2025 NFL draft: Prospects with first-round grades, plus comps - ESPN

How many first-round prospects are there in the 2025 NFL draft class?

You might think the answer is 32 because there will be 32 selections in Round 1 on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. But we aren't talking about how many players will ultimately be drafted in Round 1; we're talking about how many carry a true Round 1 grade.

The average draft class has roughly 15 players who are deemed «first-round talents,» though the number varies by team and scouting department. These sacred evaluations are reserved for prospects who would be Day 1 selections regardless of year, and my own guideline is whether a player would have been a first-rounder in each of the past five classes.

My first look at the 2025 class has the lowest number of true first-round grades I've ever awarded. The final list in 2024 had 18 names on it, and the 2023 list had 20. This year, we're at… 12. There is still time for things to change and that number to grow, but here are the players who deserve a first-round grade on my board right now. (Players' overall rankings are in parentheses after their names.)

Jump to position:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | IOL
EDGE | DT | LB | CB | S

One year after seeing six quarterbacks drafted in the first round, the 2025 class has zero passers with a true first-round grade. Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward would have both been ranked behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and even J.J. McCarthy in 2024.

Both Sanders and Ward are talented and have the potential to rise in the pre-draft process, but I wouldn't be comfortable calling them first-round prospects based on this season's tape. That doesn't mean they won't be drafted in the first round. In fact, it's a safe bet that both get drafted in the top