The 2025 NFL Draft saw several teams make questionable value picks, including the Chicago Bears and the Cincinnati Bengals, which could have costly long-term implications. The Bears selected Colston Loveland at No. 10 despite not needing a tight end and having other top prospects available, while the Bengals took a high-risk pass-rusher, Shemar Stewart, who had underwhelming college stats. The draft also saw the Atlanta Falcons make a controversial trade for James Pearce Jr., giving up a future first-round pick, and the New Orleans Saints selecting an older quarterback, Tyler Shough, whose prospects are uncertain. Other teams like the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Commanders similarly made choices that were seen as risky or not addressing their immediate needs, with potential negative impacts on their future performance and management decisions.

Colston Loveland was picked by the Chicago Bears at No. 10, surprising many as the team did not have an urgent need for a tight end and bypassed the consensus top tight end, Tyler Warren, still available.

The Cincinnati Bengals chose Shemar Stewart, a pass-rusher from Texas A&M, at No. 17, despite his lackluster college performance and the high risk associated with his potential NFL success.

The Atlanta Falcons traded a 2026 first-round pick to select James Pearce Jr., an edge rusher, which was seen as a misfire given the team's existing needs and the availability of similar talents in later rounds.

The New Orleans Saints made a perplexing choice by selecting 26-year-old Tyler Shough, a quarterback with a checkered injury history, raising doubts about his long-term viability in the NFL.

The Minnesota Vikings reached for Donovan Jackson, an offensive guard, addressing a need but ignoring more pressing defensive back options, potentially missing a chance to trade down.

Washington Commanders selected Josh Conerly Jr., a developmental tackle, at a time when they needed immediate contributions, especially in their secondary.

The Cleveland Browns added to the confusion by drafting Dillon Gabriel as a backup quarterback despite his limited upside, especially after selecting Shedeur Sanders, another quarterback, later in the draft.

Every NFL team is looking to maximize value in the draft, but front offices have to walk a fine line. If a player you rank higher than most other teams is available, do you jump on it or trade back to recoup some value along the way — while risking another team stealing a potential gem? 

While trades ran rampant on the final two days of the draft, some teams did a better job of maximizing value than others. All 32 teams are unquestionably happy with the haul they brought in, but not every pick will age well.

A few selections already have the potential to go down as mistakes, and those head-scratchers now could be especially consequential later on when franchises have to decide whether to make front-office changes. 

Here's a look at the 12 worst value picks of the NFL Draft, including Colston Loveland and Dillon Gabriel. 

SN's NFL DRAFT HQ: Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades

Bears: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

• Round 1, Pick 10

The Bears' decision to select Colston Loveland was a surprise both because the tight end didn't stand out as a major position of need and consensus No. 1 tight end Tyler Warren was still on the board.

Loveland is a fine player — his lack of production in 2024 should be taken with a grain of salt given Michigan's ugly quarterback situation — but any team picking No. 10 overall should want a player who has a higher likelihood of making a major impact. The Bears already have a good-not-great tight end in Cole Kmet, who could be on the chopping block after 2025 but is under contract through 2027.

Can Loveland be a great tight end? He's an impressive pass-catcher, but the blocking has to improve and he's coming off shoulder surgery. Loveland feels more like a luxury pick for a Bears team that wasn't exactly in a position to make luxury picks at No. 10 overall. 

Bengals: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M

• Round 1, Pick 17

It made all the sense in the world for the Bengals to go with a defensive player with their top pick, and selecting a pass-rusher was wise with Trey Hendrickson's future in Cincinnati uncertain. Stewart is a high-risk player for a franchise that can't afford to miss here.

Stewart has all of the athletic tools needed to succeed in the NFL, but he didn't utilize them well in college. He never topped 1.5 sacks in any of his three seasons at Texas A&M, totaling 4.5 sacks and one forced fumble in his entire collegiate career. The Bengals are betting on Stewart's raw tools translating to dominance at the next level — it's happened before — but the risk of a whiff is high enough that the value can't be considered strong at No. 17 overall. 

Vikings: Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State

• Round 1, Pick 24

Jackson was a bit of a reach for the Vikings at a fairly low-value position. A projected early second-round pick on most boards, he fills a need for Minnesota as the final puzzle piece of what could be a great offensive line, but the Vikings had needs in the secondary with multiple intriguing defensive backs on the board and likely could have traded down for Jackson if they had their heart set on taking him. 

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Falcons: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

• Round 1, Pick 26

Pearce is a fine player and could be a huge addition for the Falcons if he plays anything like he did in 2023 when he positioned himself as an early contender for the No. 1 pick, but giving up a 2026 first-round pick to land him was a misfire by Atlanta.

Yes, the Falcons badly need a pass-rushing boost, but giving up a first-rounder to take another edge rusher after Jalon Walker didn't make much sense. Sticking in the second round in a fairly deep draft at the position would not have been too meaningfully different.

Michael Penix Jr. has made three NFL starts. What if he's not the player you think he is? If the Falcons go 6-11 with Penix this season, not only do they not have the chance to go get a quarterback to replace him, but now the Rams would be picking near the top 10 just because Atlanta was desperate to solve its pass-rushing troubles.

Commanders: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon

• Round 1, Pick 29

Conerly is far from a finished product and might not be ready to start right away for a Commanders team with Super Bowl aspirations. If his development goes as smoothly as possible and he morphs into a franchise tackle, it would be a coup for Washington, but that scenario is far from guaranteed.

The Commanders could have decided the Laremy Tunsil trade was enough and taken a developmental tackle in the second round while focusing on a leaky secondary in the first round. Instead, Conerly is a wild-card pick while Washington has to hope second-round CB Trey Amos can quickly emerge as a key piece of the defense. 

Saints: Tyler Shough, QB, Saints

• Round 2, Pick 40

It's pretty rare for highly-drafted older quarterbacks to pan out. We're not talking about 23- or 24-year-olds. Shough is set to turn 26 in September, and the oldest quarterbacks drafted, from Chris Weinke to Brandon Weeden, have a subpar track record.

Tyler Shough has impressive size and looked impressive at Louisville when healthy, but his injury history and the mere fact he had seven years of practice under his belt at the collegiate level make it less than certain he will be able to turn those flashes of college success into sustained NFL productivity.

The Saints don't have a quarterback of the future on their roster, and the No. 40 pick likely wasn't the spot to bet on a quarterback with the red flags of Shough becoming that player.

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Packers: Anthony Belton, OT, NC State

• Round 2 Pick 54

Belton was a projected third-round pick on most boards, including SN's Vinnie Iyer's pre-draft big board, where he ranked No. 96. The Packers needed a tackle, and Belton's six years of experience make him someone who can step in right away, but it's worth wondering how much that experience advantage allowed him to show flashes against younger competition at NC State.

Size and athleticism are strengths for Belton, but if he was going to put it all together, it might have happened by now. 

MORE 2025 NFL DRAFT: Winners and losers

Broncos: Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois

• Round 3, Pick 74

The Broncos reached for Bryant, a projected Day 3 pick, at No. 74 overall on Friday. Denver badly needed to add a receiving weapon for Bo Nix, but with Jaylin Noel on the board, it's hard to justify not taking Noel or just trading down for Bryant.

Bryant is big, but he's not big enough at 6-2 to outweigh other limitations that will likely make him more of a part-time piece in the NFL. Nix also already has a tall receiver in Troy Franklin, who has a smaller frame than Bryant but an established connection with his quarterback.

49ers: Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State

• Round 3, Pick 75

The 49ers have taken some major swings in the third round in recent years, and most haven't worked out. The selection of Nick Martin at No. 75 overall looked like another attempt by John Lynch to prove he's smarter than everyone else.

Martin ranked No. 170 on the NFL Mock Draft Database's consensus big board, and he didn't rank at all in SN's 250-player big board. He has a small frame for a linebacker, and his calling card was supposed to be his speed, but he wasn't exactly blazing at the NFL Combine in February.

The fit is fine with Robert Saleh in place as the 49ers' defensive coordinator and Dre Greenlaw gone, but No. 75 felt a bit too high for a player with so much development ahead. 

Colts: Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota

• Round 3, Pick 80

Walley was another surprise in the third round, coming off the board at No. 80 overall by the Colts. When meeting with the media, GM Chris Ballard admitted as much, acknowledging to reporters that Walley was widely considered a Day 3 pick but arguing that he doesn't factor in where other teams rank players.

It makes sense to go get the player you believe in, but a trade-down would have made more sense here for Indianapolis, as Walley is a project going forward.

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Browns: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon

• Round 3, Pick 94

Taking Gabriel on Day 2 was already a bit of a stretch before the Browns selected Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round, but the Sanders pick made it even more confusing.

Gabriel comes with limited upside. He might be safe enough to stick around long-term as an NFL backup, but those guys aren't hard to find and can be brought in any year. The Browns aren't a team looking to slowly bring along a long-term backup behind an established starter.

Unless Cleveland envisions Gabriel emerging as a legitimate starting option, which seems unlikely given his size and arm limitations, this pick looks like a wasted opportunity to fill out a roster that needs help all across the board.

Jets: Arian Smith, WR, Georgia

• Round 4, Pick 110

The Jets needed to add some pass-catchers in this draft and did so between second-round TE Mason Taylor and fourth-round WR Arian Smith. Smith, however, might have been a whiff early in the fourth round with Elic Ayomanor and Jalen Royals among the receivers still on the board.

It's hard to find many positive traits for Smith outside of his speed. Speed matters, but it rarely outweighed the drop issues Smith had at Georgia. The 23-year-old routinely hurt the Bulldogs with drops in 2024, and the Jets can ill afford to add another unreliable player to a receiving corps that has very little outside of Garrett Wilson.

The occasional big play might make Smith a worthwhile pick at No. 110, but he has the profile of far too many receivers who have flamed out in the NFL.