The NFL Draft starts in a little over an hour. A lot of the top college players we've been following for years get some cool new hats and jerseys. It starts at 8 p.m. Eastern, and we'll be there.

Not physically there; it's in Green Bay, and that's not in the budget/interests of anyone. But we'll be watching it on TV like most other football fans, and as in past years, I'll be posting snap reactions to each first-round pick. Things like:

• Why did they take that guy?
• How will he fit into their offense/defense?
• What's the fantasy outlook for these guys, immediate and long-term?

I will be updating this same post after each pick, and probably posting in the comments as well; other Fantasy Index folks will probably check in. Reader comments are not only welcome but encouraged -- we want to hear what you think. Some of you are based in New Orleans, or Las Vegas, or Cleveland, and can offer local color on why such and such was drafted, if Player A (Ok, I'm talking about Cameron Ward) will start in Week 1 or Week 1, if Player B (Travis Hunter) will play more offense or defense, etc.

7:55 p.m. Scuttlebutt has the Browns potentially trading out of the No. 2 pick. That would mess up a lot of projections. Is it someone who wants Travis Hunter, or Ashton Jeanty? The betting public wants to know.

2025 NFL DRAFT ROUND 1

1.01. Cameron Ward, Titans. No surprise. Tennessee desperately needs a quarterback. They need a lot of things, but Ward had a big year and is the best quarterback in the class. Makes sense. Ian Rapoport says the Titans got several offers from quarterback-needy teams. Good arm, moves around well, runs a little. Probably a Week 1 starter. Maybe an option in Superflex, but realistically there's not much around him and he'll probably struggle initially. As mentioned earlier today here, I liked the Lockett signing, that should help. Jaguars are on the clock (they've traded up from No. 5 to No. 2, giving up next year's 1st-round pick in the process).

1.02. Travis Hunter, Jaguars. I'm excited to see Hunter play, and I guess I'm glad it's for a more fun to root for franchise than the Browns. Jacksonville already has Brian Thomas, but now they've got two pretty exciting wideouts, one of whom is also a cornerback. Big question is where he'll play more, and no one really asked the Jaguars because no one thought they'd be taking him. Full-time corner, part-time wideout, or vice-versa? Gonna be fascinating. Hard not to like the pick (but I don't like the cost of next year's first-rounder). Jacksonville hoping it's in the 20s and they're a playoff team, which I guess is possible; 2nd-best team in the AFC South, most likely.

1.03. Abdul Carter, Giants. And we're back on script with the Giants taking the draft's best pass rusher. Big production at Penn State, going to a team that had the best pass rush the first half of last year and the worst the second half. Reports have the Giants shopping Kayvon Thibodeaux, but they've still got Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence. Seems like a sound move, and it's been all but official for weeks. Most are more interested with what New York is going to do with its second-round pick (perhaps a trade-up into the end of the first for a quarterback).

1.04. Will Campbell, Patriots. Mock Drafters are three for four (four for four in terms of who will be selected, missing only the franchise at 1.02). Patriots have their franchise quarterback, let's protect that guy with the top offensive tackle in the draft. I saw a criticism somewhere saying he might be better at guard in the NFL, but presumably the Patriots disagree.

1.05. Mason Graham, Browns. Welp, why take the best WR/CB or the best running back in the draft when you can take the best defensive tackle. Not so much fun from a fantasy or Cleveland fan perspective, perhaps, but kudos to the Browns for following a plan. Graham's great and will make their defense a lot better, and it was a need; this was the 21st-ranked run defense a year ago and allowed the 4th-most touchdowns.

1.06. Ashton Jeanty, Raiders. Best running back prospect in years goes to a team that really needs offensive star power. Hard to argue with the choice, which for much of this week it seemed they wouldn't have. Good day to be a Raiders fan and have the top pick in rookie drafts. So much for Sincere McCormick and Zamir White. Jeanty will be fun to watch and a problem for the other three AFC West teams, all of whom made last year's playoffs.

1.07. Armand Membou, Jets. As this pick came up I realized I wasn't really sure who New York would take. What don't they need? But when in doubt, grab a top tackle to protect your quarterback (even if the franchise one isn't on the roster yet, there's always next year's draft). I've seen speculation he might play guard, but it seems unlikely (or not the ideal, anyway). Anyway, the Jets need to draft great players at any position, and Membou will certainly be starting for them. A plus for Justin Fields, who needs all the help up front he can get.

1.08. Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers. Carolina, which has made a recent habit of drafting wide receivers early, selects arguably the draft's best wideout. Not the best news for those of us who have Xavier Legette in dynasty leagues, but they still play two most of the time. Just hope the Bryce Young passing game can make at least one of them really good. McMillan is a talented guy who kind of reminded me of Terrell Owens in his highlights; a big (6-4, 219), talented go-to guy who will haul in anything in his area code. But I don't love the landing spot.

1.09. Kelvin Banks, Saints. Writing up offensive lines and the Saints for the magazine, their line looked really bad. So nothing wrong with this very necessary pick, whoever starts at quarterback for them this year. Perhaps they'll address the QB spot later in the round or early 2nd.

1.10. Colston Loveland, Bears. Plenty of predraft debate over whether Loveland or Tyler Warren was the best tight end. Bears and Ben Johnson evidently preferred Loveland, so he's the pick. Great receiver in college, didn't get to show it quite as much in Michigan's offense, but should in Chicago. Bit of a blow to whatever appeal Cole Kmet still had (anyone?), but the Bears will use two TEs a lot. But Loveland should be their main receiver at the position pretty quickly.

1.11. Mykel Williams, 49ers. San Francisco going defense not too surprising. They disappointed last year, especially late, and I think this is kind of a rebuilding year for them. Williams a high-energy guy who is tough on the run and has some pass-rush ability too (4.5-5 sacks all three seasons at Georgia).

1.12. Tyler Booker, Cowboys. Like the Saints, Dallas' line has kind of fallen apart in recent years, with free agency departures and retirement. They needed help if they're going to get that run game going again, and Alabama's Booker should provide it. He seemed pretty happy about it too, always nice to see. Good pick for the team's various fantasy options.

1.13. Kenneth Grant, Dolphins. Dolphins had a few defensive departures in free agency, making this move seem reasonable. A run-stuffer with some pass rush potential, should help the defense in both areas.

1.14. Tyler Warren, Colts. Nice when the predraft chatter comes to pass. Colts said they wanted a top tight end. Team clearly needed a top tight end. And they just selected arguably college's top tight end. Announcers were making Dallas Clark comparisons. Decent chance he's starting right away and a big part of the passing game too. Used in the backfield some in college (4 rushing touchdown last year) while catching 104 passes. Initial thought is I'll be ranking him ahead of Loveland in fantasy, and maybe taking him at 1.04 in my TE-premium league.

1.15. Jalon Walker, Falcons. As aggressively as Atlanta tackled offense a year ago, they've made a lot of moves to help the defense in free agency, and now with this top pick. Talk this week has been that teams loved the Georgia linebacker, and he doubtless makes a lot of Atlanta fans happy. Their defense will be better.

1.16. Walter Nolen, Cardinals. Arizona has also been addressing the defensive side of the ball. Productive pass rusher (6.5 sacks) for Ole Miss last year.

1.17. Shemar Stewart, Bengals. Bengals taking an edge rusher is a wise choice. Not a given they'll still have Trey Hendrickson a week from now. And it's a defense that needs a ton of help regardless.

1.18. Grey Zabel, Seahawks. A month back I posted something on what looked like the offensive lines that needed the most help. Three of the five were the Saints, Cowboys and Seahawks (others were Houston and Miami, maybe they'll take early linemen too). Seattle wants to run the ball and protect its new quarterback, a first-round guard looks like a solid idea.

1.19. Emeka Egbuka, Bucs. Tampa Bay seemed likely to go wide receiver early, with two great ones, but guys getting older and injuries creeping in. Egbuka was never Ohio State's best wide receiver, but he played with a lot of successful recent pros. When he was a freshman they had Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison on that team -- seriously. Anyway, productive guy from a school that's been turning out the hits lately. Might be blocked initially, ala Rome Odunze, but give him a year or two at most.

1.20. Jahdae Barron, Broncos. Running back? Wide receiver? No, the team that maybe had the league's best corner just added another cornerback. Not so much fun fantasy-wise, but Denver's defense is, spoiler, going to be in the top 3 or 5 in the rankings this year. Barron had 5 picks for Texas last year and gives the Broncos another defensive weapon.

1.21. Derrick Harmon, Steelers. Drumbeat all week was that the Steelers weren't going quarterback or running back, but defense. And so they did. Steelers don't have a second-round pick, so doesn't look like they'll be drafting Shedeur or Dart.

1.22. Omarion Hampton, Chargers. The Najee Harris Era was quick. Maybe you'd rather he'd gone to the Broncos, without a legit No. 1, but we know Jim Harbaugh will be running the ball, and we know Najee is a short-timer there. Hampton's great, he's a three-down back, sadly he'll be kind of blocked initially, but it might not take long for him to move ahead. As in, during the season.

1.23. Matthew Golden, Packers. This is pretty exciting. I admit to almost falling asleep during Mark Murphy's lengthy speech, more because I'm tired than that he was a little long-winded. Anyhoo, Green Bay really needed a wide receiver, and Golden is one of the best (and fastest) in this draft. Nice get for Jordan Love and he moves up a few spots in rookie drafts, methinks. Landing spot and measurables might get him taken over Egbuka.

1.24. Donovan Jackson, Vikings. Minnesota has seemed like maybe it wants to run a little more this season than in the past. They're paying two running backs, and they've added to the offensive line with a pair of former Colts (Ryan Kelly, Will Fries). Jackson will also be starting somewhere. Still a pass-first offense, but they've got a virtual rookie at quarterback who ran a run-first offense in college. So, things might change a little in Minnesota this year.

1.25. Jaxson Dart, Giants. As many anticipated, the Giants traded up into the end of the first round (sending a pair of 3rds to Houston) for their quarterback. Unlikely he plays much this year, but it also seems unlikely that both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston are still on the roster at the start of the season. Right? Regardless, I think Dart could use a year on the bench, watching him in college I saw a somewhat erratic passer, so call it a redshirt year for him.

1.26. James Pearce, Falcons. Earlier I mentioned the Falcons adding to their defense. They do it again by giving up their first-round pick next year in a trade-up with the Rams. I'm not a GM but I really am not crazy about giving up future firsts, and I'm not sure Pearce was worth the significant investment. But we'll see. At least it's not like they gave Kirk Cousins a ton of guaranteed money and then drafted a QB at 8th overall this year, at least.

(Getting a little late here on the East Coast, and I'm getting a little punchy, so my takes on the last six picks in the round will be brief. I hope you've enjoyed the evening. )

1.27. Malaki Starks, Ravens. Safety out of Georgia going to a defense that wasn't its usual stellar self last year, especially against the pass (30th).

1.28. Tyleik Williams, Lions. Detroit needed defensive help, as per usual, so reasonable usage for their top pick on the Ohio State tackle. Productive guy in the middle of the defense and should contribute right away in Detroit.

1.29. Josh Conerly, Commanders. Have a franchise quarterback, protect him with a first-round lineman. Haven’t run the numbers yet but seems like a lot of tackles so far.

1.30. Maxwell Hairston, Bills. Buffalo likes its secondary players, adding a cornerback for Sean McDermott here.

1.31. Jihaad Campbell, Eagles. Eagles trade up one spot with the team they beat in the Super Bowl, selecting a linebacker. Team lost some defensive players in free agency, and I know enough not to doubt Howie at this point.

1.32. Josh Simmons, Kansas City. Team with franchise QB takes another lineman to protect him. Sound business.

--Andy Richardson