Tyler Booker, Deontae Lawson, Jalen Milroe, and Malachi Moore gathered in front of Denny Chimes on the Tuscaloosa campus of the University of Alabama. Moore is returning for another year with the Crimson Tide football team. Milroe, Lawson, and Booker have all reportedly declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. All were on hand for the traditional A-Day game at Bryant Denny Stadium. Although this year inaugurated a twist.
Alabama football fans sat through their newly modified A-Day game over the weekend. The program replaced the traditional spring game with a practice session with the general public and the media invited to witness. This was the first chance Tide fans got to see the team following coach Kalen DeBoer’s four loss season. The coach addressed fans and credited A-Day captains Booker, Lawson, Milroe, and Moore.
“They led by example, first and foremost,” said DeBoer. “They took care of their business…the way they continue to uphold the standard and everything that they did with Alabama football, they knew what it's supposed to look like.”
The NFL draft is less than a month away and there’s still some uncertainty over who will be the top pick. Quarterbacks Cam Ward (Miami) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) figure to be among the first players selected in next month’s NFL Draft though there’s no current consensus that either player, or any quarterback including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, will go number one overall. During his comments at Denny Chimes, Tide head coach DeBoer singled out Milroe for the other co-captains for their service to the team.
“They were servant leaders, too, and that, to me, is what it's all about when you're a captain, is, is being that servant, being that person that has humility, to always want to continue to grow, but always put people that are that are around you,” said DeBoer.
Quarterback Cam Ward, of the Miami Hurricanes, tried to solidify his status as the top pick recently, working out all of the thirty two NFL teams at Miami’s on-campus pro day.. That includes the Tennessee Titans, who have the No. 1 overall selection.
“They finally got to see me throw in person. That should be all they need to see,” Ward said. “At the end of the day, if they want to give me the pick or not, I’m going to be happy with whatever team I go to. I just want to play football.”
The three-day draft is scheduled for April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which is the home of the Green Bay Packers. The Associated Press assembled some details to know about the upcoming draft. The first round of the draft will be on Thursday, April 24, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The second and third rounds are on Friday, April 25, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The fourth through seventh rounds are on Saturday, April 26, beginning at noon ET.
Ward and Sanders are the top quarterback prospects, though they won’t necessarily be the first two picks like Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels in 2024 and Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud in 2023. Edge rusher Abdul Carter (Penn State) and two-way star Travis Hunter (Colorado) are also highly rated prospects, meaning that a non-QB could be the No. 1 overall selection for the first time since defensive end Travon Walker was the top pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.
For more information on the top picks, here is the mock draft by AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi.
What is the NFL draft order?
Here are the teams that currently possess the top 10 picks of the upcoming draft.
1. Tennessee Titans
2. Cleveland Browns
3. New York Giants
4. New England Patriots
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Las Vegas Raiders
7. New York Jets
8. Carolina Panthers
9. New Orleans Saints
10. Chicago Bears
