Being selected in the NFL Draft is every football player’s dream. Players from all conferences are eligible to hear their names called on draft day, and the Big 12 had some highly touted prospects and names that were called.
In round one of the NFL Draft, two Big 12 selections were made inside the top ten. After trading up with the Cleveland Browns, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter from the Colorado Buffaloes, with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Shortly after Hunter’s selection the Carolina Panthers took Big 12 standout, and the No. 1 wide receiver in the entire draft, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan.
The second round of the draft not only saw a plethora of trades but a plethora of Big 12 selections. After trading up with the New York Giants, Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins was taken with the 34th overall pick. Two picks later, the Miami Dolphins traded with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire Arizona guard Jonah Savaiinaea. Jack Bech, younger brother of Princeton wide receiver Tiger Bech, who was sadly killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack, was taken by the Raiders as the 58th pick in the NFL Draft. To close out Round No. 2, the Denver Broncos selected UCF running back, RJ Harvey.
In the third Round of the draft, Iowa State corner Darien Porter, and receiver Jaylin Noel were selected alongside Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin, Kansas State corner Jacob Parrish, TCU receiver Savion Williams, Texas Tech offensive lineman Caleb Rogers, and West Virginia guard Wyatt Milum all got to hear their name called.
Round four did not see as many Big 12 names called as there were in round three; in fact, only two Big 12 names were called out of the 36 names called. Arizona State star running back, Cam Skattebo and Iowa State offensive tackle Jalen Travis.
One of the main headlines in the 2025 NFL Draft was the Colorado Buffaloes Quarterback, Shedeur Sanders’ fall out of the first round. He finally got to hear his name called in the fifth round when he was selected by the Cleveland Browns. His selection brings the total number of quarterbacks in Cleveland up to five. After Sanders, the Philadelphia Eagles selected UCF corner Mac McWilliams, the Indianapolis Colts selected Kansas State running back DJ Giddens, the Green Bay Packers took edge Collin Oliver, and to close out round five, the San Francisco 49ers selected Kansas State free safety Marques Sigle.
In the final two rounds of the NFL Draft, there were 11 players selected from the Big 12, seven in the sixth round and four in the seventh round. Notable names like Colorado wide out Jimmy Horn Jr., and Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon were amongst those who were selected to close out the draft. Overall, this year’s NFL draft class has a lot to prove. Many critics believe this draft class was a weaker class overall than in previous years.
