They Took Who? NFL Teams That Drafted The Wrong Player (2025)

April 29, 2025

Andersen's five worst picks of the 2025 NFL Draft in the first three rounds. His picks for five NFL teams who drafted the wrong players in the 2025 NFL draft.

NFL teams spend months upon months preparing for the draft. Between scouting players, conducting interviews, and developing their big board, every team puts itself in the best position to hit on as many picks as possible.

However, not every selection will pan out. For some picks, it may take a while to determine whether they were the right choice. For others, the answer becomes clear a little sooner.

Here are five picks we're already questioning. What were these teams thinking?

Dillon Gabriel, QB - Browns

The Browns' decision to select Gabriel in the third round was surprising, but justifiable at the time. It was clear that most teams were out on Shedeur Sanders as a Day 1 or 2 pick, so perhaps Gabriel truly was the best quarterback available.

However, what made this selection truly awful was the Browns' decision to draft Sanders in the fifth round. Cleveland needed one quarterback, not two, in this draft, so if they knew they wanted Sanders later, they should have passed on Gabriel.

Instead, Cleveland leaves the draft with two rookie quarterbacks, creating even more chaos on the depth chart. The Browns' quarterback room now features Gabriel, Sanders, Deshaun Watson (Achilles), Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett. It will be almost impossible for both Gabriel and Sanders to make the Browns' roster, so they'll likely have to cut one of the two.

As of now, our money is on Gabriel being the odd man out. If this comes to fruition, cutting a third-round pick will be a really poor look for the Browns' organization.

When Myles Garrett said the Browns had a clear plan at quarterback, I can't imagine it was "Keep Deshaun Watson, trade for Kenny Pickett, sign Joe Flacco, and then draft Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders."

— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) April 26, 2025

Emeka Egbuka, WR - Buccaneers

Nobody is denying that Egbuka is a talented receiver, and the fact that he was a Buckeye only enhances his abilities. Ohio State is a candidate for "Wide Receiver U," routinely pumping out stars at the position.

However, the issue with this pick is the team. You could argue that no other team in the NFL entered this draft with a top-3 receiver core as well-rounded as the Buccaneers. Mike Evans shows no signs of slowing down, Chris Godwin can be a bona fide WR1 when healthy, and Jalen McMillan emerged as a fantastic pass-catching threat down the stretch.

This selection will force Tampa Bay to pull opportunities away from one of their receivers this season. As soon as Godwin is healthy, either Egbuka or McMillan will end up being demoted to No. 4 on the depth chart. Even if Egbuka edges out McMillan, that's still not a great outcome for the Bucs, as McMillan deserves a starting spot.

This selection has merit in the long term, but in the short term, it will force the Bucs to bench a very skilled wide receiver.

Trying to project targets between Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillanpic.twitter.com/Apb2tT4TtC

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) April 25, 2025

Donovan Jackson, OL - Vikings

The Vikings addressed their offensive line in free agency, so the expectation going into this year's draft was that they would use their top pick on a defensive weapon. Instead, when the Vikings turned in their selection, it was Jackson, yet another offensive lineman.

In Minnesota's defense, perhaps they wanted one more addition to truly round out this offseason's offensive line reinforcements. Protecting J.J. McCarthy can't hurt, and maybe Jackson, who is physical in the trenches and has positional versatility, was the best player available on their draft board.

Still, for a team whose biggest needs entering the draft were cornerback, safety, and defensive line, this pick should have been utilized to chip away at the holes on defense.

James Pearce Jr., Malaki Starks, Maxwell Hairston, and Nick Emmanwori all could have been stronger options for the Vikings in the first round.

There it is. Donovan Jackson was ranked 36th and goes 24th. Highest ranking was 20th, lowest was 59th. A fine pick and if I remember correctly he was a Ben Solak favorite, so not a super shocker. Best IOL left on the board. https://t.co/5KRsGOGpCb

— Seahawk Nerd (@SeahawkNerd) April 25, 2025

Tyleik Williams, DL - Lions

Criticizing a Brad Holmes draft pick rarely works out, but that doesn't take away from the feeling that Williams was the wrong choice for the Lions in the first round.

Williams moves well for a 330-pound defensive lineman, but he won't blow anyone away with his pass-rushing ability. Additionally, his defensive role is somewhat confusing, given that he is very similar to Alim McNeill, who is already on the Lions' roster and is projected to occupy a starting role if he is healthy by Week 1.

It would have made much more sense for the Lions to take an edge rusher who specializes in getting to the quarterback. That could be the missing piece that Detroit needs to reach the Super Bowl, and pairing a first-round pass rusher with Aidan Hutchinson is too tempting to pass up.

Williams could easily turn into a quality NFL starter, but his fit with the Lions (in the first round) is perplexing, especially given Detroit's needs elsewhere.

Tyleik Williams is the pick.

Elite run stuffer, but 50% of projections didn’t even have him going in the SECOND round. If Detroit was going to reach for a Buckeye, I’d have preferred Jack Sawyer.

Brad Holmes has earned significant trust.. Outside the box selection. #OnePride pic.twitter.com/DWjVJgmJxi

— Marc Ryan (@MarcRyanOnAir) April 25, 2025

Terrance Ferguson, TE - Rams

Tyler Higbee isn't getting any younger, so it makes sense that the Rams felt compelled to select a tight end in the second round of the draft. The problem here is that they might have drafted the wrong tight end.

When the Rams were on the clock, only three tight ends — Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, and Mason Taylor — were off the board. Ferguson, an Oregon product, was available, but so were Elijah Arroyo and Harold Fannin Jr. Both Arroyo and Fannin Jr. were generally regarded as better prospects than Ferguson.

While Arroyo and Fannin are both high-upside receivers and playmakers, Ferguson represents more of a floor pick. He never had a 100-yard game in college and projects best as a lifelong backup. That shouldn't have been the target here for the Rams, who were never able to get major production out of similar players such as Colby Parkinson or Gerald Everett.

All in all, it's hard to imagine the Rams getting starting-caliber production out of Ferguson. Would he have been a fine developmental backup tight end selection in the third or fourth round? Sure. However, at No. 46 overall, the Rams would have been better off drafting someone like Arroyo, who went four picks later, or Fannin, the Browns' third-round choice.

Oregon Ducks TE Terrance Ferguson goes to the Los Angeles Rams with the No. 46 pick.

First Oregon TE to be drafted since David Paulsen in 2012.

— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) April 26, 2025

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