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NFL draft winners and losers: Shedeur Sanders stuns with slide to Day 3
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- NFL draft winners and losers: Shedeur Sanders stuns with slide to Day 3
Day 2 of the 2025 NFL draft kept the drama running in high gear.
While the stakes are inherently lower with the overwhelming bulk of top players already accounted for, Friday's action in Green Bay, Wisconsin, proved plenty compelling on its own. The shocking slide of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders pushed to a point almost no one could have seen coming, with three more quarterbacks being taken ahead of him. Meanwhile, several teams scrambled to address needs that were overlooked on Thursday, and others turned their attention to supporting key veterans and their existing infrastructure.
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Here are the biggest winners and losers of Day 2 of the NFL draft:
NFL draft winners of Day 2
Tyler Shough
Being a college football nomad is no longer disqualifying for quarterbacks, especially with Cam Ward leveraging his journey from Incarnate Word to Miami (Fla.) into the No. 1 draft slot. But Shough's journey that traversed three schools was more winding than that of Ward, who continued to raise his game at each stop. It seems unfathomable, then, that a passer who will turn 26 as a rookie and endured three significant injuries in his previous stops at Oregon and Texas Tech could leapfrog the likes of Sanders to become the No. 40 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints .
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Best of all for Shough: With Derek Carr 's health outlook uncertain, there's a good chance that Shough gets an extensive runway this season to show whether he's up for the task of holding down the starting spot. Staying cool under pressure could be an issue for the 6-5, 219-pounder signal-caller, who also will have to not draw Kellen Moore's ire by putting the ball up for grabs too often. But he'll get a shot to show his stuff while working for a coach in Kellen Moore who can take the long view with his development.
Caleb Williams
No one could question the Chicago Bears ' commitment to lifting up last year's No. 1 pick after a series of offseason moves that centered on that desire. But hiring widely celebrated playcaller Ben Johnson as head coach and revamping the interior of the offensive line didn't constitute the full extent of the organization's plan to help its quarterback. After taking tight end Colston Loveland in the first round Thursday as a seam-stretcher, general manager Ryan Poles circled back for more help in the receiving corps with second-rounder Luther Burden III . A firecracker in the Deebo Samuel Sr. mold, the Missouri product can own the short area with schemed touches and run-after-catch opportunities as others work deep. And the front got even more help with third-round offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo , who can offer a fallback plan if left tackle Braxton Jones has any trouble in his return from a fractured ankle.
Drake Maye
Williams wasn't the only second-year signal-caller whose team made a theme of building out around him. While the New England Patriots ' first-round selection of left tackle Will Campbell didn't generate much buzz, the additions of second-round running back TreVeyon Henderson and third-round wide receiver Kyle Williams immediately ratcheted up the big-play potential of what had been one of the league's most stagnant attacks. And don't underestimate how important third-round center Jared Wilson could be if his rapid growth allows him to take over for Garrett Bradbury sooner rather than later.
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C.J. Stroud
Noticing a trend here? The Houston Texans also reached a breaking point this offseason with the subpar support for their star behind center, firing offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and blowing up the offensive line. After dealing out of the first round Thursday, the Texans turned their focus to boosting their receiving corps. Former Iowa State teammates Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel bring wildly disparate styles and skill sets to their surroundings, with the former figuring to threaten defenses with his supersized frame as the latter creates separation with quick-twitch moves. There's an element of duplication here with Higgins drawing comparisons to Nico Collins and Noel being likened to Christian Kirk , but Houston clearly knows what it likes in its receivers – and Stroud should have a strong affinity for them, too.
Jerry Jones
Time to give one of the draft's more maligned decision-makers his due. Jones drew heavy scrutiny for utilizing the No. 12 overall pick on offensive guard Tyler Booker despite the Dallas Cowboys ' foreboding outlook at receiver. But on Friday, he scooped up two of arguably the best prospects available after Day 1 in edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku and cornerback Shavon Revel Jr.
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As one of the draft's most polished and crafty pass rushers, Ezeiruaku should be able to wield his extensive arsenal of moves into an early impact opposite Micah Parsons . Revel, meanwhile, has the length and playmaking prowess of a first-rounder, but a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in September likely weighed down his stock. With those two in tow, Jones found a happy medium between embracing coach Brian Schottenheimer's desire to build outside in and maintaining a true best player available mentality.
Instant-impact running backs
Thursday was a good day for ball carriers, with Ashton Jeanty (No. 6 to the Las Vegas Raiders ) and Omarion Hampton (No. 22 to the Los Angeles Chargers ) powering the way at the position. Friday, however, might have been even better. While only four more players came off the board, three were selected in the second round - and all of them could make a quick mark with their new teams.
Quinshon Judkins figures to take on a heavy workload for a Cleveland Browns backfield that offers few other weapons, while the aforementioned Henderson will be counted on to ignite big gains as both a runner and receiver. The more intriguing selections, however, were the final two. The Broncos surprised many by taking the quick-cutting RJ Harvey , who joins an offense readymade for a dynamic all-purpose threat. And while many were counting on the Pittsburgh Steelers to take a quarterback in the third round, the team addressed their backfield in a different route with the ever-patient Kaleb Johnson . Whether you're looking for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year darkhorses or merely doing early prep work for your fantasy draft, make sure not to forget these names.
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Jalen Milroe
Lasting until the third round might be somewhat of a letdown for Milroe, especially amid speculation a team could mount a push for him in the late first or early second. But with only so many teams shaping up as buyers at quarterback entering this draft, the uber-athletic Alabama signal-caller was fortunate to find a place with a franchise that looks eager to harness his singular abilities. Coach Mike Macdonald knows the value of a game-changing runner after working alongside Lamar Jackson during his stint as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens , and Milroe is comfortable breaking away from defenders or running them over en route the end zone. The polish and precision in his passing aren't there yet for him to take starter reps anytime soon, but Macdonald indicated after the selection that Seattle would find a way to work him into action to leverage his distinct explosiveness.
NFL draft losers of Day 2
Shedeur Sanders
Sanders' tumble out of the first round was met with plenty of explanations of why the touted signal-caller might have been mischaracterized during the pre-draft process as a likely first-rounder. By the end of Friday night, widespread bewilderment was the only appropriate response to an outcome that felt unfathomable just days ago. This range puts Sanders even out of the trial mode or developmental territory, where Shough and Milroe comfortably landed. The most critical element for his development remains landing with a staff that will buy into his skill set and provide him a legitimate path forward. But given the gulf between the public's expectations and the eventual reality, this has gone from a commonplace draft redemption arc to an all-time stunner.
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Cleveland Browns
For a franchise that is giving off every signal that it is focused on launching its rebuild in earnest in 2026, the Browns took some odd steps in their search for building blocks. While Carson Schwesinger exhibits an impressive knack for finding the ball, using the first pick of the second round on an off-ball linebacker constitutes a questionable use of resources. So, too, does taking a running back in the top 40 given the moribund state of the aerial attack. But the ultimate puzzler was the third-round choice of quarterback Dillon Gabriel . Putting aside the Sanders question, it's difficult to suss out what more Cleveland thinks it can squeeze out of a 5-11 signal-caller who might be tapped out developmentally after making 63 starts in college. If the Browns are set on taking a quarterback next season, just continue to take more shots at other major areas of concern.
San Francisco 49ers
Putting powerful second-round defensive tackle Alfred Collins in between Nick Bosa and first-round edge rusher Mykel Williams was a nice stroke by John Lynch to push a dilapidated defensive front closer to its former glory. But in the third round, San Francisco then opted for two undersized and frequently out of control defenders in linebacker Nick Martin and nickel corner Upton Stout. Each one faces some limitations stemming from their frames, and neither immediately sizes up as a surefire staple for a team that has a lot of work to do as it reloads.
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Dak Prescott
As stated earlier, it's hard to fault Dallas' thought process here, as Jones extracted excellent value by netting arguably the best player available at premium positions. But the shortage of skill-position talent is glaring. Dallas is still within reach of a running back who can either shoulder a heavy load - think Damien Martinez of Miami (Fla.) or Devin Neal of Kansas - or ignite big plays - perhaps Virginia Tech's Bhayshul Tuten or Tennessee 's Dylan Sampson . But beyond Stanford's Elic Ayomanor and Colorado State's Tory Horton , there aren't a ton of promising options at receiver who can ease the burden on CeeDee Lamb .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL draft winners and losers: Shedeur Sanders, Cowboys and more
