Most Surprising Round 1 NFL Draft Grades From Experts

The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft has officially come to an end, in a night that was not short of surprises, twists and turns.

And now, the buzz surrounding those picks are beginning to flood in, with some picks being considered major home runs, while others have been seen as questionable decisions.

Of course, the jury won’t officially be in on these decisions until much later down the line, when these players have spent some time on an NFL field.

Still, that hasn’t stopped the experts from weighing in.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the more surprising draft grades from across the NFL sphere.

Kelvin Banks, OT, New Oreleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints had a lot of needs in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. Whether it be quarterback, edge rusher, or another defensive position. Still, with new head coach Kellen Moore, they elected to improve a pass rush that gave up 30 sacks last season, which tied for 18th in the NFL.

To do that, they brought in arguably the best pure tackle in the entire draft in Texas Longhorns star Kelvin Banks, solidifying a position of need, but far from their biggest hole – quarterback. And the offensive line was apparently low on that list to some mock draft experts.

But according to Yahoo Sports, it was one of the best picks of Round 1, giving the Saints an A- grade.

That said, there is no doubt Banks will be a long-time stalwart and an elite tackle at the NFL level.

Tyler Booker, OL, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys had a bevy of needs on Thursday night, with receiver and running back at the top of the list. That said, another major need was on the interior of the offensive line, where they just lost a future Hall of Fame player in Zack Martin.

To fill that hole the Cowboys selected the top guard in the draft in Alabama’s Tyler Booker. Without Booker, the Cowboys prospects of running the ball and protecting Dak Prescott would have taken a major hit, and it was a critical addition to their 2025 makeup.

Still, Sports Illustrated believes it was an extreme reach, giving Dallas a D grade for the selection.

Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants

The New York Giants arguably won the first round of the NFL Draft, picking a generational edge rusher in Abdul Carter from Penn State, and landing their quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss.

Sure, Shedeur Sanders was on the board, but Dart has the tools that head coach Brian Daboll loves in a quarterback, whether it is extreme arm talent or the ability to run the football.

Despite filling their biggest need, CBS Sports gave the Giants a mere C- grade for the pick.

“I know the Giants needed a quarterback, but I don’t love this move,” CBS Sports wrote. “Coach Brian Daboll was said to be the one pushing for Dart. Well, he got his guy. I just think I would have waited until later to get a quarterback, but desperation makes teams do crazy things when it comes to the quarterback position.”