Dillon Gabriel, Isaac TeSlaa and the biggest reaches of the 2025 NFL Draft

USA Today

26-04-2025

Dillon Gabriel, Isaac TeSlaa and the biggest reaches of the 2025 NFL Draft
No one, from NFL executives to the most experienced expert, gets their NFL Draft board completely right. Few people, for example, could have predicted Shedeur Sanders' slide from potential top three selection to unwanted man for three straight rounds.
But a massive tide of pre-draft data does help us better understand how scouts value players and who is likely to have a bigger NFL impact than others. So when a player with a seventh round grade winds up hearing his name called in Round 3, it's a rogue wave crashing across an already unpredictable sea.
Thanks to the NFL Mock Draft Database, we've got a dense tome of player rankings and ratings from experts across the draft landscape. That's enough to help us understand which players may have only been valued by the teams that rose up to pick them. So who were, per expert evaluations, the biggest reaches of the 2025 NFL Draft?
There's still time to add to the list, but these six players stood out on Day 2.
6. QB Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns
Pick selected: Round 3, 94th overall
Consensus big board rank: 178th
After being linked to Shedeur Sanders in the pre-draft process, the Browns passed on the Colorado star early in rounds two and three. Then they finally dialed up a young, development quarterback… and it was Gabriel. That gave Cleveland a prolific NCAA quarterback (63 starts!) who is also 5-foot-11 and struggles to generate big plays downfield. Gabriel is a fine quarterback, but he's also 25 years old and may already have hit his peak as a gunslinger.
5. WR Pat Bryant, Cleveland Browns
Pick selected: Round 3, 74th overall
Consensus big board rank: 162nd
Bryant went off the board before Iowa State's Jaylin Noel or Utah State's Jalen Royals, two similarly efficient college wideouts who had higher pre-draft grades than the Illinois star. But Bryant's size (6-foot-2) and continued improvement was enough to convince Cleveland his peak was still well in the future. The All-Big 10 wideout rose up to the moment in Champaign, hauling in three different game-winning touchdowns – and that clutchness helped blast him into Day 2.
4. LB Nick Martin, San Francisco 49ers
Pick selected: Round 3, 75th overall
Consensus big board rank: 170th
Martin wasn't the best linebacker available when the Niners made their third round pick Friday night. He wasn't even the best linebacker available from the state of Tennessee. But Martin's lack of size didn't stop the Oklahoma State Cowboy from being drafted ahead of Nick Stutsman as part of San Francisco's defensive overhaul.
At 6-feet and 221 pounds, he'll have to fill a hybrid role between LB and safety in Kyle Shanahan's lineup. That tweener body type makes him a risk – but one the 49ers were happy to take early.
3. WR Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions
Pick selected: Round 3, 70th overallConsensus big board rank: 168The Lions dealt away two third round picks to move up and target a player many expected to linger into Day 3. TeSlaa has the athletic traits of a solid NFL starter:
But those numbers haven't led to big performances against top competition. He spent two seasons at Arkansas after transferring from Division II Hillsdale. He had 62 catches and 897 receiving yards total in 25 games as a Razorback.
2. CB Justin Walley, Indianapolis Colts
Pick selected: Round 3, 80th overall
Consensus big board rank: 186th
Walley brings oodles of experience to the Colts line after starting 40-plus games for Minnesota in four seasons. But his average size (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) and aggressive style painted him as a player who excelled in college but could struggle in the pros. After starting his draft with two solid value picks (Tyler Warren and JT Tuimaloau), general manager Chris Ballard cashed in some of his house money to pick a player with a solid resume but, potentially, limited capacity for growth.
1. CB Jaylin Smith, Houston Texans
Pick selected: Round 3, 97th overall
Consensus big board rank: 220th
Credit to the Texans; they've done a great job identifying and developing defensive back talent lately. But guys like Derek Stingley, Jalen Pitre and Kamari Lassiter are all Day 1 or 2 draft picks who were pegged to go early. Smith, despite a solid resume, was in danger of waiting until the final round.
Instead, Houston used 2025's first compensatory pick for a cornerback with three career interceptions in 43 games. He's small-but-effective… but also plays a position where the Texans are already loaded with young talent.