After grading all the picks at the top of this year’s draft, we move on to the bottom half of the first round.
17. Cincinnati Bengals – Shemar Stewart, ED, Texas A&M
The Bengals are beyond desperate for help in the front seven, and they take an athletic freak to line up opposite of Trey Hendrickson (for now). Stewart has a lot of development needed before he makes much of an impact, but the hope is he can be a good run defender while he develops as a pass rusher. You can’t fault the Bengals for taking a swing, but the risk is too high for my liking
Grade: C+
18. Seattle Seahawks – Grey Zabel, OG, North Dakota State
One year after being on record calling interior offensive the most overpaid and overdrafted position in the league, Seahawks general manager John Schneider went against his own advice and took a guard in the first round. Coming off a season that was derailed in large part due to that position, it’s easy to see why he changed his mind. Zabel is a really nice prospect with a ton of versatility, and this was one of my favorite picks of the draft.
Grade: A
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
One of the more surprising picks of the night, Tampa Bay opted not to help a much maligned defense, instead adding to an already good group of receivers. Evans and Godwin are getting older and Jalen McMillan is more of a complimentary weapon, so it makes sense that they would want to get younger. Egbuka is a rock solid player who does all the little things. The exact upside remains to be seen, but he should be a really good player for a long time.
Grade: B-
20. Denver Broncos – Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
Everyone was expecting Denver to take an offensive weapon here, but Barron makes a ton of sense for this defense. Patrick Surtain is obviously a stud, and adding a player with inside/outside flexibility gives them more room to be creative with how they use him. The skill position classes are much deeper than cornerback as well, so there will be plenty of time to help the offense.
Grade: A-
21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
This pick fills a big need for Pittsburgh who really struggled to stop the run at times last year. Harmon isn’t the most exciting prospect, but he does everything well enough to be out there on all three downs. The defensive tackle class is incredibly deep, making me question if they really needed to do this in round one. And the question still remains, who will play quarterback for the Steelers in 2025?
Grade: C+
22. Los Angeles Chargers – Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
We know that Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman want to run the ball, but they didn’t have the running backs to have an efficient rushing game in 2024. They already signed Najee Harris, and now they have a true bellcow back in Omarion Hampton. Once again, people will bring up positional value, but there’s a time and place to go against conventional wisdom. I think the Chargers got this one right.
Grade: B+
23. Green Bay Packers – Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
The Packers have been talking all off-season about needing a true number one wide receiver, and they put their money where their mouth is with this pick. I’m not totally sold on Golden being that type of player, but he’s still a really good player at a position of need.
Grade: B
24. Minnesota Vikings – Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State
This might not get Vikings fans overly excited, but this was a great pick. Jackson could easily be the best guard in this class despite being the third one taken. Minnesota has now replaced all three interior offensive line positions this off-season to go along with their already excellent tackles.
Grade: A
25. New York Giants (From Houston) – Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Some fans were shocked to see Dart go off the board before Shedeur Sanders, but this fit makes much more sense in Brian Daboll’s offense. I’m definitely not Dart’s biggest fan, but the Giants were desperate, and he won’t have to play right away with Russell Wilson already in place. It was also a fairly modest price, giving up two third round picks to move up nine spots back into the first round.
Grade: B-
26. Atlanta Falcons (From Los Angeles) – James Pearce Jr, ED, Tennessee
This was hands down the worst move of the draft in my opinion. I love that the Falcons aggressively targeted edge rusher in this first round, but trading a future first round pick for a prospect in need of development, who also has work ethic concerns, is baffling. Especially for a team with a completely unproven quarterback. If Penix doesn’t hit the ground running, this could be a very valuable pick that they traded away. Congrats to the Rams, I guess.
Grade: F
27. Baltimore Ravens – Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
While Starks isn’t the flashiest prospect and has athletic limitations, this is a great move for Baltimore in terms of what it allows them to do schematically. They now have two safeties who are able to play all over the field, giving them the freedom to call whatever exotic defenses they want.
Grade: B+
28. Detroit Lions – Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
There’s always at least one player who sneaks into the first round after almost never appearing in any mock drafts. This year it’s Tyleik Williams, and in hindsight, it makes plenty of sense. It’s not Detroit’s biggest need, but Williams is a dominant run stopper and will fit right in with the culture Dan Campbell has built. However, I can’t give a high grade for taking a non-premium position that isn’t a need.
Grade: C+
29. Washington Commanders – Josh Conerly Jr, OT, Oregon
I like the idea of taking a big swing on a high upside tackle to protect your new franchise quarterback. They have passable veterans at the position already, so he won’t need to play right away either. But I can’t get over the fact that they drafted Conerly with Josh Simmons still on the board. Simmons has injury concerns, but they weren’t bad enough to deter the Chiefs, and he’s so much more polished at this point.
Grade: C
30. Buffalo Bills – Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
If you saw my cornerback rankings, you’ll know I wasn’t a fan of this pick. I understand the upside argument, but with Will Johnson, Trey Amos and Benjamin Morrison all on the board, this is a massive reach. It’s really reminiscent of the Kair Elam selection a few years ago. I hope Hairston proves me wrong.
Grade: D+
31. Philadelphia Eagles (From Kansas City) – Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
Who could have possibly predicted the Eagles would draft whichever SEC player was highest on the consensus big board. It’s certainly been a good strategy for them in recent years, and this pick is no different. The injury concerns are real, but if fully healthy, Campbell can be a serious difference maker.
Grade: A
32. Kansas City Chiefs (From Philadelphia) – Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
The Chiefs couldn’t have asked for a better first round. They move back just one spot, pick up an extra fourth round pick, and take the highest upside tackle in the draft. Simmons has a chance to be a stud if his medicals check out. Clearly a worthwhile risk for Kansas City to take
Grade: A+
Also see: Grading picks 1-16 in 2025 NFL Draft
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: NFL Draft grades: All picks in bottom half of Round 1