It's often said that NFL draft second-round picks are the best value in draft classes. They represent almost as much potential and upside as first-round selections without the big contracts. However, after the 2025 NFL Draft, many second-rounders remain unsigned, and that could be because the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns gave their second-round selections history-making contracts.

“On May 8, Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (No. 34) became the first ever second-round pick to sign a fully-guaranteed contract. The Browns and linebacker Carson Schwesinger (No. 33) then followed up with another fully-guaranteed pact on the next day,” USA Today's Anthony Rizzuti writes.

Giving the first two picks of the NFL draft's second round fully guaranteed deals seems to have made the rest of the players in that group want/expect the same.

According to The Football Database, as of May 24, 21 of the 32 first-round picks signed before the 24th, and the Washington Commanders signed Josh Conery on Saturday, making it 22-of-32. All but two of the 2025 NFL Draft Round 3 picks—DT Darius Alexander (New York Giants) and QB Dillon Gabriel (Browns)—are also already signed.

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However, Higgins and Schwesinger are the only locked-up Round 2 players.

This means big names such as S Nick Emmanwori (Seattle Seahawks),  RB Quinshon Jenkins (Browns), RB TreVeyon Henderson (New England Patriots), WR Luther Burden III (Chicago Bears), QB Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints), DE Donovan Ezeiruaku (Dallas Cowboys), DE Nic Scourton (Carolina Panthers), and DE Mike Green (Baltimore Ravens) don't have deals in place yet.

It's worth noting that the Browns have messed up the NFL contract structure before, giving Deshaun Watson the biggest fully guaranteed deal in the history of the league. But while that did slow down QB contract negotiations for some teams the next season, the league opted to treat that as an outlier deal handed out by a poorly run franchise.

These players can still participate in OTAs without a contract, but it's worth watching this trend as the offseason rolls on and training camps open in just about two months.