NFL Draft
4/29/25
7 min read
7 NFL Rookies Who Landed In Perfect Situations In 2025 Draft
The 2025 NFL Draft wasn't just about raw talent. It was about fit. Some rookies didn't just get picked; they landed in ideal situations that maximize their strengths and offer a clear path to early impact. Whether it's a scheme tailor-made for their skill set, a roster primed for their arrival, or coaching staffs known for development, these players walked into the best-case scenario. From first-round locks to second-day steals, here are the rookies poised to thrive from day one thanks to where they landed.
7. OT Armand Membou – New York Jets
The Jets took a tackle in the first round for the second year in a row, adding to one of the youngest and most talented units in the NFL. With Armand Membou, Olu Fashanu, Joe Tippmann, and Alijah Vera-Tucker all on rookie contracts, New York should have a top five offensive line for the foreseeable future.
Membou looks like a guard, but checks every non-aesthetic box to play tackle in the NFL. He’s short, with a dense build and long arms. His tape in 2024 was very clean and improved from good to great over the second half of the season. Membou has elite drive power to displace defenders at the point of attack and will be a weapon in the gap-scheme run game. He’s incredibly light on his feet for a player of his size & has no difficulties redirecting and sliding with inside counters.
11. EDGE Mykel Williams – San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers allowed the fourth highest EPA per carry last year and they fixed their run defense with their first two picks. Mykel Williams is a developmental pass rusher, but is ready to set the edge in the NFL as a rookie. He has a prototypical build for a defensive end with absurd arm length, but can explode off the ball and make sudden lateral cuts to shoot gaps. His sturdy anchor and automatic lock-peek-shed gives him a high floor to contribute on early downs while he develops his pass rush skillset.
Alfred Collins has a massive, powerful frame and is one of the best run defenders in this class. He rarely gives any ground to double teams and has the length and upper body power to shed blocks violently. Williams and Collins should provide immediate returns on early downs.
15. TE Tyler Warren – Indianapolis Colts
Tyler Warren wasn’t expected to fall to 15, but he gives the Colts exactly what they’ve been missing on offense. He’s a bully at the catch point, capable of playing above the rim winning jump balls with a defender draped over him. He also has exceptional ball-tracking skills to adjust on the move and reel in back-shoulder fades. Drops were a major issue last season, and likely the reason he returned to school, but he cut his drop rate from 15.0% to 2.8% in 2024. His speed and explosiveness are average, but he has quick feet & loose hips to get in-out of breaks efficiently.
Warren is a powerful and competitive run blocker with the play strength to handle inline duties and finish blocks decisively. But his short arms and reckless technique lead to inconsistencies securing blocks at the point of attack.
16. EDGE Jalon Walker – Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta finally invested in edge on day one, and while I don’t endorse the trade up for James Pearce Jr., Jalon Walker at 16 was a very good pick. a hybrid defender who plays mostly off-ball linebacker for Georgia’s defense, but projects as a stand-up edge rusher in the NFL. He wins with speed, power, and inside counters, but is still learning to sequence moves strategically into a coordinated pass rushing plan. Walker has elite pursuit speed and is a weapon as a QB spy.
21. DL Derrick Harmon – Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers found a Cam Heyward replacement, taking my 11th ranked player at 21. Derrick Harmon is a big, long, and explosive 3-tech. He holds his ground in the run game and has violent hands to discard iso blocks. He has a fierce bull rush and the burst & hand usage to create quick wins as a finesse rusher. Harmon was one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in college football last year, but had an abysmal finish rate and ended up with pedestrian sack numbers. It’s fair to expect some regression to the mean with his pressure-to-sack conversion, but his lack of bend shows up as an issue when he has to veer at tight angles to the QB.
35. SAF Nick Emmanwori – Seattle Seahawks
Nick Emmanwori should have been a first round pick, but Seattle was able to trade up and select him at the top of the second round. He’s a unicorn and one of the best athletes in this class, regardless of position. He plays safety, but is built like a linebacker and looks like a cornerback in man coverage. It’s rare to find a player with the versatility to defend the sidelines as a deep safety, play press-man on TEs and slot WRs, drive on in-breaking routes as a robber, shed blocks at the LOS, and fit the run like a linebacker. There are certain assignments he won’t execute at an elite level, but he’s a true Renaissance man on the back-end who is almost immune to mismatches. Emmanwori’s Swiss army knife skillset gives Mike Macdonald unique flexibility when designing coverage rotations and disguises, since he can plug into any spot on the back-seven.
65. DL Darius Alexander – New York Giants
The Giants needed to give Dexter Lawrence some help up front and they got excellent value in the second round with Darius Alexander. Alexander has prototypical size, length, and athleticism. He has a devastating bull rush with heavy hands that uproot blockers on initial contact. He also wins as a finesse rusher with an effective club-swim move and has the ideal combination of bend and lateral quickness to attack the edge of the block. He takes calculated steps off the line of scrimmage to disguise his move, set up his opponent, and cross his face.
Alexander is a disruptive run defender, recording at least one run stop in every game of the 2024 season. His legs are disproportionately thin for his size and he needs to play blocks with lower pad level to improve his anchor. But he has the power and twitch in his upper body to rip through single blocks and make plays in the backfield. Alexander was one of the most impressive defensive tackles at the Senior Bowl.
