We no longer have to wonder if stars matter in the science of recruiting and roster management — though, of course, formerly-unrated recruit Cam Ward going No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft is a great story and will give some skeptics pause.
If you dig deeper, though, the first round of the draft was another reminder that stars are a terrific way of projecting the stars of not just the next level, but the one after that. This was another tour de force from the evaluation experts at 247Sports. Eleven five-stars were selected, including No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner who 247Sports ranked as the No. 1 player in the class of 2022.
Further, an outstanding 15 four-star prospects went in the first round.
The record for most five-star prospects selected in the first round was set in 2023, when 13 such players came off the board night one. Last season’s draft saw seven five-stars go in the first round (important context here is that draft was fed mostly by the covid-impacted 2021 recruiting class).
Here’s a look at the star rankings for every player selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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