode to stave off being fired. Since Sanders has been their most reliable backup, why not give him a shot?
Sanders may have NFL pedigree on his side, good or bad. What I do like about his game is he is an accurate passer than competed at a high level at two places that are hard to win at in Colorado and Jackson State before that. While Kenny Pickett and fellow draft classmate Dillon Gabriel being on the roster creates somewhat of a murky situation when it comes to playing time, Sanders might prevail.
If the Browns get off to something like a 1-3 start, it might be time to see what all Sanders is made of.
6. Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell
Lock it in. We are going to look back on Jihaad Campbell's career and wonder how in the hell did he fall to the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the first round?! Everybody and their brother knew he was destined for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a dozen picks earlier, until he was not... While general manager Howie Roseman had an insatiable need for Dawgs, I feel that Campbell will be replacing one.
For as much as I loved watching Nakobe Dean star at my alma mater, I would be lying to you if I thought he had a lengthy NFL career ahead of him out of Georgia. He may have been too banged up coming out of the SEC for my taste, but Campbell projects to be the newer and more suped-up version of him at middle linebacker. Why do the rich get richer? Because dumb teams never learn...
It may take a few weeks, but I think Campbell has this in the bag to be a star in Vic Fangio's defense.
5. Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Jalon Walker
My bias is showing here, but that still does not change the fact that Jalon Walker was an absolute steal out of Georgia by my beloved Atlanta Falcons. The Dirty Birds were dead-set to take James Pearce Jr. at No. 15, right up until Walker fell right into their laps. I get that Tetairoa McMillan was a great player coming out of Arizona, but why did the Carolina Panthers pass on the Salisbury native?
Right now, Walker has been relatively quiet during training camp. He has been dealing with an injury. Meanwhile, Pearce has been taking flight and wreaking havoc all over the gridiron. It helps having Leonard Floyd around as a mentor, as well as Arnold Ebiketie entering a contract year coming off the edge. Since Walker won the Butkus Award for his versatility, I will be stunned if he is not starting soon.
If the Falcons finally find themselves a pass rush, this could be one of the greatest draft steals ever.
4. New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor
Lost in what has been another newsworthy offseason for the New York Jets is the fantastic second-round pick they made. Although he was never a first-round talent coming out of LSU, tight end Mason Taylor has three things working for him in New York. That would be his inherently clutch nature, his NFL pedigree from his hall-of-fame father Jason Taylor, and above all else, a tremendous opportunity.
Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey are not going to fix the Jets overnight, but they seemed to do more right than wrong in the 2025 NFL Draft. Taking book-end tackle Armand Membou out of Missouri at No. 7 felt safe. Although I wish they could have taken tight end Tyler Warren out of Penn State instead, we have to view the Membou pick in combination with Taylor coming aboard only a round or so later.
If Taylor plays like he did at LSU, he could be a huge reason the Jets start winning those close games.
3. Washington Commanders cornerback Trey Amos
I am not ruling out Trey Amos being the steal of the entire draft. The former Ole Miss star fell to the Washington Commanders in the second round. He may have played for an offensive-minded head coach in college in Lane Kiffin, but Dan Quinn knows his defense! Furthermore, he knows what he is doing in identifying the right kind of defensive backs to play in his system. Amos will be empowered.
The other big thing I like about Amos going to the Commanders is he joins and up-and-coming team at the right time. Washington knows it has a good football team, but it remains to be seen what the Commanders' ceiling is. I think they can win the NFC East this year should the rival Philadelphia Eagles falter. Maybe it is getting to the Super Bowl? Amos will have to be a reason for that this year.
We are looking at a possible Pro Bowl player as a rookie who somehow fell into the second round.
2. Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson
Of the four potential first-round picks Michigan had coming out this past spring, I am honestly shocked that cornerback Will Johnson fell to the second round. It probably had more to do with injuries than anything, but I had him as a guy the San Francisco 49ers could have taken at No. 11. Instead, he goes to the Arizona Cardinals, a team I would not be surprised to see win the NFC West.
Not only do I think Johnson will be motivated by potentially getting passed over by San Francisco, but he gets to play for an ascending team in Arizona, one that is led by a strong defensive-minded coach in Jonathan Gannon. He may be a bit of a dork, but the guy knows ball. The other big thing I love at Johnson going to Arizona is Monti Ossenfort is proving to be an outstanding general manger already.
Johnson is probably already a starting-level player, one who may help Arizona make the postseason.
1. Baltimore Ravens safety Malaki Starks
I may have been wrong about this a month or so ago. While I will always rave about the sheer amount of football talent Malaki Starks possesses in the secondary, I felt that he might have been buried on the deepest defensive backfield's depth chart in the league. However, I think he might be asked to do even more for the Super Bowl-contending Baltimore Ravens. In a way, I think he fits perfect for them.
Getting to play alongside the likes of Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton and newcomer Jaire Alexander, they are all pro's pros who are going to take pressure off him in the defensive backfield. It was a similar sort of setup he experienced while becoming a star at Georgia. It further emphasizes that every rep counts. I am certain that Starks will make the most of them playing for John Harbaugh here.
For Starks to fall so deep into the first round, what was every other team ahead of Baltimore thinking?