In the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell. Here we'll take a look around at what the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Commanders did in Round 1.
• Giants, Pick 3: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State: The Giants made the obvious choice to select one of the top two prospects in this draft in Carter, rather than wildly reach for a quarterback unworthy of the No. 3 overall pick.
Carter mainly played off-ball linebacker for Penn State his first two seasons, but he moved to the edge in 2024. On a side note, it has always fascinated me how PSU didn't do that with Micah Parsons, but whatever.
Carter proved to be an elite edge rusher, racking up 68 tackles (an FBS-leading 24 for loss), 12 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 batted passes. And because of his off-ball linebacker background, Carter was comfortable dropping into coverage and showing off his impressive versatility.
Unlike most of the rest of their roster, the Giants didn't have a glaring need on the edge, as Joe Schoen has already spent heavy draft and financial resources on Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. In that sense, the addition of Carter isn't perfectly clean. Because Carter, Thibodeaux, and Burns are all smaller edges in the ballpark of around 250 pounds, it could be difficult getting all three players on the field at the same time on non-obvious passing downs, unless they intend on having Carter play some off-ball linebacker. It will be interesting to see if the Giants try to trade Thibodeaux for draft capital.
But ultimately, in a case where you have an elite prospect at an important position and then a big dropoff thereafter, you just take the elite prospect. No-brainer pick.
• Giants, Pick 25: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss: Sometime around pick 20, reports started trickling in of the Giants trying to trade back into the first round for a quarterback, and they eventually found a partner in the Houston Texans. The trade details:
| Giants got | Texans got |
| Pick 25 | Pick 34 |
| Pick 99 | |
| Third-round pick in 2026 |
That was a reasonable price to pay to move to that spot, in my opinion. The question is whether Dart was worthy of a first-round pick, and whether the Giants — who could have also selected Shedeur Sanders — chose the right guy.
Interestingly, during the Combine, Daniel Jeremiah comped Dart to Jalen Hurts.
"The comparison that I had — and it may have taken some people off-guard — but I talked about Jalen Hurts," Jeremiah said, "just in terms of the build, how the ball comes out of their hand, guys that got better each and every year in college. I know that Jalen Hurts ran the ball more, but Jaxson Dart was successful running the ball in the SEC. He is very athletic."
As it turns out, Dart said that he patterns his game after Hurts. Dart does not have Hurts' athleticism. To be determined if he has Hurts' mindset. He most certainly does not have Hurts' supporting cast.
Another comp that was made to Dart was Brock Purdy, by Lance Zierlein of NFL Network.
"Teams might see physical and play similarities between Dart and Brock Purdy but such a pathway for Dart likely requires a balanced, ball-control passing attack that allows him to manage the game instead of driving it," Zierlein said.
Highlights:
In other words, Dart is being compared to a pair of overachievers who were drafted in the second and seventh rounds, both of whom have way better supporting casts with their teams than Dart will have in New York, at least initially.
I certainly understand why the Giants made this trade and pick. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll are squarely on the hot seat, and with their first two picks in this draft they get to have their cake and eat it, too, so to speak. They made the correct pick at No. 3 overall by taking Carter, but then make the job-saving Hail Mary trade up into the first round to select Dart. Down the line they can try to sell ownership on the idea that Dart is progressing well and his momentum should not be disrupted while Russell Wilson starts in the interim.
• Cowboys, Pick 12: Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama: The Cowboys lost long-time star RG Zack Martin to retirement this offseason, and they are attempting to draft his successor in Booker.
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Booker has experience at both guard spots, and he has prototypical size at 6'5, 321, with 34 1/2" arms, and gigantic hands. As you might expect of a player his size, Booker gets movement in the run game, and he can anchor against power in pass protection. He also does a nice job of reading stunts and twists, as you'll see plenty of examples of in the highlight reel below. He is widely regarded as a smart player with leadership intangibles.
However, he is not a great athlete, to put it kindly.
That 10-yard split… Yeesh. That's like, civilian speed.
As for need, the Cowboys' OL stunk last season, so Booker does make plenty of sense on that front, and the more tough-minded personalities they can add to the locker room, the better. I just wonder if they could've traded back a bit and gotten Booker anyway.
• Commanders, Pick 29: Josh Conerly, OT, Oregon: The Commanders were expected to add to their defense in the first round, but they somewhat surprisingly selected Oregon OT Josh Conerly, an athletic tackle who performed well at the Combine, as expected:
Conerly is an asset on second-level blocks and down the field on screens. He can mirror and match in pass pro, and his claim to fame in 2024 was a great performance against Abdul Carter. Highlight reel here:
However, the knock on Conerly is that he is susceptible to power rushers, and he gave me some Andre Dillard vibes on that front. He has also never played RT, so he is going to have to rewire his brain and learn how to pass set on the other side. That can be easier said than done. Some guys can do it, piece of cake. Others, like Dillard, could not. Conerly got some reps at RT at the Senior Bowl, and he had an embarrassing moment against Marshall's Mike Green (video via @NFL_DF):
That's a guy who is uncomfortable reversing his footwork and playing on a side he is not used to playing on. In Washington, he's going to have to play on the right side because the Commanders traded for Laremy Tunsil this offseason.
In my opinion, Conerly was a Day 2 prospect who had a chance to get pushed up into the first round because of positional importance, which, of course, is what happened. And certainly, I will never criticize a team for prioritizing the offensive line, especially with a star quarterback in place. But he feels a lot like a player who can have some significant growing pains early in his career as he adjusts to the power of NFL linemen and tries to figure out how to play on the right side.
The Commanders aren't a great fit for Conerly, in my opinion, as he would have a better chance to succeed if a team drafted him to play LT.
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