Every AFC team's best player from each draft round

With the 2025 NFL Draft around the corner, we look into every team's best player from each draft round. For the purpose of this exercise, only active players rostered by the franchises that selected them are eligible. First up is the AFC.

AFC | NFC

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BAL | BUF | CIN | CLE | DEN | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LV | LAC | MIA | NE | NYJ | PIT | TEN

Baltimore Ravens

1st: Lamar Jackson, QB
2nd: Roger Rosengarten, OT
3rd: Mark Andrews, TE
4th: Isaiah Likely, TE
5th: Broderick Washington Jr., DL
6th: Devin Leary, QB
7th: Andrew Vorhees, OL

The Ravens are great at drafting in Round 1. In addition to Lamar, Baltimore landed corner Nate Wiggins, receiver Zay Flowers, safety Kyle Hamilton, and center Tyler Linderbaum in recent years. The biggest omission on this list was defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, a 2020 third-rounder who competed with Andrews. The tight end was inconsistent in '24 but still caught a career-high 11 touchdowns to become the franchise's all-time TD leader.

Buffalo Bills

1st: Josh Allen, QB
2nd: James Cook, RB
3rd: Terrel Bernard, LB
4th: Taron Johnson, CB
5th: Matt Milano, LB
6th: Christian Benford, CB
7th: Baylon Spector, LB

Josh Allen is the star of the show, but what really stands out is Buffalo's ability to draft underrated starters in the later rounds. That's why the team's defense has been solid for most of the Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane era.

Cincinnati Bengals

1st: Joe Burrow, QB
2nd: Tee Higgins, WR
3rd: Logan Wilson, LB
4th: Cordell Volson, OT
5th: Chase Brown, RB
6th: Andrei Iosivas, WR
7th: DJ Ivey, CB

How about Cincy's 2020 draft haul?! The Bengals landed Burrow, Higgins, and Wilson with their first three picks. Their 2023 class featuring Brown, Iosivas, and Ivey also deserves credit.

Cleveland Browns

1st: Myles Garrett, DE
2nd: Joel Bitonio, G
3rd: Martin Emerson Jr., CB
4th: Dawand Jones, OT
5th: Jerome Ford, RB
6th: Nathaniel Watson, LB
7th: Jowon Briggs, DE

Garrett and Bitonio are established elite players at their respective positions. However, the players from later rounds illustrate why the Browns have struggled to build competitive rosters.

Denver Broncos

1st: Pat Surtain II, CB
2nd: Courtland Sutton, WR
3rd: Quinn Meinerz, G
4th: Damarri Mathis, DB
5th: Luke Wattenberg, C
6th: JL Skinner, S
7th: Jonathon Cooper, LB

Denver's 2021 draft class is a big winner: It produced a Defensive Player of the Year in Surtain, an All-Pro lineman in Meinerz, and Cooper, who's had 19 sacks in the last two seasons. The toughest omission here? Nik Bonitto. The 2022 second-round linebacker just earned a second-team All-Pro berth but hasn't accomplished as much as Sutton.

Houston Texans

1st: C.J. Stroud, QB
2nd: Jalen Pitre, S
3rd: Nico Collins, WR
4th: Dameon Pierce, RB
5th: Brevin Jordan, TE
6th: Jarrett Patterson, C
7th: Solomon Byrd, DE

Stroud is Houston's top first-rounder, but edge rusher Will Anderson and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. were excellent Round 1 picks, too. With them alongside other top-100 prospects such as Pitre and Collins, the Texans have built a winning foundation.

Indianapolis Colts

1st: Quenton Nelson, G
2nd: Jonathan Taylor, RB
3rd: Bernhard Raimann, OT
4th: Grover Stewart, DL
5th: Danny Pinter, OL
6th: Andrew Ogletree, TE
7th: Zaire Franklin, LB

The Colts haven't had much success with recent first-round picks; their first-rounders since Nelson (Kwity Paye, Anthony Richardson, and Laiatu Latu) still have question marks attached. At least Indy nailed some Round 2 choices with Taylor, offensive tackle Braden Smith, and receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce.

Jacksonville Jaguars

1st: Josh Hines-Allen, LB
2nd: Tyson Campbell, CB
3rd: Jarrian Jones, CB
4th: Ventrell Miller, LB
5th: Antonio Johnson, S
6th: Parker Washington, WR
7th: Logan Cooke, P

The Jaguars haven't had a top-10 defense since 2018, but they did add good draft value with Campbell (2021), Jones (2024), Miller (2023), and Johnson ('23). Jacksonville also rosters offensive standouts in quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receiver Brian Thomas, but Hines-Allen is close to becoming the franchise's all-time sack leader after being drafted in '19.

Kansas City Chiefs

1st: Patrick Mahomes, QB
2nd: Chris Jones, DL
3rd: Travis Kelce, TE
4th: Chamarri Conner, DB
5th: Mike Danna, DL
6th: Trey Smith, G
7th: Isiah Pacheco, RB

The Chiefs' group is essentially perfect. Mahomes, Jones, and Kelce are among the best ever at their positions, and Kansas City found key late-round starters in Smith and Pacheco.

Las Vegas Raiders

1st: Brock Bowers, TE
2nd: Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL
3rd: Malcolm Koonce, DE
4th: Maxx Crosby, DE
5th: Tommy Eichenberg, LB
6th: Amari Burney, LB
7th: Thayer Munford Jr., OL

Yes, Bowers has only been in the NFL for one season. But between his sensational rookie campaign and the Raiders' unimpressive recent first-round picks, Bowers is a no-brainer here. He wasn't Las Vegas' most obvious choice, though; that honor belongs to Crosby.

Los Angeles Chargers

1st: Justin Herbert, QB
2nd: Ladd McConkey, WR
3rd: Daiyan Henley, LB
4th: Derius Davis, WR
5th: Tarheeb Still, DB
6th: Jamaree Salyer, OL
7th: Deane Leonard, DB

Jim Harbaugh and his staff have a promising roster to work with; the Chargers' three most recent drafts each produced two players on this list. The only exception is Herbert, their best first-rounder.

Miami Dolphins

1st: Tua Tagovailoa, QB
2nd: Liam Eichenberg, OL
3rd: De'Von Achane, RB
4th: Jaylen Wright, RB
5th: Mohamed Kamara, LB
6th: Malik Washington, WR
7th: Jason Sanders, K

Miami had limited options: The Dolphins only made four top-100 picks in the last three drafts (one first-rounder), and their 2022 and '23 classes feature just four players each.

New England Patriots

1st: Christian Gonzalez, CB
2nd: Kyle Dugger, DB
3rd: Anfernee Jennings, LB
4th: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB
5th: Joe Cardona, LS
6th: Michael Onwenu, OL
7th: Isaiah Bolden, DB

Drake Maye had good moments as a rookie, but they weren't enough for the promising QB to beat out Gonzalez. The 2023 No. 17 pick has a second-team All-Pro nod and is already one of the NFL's best corners.

New York Jets

1st: Quinnen Williams, DL
2nd: Breece Hall, RB
3rd: Jeremy Ruckert, TE
4th: Braelon Allen, RB
5th: Jamien Sherwood, LB
6th: Jarrick Bernard-Converse, CB
7th: Zack Kuntz, TE

The Jets have good early-round options available, especially Round 1 with Willians, Garrett Wilson, and Sauce Gardner. However, the rest of N.Y.'s list isn't as impressive.

Pittsburgh Steelers

1st: T.J. Watt, LB
2nd: George Pickens, WR
3rd: Alex Highsmith, LB
4th: Nick Herbig, LB
5th: Isaiahh Loudermilk, DL
6th: Connor Heyward, TE
7th: Mark Robinson, LB

Of course the Steelers' list is filled with standout defensive players. The Heyward family is represented, but not by All-Pro lineman Cameron, who had to compete with Watt here. Instead, his brother, Connor, makes the cut as one of Pittsburgh's few sixth-rounders.

Tennessee Titans

1st: Jeffery Simmons, DL
2nd: T'Vondre Sweat, DT
3rd: Tyjae Spears, RB
4th: Amani Hooker, S
5th: Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB
6th: Corey Levin, OL
7th: James Williams, LB

The absence of skill-position players helps explain Tennessee's offensive struggles. The second-round choice was the hardest to make for the Titans. Sweat has a bright future and earned a spot over corner Roger McCreary, who's improved significantly in recent years.