Fantasy football 2025 NFL Draft player grades: Every pick from Cam Ward to Brashard Smith and more

New York Times

27-04-2025

The 2025 NFL Draft might be done, but the excitement is still bubbling over. It's time for NFL draft grades for fantasy football. If you haven't seen this piece from past years, each player gets two grades. The first draft grade is redraft-only value (2025). The second is the player's dynasty grade/potential.
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The draft grades are weighted in tiers of sorts. A's are your stars — players who can or will become a No. 1 at their position (RB1, TE1, etc.). For B's, we're talking about second and some third-tier starters in all leagues. When we get to C's, those are fringe starters, maybe some boom/bust plays, etc. D's are waiver wire players with maybe some Best Ball or the rare bye week/matchup play potential. Any player graded lower is a non-factor in fantasy.
For those wanting to go deeper, you can find my fantasy football winners, losers and analysis of the fantasy-relevant picks here.
OVERVIEW: Neither the Cardinals nor the Falcons added any fantasy relevant players.
OVERVIEW: N/A
OVERVIEW: Status quo for the Ravens offense, as Wester is a depth weapon.
OVERVIEW: Nothing of major note, as Hawes and Prather are depth additions and unlikely fantasy contributors.
OVERVIEW: The big name is McMillan, who can be an immediate WR2 and future WR1. Don't overlook Etienne factoring into the RB touches. Evans' peak is Dalton Schultz and Horn is a depth add.
OVERVIEW: Loveland has TE1 upside and could make noise late in 2025. Burden gives Caleb Williams a great trio of wideouts and puts Rome Odunze on notice. Monangai could grab the No. 2 RB role and work into RB3 value as a timeshare — a lesser David Montgomery for Ben Johnson in Chicago, if you will.
OVERVIEW: I compared Brooks to Chase Brown in my predraft write-up, which keeps Brown safe and gives Brooks intrigue if something happened to Brown.
OVERVIEW: Judkins is an immediate RB2 with the potential for more, but Sampson could work in as a complementary piece for RB4 value and cap Judkins as an RB2. Fannin has TE1 potential and is a name to watch next year when David Njoku is a free agent. Sanders still has Geno Smith potential, and this slide could be motivation to push for Jared Goff-like value.
OVERVIEW: Blue is as explosive as they come and is interesting given the current backfield of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Mafah is a timeshare piece at best.
OVERVIEW: Harvey is Sean Payton's new Alvin Kamara, though a slightly lesser version, making him an interesting pick for RB2 value with an RB3 floor. Bryant is another big receiver for Bo Nix but likely no more than a fantasy WR4. I wanted to put the confused monkey thing as a GIF for Lohner.
OVERVIEW: TeSlaa could be quite interesting as a WR3 if Jameson Williams is out of Detroit next year. Lovett is just depth at receiver.
OVERVIEW: Golden has game-breaking speed and can be what the Packers wanted Christian Watson to be, but he's no guarantee. Williams is Curtis Samuel meets Cordarrelle Patterson and can bring WR4 value.
OVERVIEW: Higgins should step in as the Texans' No. 2 receiver with immediate WR4 value, or more. Noel can push Christian Kirk for the slot role, and could be the No. 3 next year if Tank Dell doesn't return well from injury. Marks has a chance to take the No. 2 RB role from Dameon Pierce. Mertz and Lachey are developmental.
OVERVIEW: Warren has TE1 upside but could struggle to reach his ceiling with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones at QB. Giddens should take the Jonathan Taylor backup role and has RB2 upside if Taylor is hurt. Leonard brings rushing upside and could have similar numbers to Jones if he ever starts.
OVERVIEW: As long as Hunter plays 90% of the offensive snaps, he should be a WR3 at worst with Top 15 upside. Tuten and Allen make the backfield a bigger headache than ever before for fantasy managers to navigate, but Tuten has serious speed.
OVERVIEW: It's the Chiefs, so Royals and Smith are worth stashing in dynasty and deep, deep redraft leagues (reminder that Isiah Pacheco shared with Kareem Hunt after his return, so the backfield isn't a certainty).
OVERVIEW: Jeanty is an immediate Top 10 RB. Bech would be a Top 30 WR if he was the No. 2 option, which could happen as early as late this year. Thornton is a big-play machine but needs to be a top-two wideout on the Raiders to carry WR4 value. Mellott and Miller are lottery tickets for the Raiders.
OVERVIEW: Hampton will push for an immediate timeshare and could take the lead this year with Top 20 potential and RB1 upside if Najee Harris gets hurt/is gone next year. Tre Harris brings his downfield ability for potential WR4 value if he wins the No. 2 job. Lambert-Smith will be a developmental player, as is Gadsden, who could hit as early as 2026.
OVERVIEW: Ferguson has mid-to-upper TE2 potential, maybe even as a rookie, given the landing spot. Hunter can be Kyren Williams' backup immediately, and that makes him a premier backup pick in fantasy. Mumpfield is great after the catch and a worthy dynasty flier.
OVERVIEW: Gordon would be an RB3 if timesharing with De'Von Achane or Jaylen Wright, but otherwise is a dynasty stash. Ewers, if healthy and starting, would be a mid-level QB2.
OVERVIEW: Felton has Xavier Worthy similarities, so remember that if Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison gets hurt. Bartholomew is an athletic, developmental tight end.
OVERVIEW: Henderson is as explosive as running backs come and has RB2 value even on mid-teen touches per game. Williams gives Drake Maye another weapon to help his breakout, and Williams can be a Marquez Valdes-Scantling type WR4 by 2026.
OVERVIEW: Shough might start this year, given Derek Carr's injury, and would be a mid-QB2. Neal is interesting with his ability and the chance to be the timeshare piece to Alvin Kamara. Matavao is a developmental tight end.
OVERVIEW: Dart has all the potential and concerns of Daniel Jones, and he might not start until 2026. Skattebo should push to be the lead RB immediately, potentially bringing RB2 value and pushing Tyrone Tracy to RB3 value. Fidone is another of many developmental tight ends.
OVERVIEW: Taylor should win the starting tight end job, and if so, he'd be a high-end TE2. Smith, like Taylor, has an opportunity to push for meaningful snaps and be their version of Rashid Shaheed.
OVERVIEW: McCord's ceiling is Bo Nix without similar rushing upside.
OVERVIEW: Johnson should replace Najee Harris, putting up RB2 numbers and keeping Jaylen Warren in a timeshare with RB3 value. Howard has some Kenny Pickett to his game, but could hit unlike Pickett, and be a mid QB2.
OVERVIEW: Like the Chiefs, the 49ers make you pay attention to every skill pick, but Watkins and James are particularly interesting with Watkins being a slot with WR3 potential if he's a top-two wideout for the 49ers, and James having the ability to push Isaac Guerendo for the backup job.
OVERVIEW: Arroyo can be a matchup problem and back-end TE1 in time. Milroe has Lamar Jackson rushing upside with better rushing touchdown potential, but needs to develop his passing ability … and he might never work out. Horton can be a boom/bust WR4/5 in 2-3 years. Ouzts is likely fantasy irrelevant but Martinez could be intriguing if Kenneth Walker doesn't return in 2026.
OVERVIEW: Egbuka is a great receiver in a tough spot. He ruins Jalen McMillan's fantasy potential, but Egbuka could be a Top 25 wideout if Mike Evans gets hurt (or is gone in 2026) and/or Chris Godwin misses time again. Tez Johnson is Tank Dell and a depth weapon in real life.
OVERVIEW: The Titans did all they could to help Ward succeed immediately, and he has fringe QB1 upside. Dike, Helm, Ayomanor and Mullings are all future depth, but Helm could be the top tight end next year if Chig Okonkwo fails to break out. Dike is a Hail Mary WR4/5 type. Ayomanor is buried but has Robert Woods WR3-value potential and Mullings is a power back, needing timeshare work for RB3 value.
OVERVIEW: Lane is very fast and at best, likely carries Tyler Boyd-like WR4 value. Croskey-Merritt has good speed, but is pretty straight-line and a timeshare RB, who would be an RB2/3 at best, if the lead of that timeshare.