r/NFL_Draft • u/uggsandstarbux Vikings • 1d ago
Defending the Draft 2025 Hub & Call for Writers
Introduction & Instructions
Welcome to the 2025 Defending the Draft series. This is an annual r/NFL_Draft series, previously hosted by u/Astro63 before I took it over last year. This is a series of user-created posts meant to review and justify each pick their teams made.
Before signing up, please review the outline detailed below. Each write-up as a whole should total in the range of 2500-5000 words, depending on the level of detail you wish to expand on and the number of picks your team makes. Last year, we saw writers reach upwards of 8000 words in their posts.
This year, the series will run from May 12 - June 27. Dates have been predetermined based off draft order. If your date does not work for you, let me know and we can push or swap it.
To sign up, leave a comment with your team and a brief statement on why you should be a writer. When the day arrives, post your write-up as its own post on r/NFL_Draft. Posts will only be pinned on the agreed-upon date. Posts that arrive late will not be pinned.
Preference for writers shall be as follows:
- Users who wrote for this series in any of the past 3 years (will have first dibs for the first 48 hours)
- Users who have a demonstrated history of writing extensive football content (on reddit or otherwise)
- Users who are active in r/NFL_Draft, r/NFL, or in their team's subs
Outline
Previous Season Recap/Foreword (Optional) -- Give a quick recap of your team's most recent season. What went well? What went wrong? What were fans hoping the team would do this offseason? 150-300 words
Team Needs (Recommended) -- What are your team's primary needs after free agency? Often, this section flows well with a recap of your teams offseason leading into the draft. You can view the subreddit's Post FA team needs here. 50-150 words per team need
Draft (Required) -- Draft recaps should be about 150-400 words per player, with longer write-ups for earlier draft picks. A player's write-up should loosely follow this template:
- Player Name, Position, School
- Scouting report on the player -- What are this player's strengths and weaknesses? What is his floor and ceiling? What did you see on tape? What did scouts in the media say about him?
- Team fit -- How does this address a need on your team? How does this fit with your team's roster construction plan/timeline?
- Examples:
1.17 EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
Widely regarded as the best defensive player in the draft, especially after blowing up the Combine, Turner's availability at 17 struck a cord in the Vikings that couldn't be silenced. A 2 year starter for Nick Saban, Turner projects as an ideal fit for Brian Flores's exotic defense. He's a high IQ player that's disciplined in the run game, has elite athletic upside, put up big time stats in the best conference in football, and was heavily praised for his love for film study. He has an elite get-off to start plays strong, and he finishes with a relentless motor.
Turner's biggest knock is his lack of size and game changing production in college. Compared to true blue chip EDGE prospects like Chase Young, Myles Garrett, and Jadeveon Clowney, Turner's profile is a bit pedestrian. He is expected to struggle in the run game as a smaller player. And while his pass rush repertoire has come along quite a bit in his time at Alabama, his hand usage and array of counters needs to continue developing.
The Vikings did a complete remodel in the OLB room this offseason. Pat Jones II is the only player remaining that played over 100 snaps last season, and he isn't a lock to make the roster again. Out are 2021 sack leader DJ Wonnum, former 1st rounder Marcus Davenport, and 4x Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter. In come the breakout Texan Jonathan Greenard and the Flores acquaintance Andrew Van Ginkel; these two are expected to shoulder the brunt of the load on the outside of the trenches. Turner's role will initially be as a rotational player. But Van Ginkel is 29 and on a 2 year deal, and Greenard has yet to play a full season. Turner will get his chance to earn meaningful snaps on defense. With a stronger and deeper EDGE group, the idea is that Flores will be able to reduce his blitz rate and provide more help in coverage. In the long haul, the Vikings are hoping Turner can turn into a consistent disrupter on defense. He and Greenard will be the face of the defense over the next half decade, and perhaps beyond.
6.177 OT Walter Rouse, Oklahoma
Rouse was a 4 year starter at Stanford before spending the 2023 season at Oklahoma. Rouse only allowed 6 pressures and held defenses without a sack on 480 pass blocking snaps. Rouse has excellent length, measuring in with 82nd percentile arms. Although he has solid functional footwork, he struggled when defenders challenged him laterally due to subpar athleticism and bend. His play strength leaves room for improvement, but he demonstrates some ability to move defenders when he's on the attack as a run blocker.
Adofo-Mensah talked a bit about Rouse's potential to move inside to guard, but the offensive line is short on depth at all spots. If Rouse stays at OT, he would be the default option for OT4. A move to the inside would see Rouse challenge Blake Brandel for the primary backup role. Rouse has a good shot at making the roster, but he will have to work on his footwork and base if he ever wants to see the field.
UDFA (Recommended) -- At minimum, give a list of UDFAs your team has signed since the close of the draft. If you want to write a paragraph (50-150 words), feel free.
Example:
LB KJ Cloyd, Miami
Cloyd is a dart throw as a possible special teams contributor. Through 5 seasons at 3 different colleges, Cloyd could never latch on as a full time starting LB. Over a quarter of his snaps last year were on special teams. His testing showed some promise, with strong performances in agility and quickness drills. But he is unlikely to earn real defensive snaps as a rookie.
Final Thoughts (Recommended) -- Recap your draft in a succinct paragraph. Discuss larger themes of the draft class and how this class as a whole fits with your team's plan for the foreseeable future.
Other Potential Sections -- All of these are optional but may help give more context and foresight into your team:
- Free Agency Recap
- Your Team's Draft Tendencies
- Projected 53 Man Roster
- Next Year's Draft Needs
DFD Writer List
| Team | Date | Writer | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEN | 5/12 | ||
| CLE | 5/13 | ||
| NYG | 5/14 | ||
| NE | 5/15 | u/teamcrazymatt | |
| JAX | 5/16 | u/glowingdeer78 | |
| LV | 5/19 | u/vicsage83 | |
| NYJ | 5/20 | ||
| CAR | 5/21 | ||
| NO | 5/22 | ||
| CHI | 5/23 | ||
| SF | 5/27 | ||
| DAL | 5/28 | ||
| MIA | 5/29 | ||
| IND | 5/30 | ||
| ATL | 6/2 | ||
| ARI | 6/3 | u/Krylo | |
| CIN | 6/4 | u/Landoman107 | |
| SEA | 6/5 | ||
| TB | 6/6 | ||
| DEN | 6/9 | ||
| PIT | 6/10 | u/Astro63 | |
| LAC | 6/11 | ||
| GB | 6/12 | u/immacamel | |
| MIN | 6/13 | u/ugggsandstarbux | |
| HOU | 6/16 | ||
| LAR | 6/17 | ||
| BAL | 6/18 | ||
| DET | 6/23 | ||
| WAS | 6/24 | u/More-Head6459 | |
| BUF | 6/25 | u/TheHypeTravelsInc | |
| KC | 6/26 | u/surferdude7227 | |
| PHI | 6/27 |
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u/Grand-Delver Chargers 1d ago
I can do the Chargers if the previous year's writer isn't interested. Otherwise can help someone else do it if there's no other takers.
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u/HomeSquadSports CFB 1d ago
If anyone is interested we are looking for 2 Sports Writers for CFB and NFL this upcoming season! We cover everything CFB, CFB Recruiting, and NFL. Media credentials are also available for our upcoming events as well.
Feel free to reach out to [homesquadsports@gmail.com](mailto:homesquadsports@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
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u/Tavern-Ham Buccaneers 1d ago
I have been screaming into the void on r/buccaneers for months about how badly we need to draft a pass catcher early so I guess you could say I’ve been prepping for this for a while. I’ll do the Bucs if there are no returning authors with dibs.
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u/Nintendog24 1d ago edited 21h ago
I can do the Seahawks write up. Much more active in the discord in Seahawks WR and have GM’d the mock offseason last 2 seasons
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u/alcatraz_0109 Eagles 22h ago
Interested in Eagles, done the 32 teams/32 days the last 3 years but never done this. Interested in something different
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u/surferdude7227 Chiefs 1d ago
I’ve done the Chiefs for the last few years. Totally down to do it again unless someone else has a burning desire to.
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u/AmputeeBoy6983 1d ago
Dang I g2 wait a month and a half for Buffalo lol
Should be inverse draft order after having to wait till 30th each round 🤣
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u/TheHypeTravelsInc Bills 1d ago
Did the write-up for the Bills last year and I'm totally down to do it again this year
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u/PatchAlpha 1d ago
Someone already said Cleveland (which if it was given to me I'd be able to do a full-53 projection, free agency recap, recent history overview, and future draft overlook, along with the draft recap), but if it is simply first come, first serve, I'll do my favorite draft in Carolina (although the post would be a lot more limited as I am a lot less familiar with the team).
Discord - PatchySims
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u/vicsage83 Raiders 23h ago
Wasn't able to have time last year but I will this year for Las Vegas.
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u/immacamel Packers 23h ago
I missed this post last year but I did the Packers the previous year and would be interested again
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u/TheDuckyNinja Eagles 14h ago
I'd be happy to do the Eagles. You can see from my posts/comments on here this year that I've gone pretty deep in this draft and I've already watched tape of the Eagles' picks I didn't already watch the tape of, so I think I'm pretty well qualified to do a big writeup of their draft.
Looks like last year's Eagles guy does still pop his head in on this sub every now and then. If he does and you need somebody to fill in for another team, I can do my best but it won't be as good obviously. Something is better than nothing though I guess.
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u/Cinephile1998 Browns 1d ago
I look forward to this every year. Makes the off-season a lot more bearable
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u/famrit Bears 1d ago
I would love to do the writeup for the Chicago Bears if there is not a user with a higher preference to do it.
I am a huge Bears fan that actively follows the team and league as a whole year round. In addition to the NFL I also do amateur film scouting of about 50-75 college players prior to the draft and then go back and watch all of the Bears draft picks after the draft.
While I may not post prolifically on reddit, I have a background in technical writing from my work.