The 2025 NFL draft was the 90th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft was held at Lambeau Field and its adjacent Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 24–26, 2025. The Tennessee Titans held the first overall pick and selected Cam Ward, a quarterback from the Miami Hurricanes.
For the first time in the common draft era, the 2025 draft commenced with all teams holding their original selections in the first round. After the draft had begun, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs traded picks within the first round while the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams traded out of the first round. This was the first draft in NFL history to have every player selection come from an NCAA Division I FBS or FCS program.
Host city
Green Bay, Wisconsin, was chosen over Washington, D.C. as the host city on May 22, 2023. Ever since the NFL began rotating the location of the NFL draft in 2015, the Packers had pursued hosting it. Although a small town, recent development around Lambeau Field made the location more feasible; this included the development of the Titletown District, the opening of the Resch Expo, and new hotels. Original projections for attendance were 250,000 people, more than double the population of Green Bay. However, actual attendance greatly exceeded that figure, with the NFL estimating about 600,000 attendees over the three-day event, making it one of the most well-attended drafts to date. The event caused significant disruptions to the city, including requiring schools to close for two days, streets to be shut down, hotels almost fully booked, and significant air traffic at Green Bay–Austin Straubel International Airport. The draft stage was built on Oneida Street with Lambeau Field as the backdrop, while the Titletown District hosted the NFL Draft Experience, and the Resch Expo served as a workspace for the media, vendors, and other logistical support. The Packers also opened the Lambeau Field atrium to attendees, which includes the Packers Pro Shop and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
Attendees
The following players attended the draft:
Although Sorrell was not invited to the draft, he flew to Green Bay with family and friends to attend and stayed all three days. When the Packers selected him in the fourth round, he was announced by Roger Goodell and welcomed on stage like a first-round pick. The Packers' staff did not know he was in attendance when they sent in the pick, Also Troy Vincent also didn’t make it to the stage for the first time since 2013.
Trades involving draft picks
In the explanations below (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre–Draft), while (D) denotes trades that take place during the 2025 draft.
Resolution JC-2A picks
Resolution JC-2A, enacted by the NFL in November 2020, rewards teams for developing minority candidates for head coach and/or general manager positions. The resolution rewards teams whose minority candidates are hired away for one of those positions by awarding compensatory draft picks. These draft picks are at the end of the third round, after standard compensatory picks; if multiple teams qualify, they are awarded by draft order in the first round. These picks are in addition to the standard 32 compensatory picks. Three picks were awarded for the 2025 draft pursuant to the resolution, to San Francisco, Denver and Minnesota.
Prank call controversy
During the draft, some prospects received prank calls from people pretending to be NFL front office staff. Shedeur Sanders was the most notable prospect to receive a prank call when on day two of the draft, Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, and another person pretended to call on behalf of New Orleans Saints. Sydney Schoen, the daughter of New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen, had previously been accused. After the draft, Jax and the Falcons issued an apology to Sanders and his family. Other prospects, including Abdul Carter, Tyler Warren, Mason Graham, Josh Conerly Jr., Kyle McCord, and Chase Lundt, also received calls from unrelated pranksters.