2025 NFL Draft Preview: 5 things watch in Green Bay this weekend

adamluckettksr

Apr 23, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; A general overall view of the 2025 NFL Draft logo on the Draft stage at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

On Thursday evening, the NFL Draft will take center stage over three days with 257 picks stretched out over seven rounds. The Super Bowl in the football scouting and evaluation world is here to dominate the weekend. To say I’m excited would be an understatement.

The biggest non-game event on the sports calendar has arrived and we are covering this from every angle at KSR. After releasing a first-round mock draft on Monday and publishing our fifth-annual draft guide on Wednesday, now we’re shifting to a big picture preview on Thursday.

What does the Big Blue Nation need to know heading into this three-day extravaganza? Let’s set the table.

[Luckett’s Ultimate 2025 NFL Draft Guide]

1.) Maxwell Hairston in the first round

The two-time All-SEC selection could make Kentucky program history on Thursday night. No defensive back from this program has ever been selected in the first round. Maxwell Hairston could be first. The former three-star recruit will get into draft range in the 20s.

Green Bay Packers (No. 23), Los Angeles Rams (No. 26), Washington Commanders (No. 29), and Buffalo Bills (No. 30) are all teams looking for cornerback help to watch.

2.) Deone Walker in the third round

Day 2 is typically always a busy day for the Kentucky football program but that could change this season. If Hairston goes off the board in the first round, there could be no UK picks on Day 2 unless a team takes Deone Walker off the board in the third round.

The massive defensive tackle is a unique athlete and will bring legitimate pass rush production and potential to an NFL franchise. When we get into the comp pick portion of the third round, that could be Walker’s time to come off the board in a deep defensive tackle draft.

3.) Eli Cox and Jamon Dumas-Johnson on Day 3

After we get through the fourth round on Saturday afternoon, Eli Cox will enter draft range in the fifth round. The center-first product was a four-year starter at Kentucky who crushed the pre-draft process. The thought is that Cox will be a good fit for a zone run scheme. Teams with a former Mike Shanahan/Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay assistant calling plays are the ones to watch.

Jamon Dumas-Johnson did not have a great year at Kentucky after earning All-American honors at Georgia in 2022 but should hear his name called in the sixth or seventh-round on Saturday. The off-ball linebacker is a stout run defender who brings experience and physicality to the table.

4.) Shedeur Sanders watch

Could Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders really fall out of the first round? It seems possible.

.@McShay13 tells @ColinCowherd that Shedeur Sanders' stock is falling further than you might think:

"No one I've talked to sees the team out there that if Shedeur gets past #21, they're going to go to racing in the first round to go get him" pic.twitter.com/qElP7h9xeg
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 23, 2025

"I think that there's a very good chance that [Shedeur Sanders] is not selected on Thursday night."@jjones9 gives the latest on what he's hearing around the league on Shedeur Sanders, heading into draft night. pic.twitter.com/YAu75vEGNC
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) April 23, 2025

The New York Giants sit at No. 3 overall and have a big need at quarterback but all are indicators point to the Big Blue taking Penn State EDGE rusher Abdul Carter. The New Orleans Saints sit at No. 9 overall but never take a quarterback in the first round. That pick will most likely be the best line of scrimmage players available. The Pittsburgh Steelers own the No. 21 pick. What if general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin decided to pass on Sanders?

Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

That’s where things could get interesting.

Would the Giants, Saints, or Cleveland Browns trade-up from the second round into the backend of the first to take Sanders? Would Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe actually get picked before the quarterback many had pegged as QB2 when this draft process officially started in January?

The biggest storyline of the first night will be Sanders. How far could he fall? That will define this draft night with the top three picks pretty much set in stone: Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans), Travis Hunter (Cleveland Browns), and Carter (New York Giants).

5.) Defensive line run on Day 2

Does your favorite NFL team need help on the defensive front? This is a good year to be in the market. We will see a handful (maybe more) coming off the board in the first round but Day 2 will very much be about taking advantage of defensive line depth in this class.

The second and third round will be filled with defensive tackles and EDGE prospects. We could see somewhere around 20-25 defensive line picks in these very important rounds. There are only 70 total picks on Day 2.

Defensive front needs must to be addressed on Day 2. We’re going to see quite the wave of defensive line of scrimmage picks in this draft.

These are some of my favorite defensive prospects that we will see come off the board on Day 2: Ashton Gillotte (Louisville), T.J. Sanders (South Carolina), and JT Tuimoloau (Ohio State).