2025 NFL Draft: Live Fantasy Tracker (Round 1)

The 2025 NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 24th with the first round. The second and third rounds will be held on Friday (beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET), while the remainder of the draft will finish up on Saturday (12 p.m. ET).

Throughout the first round, I'll be updating this page with player evaluation from the Rookie Draft Profiles produced by our partners over at Dynasty League Football. I'll also add evaluation from Matt Harmon (Reception Perception) and Derrick Klassen (The Athletic). Finally, I'll add my own fantasy spin based on the player's opportunity, draft capital, landing spot, and athletic comparables (from Player Profiler or Mockdraftable).

I'll be back on Friday to cover the second and third round as well.

Reminder: Get 10% off any 2025 season subscription using the code JOHN10.

1.01 - Titans - QB Cam Ward, Miami

DLF Dynasty Profile: Ward has certainly had an adventurous journey to the NFL. After all, he spent five seasons in college, with stops at Incarnate Word, Washington State, and Miami. You simply can't argue with the production here, as Ward set an NCAA record with 156 career touchdown passes. In addition, his last season in Miami was incredible as he threw for 4,313 yards with 39 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. While Ward isn't known for being a rusher and has some limitations, quarterbacks with this kind of experience are coveted and he looks like a franchise player. He'll be at the top of ranking lists for 2QB leagues and should be a second rounder in traditional formats this rookie draft season.

Klassen (The Athletic): “Imperfect as he may be, Ward is the kind of player I’m going to bet on every time. The arm talent, athleticism, poise, and playmaking creativity are all present. Ward also clearly has gotten better the more he has played, turning from a zero-star high school prospect signed by Incarnate Word to leading Miami to one of its best seasons in recent memory. Improvement is a skill, and Ward seems to have it. Ward is a step down from the elite prospects of the 2024 class, but he’s still a top-10 pick in his own right.”

Athletic Comparable: Patrick Mahomes

Opportunity: B

Paulsen’s Fantasy Analysis: Ward should play immediately but his fantasy expectations should be kept in check thanks to a so-so set of receiving weapons. Calvin Ridley is the headliner, and he’s solid, but when Van Jefferson is your WR2, you’re probably in trouble. (The team did add Tyler Lockett on draft day.) The Titans could address the position in the draft, and if they do, Ward’s prospects will rise. Ward does have the ability to run, and my rookie quarterback model projects him to rush for 15.0 yards per game. That’s about what Bo Nix (15.4 projected, 25.3 actual) and Bryce Young (14.9 projected, 15.8 actual) were projected for in their rookie seasons. If the Titans add another good weapon and Ward runs a bit more than expected then he could push for high-end QB2/low-end QB1 numbers as a rookie. He’ll certainly be in the mix as an upside QB2-type in two-QB/superflex formats.

1.02 - Jaguars - WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado

DLF Dynasty Profile: There hasn't been a prospect this polarizing in dynasty leagues for years. Maybe ever. On one hand, Hunter was truly elite as a pass catcher, posting a 96/1,258/15 line last season at Colorado. The problem is he actually may be better as a cornerback at the next level. If he was charged with the task of just being a receiver, he's a top-three pick in rookie drafts. If not, all bets are off. Hunter's value is going to be completely dependent on which team drafts him and what their plans are for him moving forward. It's highly likely he becomes a part-time player on both sides of the ball and while that's great in reality, it may not be great in fantasy. Hold on tight, because this is going to get VERY interesting as Hunter may honestly be the best pure athlete we've seen in a decade.

Harmon (Reception Perception): “Travis Hunter is the closest player I’ve charted to prime Odell Beckham Jr. since his early days with the New York Giants. If you don’t realize what insanely high praise that is for me to offer up, please check out the historic data on this website. Beckham was legitimately a phenom to start his career and still owns top-three scores in success rate vs. man and press coverage. Both prime Beckham and Hunter are outrageous athletes who explode out of routes to earn miles of separation, are technically sound off the line vs. press, win at the catch point despite smaller frames and can house layup targets with their run-after-catch skills. If Hunter solely focuses on playing wide receiver- of course, I have no idea if he will- he has all the traits needed to be a Tier 1 NFL wide receiver.”

Athletic Comparable: Odell Beckham

Opportunity: B+

Paulsen’s Fantasy Analysis: Christian Kirk has moved on, so Hunter will join Brian Thomas Jr. to form a potent receiving duo for Trevor Lawrence. He will enjoy decent quarterback play but will likely play second-fiddle to Thomas in terms of targets since Hunter is likely to be playing two positions. That dual role may limit Hunter's upside since his snaps may not surpass starter's (80%) snaps. We'll have to see what the Jaguars say about their plan for Hunter before dialing in his projections and fantasy upside.

1.06 - Raiders - RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise St.

DLF Dynasty Profile: Going into the season, there was much expected of Jeanty. After all, he was coming off a season with 1,347 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, while averaging better than six yards per carry. Jeanty obliterated even the loftiest of expectations with a whopping 2,601 rushing yards with 29 touchdowns on a ridiculous seven yards per carry. While he didn’t post those numbers in the SEC or another conference with some better competition, it’s just hard not to look at Jeanty and think he could be the next big thing at he position. While his pass catching needs work and could cap his value a little, a solid landing spot would make him one of the top two players taken in rookie drafts this spring, regardless of the format. With players like Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry showing how much running backs still matter, Jeanty looks like a player dynasty managers should be salivating for.

Athletic Comparable: LaDanian Tomlinson

Opportunity: A

Paulsen’s Fantasy Analysis: The Raiders struggled to run the ball last year (3.6 YPC as a team) and Ashton Jeanty should vastly improve the team's per carry and overall production. He's a dual threat and should see a bellcow workload, so he's a threat for fantasy RB1 numbers from the get-go. The only knocks on his game appear to be his shaky pass protection and suspect ball security. The former might impact his snaps if the Raiders elect to pull him out on obvious passing downs.

1.08 - Panthers - WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

DLF Dynasty Profile: There are a number of players vying to be this year’s WR1 in rookie drafts, but the favorite is clearly McMillan, who posted another great season in Arizona with a 84/1,319/8 line in 2024. When you consider he was playing at less than 100% for most of the year, that’s impressive. He my not have truly elite speed, but he’s fast enough. When you consider he’s clearly the most versatile receiver in the class, it may not matter anyway. NFL teams are going to fall in love with his “completeness” and could use him on the outside, in the slot or anywhere else all over the field. As a receiver who is as “plug and play” ready as we’ve seen in some time, he’s going to be highly sought after in fantasy and reality. While not a truly elite-level prospect like Malik Nabers or Marvin Harrison last year, McMillan looks pretty close to a “can’t miss” player.

Harmon: “Overall, Tetairoa McMillan is a very good prospect. His overall success rate vs. coverage results are great but not elite and he offers real strengths in certain areas as a route runner and in some ancillary metrics. He looks like a Tier 2 prospect via Reception Perception with some limiting factors in his game. To me, McMillan isn’t quite Drake London as a prospect, who I was immensely high on in the 2022 draft class and was an obvious Tier 1 guy. I still can’t get over some of the discourse around his prospect tape, if you can’t tell. That said, McMillan does belong to that family of perimeter receivers who should move around a bit and are better separators than credited. Guys like London and Michael Thomas are the high-end of the archetype, while Michael Pittman and Courtland Sutton are the mid-range. McMillan fits in the latter bucket, in my view, and that is well worth a Round 1 pick with the hope he is an instant No. 2 receiver in the league with the ceiling to grow into more of a WR1 gig in time.”

Athletic Comparable: Drake London

Opportunity: B+

Paulsen’s Fantasy Analysis: McMillan's opportunity would be higher if we were sure that Bryce Young could provide consistent, quality quarterback play. Young did improve after being benched early in the season, throwing 15 touchdowns against six interceptions in his final 10 games, and he should benefit from McMillan's presence. It does appear that McMillan was a bit of a reach at 1.09, but that doesn't matter much in fantasy circles. McMillan could ascend quickly to WR1 targets if he has a good spring and summer.

1.10 - Bears - TE Colston Loveland, Michigan

DLF Dynasty Profile: Tight ends are historically tough to take highly in rookie drafts. After all, there are really only a precious few who really make a difference in dynasty leagues. However, players like Brock Bowers from last year proved that if you get a truly elite one, they can be big-time assets for your team and put you into a position to win each and every week. Loveland may be one of those players. While his 56/582/5 line doesn’t jump off the page, his athleticism and athletic profile does. He’s essentially a big wide receiver and has the ability to run a full route tree. For a tight end, that’s significant. Most view Loveland as a future Pro Bowl level player and if he lands in the right spot, he may get first round consideration in dynasty leagues.

Athletic Comparable: Sam LaPorta, Darren Waller

Opportunity: B-

Paulsen’s Fantasy Analysis: Loveland is a better athlete than Tyler Warren, who most draft prognosticators thought would be the first tight end off the board. Loveland's landing spot is not ideal from a first-year fantasy perspective due to some inexperience at quarterback (Caleb Williams), plenty of target competition (D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze), and an experienced player at his own position (Cole Kmet). The Bears can afford to bring Loveland along slowly, and it may be difficult for a rookie tight end to outplay Kmet, especially early in the season. This doesn't add up to fantasy success, though stranger things have happened. Kmet had a good run from Week 3 to Week 12, but disappeared from the offense down the stretch, so it remains to be seen how entrenched he is as the starter.

1.14 - Colts - TE Tyler Warren, Penn State

DLF Dynasty Profile: Do you like proven production or athletic upside? That’s likely going to be the question NFL Scouts and dynasty managers have to answer as they look at Warren and Colston Loveland as the potential TE1. Warren was amazing for Penn State this year with 104 catches for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. His 19 career touchdowns for the Nittany Lions is also impressive as Warren has simply shown the ability to produce against any opponent. He ranked in the top two in NFL Next Gen stats in terms of production, athleticism, and total score at the NFL Draft Combine and could very well be the safest pick in the NFL Draft. As such, he’s going to be fighting for first round consideration in rookie drafts this Spring.

Athletic Comparable: Michael Mayer, Pat Freiermuth

Opportunity: B+

Paulsen’s Fantasy Analysis: Warren could (and probably should) start immediately considering the leading pass-catcher at the tight end position was Kylen Granson, with a grand total of 14 catches in 17 games. Snaps won't be hard to come by, but targets may be a problem given the position's historical role in the Colts' offense and the unsettled nature of the team's quarterback room. Josh Downs, Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, and Adonai Mitchell offer plenty of target competition in what was a fairly run-oriented offense last season.