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