Tag: NFL Draft Picks

All the Steelers current picks in the 2025 NFL draft

The Steelers currently have eight picks in the 2025 NFL draft.

In a month, On March 4, the legal tampering period will start in the NFL when teams can begin negotiations with potential free agents. Official free agency begins on March 12 and this will be a flurry of activity set in motion from the week before.

Once the dust settles on that first wave of free agency, all attention will turn to the 2025 NFL draft. The Steelers currently hold eight picks in the draft, according to Tankathon. Here is how the eight picks break down.

First round – Pick No. 21

Second round – Pick No. 52

Third round – Pick No. 83

Fourth round – Pick No. 122

Fifth round – Pick No. 163

Seventh round – Pick No. 225

Seventh round – Pick No. 231

Seventh round – Pick No. 247

With three seventh-round picks, we could see the Steelers using a pair of those to move up in the middle rounds if they target a specific player. The Steelers have very clear NFL draft needs including wide receiver, cornerback and defensive tackle along with running back and quarterback.

The 2025 NFL draft is scheduled for April 24-26.

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Broncos order of picks in 2025 NFL draft

The Broncos hold seven picks in the 2025 NFL draft, including their own selections in the first four rounds.

The Denver Broncos currently hold seven picks in the 2025 NFL draft, including their own selections in the first four rounds.

After finishing the 2024 regular season with a 10-7 record and then getting knocked out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round, the Broncos will pick 20th overall in the first round of the draft.

Denver does not hold a fifth-round pick after trading that pick and pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins in 2022 in exchange for running back Chase Edmonds and first- and fourth-round draft picks. (The Broncos later used that first-round pick to acquire coach Sean Payton in 2023.)

Denver also does not hold a seventh-round pick after trading that selection and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

The Broncos have their own picks in the first four rounds for the first time since the Russell Wilson trade, and they hold three picks in the sixth round following the Baron Browning trade from earlier this season.

Here’s a look at the team’s order of picks in next year’s NFL draft, with help from prosportstransactions.com.

Broncos order of picks in 2025 NFL draft

  • Round 1: own pick (20th overall)
  • Round 2: own pick (51st overall)
  • Round 3: own pick (85th overall)
  • Round 4: own pick (TBD)
  • Round 6: acquired from Cardinals (TBD)
  • Round 6: own pick (TBD)
  • Round 6: acquired from Eagles (TBD)

The league will award compensatory picks beyond the third round this spring, but Denver is not projected to get any comp picks in 2025. The exact placement of the Broncos’ picks in the second half of the draft will be known after other teams receive their comp picks.

The 2025 NFL draft will be held in Green Bay from April 24-26.

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Several potential 1st-round picks for 49ers officially included in 2025 NFL draft

Some draft prospects the 49ers should have an eye on are officially in the NFL draft pool.

The pool of players available in the 2025 NFL draft officially grew by 70 on Thursday.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler reported 70 underclassmen filed for the NFL draft and will be eligible to be selected this year. That group of 70 includes a handful of players who could be on the San Francisco 49ers radar with the No. 11 overall pick.

A dream selection like Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter was in that group, but the likelihood Carter makes it all the way to the 49ers at No. 11 is very slim. He appears to be a lock to go in the top five.

More realistic options like Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly, Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and George edge rusher Mykel Williams were also among the slate of underclassmen who will be in this year’s draft. That trio has all been mocked to the 49ers at some point early in the pre-draft process. Other recognizable names from mock drafts include Texas A&M defensive end Nic Scourton, Tennessee defensive end James Pierce, Mississippi defensive tackle Walter Nolen and Mizzou offensive lineman Armand Membou.

Perhaps the most interesting name on the list is a player the 49ers may give a lot of thought to even if they won’t ultimately take him at No. 11. That’s Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty who racked up a whopping 2,601 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns this season. He did that after posting 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023. The 49ers don’t necessarily need a running back, and they certainly don’t need one in the first round, but Jeanty is an excellent player head coach Kyle Shanahan will almost certainly like.

Here’s the full list provided by Brugler:

Notre Dame and Ohio State’s underclassmen have until Jan. 24 to file for the NFL draft. Those two teams face off in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 20.

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When will the Broncos pick in the first round of 2025 NFL draft?

The Broncos are set to pick 20th overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

After being eliminated from the NFL playoffs with a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the Denver Broncos are set to pick 20th overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

Fourteen teams make the playoffs each season, so the final 14 picks in the first round are determined as clubs are knocked out of the postseason. Denver is now set to pick at No. 20, according to Tankathon.

The Broncos have their own picks in the first four rounds for the first time since the Russell Wilson trade, and they hold three picks in the sixth round following the Baron Browning trade from earlier this season.

Here’s a look at the team’s order of picks in next year’s NFL draft, with help from prosportstransactions.com.

Broncos order of picks in 2025 NFL draft

Denver does not hold a fifth-round pick after trading that pick and pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins in 2022 in exchange for running back Chase Edmonds and first- and fourth-round draft picks. (The Broncos later used that first-round pick to acquire coach Sean Payton in 2023.)

Denver also does not hold a seventh-round pick after trading that selection and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

The 2025 NFL draft will be held in Green Bay from April 24-26.

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Broncos won’t pick higher than 19th overall in 2025 NFL draft

The Broncos’ 2025 NFL draft position will be finalized after the playoffs. Denver won’t pick higher than 19th overall.

After clinching a spot in the NFL playoffs, the Denver Broncos won’t pick higher than 19th overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

Fourteen teams make the playoffs each season, so the final 14 picks in the first round won’t be determined until after teams are knocked out of the postseason. The higher pick Denver could hold in April is 19th overall, according to Tankathon.

The Broncos have their own picks in the first four rounds for the first time since the Russell Wilson trade, and they hold three picks in the sixth round following the Baron Browning trade from earlier this season.

Here’s a look at the team’s order of picks in next year’s NFL draft, with help from prosportstransactions.com.

Broncos order of picks in 2025 NFL draft

Denver does not hold a fifth-round pick after trading that pick and pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins in 2022 in exchange for running back Chase Edmonds and first- and fourth-round draft picks. (The Broncos later used that first-round pick to acquire coach Sean Payton in 2023.)

Denver also does not hold a seventh-round pick after trading that selection and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

The 2025 NFL draft will be held in Green Bay from April 24-26.

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1 big offensive adjustment 49ers must make in final 3 games of 2024 season

It’s Ricky Pearsall time.

With the postseason all but out of their grasp, the San Francisco 49ers can now start operating with the 2025 season in mind.

That doesn’t mean the dreaded ‘tank’ where the team tries losing games to improve its draft position. It does mean they should be looking to see exactly what they have with some of the players on their roster in the final three games.

One key adjustment they need to make while turning their sights toward 2025 and beyond is getting first-round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall more involved in the offense.

Pearsall this season has 24 targets in eight games, but after earning six targets in Week 10, he has only nine targets in the five games since. Overall he’s turned his opportunities into 13 catches for 153 yards and one touchdown.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters he’s happy with the rookie now that he’s getting a regular chance to play and practice.

“I think Ricky’s doing a hell of a job,” Shanahan said. “I know everyone talks about the gunshot wound, but what people don’t realize is, I think I said a couple weeks ago, but he only had three practices before that gunshot wound. He missed all OTAs and all of training camp and then to get that gunshot basically went from Florida to us halfway through the season. So, I thought he did a hell of a job coming back from that, trying to learn and practice as he goes. He’s been banged up a little bit, started in Green Bay. I think he’s fought through that here the last couple weeks. I thought he did some real good stuff on tape last week. He had a couple big catches. I think he’s going the right direction and hope it keeps improving here these next three games.”

One way to ensure he’s improving is trying to get him the ball more often. In that Week 10 game where he had six targets, Pearsall hauled in four of them for 73 yards and a touchdown. His absence from the offense may just be a result of the injury issues Shanahan mentioned, but that’s something they need to resolve before the season ends.

Pearsall is a key piece of their receiving corps in the future and ironing out a more accurate trajectory for his immediate future will play a significant role in how the 49ers should operate in the offseason.

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3 more 49ers draft picks officially sign rookie contracts

The #49ers have now signed 5 members of their 2024 draft class.

Three more 49ers draft picks have signed their rookie contracts the team announced Friday. Offensive lineman Dominick Puni, safety Malik Mustapha and linebacker Tatum Bethune all signed their four-year contracts, bringing the total to six draft picks of San Francisco’s eight-player class to ink their standard rookie deals.

Cornerback Renardo Green, running back Isaac Guerendo and wide receiver Jacob Cowing all signed their deals Thursday, but the team officially announced them with Puni and Bethune.

WR Ricky Pearsall and OL Jarrett Kingston remain unsigned, although whether they sign is largely a formality since the years and dollars are pre-set.

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49ers CB Renardo Green is one of NFL draft’s best scheme fits

Renardo Green isn’t just a dawg, he’s also one of the best scheme fits in this year’s draft.

The 49ers got a dawg when they selected Florida State cornerback Renardo Green. At least that’s what he repeatedly told 49ers general manager John Lynch when Lynch called to let Green know he’d be taken by San Francisco with the 64th overall pick. That dawg mentality allowed him to be one of the best press-man cornerbacks in college football last season, which made him one of the best defensive scheme fits in this year’s draft according to a list compiled by our buddy Doug Farrar from Touchdown Wire.

None of Green’s traditional measurables jump off the page. He measured in at 6-foot, 186 pounds at the NFL combine and ran a 4.49 in the 40-yard dash. The rest of his athletic testing numbers, save for his 130-inch broad jump (89th percentile per Mock Draftable), are mostly ordinary.

What does jump out is his production both on tape and in a deeper look at his stats. Here’s what Farrar wrote about Green’s numbers during his final season with the Seminoles:

Green, who last season allowed 31 receptions on 60 targets for 290 yards, 103 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, one interception, 13 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 75.0, did his thing in the Seminoles’ press-heavy, man-heavy schemes, which led to some instances in which he got beaten on an island, but also some spectacular plays that showed all of his attributes — particularly a knack for clamping down in more press reps than most NCAA cornerbacks have to deal with. Green allowed just eight catches on 23 targets in press coverage last season, and just 3.5 yards per catch.

The 49ers will still deploy plenty of zone coverage, but having a player like Green who is so adept in man coverage potentially lining up across from Charvarius Ward, another press-man specialist, could give new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen a slew of options when it comes to having an adaptable game plan.

If Green does turn out to be one of the best scheme fits from this year’s draft it would likely mean an improved 49ers secondary, and with that the potential for an even better defensive unit in 2024.

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How 49ers could earn 2 more compensatory picks in 2025 draft

The 49ers have a chance to pick up two more comp picks in next year’s draft.

The 49ers are only expected to earn three compensatory picks in the 2025, but according to Over the Cap there’s an opportunity for them to earn two more during the season.

OTC isn’t an official source for comp pick distribution, but they have the formula nailed down very well. They currently have the 49ers projected for a fifth-round pick and a seventh-round pick next year to offset the losses of quarterback Sam Darnold and tight end Charlie Woerner in free agency. San Francisco will also have a third-round comp pick thanks to DeMeco Ryans being hired as the Houston Texans’ head coach.

Initial comp pick projections are determined only player losses and acquisitions in free agency. The next shift in comp picks will come once the season plays out and players have either hit or missed certain snap counts and earned incentives per OTC. That leaves the door open for two more comp picks to head the 49ers’ way.

Cornerback Isaac Yiadom signed a one-year deal worth $1.9 million with San Francisco. As of early May he qualifies as a gained free agent. If he winds up not qualifying because of his snap count, the 49ers will gain a seventh-round comp pick.

On the other hand, wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud doesn’t count as a loss for the 49ers after joining the Falcons on a two-year deal worth up to $6 million. If he hits the playing time or earned incentive threshold this season he’ll qualify as a free agent loss for the 49ers and would earn them another seventh-round comp choice.

Yiadom is an interesting player on the 49ers’ roster. He’s a special teams contributor who’s coming off his best defensive season as a pro. He should be in the mix to start, but he could also miss out on a roster spot entirely depending on how the cornerback position battle goes. Given the team’s need at CB it’s hard to imagine the 49ers will factor in the seventh-round comp pick much when determining his role and playing time.

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ESPN picks wrong loser of NFL draft for 49ers

ESPN picked Brandon Aiyuk as one of the losers of the NFL draft. They picked the wrong 49ers WR.

The 49ers selection of wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round of this year’s draft was a signal that changes are on the horizon for San Francisco’s receiving corps. While it was expected by some that the 49ers would move one of Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk after the selection, they held onto both for at least one more season.

Picking a 49ers receiver as a loser of the draft because of the team’s first-round pick was the right choice by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell in a piece he wrote detailing some winners and losers from the player selection process. Picking Aiyuk was the wrong choice. Samuel is the player who should ultimately be strapped with that distinction.

Barnwell does lay out how Aiyuk’s numbers could be impacted by the inclusion of a first-round pick in the receiving corps. That could certainly be the case, although given where Aiyuk sat on the pecking order last year as quarterback Brock Purdy’s top target it’s more likely we see numbers dip for Samuel and Jauan Jennings.

Ultimately Barnwell concludes that “Pearsall might not be a direct replacement for Aiyuk in the short term, but his presence could indicate San Francisco expects to move on from one of its wideouts sooner rather than later.”

This is spot on. And the wideout most likely to be moving on is Samuel.

He was already in trade discussions during this year’s draft, and the 49ers can save even more money by letting him go next offseason either via trade or release. That’ll likely be a necessity since Aiyuk is on track to receive a massive extension this offseason that will keep him in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future. And with Samuel no longer playing such a massive role in the offense, there’s a strong chance Aiyuk’s numbers skyrocket even with Pearsall more heavily in the mix.

Perhaps Aiyuk feels some type of way about the 49ers’ pick and he’s never the same player again as a result. In that instance, he’d most definitely be the biggest loser as a result of the Pearsall selection. For now though it would appear Samuel has more to lose while Aiyuk appears to have plenty to gain.

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