Could Travis Hunter win both Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors?

The 2025 NFL Draft has formally come and gone and it was fairly the doozy.

Some issues went chalk and others had been full surprises. That is a part of the magic of the draft: There’s at all times one thing that occurs that catches us off guard.

With the mud totally selecting the outcomes we figured now could be the most effective time for us at The Skinny Publish, Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa, to handle a number of the bigger issues to occur all through all of it.

Let’s start.

Mel Kiper appeared to crash out on stay tv, stating that the NFL has been clueless on quarterback analysis for over 50 years. Was this the pot calling the kettle black?

Michael:

It appeared so out of left subject. The Shedeur Sanders discourse was unsurprisingly on the forefront of all NFL Draft protection on account of a slide that completely nobody on the skin of an NFL franchise noticed coming.

Following Sanders’ choice by the Browns within the fifth spherical, Kiper went on an odd, emotional, and prolonged tangent calling out NFL evaluators for his or her incapability to correctly scout quarterbacks over the previous 50 years. To borrow a phrase out of the Gen Z playbook, it was tremendous “cringe.” It was laborious to look at from the man many deem to be the “godfather” of recent draft protection.

Right here’s the factor: Kiper is identical man who mentioned he’d retire if former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen didn’t make it within the NFL (he didn’t). He additionally thought JaMarcus Russell could be the subsequent coming of John Elway (he was not). To high all of it off, he was an enormous proponent for Lamar Jackson switching to broad receiver so he may have a greater probability of constructing it as a profitable professional (spoiler alert: Jackson has a number of MVPs as a quarterback).

Was this, not directly, the start of the tip for Kiper as a good draft voice? I do know that sounds a bit over-exaggerated, however there’s a wealth of younger, up-and-coming draft voices who may simply step in and supply the identical, if not higher, protection of NFL draft prospects throughout all three days. I’m already seeing folks on X convey up the thought of retaining Kiper off the desk for subsequent 12 months.

I’m undecided I disagree with that sentiment.

RJ:

To be fairly trustworthy, I do not need a very passionate tackle all of this.

It was positively predictable that there could be robust, deeply held opinions about Sanders falling — perhaps a cause why he did so if we enable ourselves to zoom out — and Mel Kiper actually exhibited ardour in his level.

I feel it’s nice for him to defend that he discovered the scenario to be preposterous and unfair whereas not calling out the method at massive. To behave like all single particular person is batting even .250 at evaluating NFL Draft expertise is disingenuous. I do know that Michael introduced up Kiper’s errors in analysis prior to now, however everybody misses. All of us are positive about one thing that doesn’t work out or assure a participant will fail who goes on to thrive.

If I’ve a grand takeaway it’s that generally it’s okay to say you don’t know what’s taking place. Within the case of Shedeur there have been clearly assumptions about his fame derailing every thing, however guessing at something is absolutely simply superior conjecture. I might have personally been nice if Kiper or anybody would have supplied one thing alongside the traces of, “look I can not imagine that is taking place… I’ve no logical clarification for it.”

Typically that’s greater than nice.

Shut your eyes and see the long run… who’s successful OROTY?

RJ:

There are a handful of choices to select from, clearly. Tennessee’s Cam Ward will make a variety of sense and has the benefit of being a quarterback… maybe in that respect somebody like Jaxson Dart will shock us by getting within the combine and working away with it.

So far as I’m involved there isn’t a cause or must overthink this and subsequently I’m going to go together with Travis Hunter. The Jaguars traded as much as get him and in all chance didn’t achieve this for him to not be a most important a part of their total operation. Trevor Lawrence is in want of a bounce-back type of season… the maths simply makes an excessive amount of sense.

For what it’s value I’ve not seen a ton of “Travis Hunter may win BOTH Rookie of the Yr awards” however I’ll say that I’ll hedge my guess a bit and assure that he wins no less than one.

Michael:

As a lot as I hate to confess it, I feel new Raiders working again Ashton Jeanty goes to run away with the award this 12 months (pun completely meant).

The Raiders did get their new beginning quarterback by buying and selling for Geno Smith however I simply don’t see how Pete Carroll gained’t attempt to journey Jeanty to the promised land. I can already see it. Smith goes to pelt tight finish Brock Bowers with a billion targets as a result of Jeanty’s effectiveness will maintain the play-action recreation broad open. The latter shall be fed, fed, and fed en path to successful the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Yr honor, proper after his new teammate Bowers did it in 2024.

And sure, I’m so down dangerous understanding that the Chargers must face the Raiders and Jeanty twice a 12 months for the foreseeable future. It’s not precisely the identical, however it feels harking back to after I realized Patrick Mahomes was going to be wonderful and that I’d have to look at him dominate the Bolts yearly after I used to be pushing for him to be LA’s decide at No. 7 that 12 months over Mike Williams.

Which staff put collectively your favourite draft class?

Michael:

A number of groups posted pictures on X of their total draft lessons following the tip of day three. The one class that actually made me cease and stare was the Seattle Seahawks. It is a staff that blew me away with their group that was full of dimension and athleticism.

Their first-round decide, offensive guard Gray Zabel, was one of many most secure picks for a offensive lineman within the class. He’s 6’6 and a mauler. Seattle then adopted that decide up by choosing South Carolina security Nick Emmanwori, a 6’3, 220-pound security who blew the doorways off of the NFL Mix.

The ultimate two picks on Day 2 had been Miami tight finish Elijah Arroyo and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Once more, two dudes with immense athleticism and dynamic play-making potential. The Seahawks don’t even want a quarterback however the offensive minds within the room will most likely discover a technique to get the elusive Milroe on the sector to make a distinction for his or her staff as a rookie.

Final however not least, I’ve to shout out their fifth-round collection of Alabama fullback/tight finish Robbie Outzs. This man sported the most effective mustache on the NFL Mix and is a home.

There’s a lot to like about this group. After being the one 10-win staff within the NFL to overlook out on the playoffs in 2024, count on the Seahawks to be extremely motivated to by no means be in that place once more.

RJ:

It pains me to say this, however I actually like what the New York Giants did.

To be clear I feel the good groups within the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens all did their ordinary factor, however I feel that the Giants are on the very least one step nearer to fixing every thing that has been happening for a decade (longer if we’re prepared to acknowledge that their two Tremendous Bowl wins had been unimaginable, but in addition the product of supreme luck).

I’m a proud Arizona State Solar Satan and subsequently devastated that Cam Skattebo goes to run at my Dallas Cowboys twice a 12 months for the foreseeable future. The factor is that the Giants have begun to construct a longtime core of younger offensive gamers in Skattebo and (clearly) quarterback Jaxson Dart… oh and Abdul Carter now will get to wreak havoc and perhaps even make life simpler for Kayvon Thibodeaux.

It’s tremendous straightforward for a staff just like the Eagles as talked about to maintain being elite. That’s boring.

Seeing the Giants take a severe step ahead is applause-worthy.

Which was probably the most “in fact” draft decide of your complete group?

RJ:

Anybody who watched the Faculty Soccer Playoff knew that Jack Sawyer was going to be a enjoyable decide for whoever finally wound up with him. The play that he made for Ohio State to shut out the Cotton Bowl towards the Longhorns was an all-timer.

It was the type of play that famous person defensive gamers like T.J. Watt make, so in fact destiny would lead Sawyer to the Pittsburgh Steelers. By all measures, Sawyer looks like a dude who’s going to simply grind perpetually and ever which makes him an ideal match for the Metal Metropolis.

If I can add to this I’ll say that Will Howard, Sawyer’s Ohio State quarterback, ending up in Pittsburgh is one thing we’re not speaking about fairly sufficient. I do know we marvel if Aaron Rodgers is finally nonetheless going to signal there, however Howard presents a challenge to work on for the long run on the very least.

Michael:

Jack Sawyer is a very good decide right here.

For me, I can’t assist however decide a staff that — with out lacking a beat yearly — finds a technique to draft a participant that had no enterprise being out there once they had been on the clock within the first spherical. In fact, I’m speaking in regards to the Philadelphia Eagles in some way getting the prospect to select Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell at No. 31 when he was anticipated to come back off the board wherever from No. 8 to No. 15.

In a category that appeared to lack any elite expertise on the off-ball linebacker spot, the Eagles took benefit and received the highest man at a place that appears to have been devalued lately. On the identical time, in the event you take a look at the groups who’ve been probably the most profitable lately, all of them are likely to make use of a reasonably good participant within the center. Take into consideration Zack Baun who was prolonged by the Eagles this offseason. The 49ers and Fred Warner. The Ravens and Roquan Smith. There appears to be a development right here.

The Eagles didn’t even NEED Campbell, however they took him anyway as a result of they actually do stand by the idea of choosing the most effective participant out there and I assure — on multiple event this upcoming season — we’ll be watching the Eagles protection dominate and say to ourselves, “I can not imagine they had been allowed to draft this man.”

What do you suppose? Take our surveys and pontificate within the feedback!