- Jaxson Dart was the biggest reach of Round 1: Although the Giants had a quarterback need, Dart was PFF's 131st-ranked prospect.
- The New York Jets made one of the boldest bets of Day 3: The Jets selected Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith — ranked No. 343 on the PFF Big Board — with pick No. 110 overall.
- Final chance to claim 25% off PFF+: Use code DRAFT25 and unlock access to player grades, fantasy tools and the 2025 Draft Guide.
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
Reaches are a part of every NFL draft, but context matters.
Missing on a pick early can set a franchise back, while taking a swing on a high-upside prospect later in the draft often makes sense. The 2025 NFL Draft offered examples of both. Here’s a round-by-round look at the biggest reaches from this year’s class.
Day 1
No. 9. New Orleans Saints: T Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas (Big Board Rank: 22)
After selecting Taliese Fuaga with their first-round pick last year, the Saints once again went with a tackle. Trevor Penning is still on the roster, so there’s a possibility Banks will slide inside to guard to start his career and then kick outside if/when the former first-rounder moves on. However, Pick 9 was a bit rich for Banks, who is on the leaner side at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds with shorter arms.
No. 11. San Francisco 49ers: EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia (Big Board Rank: 38)
The 49ers are lacking a dominant option opposite Nick Bosa, but we’re not so sure Williams will be that player. While he’s an excellent run defender, earning at least an 80.0 PFF run-defense grade in each of the past two seasons, he leaves a lot to be desired as a pass rusher.
Williams' 61.0 PFF pass-rush grade against true pass sets ranked 188th among all draft-eligible edge defenders. He was PFF's seventh-ranked edge rusher (eighth if including Jalon Walker), and the 49ers made him the second one selected.
No. 12. Dallas Cowboys: G Tyler Booker, Alabama (Big Board Rank: 48)
Zack Martin‘s retirement made guard a big need for the Cowboys, so their desire to take one makes sense. However, Booker is very limited athletically, which will restrict the types of run concepts the team can run with him. He is an excellent pass blocker, though, as he had only one game in 2024 with a PFF pass-blocking grade below 70.0.
No. 17. Cincinnati Bengals: EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M (Big Board Rank: 31)
Stewart is an intriguing case because his athletic testing numbers were off the charts but his production numbers left something to be desired. On 680 pass-rushing snaps over his three-year career, Stewart registered only six sacks, recording exactly two in each campaign. Texas A&M ran a lot of three-man fronts, however, which may have limited those numbers.
No. 21. Pittsburgh Steelers: DI Derrick Harmon, Oregon (Big Board Rank: 42)
Arguably the biggest story of Round 1 was the Steelers‘ passing on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders despite their quarterback room featuring Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. While this suggests they’re confident in their ability to land Aaron Rodgers, they used the pick on a player who probably would have still been available had they traded down. Harmon is an excellent pass rusher, as his 55 pressures in 2024 led all interior defenders, but he is a very poor tackler, missing more than a quarter of his tackle attempts.
No. 24. Minnesota Vikings: OL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State (Big Board Rank: 46)
Jackson is a guard by trade, but after an injury to Ohio State teammate Josh Simmons midseason, he was forced to move out to tackle, where he performed competently on his way to a 71.8 PFF overall grade. The Vikings dealt Ed Ingram during the offseason, leaving Will Fries and Blake Brandel as the only guards on the roster with any real experience. This need was very apparent, constituting the reach.
No. 25: New York Giants: QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (Big Board Rank: 131)
After selecting Abdul Carter with the third overall selection, the Giants jumped back into the first round to draft a quarterback. Some thought it could be Shedeur Sanders, but New York landed on Jaxson Dart. While highly productive (91.9 PFF passing grade in 2024), Dart is very raw, as the system he played in at Ole Miss doesn’t translate very well to the NFL. Luckily for Dart, he doesn’t need to start right away after the Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston this offseason.
No. 28. Detroit Lions: DI Tyleik Williams, Ohio State (Big Board Rank: 41)
DJ Reader will be 31 years old when the 2025 season begins, and Alim McNeill is recovering from a late-season ACL tear that will likely limit his availability for 2025. The Lions had a need on the defensive interior, and Williams fills it — albeit a bit earlier than expected. He is an excellent run defender, posting an 88.6 PFF grade in that regard last season, but his pass rushing leaves a lot to be desired, as his season-best PFF pass-rushing grade in college was just 64.1.
No. 30: Buffalo Bills: CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky (Big Board Rank: 43)
Hairston was the fastest player at this year’s NFL Combine, running a 4.28-second 40-yard dash. That speed certainly shows up on the field. However, he suffered a shoulder injury in the middle of the season that caused him to miss nearly half the year, which may have affected his play. He earned just a 67.0 PFF overall grade this past season.
Day 2
No. 97 Houston Texans: CB Jaylin Smith, USC (Big Board: 241)
This reach is even bigger when using just the PFF big board, as Smith was our 241st-rated prospect in the draft class. With a strong secondary already in place, adding to the room isn’t a problem, but players like Virginia Tech‘s Dorian Strong and Kansas‘ Cobee Bryant were just a few spots down on the PFF big board. With just two career interceptions and just three forced incompletions in 2024, it’s the one of the biggest reach of the night.
No. 75 San Francisco 49ers: LB Nickolas Martin, Oklahoma State (Big Board: 307)
Another reach that looks bad if using just the PFF big board, as Martin is our 307th-rated prospect. With just 25 games played the past three seasons, missing games in two of the three, Martin struggled in run defense (63.2 grade) and in coverage (61.2 grade) in 2024. Martin has good athleticism but is undersized for the position.
No. 80 Indianapolis Colts: CB Justin Walley, Minnesota (Consensus Big Board: 194)
A player PFF’s big board likes better than consensus, Walley is our 136th-rated prospect. While his raw stats from 2024 look very good (41.8% completion rate allowed, 57.8 passer rating allowed), Walley lacks strength, which shows up in a high number of missed tackles. If he can get strong at the next level, he can develop into a solid player, but his ceiling might be capped.
No. 70 Detroit Lions: WR Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas (Consensus Big Board: 171)
TeSlaa is another player PFF’s big board is higher on than the consensus board. He didn’t see many targets the past two years of college after transferring up from the Division II ranks. While he possesses the ideal size, his lack of production against better competition indicates he needs more time to develop.
No. 74 Denver Broncos: WR Pat Bryant, Illinois (Big Board: 158)
The consensus board and the PFF board were nearly aligned on Bryant’s position. He brings a big body but lacks top-tier athleticism to be effective early in his career. He’s a plus-blocker in the run game, which might give him time to develop his route-running abilities to become a viable starter in the NFL.
No. 98 Las Vegas Raiders: T Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech (Big Board: 182)
Sometimes, experience is what teams are looking for in their draft prospects, and that’s what Rogers brings to the table with 55 career starts. He’s given up 22 sacks the past three seasons but just seven the past two seasons. He’s shown positional versatility but lacks the requisite lower body strength to hold up on the interior of an NFL offensive line.
No. 94 Cleveland Browns: QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (Big Board: 164)
It wouldn’t be a complete reach list without a quarterback on it, and we got one at the end of the third round. Gabriel lacks the ideal height, weight and arm strength to be an NFL quarterback but graded well in multiple spots during college. One thing the Browns covet at the position is accuracy, and that is his best quality, ranking first in adjusted completion rate at 81.9%. If he can overcome his physical limitations, Gabriel might become a backup quarterback in the NFL.
Day 3
110. New York Jets: WR Arian Smith, Georgia (Big Board Rank: 343)
Smith has plenty of athletic tools, and the Jets are clearly betting on his upside after he finished at No. 343 on the PFF Big Board. He stepped into a full-time role for the first time in 2024, earning a 57.1 PFF grade with 10 drops on 48 receptions and just a 22% contested-catch rate.
160. San Francisco 49ers: S Marques Sigle, Kansas State (Big Board Rank: 318)
Sigle projects as a nickel cornerback who isn’t afraid to play physical against the run. Last season, Sigle posted a career-best 85.2 run-defense grade.
195. Chicago Bears: G Luke Newman, Michigan State (Big Board Rank: 340)
After two FCS All-American seasons at Holy Cross, Newman was able to make a smooth transition to the Big Ten. Despite the jump in competition, Newman was up to the challenge, as he didn’t have a single game where his PFF grade went below 60.0.
141. Baltimore Ravens: T Carson Vinson, Alabama A&M (Big Board Rank: 277)
Vinson is likely to slide inside to guard at the next level after playing tackle at Alabama A&M. He posted an 81.7 pass-blocking grade last season while allowing just 10 total pressures.
157. Miami Dolphins: S Dante Trader Jr., Maryland (Big Board Rank: 292)
Miami addresses the secondary again with consecutive picks in the fifth round. Trader has some versatility to play in the box, slot and deep. He improved his tackling woes, reducing his missed tackle rate from 18.3% in 2023 to 4.8% in 2024.
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