NFL Draft 2025: Winners and Losers
Adam Martin 
The NFL draft took place over the weekend, with 257 players drafted across the three days.
It proved to be a dramatic few hours in the first major event since the Super Bowl, but Philadelphia Eagles remain the favourites with online betting sites to defend the title they won in February.
Free Bets expert, Adam Martin, has had a look at the overall weekend and had his say on some of the moves.
The NFL draft gave us all a ton of shocks and surprises over the weekend from the beginning to the end.
We saw the Jacksonville Jaguars trade up early to take Travis Hunter, and constant drama throughout the three days with the shocking fall of Shedeur Sanders.
Here we look at our three winners and losers of the draft and analyse what they did right and wrong.
Winners
New England Patriots
It’s been a while since we could say the Patriots were winners in a draft. Famously, they would make some odd decisions when former head coach Bill Belichick was around. Now there is a new regime, and a lot of these picks made sense.
With the number four pick in the first round the Patriots went for the best o-line guy in the draft. Will Campbell might not be flashy, but he will protect QB Drake Maye with everything he has. They continued their remodel of the offence by bringing in exciting Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson at pick 38.
They finished the remodel with Kyle Williams at pick 69 and Jared Wilson at pick 95. Williams is an exciting wide receiver who will work well with veteran Stefon Diggs. Wilson was the first centre to be taken in the draft and looked great at Georgia.
On day three the Patriots also added some exciting defensive pieces in the form of Joshua Farmer and Bradyn Swinson. Although the defence is decent, these guys will really bolster their ranks.
The Patriots have been in the doldrums over the last few years, but this really is the start of a new era. With new head coach, Mike Vrabel and the development of second year QB, Drake Maye, things are looking up again in New England.
LV Raiders
How can you not be excited with what the Raiders have done during this draft? A team that has been bad for many years has serious hope now. The main reason for that hope is new stud running back, Ashton Jeanty. A guy who put up insane numbers for Boise State over the last few years and will cause major problems for every defence the Raiders face. Getting him at pick six might seem high for a running back, but Jeanty is worth it.
In round two the Raiders then got themselves exciting wide receiver, Jack Bech from TCU. Bech stands at 6’2” and 215lbs. He offers the Raiders something different against what they have and will be good at contested catches.
Then with three picks in round three the Raiders boosted their ranks with some solid guys. Darien Porter went at pick 68. The cornerback from Iowa State looks an exciting prospect and one that will be starting straight away.
They then had back-to-back picks at 98 and 99 bringing in two solid offensive linemen in Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant. Both will be needed to help Jeanty in the run game.
On day three the Raiders also bought in exciting wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr from Tennessee and Defensive Tackle JJ Pegues amongst others. Thornton had a great combine, and his size and speed will be a threat against most teams. Pegues is a huge run blocker that will be a great depth piece. They are in a tough division but there is renewed hope for Raiders fans.
Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks fans went into this draft with a bit of trepidation after their off-season moves. QB Geno Smith and star WR DK Metcalf were both traded away to the Raiders and Steelers respectively. Although they got good draft capital for them, would they be able to bring in the right guys?
Fortunately for them they made a pretty good job of it. At pick 18 they managed to fix a massive need with Grey Zabel, the offensive linemen from North Dakota State. Zabel is one of the most versatile o-linemen in the draft and will be able to help instantly.
On day two they made three picks and bought in some exciting talent. Firstly, Nick Emmanwori was bought in from South Carolina at pick 35. Emmanwori is a fast, strong tackler who is a safety in the style of Kyle Hamilton.
At pick 50 the Seahawks drafted Elijah Arroyo from Miami. The tight end has struggled with injuries during his time at college, but he is an extremely athletic weapon for Sam Darnold.
Then at pick 92 they selected Alabama QB, Jalen Milroe. The most important thing for Milroe is time to develop and with Sam Darnold starting this year he will get that. Milroe is a truly exciting prospect who in time could become something special.
On day three the Seahawks made seven more picks but wide receivers Tory Horton and Ricky White both have the potential to get involved. Also, taking running back Damien Martinez in the seventh round was an absolute steal. The Miami running back isn’t the best in class but will be a good depth piece for them.
Losers
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons had a bit of an odd draft this year and it left a lot of people scratching their heads. When you look at the players they took, most people would say they did well. However, when you take the whole draft into consideration it feels that they wasted a ton of draft capital.
Their first pick at 15 was Jalon Walker. The linebacker/edge rusher hybrid was expected to go in the top ten but fell to the Falcons. The Falcons biggest need going into this draft was edge rusher, but Walker isn’t really the guy for that. There were many edge rushers they could have taken but taking this hybrid isn’t really what they needed.
After that the Falcons then traded back into the first round to get James Pearce Jr. The edge rusher out of Tennessee is a superb talent and was worthy of a first-round pick. However, the Falcons gave up their 2026 first round pick to get him. A massive overpay considering the Giants had done a similar trade back into the first before them and only gave up two third round picks.
With no second round pick the Falcons had to wait to pick 96 to draft safety, Xavier Watts. The Notre Dame safety should be a good option for the Falcons and a starter from day one. However, on day three the Falcons went and drafted another safety in Billy Bowman from Oklahoma.
All four of these guys have the potential to be really good players for the Falcons and can start straight away. However, they didn’t address inside defensive line at all, and they no longer have a first round pick next year.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are a team that on the face of it had a solid draft and sorted out most of their needs. However, when you investigate it more it feels like it will take a year or two for these guys to come good. Firstly, they picked up edge rusher, Shemar Stewart. The Texas A&M guy had very little production in college but has certain traits that NFL teams like.
After Stewart the Bengals picked up linebacker Demetrius Knight and guard Dylan Fairchild on day two. Both guys feel like they are projects that could be starters in time. Fairchild will help protect Bengals QB, Joe Burrow in time and out of the two could be special.
They then took another linebacker and offensive linemen on day three along with running back Tahj Brooks for depth. Barrett Carter, Jalen Rivers and Brooks are all depth pieces rather than starters.
All in all, the Bengals have bought in plenty of potential but are lacking in guys that will affect the team this year. Once again it will come down to Joe Burrow and his wide receivers to get them back to the big time.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are a team that needed to have a great draft but ended up with just an OK one. Given all the problems this team has with cap space, they needed to get young quickly. Bringing in Kelvin Banks Jr at pick nine was a good pick but nothing spectacular. Banks should start for them for many years but isn’t anything exciting.
In day two the Saints continued the trend of bringing in good but not great players. Tyler Shough from Louisville will be their potential starting QB next season. At 26 years old, Shough is considered an old rookie, and his talent doesn’t really merit him going at pick 40.
On top of that they bought in Vernon Broughton and Jonas Sanker in the third round to help with defensive depth. Broughton had a solid season at Texas but didn’t do anything spectacular. The same can be said for Sanker at Virginia.
On day three the Saints had five more picks which were all depth pieces rather than starters. Danny Stutsman, linebacker from Oklahoma and Devin Neal, running back from Kansas have the potential to help quickly. Overall, the Saints had an OK draft that was lacking in any real star power. They needed to do more.
While it's the off-season in the NFL, we'll be bringing you news and previews throughout the summer as training camps across the league begin.
When we do get to the season, we'll have NFL tips from Adam every week, highlighting his best bets for the biggest games.
