The 2022 NFL Draft is just weeks away, and all 32 teams are attempting to finalize their draft boards. Free agency is fun and provides a great opportunity to add talent, but real contenders are built through all seven rounds of the draft. Here at CBS Sports, we are breaking down the best first-round draft picks of all time at each spot from 32-1. The entire rundown of the top-five picks at each number can be found at our hub of all-time selections.
Today, we are examining the best players to have ever been selected at No. 25 overall. The Buffalo Bills hold the No. 25 overall pick in this year's draft, and they could go any number of directions. In their most recent mock drafts, two of our CBS Sports NFL Draft experts have the Bills taking Boston College offensive lineman Zion Johnson, two others have the Bills taking Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie and one has Buffalo selecting Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr.
The Jacksonville Jaguars held the No. 25 overall pick last year, and they selected running back Travis Etienne out of Clemson. Before him, Brandon Aiyuk was drafted at No. 25 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, Marquise Brown went to the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, Hayden Hurst was selected by the Ravens as well in 2018 and the Cleveland Browns chose Jabrill Peppers at No. 25 overall in 2017.
So, who were the top five players in NFL history to be selected with the No. 25 overall pick? Let's begin with Super Bowl hero Santonio Holmes.
5. Santonio Holmes, WR
2006 NFL Draft: No. 25 overall (Ohio State)
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (2006-09), New York Jets (2010-13), Chicago Bears (2014)
Holmes was a champion in high school, a champion with the Ohio State Buckeyes and a champion with the Steelers. While he was seen as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL at one time, he makes this list because of the improbable catch he made to win Super Bowl XLIII.
Holmes started off his NFL career as more of a returner, but broke out in his second season back in 2007. In 13 games, he caught 52 passes for 942 yards and eight touchdowns with what would be a career-high 61.2 percent catch rate and 11.1 yards per target. Things only got better for Holmes from there, as the Steelers went 12-4 in 2008 and made it all the way to the Super Bowl. Holmes caught just four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown in the first two postseason games, but exploded in Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals. He reeled in nine catches for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown, which went down in Super Bowl lore and secured Super Bowl MVP for Holmes. With under one minute to play and the Steelers down three points, Ben Roethlisberger took the snap on second and goal and found Holmes -- who was surrounded by three defenders -- in the back right of the end zone for the win.
No. 6: Santonio Holmes’ game-winning catch in @SuperBowl XLIII (Feb. 1, 2009) @Steelers #NFL100
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2019
📺: NFL 100 Greatest Plays on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/kKLilIDgpb
Holmes kept things rolling the next season, as he put up career numbers with 79 catches for 1,248 yards and added five receiving touchdowns. However, things changed drastically for Holmes when the Steelers traded him to the Jets for just a fifth-round pick following several off-field issues. Holmes did catch 14 touchdowns in his first two seasons in New York, but wasn't putting up the same receiving numbers he did with Pittsburgh. He played only four games in 2012 due to a foot injury, and then caught just 23 passes for 456 yards and one touchdown in 2013 before being released the next offseason. Holmes did get another chance with the Bears, but played in just nine games before being released.
4. Jon Beason, LB
2007 NFL Draft: No. 25 overall (Miami)
Teams: Carolina Panthers (2007-13), New York Giants (2013-15)
Beason burst onto the scene for the Panthers in 2007, as he racked up 140 combined tackles, eight passes defensed and one interception in his first 16 games played, which put him into the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation. His impressive rookie campaign wasn't just a one-year deal either, as he was named a first-team All-Pro in his second season in 2008, and second-team All-Pro in 2009. Beason recorded at least 121 combined tackles and started in all 16 games in each of his next three seasons after his rookie year, which translated to three straight Pro Bowl appearances. He would eventually become the highest-paid middle linebacker in the league, but unfortunately couldn't maintain that elite production.
Back during the 2007 NFL Combine, a young Beason was asked by teams several times how long he thought he would play in the NFL. Beason responded saying he would play for about eight years. When asked why not longer, Beason said that it wouldn't be possible because of the way he played the game.
"If you play the game hard and you play linebacker," Beason said, via the Panthers' official website. "Your body will tell you when it's time."
After an incredible first four seasons in the NFL, things started to change a bit for him. Following the signing of his record-breaking contract, Beason injured his Achilles in 2011, was overshadowed by the young phenom in Luke Kuechly the following year and then was traded to the Giants in 2013. In 12 games with New York in 2013, Beason racked up 93 combined tackles and picked off a pass, but that was the last time we would see the Beason of old. He played in just nine games from 2014-15, and was forced to retire due to injuries.
Beason played in 93 career regular-season games and recorded 705 combined tackles, four sacks and 10 interceptions. There's always something attractive about going out in a blaze of glory. Beason attacked every Sunday like it was his last, because he knew he wouldn't be here a long time. You gotta love that mindset.
3. Dont'a Hightower, LB
2012 NFL Draft: No. 25 overall (Alabama)
Teams: New England Patriots (2012-present)
Hightower is another Alabama NFL success story. The still-active linebacker is a three-time Super Bowl champion, a three-time Patriots captain and was selected to the Patriots 2010s All-Decade Team, according to their official website. He has made two Pro Bowls with the most recent coming in 2019, but also decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hightower earned the starting linebacker job out of training camp in his rookie season, started in 13 of 14 games played and recorded 60 combined tackles, four sacks and recovered two fumbles -- one which he took back for a touchdown. He quickly became a pillar on New England's defense and didn't slow down. In 2019, he totaled 71 combined tackles, 5.5 sacks, four passes defensed and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown as part of a defense that finished No. 1 in the NFL in total defense and scoring.
In 117 total games played, Hightower has recorded 569 combined tackles and 27 sacks. He has certainly been worth the No. 25 overall pick the Patriots used on him back in 2012, as his leadership on defense has helped the Patriots win multiple Super Bowls.
2. Stanley Morgan, WR
1977 NFL Draft: No. 25 overall (Tennessee)
Teams: New England Patriots (1977-1989), Indianapolis Colts (1990)
We talked about a current Patriots star at No. 3 on our list, but Stanley Morgan is quite literally one of the best Patriots of all time. Morgan was a versatile athlete who completely terrified defenses, and it could be argued that he was the greatest Patriots wide receiver in franchise history. The four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro played 13 seasons with the Patriots, and still ranks fourth in franchise history in receptions (534), first in yards (10,352) and second in touchdowns (67).
Morgan first popped up on the football scene as a running back at the University of Tennessee. While he was effective on the ground, he was also a deep threat that played some wide receiver as well, and left Tennessee holding several records including most all-purpose yards. When the Patriots selected him in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft, they did so with him being a wide receiver in mind. His breakout season came in 1979, when he caught 44 passes for 1,002 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns. It would be the first of three 1,000-yard campaigns for Morgan, who had another big season at the age of 31 in 1986, when he caught 84 passes for 1,491 yards and 10 touchdowns.
When we say Morgan was a "home-run hitter," we sincerely mean it. Morgan averaged over 20 yards per reception in each of his first six seasons. To put that into perspective, no receiver averaged over 18.2 yards per catch in 2021. Even when Morgan caught a career-high 84 passes in 1986, he still averaged 17.8 yards per reception.
Morgan retired having averaged 19.2 yards per reception, which is an NFL record that still stands today. He wasn't just a deep-ball threat, but was also electric after the catch, and comes in at No. 2 on our list of the best players to ever be selected at No. 25 overall.
1. Ted Washington, DT
1991 NFL Draft: No. 25 overall (Louisville)
Teams: San Francisco 49ers (1991-93), Denver Broncos (1994), Buffalo Bills (1995-2000), Chicago Bears (2001-02), New England Patriots (2003), Oakland Raiders (2004-05), Cleveland Browns (2006-07)
You can't run away from the DNA. Former Houston Oilers linebacker Ted Washington Sr. raised a son who would become a four-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro defensive tackle and would be known as "Mt. Washington." Theodore Washington Jr. was a giant who would affect how opposing offenses would approach their game-plan whenever they had to face him, and he made a big impact on the defensive lines he captained for 17 years.
Defensive tackle or nose tackle is an important position in football, but there aren't many elite ones. I'm not sure we have seen many 375-pound run-stuffers who were actual athletes as well. Washington wasn't satisfied with sitting back and stuffing the run, he would chase down the quarterback. The "Washington Monument" as he was called, recorded 34.5 sacks in his 17 NFL seasons, and wasn't afraid to chase down ballcarriers either. He was athletic enough to get off blockers or double teams, and launch himself into running backs.
TED WASHINGTON WAS A BEAST 😳
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 10, 2020
Sapp was 6’2, 334 lbs in Oakland and Washington makes him look small pic.twitter.com/djhetqwvqi
Washington was just an incredible athlete for his size, and had the kind of motor where he would chase you down if you didn't choose his gap. It's pretty remarkable that Washington's production didn't waver into his 30's, and he even earned his only first-team All-Pro selection in 2001 with the Bears, when he recorded 40 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four passes defensed.
The freak athlete Washington was coupled with his incredible size and consistency make him No. 1 on our list of best players to be drafted at No. 25 overall.
