The 2025 NFL Draft was a roller coaster of emotion for NFL and college football fans alike. Not much was set in stone beyond the top-3 picks, and even then we had a surprise team trade up to claim Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.
No storyline sucked up more oxygen over the last few days than Shedeur Sanders' unexpected skid. There was a time when he felt like a serious candidate to go No. 1 overall to Tennessee. Instead, he fell all the way to the Cleveland Browns at No. 144, which means we were a single controversial trade away from Sanders and Hunter on the same pro team.
Sanders left one year of eligibility on the table after a productive season at Colorado, which saw him finish eighth in Heisman Trophy voting. The reasons for his fall appear to be more related to his performance in interviews and his lack of participation in the pre-draft process than anything he did (or didn't) do on the football field in Boulder.
Still, if he had known he was about to be a fifth-round pick, one has to imagine Sanders ā with an NIL valuation north of $6 million ā probably would've played another year in college.
Here are the stars who, like Sanders, probably regret chasing the NFL dream a year early.
Marcus Mbow, OL, Purdue ā 154th pick to New York Giants
Marcus Mbow left Purdue with a year of eligibility left and went to the New York Giants in the fifth round, nine picks after the infamous Shedeur Sanders selection.
This is a great outcome for the Giants, who desperately need help on the offensive line. With an increasingly immobile Russell Wilson taking over Brian Daboll's offense next season, the Giants need to add youth and physicality in the trenches. At 6-foot-4 and 303 pounds, Mbow is every bit an NFL athlete. There's a path to immediate playing time.
That said, a great O-lineman probably gets double what he will receive financially in the transfer portal. The portal was especially light on quality tackles this year, so one has to imagine Mbow could've lined up a nice check from a marquee program. Even a return to Purdue (and a better performance from the Boilermakers, who finished last season 1-11) might have helped Mbow's stock.
If he cracks the Giants' rotation and earns a nice second contract, this will work out just fine. But don't be shocked if Mbow is secretly regretful of his decision to hit the NFL so soon.
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama ā 92nd pick to Seattle Seahawks
Jalen Milroe left Alabama after one season under Kalen DeBoer. He wound up in a great spot with the Seattle Seahawks. He won't get much shine as a rookie, but Sam Darnold's contract is non-guaranteed beyond this season and Drew Lock has no future in the organization. If Milroe is impressive enough, he could be Seattle's QB1 by 2026.
That said, he was a third-round pick, which is a bit jarring. The 2026 quarterback class is much stronger than the 2025 rookie crop, so Milroe would've faced more competition with a return to school. And yet, he also would've gotten his sea legs a bit more in the DeBoer scheme. Few signal-callers are more athletically gifted. He's one of the best running QBs to enter the NFL in a while. Teams just want to see improvement as a passer.
If Milroe went back to Alabama and pumped up his passing numbers (and ideally trimmed down his turnovers), there's first-round upside. He will benefit from an NFL development program, especially with a patient, well-run organization like Seattle. The Klint Kubiak offense figures to suit him well. But, with such a prominent platform in Tuscaloosa, one can't help but feel Milroe missed out on a golden opportunity.
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan ā 47th pick to Arizona Cardinals
Michigan cornerback Will Johnson slid out of the first round due to poor medicals. He only appeared in six games for the Wolverines this past season and even missed his Pro Day with a hamstring injury, but the chief concerns in NFL circles stemmed from a knee issue a couple years back.
Durability concerns are the quickest way to tank a player's stock, but Johnson lands in a favorable spot with the Arizona Cardinals. He ought to start games and factor into Arizona's defensive game plan right out of the gate. A second-round selection is nothing to scoff at, even if Johnson seems unhappy with how things played out.
"They were saying things about my knee and all that, and I haven't really dealt with it in two years, so that's definitely frustrating, but it's all good," Johnson told ESPN's Josh Weinfuss. "I'm at where I'm supposed to be and I'm just happy to be a Cardinal now. I know I'm healthy."
One has to wonder if Johnson regrets passing up the opportunity to solidify his stock with another season in Ann Arbor. That is always a risk-reward proposition ā especially for a player with an injury history ā but Johnson is probably a first-round pick in 2026 if he shows out across 12-plus games for the Wolverines.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas ā 231st pick to Miami Dolphins
After a redshirt season at Ohio State to begin his career, Quinn Ewers was the starter for three years at Texas. He was the engine behind one of college football's most explosive offenses, spreading the wealth to a stacked collection of pass-catchers in Austin.
With Arch Manning set to take over in 2025, Ewers was faced with a tough decision: transfer or go pro. He opted for the NFL Draft, going up against a weak quarterback class in hopes of boosting his stock in the pre-draft process. Ewers' slow processing and penchant for untimely turnovers (an SEC-leading 12 interceptions this past season) were marks against him, but he's a former five-star recruit with a canon attached to his right shoulder. He figured to look good in workouts.
In the end, Ewers barely snuck into the seventh round, landing with the Miami Dolphins as the 231st pick. He gets a chance to back up the injury-prone Tua Tagovailoa in one of the NFL's most dynamic offenses, so it's a reasonably good opportunity. But given the money he could've received as a top-shelf college quarterback in the transfer portal (not to mention the chance to boost his draft stock with a new program), one has to think Ewers regrets his decision to go pro.