Gaffney's 2025 NFL Draft Winners and Losers (NFC Team Edition)

The NFC teams that make up the NFL were a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to their NFL draft hauls, but there were certainly some teams that should feel excellent now that things have come and gone. To break this up, we're going to split up the two conferences, and having done the AFC yesterday, here's who I thought crushed the draft and those who...well, certainly made picks.

"Winner" Honorable Mention: Chicago Bears (Loveland, Burden, and Trapilo to kick things off wasn't how I expected Chicago to go, but it worked out great nevertheless)

Loser No. 3: San Francisco 49ers (Grade: C)

Starting the weekend drafting Mykell Williams, one of my favorite players in this class, and then Texas IDL Alfred Collins was great for the 49ers, and I'm willing to give them some leeway with for the Nick Martin pick, who missed most of the 2024 season with an MCL injury, given his playmaking track record at Oklahoma State as a linebacker. From there, I liked the CJ West pick in the fourth round, but I would like to have the 49ers be more aggressive in getting a true boundary corner and then adding another body or two on the offensive line.

Winner No. 3: Dallas Cowboys (Grade: B+)

It brings me no joy to say that the Cowboys crushed their opening four picks out of the park. I had Tyler Booker, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Shavon Revel as the top 33 players on my big board, and they managed to snag all three by pick 76. For my money, this was a similar opening stretch to what Washington did last year. 

Texas running back Jaydon Blue was another pick that I liked a lot here; he'll be a true do-it-all back for them, and I wouldn't be stunned if he's the lead guy in that committee by the time we get to the back half of the season. The only thing I could criticize here is that they could've/should've gone for another body at wide receiver, but I can understand going primarily defense and running back depth-heavy on day three.

Loser No. 2: Minnesota Vikings (Grade: C-)

With the Vikings' lack of firepower in the secondary, I'm stunned that they didn't bring in a single defensive back with their limited draft capital. The Donovan Jackson pick was a great way to get started. If you're a Vikings fan, you should feel great about that offensive line. Still, I have no idea how you can feel good about that secondary going into this year now that Cam Bynum is gone, and given that Harrison Smith is likely in his final year.

Winner No. 2: Arizona Cardinals (Grade: B+)

I can understand some frustration if you were in the ballpark of wanting the Cardinals to get another pass catcher, but you should be over the moon about these first three picks if you're an Arizona fan. I'd love to know how they felt about Kenneth Grant vs. Walter Nolen, with the former getting snagged by the Dolphins just before they were up in round one, but I can't say I hate that pick, given who was available. Then, to get a consensus top 10 player, Michigan CB Will Johnson, midway through round two, was the best value pick in this entire draft, knee injury or not. I'm interested to see how Jordan Burch, Cody Simon, and Denzel Burke all fit in as rookies, but this is a team I'm keeping my eye on in 2025 now. They may not be a playoff team, but they could be frisky enough if everything goes right.

Loser No. 1: Atlanta Falcons (Grade: C-)

Much like with the Browns, this is largely a process over results issue for the Falcons. The crazy thing is that their 20-pick pole vault to get James Pearce was ultimately a very slight value win for them on the Rich Hill Trade Value Chart. My problem is this, however. As of right now, right tackle Kaleb McGary and tight end Kyle Pitts are in walk years, and left tackle Jake Matthews retiring after this year wouldn't stun me, and you just took yourself out of a top 25-ish pick to replace any of those three when you could've conceivably gotten someone like Olu Oladejo or Nic Scourton at pick 46. Hell, even a trade-up for a few to get Donovan Ezeiruaku would've been better (I had Ezeiruaku all of seven spots behind Pearce on my big board for reference).

I like the fit with James Pearce in Atlanta, with Jeff Ulbrich likely using him a ton out of four-point stances like he did with Bryce Huff with the Jets, but I don't think this trade-up was worth it, given the lack of draft capital they had coming into last week. What saves them from the D+ range with the Browns is that EDGE was clearly their top need and did enough to help, and I think DBs Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman should carve out roles for themselves. That said, I also didn't like how they didn't try to get any IDL depth, and since Ryan Neuzil hasn't signed his RFA tender yet, I didn't love how they waited until the draft was over to get another body there in Oregon State's Joshua Gray as a UDFA.

Winner No. 1: Philadelphia Eagles (Grade: A)

If you want to know how good teams stay good, look no further than this draft class for Howie Roseman and the Eagles. Getting Jihaad Campbell like thieves in the night at pick 31 was nothing short of a spectacular way to get things going for them, as was Andrew Mukuba right after, who I was a bit higher on than most; I think he'll fit in that secondary like a glove and be an instant impact guy.

I could say good things about nearly every pick they made, but one late pick they made will pay massive dividends down the line: Texas right tackle Cameron Williams. He was the No. 92 consensus prospect in this draft via WideLeft (would've been in the 76-90 range for me if I had gone beyond 75 players), and they got him at 207. The reason for his slide comes down to a lack of starting experience, only racking up 149 offensive snaps before this year. But to get a guy who's only 21, coming off a largely successful season at right tackle for a National Title contender, who you can essentially redshirt and develop yourself before taking over for Lane Johnson, is incredible business.

Kyle McCord, a depth/development QB option after a strong year at Syracuse, was another good addition, as was the athletic interior defender Ty Robinson out of Nebraska. This is why Howie is one of the best in the game today. Also, shoutout to linebacker Smael Mondon for filling the annual Georgia player quota.

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