2025 NFL Draft reactions: Predicting bounce back teams and Rookies of the Year
The dust has settled from a wild 2025 NFL Draft.
Notably, James Gladstone and the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to select two-way standout Travis Hunter. Star edge rusher Abdul Carter is headed to New York, and quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a highly publicized fall to the fifth round before being picked by the Cleveland Browns during an eventful seven rounds.
Four NFL teams qualified for the postseason last year after missing out on the playoffs in 2023. Did the Jaguars, Giants, and Browns improve their chances after missing the 2024 postseason?
Paste BN Sports predicts four bounce-back teams that have the potential to make a leap this season following a successful draft in 2025.
NFL bounce back teams in 2025
Jacksonville Jaguars
New Jaguars general manager James Gladstone wasn’t bashful at all in his first NFL draft.
Gladstone gave up a significant haul to trade up to No. 2 overall to select Travis Hunter, the best overall player in the draft. Hunter is the type of talent who can start as a wide receiver and immediately become Jacksonville’s top cornerback.
The Jaguars had the NFL’s worst pass defense in 2024. Hunter gives Jacksonville’s secondary a significant boost. He played over 86% of Colorado’s offensive snaps and 82% of the team’s defensive snaps. Hunter caught 96% of his catchable passes and only accounted for three dropped passes. Pro Football Focus gave Hunter a 90.3 coverage grade, the second-highest grade for a cornerback with at least 400 snaps.
"We know he's going to be able to do both," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen told the media. "We feel that in our bones. We're going to set that up that way from a schedule, from an operations standpoint, the way that we're going to operate for him, to set him up to have the most success that he can, then help the Jacksonville Jaguars become the best version of ourselves."
Coen continued: "We want it to look like what it looked like at Colorado, and that would be pretty good for us."
Hunter is the type of talent who can be the face of Jacksonville’s franchise and energize the fanbase. The Jags might not be a playoff contender just yet, but Hunter provides a much-needed spark to the franchise and a building block for the organization.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta had a glaring hole at edge rusher. The club compiled an NFC-low 31 sacks last season. The Falcons signed edge Leonard Floyd in free agency and then doubled down on their defensive front seven at the top of the draft.
The Falcons selected Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker with the 15th pick and traded back into the first round to get Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr.
Walker was arguably the best defensive player available. He’s a tweener but has linebacker and edge rusher versatility. He won the Butkus Award as college football’s top linebacker after leading the Bulldogs with 10.5 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks. Walker had Pro Football Focus’ best pass rush grade (83) for a linebacker with over 150 pass rush snaps.
Pearce, who was first-team All-SEC after leading Tennessee in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (13), provides the Falcons with another young promising edge rusher.
“We came into this draft and wanted to make an impact on the team,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “To have impact defensive players there at No. 15 and to be able to get back in (the first round) and get another impact defensive player. Both pressure players, true pressure players, two great rushers in the SEC. That’s exciting, that’s real exciting.
Not only did the Falcons get two impact pass rushers, but they also drafted safety Xavier Watts, who was a consensus All-American in 2023 and 2024. Watt had a top-five coverage grade among all safeties in college football with at least 300 snaps last year via Pro Football Focus. He has an opportunity to start in Year 1.
New England Patriots
The Patriots prioritized offense through the first half of the draft, a year removed from having the worst offense in the AFC and finishing with the NFL’s third-lowest-scoring offense.
New England drafted left tackle Will Campbell No. 4 overall, selected running back TreVeyon Henderson in Round 2 and picked wide receiver Kyle Williams and center Jared Wilson in the third round.
The Patriots ranked 31st in pass block win rate and 32nd in run block win rate last season, per ESPN. Campbell allowed just two sacks and 18 pressures during his final year at LSU against SEC competition. Henderson averaged 7.1 yards per carry last year and 6.4 in his Buckeyes career. He’s excellent at pass protection and can catch out of the backfield.
Meanwhile, Williams finished fourth in college football with 14 touchdowns and eighth in receiving yards in 2024. He’s a vertical threat with his 4.4 40-yard dash speed. Pro Football Focus ranked Wilson as a top 10 center in run blocking and he allowed only five pressures during his final year.
Campbell is already penciled in as New England’s starting left tackle. Henderson provides the team with a solid change-of-pace back alongside Rhamondre Stevenson, while Williams is a strong candidate to start in the slot.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns traded the second overall pick, a fourth-round, and a sixth-rounder to Jacksonville in exchange for the fifth overall pick, a second-round, a fourth-round and a 2026 first-round pick. It was a substantial package for Cleveland. As a result, the Browns currently own nine picks in the 2026 draft, including two in the first round.
The Browns selected the top defensive tackle prospect in Mason Graham and got one of the top running back prospects, Quinshon Judkins, with the picks acquired in the trade. Both Graham and Judkins have a legitimate chance to start and make significant impacts in Year 1. Graham was a first-team All-American and Judkins led a talented Ohio State team in rushing yards.
In the third round they landed accomplished tight end Harold Fannin Jr, who set FBS single-season records in both receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,555) for a tight end.
However, the steal of the draft, and most polarizing, was Browns fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders. Several factors contributed to Sanders’ slide down the draft. But many believe he was the second-best quarterback prospect in this year’s class behind Cam Ward.
Cleveland drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Sanders two rounds later. Gabriel and Sanders join a quarterback room with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and an injured Deshaun Watson. Sanders, who set Colorado single-season records for passing yards, completions, attempts, touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating last year, can prove his detractors wrong if he earns the QB1 job and performs well.
If the Browns aren’t satisfied with what they see with Sanders or Gabriel as rookies, they have set themselves up nicely with two first-round picks in the 2026 draft.
2025 NFL Rookie of the Year predictions
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Travis Hunter WR/CB, Jaguars
The Jaguars already said they plan to play Hunter both ways. Expect Jacksonville to feature the No. 2 overall pick, giving him plenty of opportunities to earn the award. Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. give the Jags a dynamic receiver duo. Plus, he’s Jacksonville’s best cover corner.
“He’s a rare person, he’s a rare player but he’s also a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football were built to be challenged,” Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said. “The decision to select him was actually a statement. A statement for how we plan to move (and) who we are. We want him to be nothing more than him. Because when he is, he elevates the space around him.”
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Abdul Carter Edge, Giants
Carter was the top pass rusher in the draft. He led college football with 24 tackles for loss and his 12 sacks ranked seventh. The first-team All-American joins a Giants team that boasts edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Carter could start opposite Burns in New York’s base 3-4 defense that also stars defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Carter won’t see many double teams as he plays alongside a talented front seven.
“He’s an exceptional player. He’s got great quickness, bend (and) he’s hard to block. He played off the ball the year before. He has some instincts in that area as well. He’s smart,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “He’s got a great personality, a lot of fun to be around and he’s a good football player.”
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