Grading Picks #17-32 of the 2025 Draft

Written by Garret Greenlee, Edited by Jonathan Krone

This is a continuation of our article Grading Picks #1-16 in the 2025 NFL Draft. Check out that one first for the top picks, then come back! Also, check out the video this article was based on:

In this article, we will be ranking the players picked #17 through #32. We will not grade the picks based on what the team traded to get them, but instead on just their raw performance so far. We will go over who has made an instant impact and who has failed to live up to their first-round potential.

Pick #32 – OT Josh Simmons (A+)

Josh Simmons was the Chiefs’ first-round pick in April, and I loved this pick for a few reasons. During Simmons’ final year at Ohio State, he tore his patellar tendon and subsequently fell in the draft as a result. I am a firm believer that if Simmons had not been injured during his time at Ohio State, he would currently be a New England Patriot and would have been selected where Will Campbell was at number 4 overall. I thought a healthy Josh Simmons was undoubtedly one of the best players in this class.

At the time of this article’s release, Simmons had played in just 5 games. This hasn’t been talked about too much nationally, but Simmons has missed every game since week 5 due to a personal matter. Now, from a human standpoint, we of course wish Josh Simmons the best – and hope everything is as okay as it can be – but in the time he played, he was really good and looks to be a franchise left tackle. And the only thing I worry about is health – and that’s because he fell in the draft due to injury. But when he’s on the field, he has all the makings of a future franchise left tackle. An easy A+.

Pick #31 – LB Jihaad Campbell (A)

Jihaad Campbell is up, and this is a player I absolutely loved in the pre-draft process for several reasons – and it was the combination of his size and speed, as well as his football IQ. And we’ve seen that on full display through the first half of his rookie season. And for reference – I had him at player 5 on my big board – and I actually tweeted in March – Jihaad Campbell is going to fall to a contender due to positional value and is going to be one of the best values in the draft isn’t he – and that’s largely what he’s been.

If there is one frustrating thing about the Campbell pick, it’s been the continuous attempts to try him at edge – which I don’t like – but he’s been really good in coverage and up and down in the run game. And with Campbell showing this much flash at 21 years old in coverage – I love this pick and think he will be a good player for a long time. And for the run game part – I think he’ll get better with time. The usage of Campbell has been a little frustrating – but all things considered – this should be viewed as a hit – and there’s a reason Howie Roseman is one of the best general managers in the NFL. I don’t think there’s any world where Jihaad Campbell is the 31st best player in this class. And right now – this draft grade is an A.

Pick #30 – CB Maxwell Hairston (INCOMPLETE)

Maxwell Hairston, a corner from Kentucky, was the Bills’ first-round pick, and Hairston’s career got off to an unfortunate start as he sprained his LCL in a practice before the season, which forced him to start the year on injured reserve. And because of this, Hairston didn’t make his NFL debut until after their week 7 bye.

At the time of this article’s release – Hairston has only played 110 total defensive snaps – but there’s been more good than bad, and more promise in his game than a lot of young corners across the NFL. And believe it or not, Hairston actually has 2 interceptions in the first 3 games of his NFL career. There was one play where he allowed a 38-yard touchdown on a double move to Jaylen Waddle – but it was against Jaylen Waddle of all receivers in his second career game – meaning I think that’s ok – especially considering he had an interception later in the game when Tua was targeting Jaylen Waddle again. So right now, because he’s only played 110 total defensive snaps – I think this has to be an incomplete grade – but based on what we’ve seen from him so far – if I were to give a grade – it would be an A-.

Pick #29 – OT Josh Conerly (C)

Josh Conerly, the Commanders’ offensive tackle, is up, and we know it’s been a difficult season for the Washington Commanders so far – and unfortunately, Conerly has not been an exception. Through 10 games, he is second in the NFL in pressures allowed with 32, and is also tied with Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor with the most penalties by an offensive lineman so far with 10. But even through this – there have been flashes from Conerly in his rookie season – that leads me to believe he will be fine in the long run. It was unfortunate for Conerly that he was matched up against Micah Parsons in the second game of his NFL career – that also happened to be on a primetime game – that also happened to be the worst game of his career so far. But Conerly had a really good game against the Lions in week 10 – and only allowed a single pressure on 28 pass blocking snaps – and a lot of those snaps were lined up against Aidan Hutchinson.

Coming out of Oregon, I thought Conerly may have a bit of a transition period because he was a little light for an offensive tackle – and I thought there were anchor concerns at times – but I think he will get better over the remainder of his rookie year – and there have been moments where he looks really good. Right now, this is a C, with it expected to go up.

Pick #28 – Tyleik Williams (D)

Tyleik Williams, the big defensive tackle from Ohio State, was the Lions’ first-round pick, and in the first half of his rookie season, he’s played a little over 200 snaps and has 6 tackles in 9 games. And there are a few things that can be true regarding this pick. Tyleik Williams hasn’t been great when he’s played – and that part is fair – but he’s also in a good situation for him to truly develop and maximize the player he can be in 2026 and beyond.

He’s in a really crowded defensive tackle room right now, with Alim McNeil paid near $100 million dollars – and inevitably, when he came back from injury, Tyleik Williams’ snap count was going to decrease – and it has. I also think it’s fair to say that DJ Reader – right now – is better than a 22-year-old rookie getting adjusted to the NFL – and that’s fine. Detroit is in a position where they can draft a year ahead, while still contending and having depth at a position you can never have enough depth – and that’s the defensive line. Now, when Tyleik has played – I thought he got pushed around in the run game more than you’d like – especially for a player his size – but I believe in the Lions’ vision and think he will be fine in the long run. If I had to give a grade for this pick, it would be a D.

Pick #27 – S Malaki Starks (A-)

 Malaki Starks, the talented safety from Georgia, fell to Baltimore at pick 27, and I thought this was a very Ravens pick when it was made. Starks was a very good safety prospect, and one of the big reasons he fell in the draft was largely due to positional value. And Ravens fans would acknowledge this – but Starks had a bit of a transition period in the first few games of his rookie season, which happens. The only players who seemingly don’t – or didn’t have a transition period are guys like Ja’Marr Chase, Quenton Nelson, and a few others – but you get the point.

But over the past few weeks, the light bulb seemingly clicked, and Malaki Starks has been the player he was touted as coming out of Georgia and then some. And at the time of this article’s release – in Malaki Starks’ last two games – he’s been targeted 4 times, and has allowed 2 receptions for 10 yards – and also has 2 interceptions – with an opposing passer rating of just 16.7. His teammate, all-pro safety Kyle Hamilton, also said something to the effect in a recent press conference – yeah, maybe we shouldn’t call a player a bust 7 games into their career. And I couldn’t agree more. And the Ravens are one of the best-run organizations in football for a reason. This one was simple. Just draft a good football player – and they did. Right now, this grade is an A-, though I would be shocked if this grade doesn’t go up by season’s end.

Pick #26 – EDGE James Pearce Jr. (B-)

James Pearce Jr of the Falcons is up, and like we prefaced in the intro, we are grading James Pearce – and not the 2026 first in addition to this pick. And for what it’s worth, the Falcons also drafted Xavier Watts with the 3rd round pick they got back within the Rams trade. The Falcons’ pass rush had been abysmal for not just a year or two, but years – as in half a decade plus. And midway through the 2025 season, James Pearce is actually 3rd in the rookie class in pressures – behind only Abdul Carter of the Giants, and Donovan Ezieuraku of the Cowboys – though it is worth noting, James Pearce has fewer pass rushing snaps than the two guys ahead of him.

With this pick – and even the Jalon Walker pick – the goal was for each of these guys to be in Atlanta for a long time. They were each younger rookies, with Pearce recently turning 22, and Walker being 21 for his entire rookie year. And I think there’s been several flashes from James Pearce throughout the first half of his rookie season – and that’s extremely encouraging for a 22-year-old in the trenches. The raw numbers aren’t there at the moment – but with how he is winning – I think the numbers will slowly accumulate over the back half of his rookie season – and then even more in year 2. For now, this grade is a B -, with it expected to go up.

Pick #25 – QB Jaxson Dart – (A+)

The New York Giants traded up with the Texans for quarterback Jaxson Dart, and through the first several games of his career, it looks like the Giants have their quarterback. I like Jaxson Dart a lot – and obviously, it is unfortunate with the firing of head coach Brian Daboll and what that means for the rebuild of the Giants – but Dart has looked really good at times early in his career. It’s also extremely unfortunate that both Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo went down with season-ending injuries and that Giants fans were robbed of seeing the young trio in 2025.

I think there is a bigger conversation to be had about the concussions with Jaxson Dart – as he’s been evaluated for a concussion 4 times – and has already taken over 70 hits midway through his rookie year. That is something I worry about with the long-term projection of Dart’s career – but the flashes have been there, and this is also a really difficult situation to endure for any rookie quarterback. Your number one receiver goes down, your running back goes down, and your head coach is fired. All before Thanksgiving. But Dart has played great – and in the first 7 starts of his career – has 17 total touchdowns to just 3 interceptions. He’s the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL – and with the hand he’s been dealt – I don’t know how you couldn’t give this grade anything other than an A+.

Pick #24 – OG Donovan Jackson (B+)

Donovan Jackson was the Vikings’ first-round pick, and this selection completed what was, at the time, a great off-season by the Vikings in terms of addressing the interior offensive line – especially with how their season ended in 2024. What usually gets brought up with the week 18 Lions game last year – and ultimately the Rams playoff game – is Sam Darnold, but the offensive line was also bad. And the interior offensive line was particularly bad. And what Donovan Jackson did – or what he needed to do – was help raise the floor of this team – and slide right in next to Christian Darrisaw and provide some stability for a unit that desperately needed it.

And he’s done exactly that through the first half of his rookie year. Now, like most rookie offensive linemen, he’s had some growing pains – and I think that is to be expected – but the good has far outweighed the bad – and very rarely do you hear Donovan Jackson’s name on the broadcast – which is a good thing. He’s shown flashes of moving guys in the run game – and he’s more than held his own in the pass game too. The only tricky part about this grade is – what do you give a guy – who may never be an all pro because of how selective that is along the interior offensive line – yet has been a really solid player at just 22 years old – and looks promising for that matter too? And half a year in, we give this a B+.

Pick #23 – WR Matthew Golden (C-)

Matthew Golden of the Packers is up, and one of the biggest things we’re going to hammer home with this selection so far is context. And the Packers are consistently one of the most well-run organizations in all of football – and the reason we preface the Golden grade with this – is – I trust their long-term plan with Matthew Golden. Now, having said that, there is a definite reason for Packers fans to be frustrated about this pick so far. And in the 8 games he’s played – he has just 262 receiving yards – with 4 games of 20 or less receiving yards. But on the other side of this – in games where he’s been targeted at least 4 times – well, he has 3 games with 50 or more receiving yards.

So the reason we bring all of this up is – I don’t think we should just say that – hey – Matthew Golden has been disappointing compared to Emeka Egbuka, or Tetairoa McMillan, and therefore, he’s a draft bust midway through his rookie year. I personally do not agree with the Packers’ plan so far with Golden, though I understand the long-term vision – I just think he’s a better player than the numbers suggest. I really do think he will be a 1,000-yard receiver at some point – but unfortunately, we are a ways from that at this point in time. The grade for the usage of Golden so far would probably be a D- or an F -, but midway through his rookie year, this pick gets a C-.

Pick #22 – RB Omarion Hampton (A)

Omarion Hampton was the Chargers’ first-round pick, and this was a pick I loved because of the philosophy of the team from the top down. When Jim Harbaugh took over as the teams’ head coach – it was clear they what the identity of this team was going to be for years to come – a a hard nosed team that will fight to the end, that wants to play punch you in the mouth football. And with how good Ashton Jeanty was with Boise State in 2024 – and with how much love he received in the draft process – rightfully so by the way – I thought Hampton was a bit underrated as a prospect.

And at the time of this article’s release, he’s played in just 5 games – yet has 450 yards from scrimmage, which would put him on pace for a 1,500-yard total season in his rookie year. And i think the public view of Hampton at this point isn’t ideal – largely because he didn’t have a great first 2 games in his career – both of which were primetime games – the opener in Brazil against the Chiefs, and a Monday night game in week 2 against the Raiders. But in the ensuing 3 games, he had two 125+ total yard performances, and things were starting to click before he missed some time with an ankle injury. I loved Hampton as a prospect – and he’s only played in 5 games – but I think he will be a very good player once healthy. And based on the 5 games he played, this is an A grade.

Pick #21 – DT Derrick Harmon (B)

 Derrick Harmon of the Pittsburgh Steelers is up, and there was a lot of speculation on draft night that if a certain quarterback from Colorado fell this far, they were going to take him. But they didn’t. Now, admittedly, with Derrick Harmon, I was a little lower on him than other analysts, and it’s because during his time at Oregon, I thought he spent more time on the ground than you would have liked – and I also thought he missed a lot of tackles. And I actually had Harmon one singular spot above the Steelers 3rd third-round pick – Kaleb Johnson – on my big board.

But midway through his rookie year, the flashes have absolutely been there for Harmon. And like we preface with interior defensive lineman, the stats 99% of the time are not going to be there. And for reference – Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence – both of whom were 1st round defensive tackles back in 2019 – had 2.5 sacks in their rookie years. And there’s been flashes of Harmon having very violent hands on tape – and he’s currently second amongst rookie interior defensive linemen in pressures on the year. Harmon also suffered a sprained MCL in the preseason – so maybe there was a bit of a transition period – on top of the rookie transition period when he came back from injury early on. And the flashes have been there for the 22-year-old rookie – and I think this is a sign of things to come. A B grade.

Pick #20 – CB Jahdae Barron (B-)

Jahdae Barron of the Broncos is up, and this is a pick that needs context – at least for the purpose of this article. He’s played less than 200 snaps so far – but the role the Broncos have used him in so far has been pretty interesting. Instead of having a 3 down linebacker pick up the tight end on third down – they’ve been using Jahdae Barron to cover opposing tight ends – and the results have been pretty good so far. The two biggest plays Jahdae Barron is credited with giving up – was a 31 yard play to Brock Bowers in week 10 – which i am willing to dismiss – because Brock Bowers – is well – Brock Bowers – and the other was a tipped ball touchdown to Theo Johnson against the Giants – which I would also be willing to dismiss because the ball bounced directly into Theo Johnson’s hands.

The Broncos’ pass rush this year is historic – but there’s a real scenario – that teams draft players like Jahdae Barron in the future – specifically to try and take ends out of the game – and what we could be seeing here with Jahdae Barron is the start of a new trend. He had a beautiful interception against the Cowboys when he was covering Jake Ferguson, and I think this pick will prove to be good over the course of time. He’s had relatively limited playing time so far, but I like what Vance Joseph has done with Jahdae Barron – and right now this grade is a B-, with it expected to go up.

Pick #19 – WR Emeka Egbuka (A+)

Emeka Egbuka was the Bucs’ first first-round pick, and this was kind of a surprising pick when it was made – mainly because the Bucs had a couple of good receivers on their roster already. Yes, Chris Godwin was coming off a major injury, and Mike Evans was – or is – getting up there in age – but this seemed like a position the Bucs could address later in the 2025 draft – or wait until 2026. They also had 2024 3rd round receiver Jalen McMillan – coming off of an 8-touchdown rookie season. But in the first half of Egbuka’s rookie year, he’s been incredible. He has 677 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in the first 9 games of his career – and at the time of this article’s release – is on pace for nearly 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns.

I loved Egbuka in the draft process – and thought this was the definition of drafting a good football player when the selection was made. But I will be completely honest when I say – I didn’t think the pick would look this good this fast. And I also thought there would be a bit of a log jam for him on the depth chart early in his rookie career – due to the aforementioned receivers, or at least not as many targets as he’s had. But one of the most surprising parts about Egbuka’s rookie year so far is – he’s only hauled in a little over 50% of his targets, meaning I think he can get even better. And when you are leading your draft class in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns – well, not surprisingly – this is an A+ grade.

Pick #18 – OG Grey Zabel (A+)

Grey Zabel, the talented offensive lineman from North Dakota State, is up, and this was the start of a draft class I absolutely loved for Seattle. Seattle has notoriously had poor offensive lines – and Seahawks fans know this – but this was a player I liked quite a bit because it was a floor-raising pick. And whenever teams can raise the floor of where they are – as long as you’re not taking a late second round prospect in the top 10 – then I’m going to like the pick 99% of the time. And I loved the idea of Charles Cross and Grey Zabel on the left side of the team’s offensive line.

So far, this pick is a home run. Zabel has allowed just 10 pressures on 267 pass blocking snaps – and has a pressure rate allowed of less than 4% – which is the best of any offensive lineman in this class at the time of this article’s release. And in the last 5 games, Zabel has allowed just 2 pressures on over 130 pass blocking snaps. This is a player that I liked in the draft process – but admittedly, he’s doing a lot better than I thought he would. Sam Darnold is having a tremendous year – and so is Jaxon Smith-Njigba – obviously – but there are a few unsung heroes in the Seahawks offense. And Grey Zabel is absolutely one of them. An easy A+.

Pick #17 – Shemar Stewart (F)

Shemar Stewart of the Bengals is up, and this was a pick – and ultimately a draft class I didn’t like from the start for several reasons. I had Shemar as my 31st player on my final top 150 board, and it was due in large part to him being a good athlete – and not a great football player. And unfortunately, he hasn’t played great in the limited time we’ve seen him so far in his rookie year – and that’s an understatement.

A lot of the time, he’s out of position, he’s running the wrong direction, or he’s getting moved in the run game. And there was a point in late October – due to how many interceptions the Bengals had thrown offensively – that Ja’Marr Chase actually had more tackles than Shemar Stewart to give you an idea of how bad this pick is midway through his rookie year. Obviously, we saw the contract dispute in real time this summer – and that kind of adds insult to injury with this pick – but he only has 8 pressures on 109 pass rushing snaps, and has been a net negative for the Bengals. And this was a player who had just 4.5 sacks in college – and not surprisingly – the production hasn’t picked up, while increasing the level of competition. And this grade is unfortunately an F.