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Fresh off the 2025 NFL Draft, you can start to prepare for your fantasy football drafts. Whether you are in redraft or dynasty league formats, knowing the landing spots of the top NFL rookies will help you plan your draft strategies.
Let’s take a look at a few landing spots for rookies from each offensive position, analyzing the potential for a first-year impact and any competition they may face right out of the gate.
Running Back
Ashton Jeanty – RB
Las Vegas Raiders
The top offensive skill player in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ashton Jeanty was selected sixth overall by the Las Vegas Raiders. Continuing their offensive overhaul, Jeanty joins a revamped offense headlined by second-year tight end Brock Bowers and offseason trade acquisition Geno Smith.
Under Pete Carroll, the offense should actually look like an NFL offense should, even if they still struggle. Having a running game will help elevate the passing game, but offensive line concerns still remain. Overall, this is a solid spot for Jeanty to land, one that he won’t have any important competition to worry about.
Grade: A
Omarion Hampton – RB
Los Angeles Chargers
The other big domino to fall at the RB position was Omarion Hampton, who joined the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round. Hampton was most frequently seen as the second-best back in the 2025 NFL Draft, as his skill set and game film paints a very efficient picture.
Hampton will face competition in his first season with the Bolts, as offseason signee Najee Harris will be a thorn in Hampton’s side all season. Harris’ durability will likely mean that he is will be the starter and eventually transition to the 1B option for the Chargers, potentially cloudying the rookie-season impact for Hampton. However, with JK Dobbins likely not returning, the backfield is wide open, which presents Hampton with a great chance to make an immediate impact, even if he will fight Harris for touches. This is a great landing spot for Hampton for his career, but his first season may be a bit up and down.
Grade: B+
TreVeyon Henderson – RB
New England Patriots
While running back wasn’t necessarily seen as the biggest area of improvement on offense for the New England Patriots (that’s receiver), adding TreVeyon Henderson in the second round makes this backfield extremely interesting.
With Rhamondre Stevenson entering the second season of his four-year deal and Antonio Gibson holding the passing-game role, the RB pecking order will look vastly different for the Patriots. Expect Henderson to have a bit of a slower start to his first season in the league, but he will eventually get a chance to show why New England selected him. Stevenson is the biggest threat to Henderson’s workload, especially in the passing game, but look for Henderson to make a sizable impact in his rookie campaign, giving you the green light to draft him in your fantasy football drafts.
Grade: B+
Quinshon Judkins – RB
Cleveland Browns
It was expected that the Cleveland Browns would look to add to their running back room, and grabbing Quinshon Judkins as their top target makes a ton of sense. While they also did add Tennessee rookie Dylan Sampson later on, Judkins is the clear starter.
Jerome Ford is really the only incumbent to worry about, and he certainly isn’t on the same level as Judkins. Expect the former Ohio State back to take the lead role early on and never look back, putting up one of the best seasons for this year’s RB class. QB issues will make this offense a hard-to-watch unit, but Judkins should see plenty of work.
Grade: A
Kaleb Johnson – RB
Pittsburgh Steelers
Kaleb Johnson doesn’t even need to change his wardrobe, as he jumps from the Iowa Hawkeyes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Seen as last option in the top five running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft, Johnson joins a Steelers running back room looking to replace vacated work from Harris.
Johnson will pair nicely with Jaylen Warren, as the incumbent veteran is more of a pass-catching option. For Johnson to land in Pittsburgh, he absolutely can be a top-20 back this season, even if his receiving work is not super strong with Warren vulturing some.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver
Travis Hunter – WR/CB
Jacksonville Jaguars
While it all comes down to what position is his main, Travis Hunter landed in one of the best spots he possibly could. Pairing with head coach Liam Coen will help unlock his offensive skills, which is the strongest part of his game, while giving him a chance to hold an important role on defense.
By adding Hunter to Brian Thomas Jr., it gives the Jacksonville Jaguars one of the best, young WR rooms in the entire league. Trevor Lawrence’s stock is pointing up too after drafting Hunter, as rounding out the receiver room will help overcome the depth chart issues at the running back position.
Grade: A
Tetairoa McMillan – WR
Carolina Panthers
Tetairoa McMillan landing with the Carolina Panthers wasn’t an expected outcome, but it makes total sense. As Bryce Young tries his hand again at becoming Carolina’s next QB1, giving him a top option in McMillan puts the offense on an upward trajectory.
However, it might not be a smooth landing for the Arizona rookie as he looks to hit the ground running in the NFL. On the depth chart, the likes of Xavier Legette and Adam Thielen fall in line behind McMillan, which paints an optimistic picture. But Young doesn’t seem to be a quarterback that likes to hyper-focus on one target, which would take some wind out of McMillan’s sails. That isn’t to say that he won’t succeed with the Panthers; however, it does mean that it might take a bit for McMillan to solidify his role in the Carolina offense.
Grade: B+
Emeka Egbuka – WR
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The most puzzling choice of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafting Emeka Egbuka. With both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on long-term deals and second-year pro Jalen McMillan having shown promise as the WR3 last season, wide receiver shouldn’t have been a high-priority item on Jason Licht’s wishlist.
Instead, it provides Egbuka with a landing spot that screams low production as a rookie, even though he will likely jump Jalen McMillan on the depth chart. The value in this pick is likely long term, as the age of Evans, and the age and health of Godwin, may continue to come into question. It would not be surprising to see Egbuka take on a larger role in his second or third season, but for now, this is a confusing choice, even if Tampa Bay has their own justification for it.
Grade: C
Matthew Golden – WR
Green Bay Packers
The drought is finally over the Green Bay Packers, as they selected Texas speedster Matthew Golden with the 23rd selection. Golden, the best receiver from Texas this draft cycle, joins a murky receiver room with depth but no real WR1 option for Jordan Love.
While that role won’t just be handed to Golden, it remains to be seen why he doesn’t have the highest likelihood of obtaining it. With Christian Watson in recovery for his torn ACL and both Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed not looking like the right WR1 for this offense, Golden can slide into that role. His speed is what stands out the most in his game (which can be a warning sign for his long-term development), but Golden looks well-rounded enough in other areas to make this a solid choice for Green Bay.
Grade: B
Tre Harris – WR
Los Angeles Chargers
The Quentin Johnston experiment, while not over, looks to have hit its peak, forcing the Chargers to need to find their WR2 to pair with Ladd McConkey. Grabbing Ole Miss product Tre Harris provides the Chargers with a high-upside guy who is a lanky target and can thrive both over the middle and over the top.
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Tre Harris is the clubhouse leader of the next tier of wideouts behind Tetairoa McMillan and Travis Hunter, and he lands in a spot where he can absolutely make a day one impact. With Harris likely playing outside and McConkey staying inside, Justin Herbert may finally have two top targets, following through on a plan to upgrade the offense this offseason.
Grade: A-
Quarterback
Cam Ward – QB
Tennessee Titans
The top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward, finds himself joining the most QB-needy team in the Tennessee Titans. Fresh off a strong end to his career in Miami, Ward joins the NFL looking to be the best option in a middling QB class.
The Titans don’t have the receiver room that will help sustain Ward in his rookie season, which will make his first year an uphill battle. But head coach Brian Callahan will need to put Ward in the best position possible, as Callahan’s seat is a bit warm. As long as Ward shows enough growth through the season, he will be just fine for the Titans; but his first season might be a bit slow.
Grade: A-
Jaxson Dart – QB
New York Giants
Having moved up into the end of the first round, the New York Giants made Jaxson Dart the second quarterback off the board. Dart’s ceiling is one of the highest in the 2025 NFL Draft at QB, as he has the skills to become a solid QB for a team that needs to hit on one.
Having the luxury of playing behind both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, Dart won’t be handed the keys right out of the gate. Giving the Ole Miss rookie time to acclimate might be the thing that saves Brian Daboll’s job, as the Giants franchise needs to show some sort of positive results this upcoming season.
Grade: B
Tyler Shough – QB
New Orleans Saints
It was quite shocking to see Louisville’s Tyler Shough earn such interest during the pre-draft process, which likely speaks more towards the overall health of this QB group as a whole. Shough was drafted in the second round by the New Orleans Saints, as they take the bargain-bin approach to upgrading their QB room.
Having made stops at Oregon, Texas Tech, and finally at Louisville, Shough will compete with Spencer Rattler for the starting job, provided Derek Carr’s shoulder remains an issue. Shough is an elder statesman (25) when it comes to rookies, so he will need to hit the ground running. The Saints have plenty of issues to fix in Kellen Moore’s first year as head coach, but don’t be surprised if Shough earns a good amount of playing time this season.
Grade: C+
Tight End
Colston Loveland – TE
Chicago Bears
A bit of a surprise as the first tight end off the board, Colston Loveland finds himself joining the retooled Chicago Bears offense. Finding his role in year one might be tough with how the depth chart is built, but the former Michigan Wolverine is uber talented and has the skills to become a real factor catching passes from Caleb Williams.
Drafting Loveland means that the Bears will likely phase Cole Kmet out of the picture, even with their comments about rolling with both TEs. Loveland was joined by Luther Burden III as rookie pass catchers for Chicago, as that duo joins DJ Moore and second-year receiver Rome Odunze. The opportunities might need to be more scripted for Loveland to succeed in his rookie season, but his role with the Bears will only grow over time in the offense.
Grade: A-
Tyler Warren – TE
Indianapolis Colts
Frequently seen as the TE1 in the 2025 NFL Draft, Penn State’s Tyler Warren joined the Indianapolis Colts with the 14th overall selection. Quarterback issues will likely plague the Colts this season, as Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson will fight it out, with Notre Dame rookie Riley Leonard joining the fray.
However, working in Warren’s favor is the fact that he has absolutely no depth chart competition. Mo Allie-Cox and Jelani Woods are not going to threaten Warren’s playing time, as the former Nittany Lion should immediately find himself earning TE1 work right out of the gate. It will likely be a bumpy start to his NFL career, but if Brock Bowers can set NFL records with his assortment of QBs in Las Vegas, Warren can do the same with Indianapolis.
Grade: A-
Mason Taylor – TE
New York Jets
After the top two names, the tight end position was wide open in terms of who would be the third option off the board. LSU’s Mason Taylor earned that nod by being selected 42nd overall by the New York Jets, joining an offense that desperately needs pass-catching talent.
Outside of Garrett Wilson, Justin Fields has a ragtag bunch of receivers to target, which should allow for Taylor to develop a rapport early on. Taylor should see his fair share of work as Fields’ safety valve, and don’t be surprised if Taylor is in the running to lead all rookie TEs in touchdown receptions this upcoming season.
Grade: B+
