Daniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.
The Cleveland Browns ended Shedeur Sanders’ surprising slide on Day 3 of the NFL draft Saturday, making him the second quarterback they selected this weekend.
The Browns traded up with the Seattle Seahawks to select Sanders with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round Saturday. Cleveland gave Seattle its 166th and 192nd picks.
After being selected, Sanders posted to X: “Thank you GOD.”
Shilo and Shedeur dancing after Shedeur got drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
“I would say I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity throughout everything,” Sanders said during a conference call with local reporters. “I don’t ever focus on the negative or even think about the negative because the positive happened so fast and it’s a change of emotions. For me, it was just playing quarterback. That’s what it’s about. You can’t be up, too low or anything. You got to be able to celebrate. And when we score a touchdown, we celebrate for a little bit. Now it’s back to time to work, it’s time to go.”
The Browns were linked to Sanders after spending extensive time with him throughout the draft process but ultimately passed on him multiple times. Cleveland traded back with the Jacksonville Jaguars from its No. 2 slot to No. 5, getting a trade package that included the 36th pick (which the team used on running back Quinshon Judkins) and a 2026 first-round pick. Cleveland selected defensive tackle Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick.
The Browns passed on Sanders again at the end of the third round, selecting quarterback Dillon Gabriel with the 94th pick. When asked why the team opted not to go with Sanders, general manager Andrew Berry on Friday night noted that there were four rounds remaining and that he remained impressed with Sanders. A team source said that despite the pick of Gabriel, Sanders remained on the team’s board.
Berry told reporters Saturday that as the team entered Day 3, there were discussions about possibly targeting Sanders if he continued to fall. Berry said there was an early run on some of the players that the team had targeted in the final rounds and as Sanders continued to be available, the decision to trade up for him came together quickly.
“We talk oftentimes about quarterback being the most important position in the sport,” Berry said. “We obviously spent a lot of time with Shedeur throughout the process. He’s highly accurate, can play well from the pocket, very productive college career. And we felt like it wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but we do believe in best player available, we do believe in positional value. We didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round. So, we love adding competition to every position room and adding him to compete with guys that are already in there, we felt like that was the appropriate thing to do.”
Berry later said: “Once it got to a point where it felt like it was a pretty steep discount, we just felt like, especially relative to the alternative ways that we could use this selection, this made the most sense.”
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Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said earlier in the week that every player in the quarterback room will compete to be the starter. This offseason, the Browns acquired Follow the 2025 NFL draft
During the predraft process, the Browns met with Sanders at the East-West Shrine Bowl and again at the NFL scouting combine. Cleveland also hosted Sanders on a visit and then a large contingent traveled to Boulder, Colorado, to have dinner with him and Hunter the night before their pro day workout.
“The people they were genuine. It was real cool,” Sanders said of his visit to the Browns’ facility in March. “So, I left that visit knowing that if that was the place for me, I would feel real comfortable with what they have in place.”
A four-year starter in college — Sanders spent his first two seasons at FCS Jackson State, playing for his father before transferring to Colorado to follow him — Sanders led the FBS with a 74% completion rate last season, and his 37 passing touchdowns were second most in the FBS. A second-team All-American selection, Sanders was named the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top upperclassman quarterback.
Sanders was the sixth quarterback to be taken in the draft, following Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe and Gabriel.
“The main thing I’m just proving,” Sanders said, “I’m just proving coach Stefanski and Mr. Berry that they’re right, that they’re right about picking me. That I’m a good decision, that I’m a good draft pick for them.”
Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’s hard to say which was more stunning: the surreal sight of the NFL draft in the league’s smallest city or the fact that the host Green Bay Packers broke a two-decade-plus streak of skipping receivers in the first round.
Much to the delight of the Packers-heavy crowd jammed between Lambeau Field and the draft stage, the home team selected wide receiver Matthew Golden of Texas with the 23rd pick in the draft Thursday night. It was the first time since 2002 (with Javon Walker) that Green Bay used a first-round pick on a receiver.
As soon as team president Mark Murphy, who announced the pick, began by saying “for the first time since 2002 …” there was bedlam in the crowd.
Golden even took to the stage and shouted: “Green Bay, it’s time.”
“It’s always been a dream of mine to go in the first round, and to know that they haven’t picked a receiver since 2002, man, it’s truly a blessing,” Matthew Golden said of being selected by the Packers. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
“I really sent in a different name, but Mark just announced what he announced,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst joked afterward.
“I didn’t think about any of that until he got up there and you kind of saw the crowd; they’re all Green Bay fans. You heard the chants and all that stuff, it was really cool, but I’ll just be honest with you, I didn’t think anything like that. We were just watching the board, we had a couple players we were discussing, there were trade opportunities, things like that, so you’re going through all of that and just trying to do what’s right for the Packers. None of that really came before me like that, but afterwards it did. It was just kind of like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty neat.'”
For years, fans have pined for the Packers to take a receiver in the first round, but it’s not as if the team ignored receivers early in the draft. Gutekunst has twice used second-round picks on the position (Editor’s Picks
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“I will say this: In no time in my 20-some years within this organization, whether it was Ron or Ted, did I hear them talk about that as a philosophy,” Gutekunst said earlier this offseason when asked if the Packers intentionally avoid receivers in the first round. “I know Ron talked a lot about being mad he didn’t take Randy Moss, you know what I mean?
“No one’s ever really talked about [it]. I never really looked at it that way. I don’t think we’d ever hesitate to take a receiver in the first round if the right one was there. We certainly talked about it at different times in the last seven years since I’ve been in this spot, trying to make that happen. So, I don’t really look at it as a philosophical thing. I will say we’ve hit on a lot of second-round receivers. There’s been a lot of guys that we’ve taken in that group that have become really, really good players for us. Not only us but throughout the league.”
The Packers had a need at the position after losing Watson, their deep-threat receiver, to a torn ACL late in the season. Golden gives quarterback Jordan Love something Aaron Rodgers never had: a first-round pick drafted to Green Bay.
Golden was the third receiver taken in the draft, after the Carolina Panthers took Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka at No. 19. Gutekunst said that he entertained trade offers, but that Golden was too good to pass up. Golden ran the fastest 40 time (4.29) of any receiver at the combine, which was also second fastest of anyone there regardless of position.
Though Golden is barely above the Packers’ desired height of 5-foot-11 for an outside receiver, his speed and production at Houston and Texas proved that his height was not an issue. In three college seasons, Golden caught 134 passes for 1,975 yards and 22 touchdowns. In his lone season at Texas in 2024, he had 58 catches for 987 yards and nine touchdowns.
Golden said he was fully aware of just how long it had been since the Packers had taken a receiver in the first round.
“Yeah, it definitely means a lot more,” Golden said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to go in the first round, and to know that they haven’t picked a receiver since 2002, man, it’s truly a blessing.”
Even before commissioner Roger Goodell took the stage to announce the start of the draft at 7 p.m. local time, the stage area had reached maximum capacity and entry was temporarily paused. The league said 205,000 people were in attendance, nearly double Green Bay’s population (107,544).
“What a great, cool moment for Green Bay [and] the Packers,” Gutekunst said. “It’s really a cool scene out there and was really fun watching it from the draft room.”
The Tennessee Titans are nearly on the clock at No. 1 to kick off the 2025 NFL draft. It will be the first of 257 total selections across seven rounds from Thursday to Saturday.
To prepare you for the draft, here is our guide for everything you need to know — top prospects, rankings, mock drafts, things to know, bold predictions, buzz and more. How does this year’s class stack up historically? Which position will Travis Hunter play in the NFL? Where will Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart and all the quarterbacks land? Which late-round prospects could rise up the board? We answer all of that and more.
But let’s start with a basic question — how to watch the draft this week.
See more: ESPN Draftcast | Best available players | Team needs
Jump to: How to watch | Pick order | Top prospects | Mocks Overview of the class | QBs | Hunter: WR or CB? Best team fits | Risers | Predictions | Buzz Nuggets to know | Projections | Must-reads Draft Day Predictor | FAQs
Where, when and how to watch the draft
The 2025 draft will be held at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Round 1: Thursday at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App)
Rounds 2-3: Friday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App)
Rounds 4-7: Saturday at noon ET (ESPN and the ESPN App)
The NFL announced that 16 players will attend the draft in person: Alabama G Tyler Booker; Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell; LSU OT Will Campbell; Penn State Edge Abdul Carter; Texas WR Matthew Golden; Michigan DT Mason Graham; Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter; Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty; Michigan CB Will Johnson; Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan; Alabama QB Jalen Milroe; Ohio State OT Josh Simmons; Georgia S Malaki Starks; Texas A&M Edge Shemar Stewart; Miami QB Cam Ward; Georgia Edge Mykel Williams.
Our analysts’ personal boards: Kiper | Miller | Reid | Yates | Legwold
More about the standout players: Riddick’s favorite prospects … Best prospects at 100 different traits (ESPN+) … Our favorite prospect-to-pro comps … Kiper’s favorite prospects (ESPN+) … Most polarizing players in the class (ESPN+) … Prospects with the widest pick ranges (ESPN+) … All-Film Team (ESPN+)
Latest mock drafts
Here are the latest mock drafts from our analysts going into the first round (and in some cases, beyond) on ESPN+.
You can find every 2025 mock draft since last May here.
More: Debating need, value in Round 1 (ESPN+) … Barnwell’s All-Trades mock draft … Bowen’s favorite fits for 20 prospects (ESPN+) … Ideal fantasy landing spots for 10 players … How all 32 teams could crush the draft (ESPN+)
How does this draft class stack up?
The 2025 draft class looks a lot different than last year’s class. The 2024 draft featured six quarterbacks in the first 12 picks for the first time ever, and three quarterbacks went Nos. 1-3. I’d estimate a maximum of four quarterbacks will go in the first round this year, but I can plausibly see a scenario where just two are selected (Ward and Sanders). Beyond the lack of QB star power, there is also a smaller number of blue-chip players than 2024, especially at wide receiver and offensive tackle.
That being said, the 2025 class offers excellent depth, particularly at running back, wide receiver, defensive tackle, edge rusher, tight end and safety. My top 200 prospects include 26 edge rushers, 24 wide receivers, 22 running backs, 14 safeties and 12 tight ends. Teams that are flush with draft picks this year will happily navigate the boards in Rounds 2-4 and feel strongly about the potential of finding quality starters. — Field Yates, NFL draft analyst
More: Has DT become a premium position? … Will we ever see a RB go No. 1 again?
What to expect for teams that need a quarterback
This QB class certainly isn’t as good as last year’s group, but the 2025 class could see a few signal-callers picked in Round 1. Miami’s Cam Ward is the presumed No. 1 overall pick, and he can give Tennessee some answers under center. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart are viewed as the other two passers who could be selected on Day 1. And some evaluators believe Louisville’s Tyler Shough and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe could be picked as early as the top of the second round.
The Browns and Giants have obvious needs for a young franchise QB, but neither is likely to pick one over Hunter or Carter. That leaves the Saints (No. 9) and Steelers (No. 21) as the other prime spots where QBs could be selected on Thursday. New Orleans is one of the biggest wild cards in this year’s draft, especially after the news of Derek Carr’s shoulder injury.
For teams more interested in waiting to pick a QB, Syracuse’s Kyle McCord and Ohio State’s Will Howard could be solid options in the third or fourth round. — Jordan Reid, NFL draft analyst
More: Can Sanders, Ward speed up their throw time? … Reid’s QB Hot Board rankings (ESPN+) … QB-only mock draft: Team fits in seven rounds (ESPN+) … Each QB’s fatal flaw (ESPN+)
Will Travis Hunter play WR or CB in the pros?
There’s no way he doesn’t play on both sides of the ball. I see Hunter primarily at wide receiver, but the Colorado standout should absolutely see plenty of action at cornerback, too. He has the speed, hands and instincts to be a true difference-maker at both positions. Hunter saw an incredible 1,458 snaps last season, and he posted great numbers: 96 catches, 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns at WR, and 10 pass breakups and four interceptions at CB.
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Let’s look specifically at how he’d fit with the Browns, who have the No. 2 pick and seem like a sensible landing spot. Hunter could play full-time alongside wideout
Michigan CB Will Johnson to the Falcons
Johnson is more smooth than sudden, with explosive forward ability. He has the physical traits to play man coverage, but I like him best in a system that allows him to play top-down on the ball. That fits under coach Raheem Morris in an Atlanta defense that played zone coverage — both split-safety and single-high — on 61.2% of opponent dropbacks last season (12th in the league). Pairing Johnson with A.J. Terrell would give the Falcons two long and fluid corners. Johnson has a playmaking element to his game, posting nine interceptions and three defensive scores at Michigan. Atlanta needs that kind of turnover production.
Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson to the Bears
The Bears could target Johnson early on Day 2 to pair him with D’Andre Swift in the backfield. He’s a linear glider with the north/south acceleration to create big plays. Last season at Iowa, he rushed for 21 touchdowns and added 43 carries of 10 or more yards. Johnson would be a good fit for the outside zone scheme that new coach Ben Johnson has run in the past. And with an uptick in usage in an NFL pass game, he’d produce on screens and backfield releases for Chicago. — Matt Bowen, NFL analyst
More: Sanders’ best fits (ESPN+)
Some risers to watch
Tai Felton, WR, Maryland
I have Felton projected in the fourth round, and he has been mentioned often by NFL scouts as a riser thanks to his speedy play and ability to stretch the field as a vertical receiving option. He’s seen as a strong candidate for a WR3 role in his rookie season with the skills to add to his plate once his route tree expands. Felton (6-foot-1, 183 pounds) caught 96 passes for 1,124 yards and nine scores last season.
2025 NFL Draft Day Predictor simulator
Our mock draft simulator allows users to act as the general manager of their favorite team, giving them the opportunity to make picks in all seven rounds and conduct trades throughout the draft.
Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State
Martin is another late-rounder seen as a potential riser thanks to his predraft process. A former walk-on, the 6-foot, 221-pounder has the speed to chase down running backs and quarterbacks from the middle of the field. He missed a lot of the 2024 season, but he had 135 tackles in 2023. A late Round 3 selection wouldn’t be a surprise.
Rylie Mills, DT, Notre Dame
As a potential 5-technique at the next level at 6-foot-5 and 291 pounds, Mills has a ton of intrigue for teams given his first-step quickness. He was banged up in 2024, which limited his predraft process, but games like his performance against Florida State — when he posted three sacks — are the type of résumé builders that could get him inside the top 100 picks. — Matt Miller, NFL draft analyst
More: College coaches pick sleepers (ESPN+) … Biggest risers of the year
Making bold predictions
Only one quarterback will go in the first round. I always view QB draft hype with a doubtful eye, and while last year was big for late quarterback risers, this class doesn’t hold a candle to that one. I think the Browns, Giants and Saints all have a long staring contest that ends with nobody trading back up into the first for a passer. And accordingly, only Cam Ward will hear his name called in the first round.
Omarion Hampton will outproduce Ashton Jeanty. Hampton is the best player in the class that we don’t ever talk about. I get it — Jeanty had an unbelievable season, and I think he has all it takes to be an excellent pro. But so does Hampton — size, speed, tackle-breaking traits and third-down value. And because Hampton will go later in the draft (Scouts Inc.’s No. 21 prospect), he has a much better chance than Jeanty at joining a healthy offensive nucleus. Imagine Jeanty wasting away like Saquon Barkley on a Giants-like roster for his rookie deal, while Hampton is piling up easy yardage behind that Broncos’ offensive line.
The Ravens will trade up to steal Colston Loveland from the Chargers. Both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are in contract years, and while this tight end class is deep, there’s no doubt that Loveland and Tyler Warren are the cream of the crop. Loveland is a common mock draft fit to the Chargers at No. 22 in part because of his connection to ex-Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. But older brother John could commit some Harbaugh-on-Harbaugh crime by trading up from No. 27 to leapfrog the Chargers and draft Loveland. — Ben Solak, NFL analyst
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Colston Loveland’s NFL resume
Check out some of the numbers that make Michigan’s Colston Loveland a top NFL prospect.
What’s the latest predraft buzz?
Dan Graziano, NFL national reporter: My conversations over the weekend lead me to think there could be a run on pass rushers earlier than expected in the first round. After Abdul Carter goes No. 2 or No. 3 to the Browns or Giants, respectively, the spots where league executives think pass rushers could be selected include the Raiders at No. 6, Jets at No. 7, Panthers at No. 8, Saints at No. 9 and 49ers at No. 11.
Whether it’s Georgia edge guys such as Jalon Walker or Mykel Williams or disruptive defensive tackles such as Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, teams that aren’t enamored with the receivers, tackles, etc. in this class could default to taking talented guys who can get after quarterbacks.
Jeremy Fowler, NFL national reporter: Teams around the league are closely watching New Orleans, which appears to have a disgruntled quarterback in Derek Carr. Do the Saints leverage the No. 9 or No. 40 picks for a QB? The team hasn’t selected a first-round passer since Archie Manning in 1971, and new coach Kellen Moore needs a young passer with whom to build. The sense I get is that the No. 9 pick will go to another position — offensive line is among the team’s needs — but the 40th selection could be a sweet spot for the second tier of quarterbacks.
While Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart are in the first-round conversation, Louisville’s Tyler Shough and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe could get pushed up into the early second or even late first round as a result. The Saints should stay nimble with that pick in case they love one of those signal-callers. But overall, the Saints have kept a level of mystery throughout this process. Teams legitimately don’t know what they are planning.
Here are the latest rumblings via ESPN+:
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Could Browns, Giants trade down for ‘Godfather deal?’
Peter Schrager says the Browns and Giants are listening to offers for the second and third picks in the NFL draft.
Things to know from ESPN Research
The Titans’ franchise has the No. 1 pick for the third time in the common draft era (since 1967), after previously selecting defensive end John Matuszak (1973) and Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell (1978) as the Houston Oilers.
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter played 1,481 total snaps last season, 297 more than any other FBS player. Hunter was the only player in at least the past 45 years with 500 receiving yards and four interceptions in a season.
Edge rusher Abdul Carter was a unanimous All-American and could be the first Penn State defensive player selected in the top 10 since defensive end Courtney Brown and linebacker LaVar Arrington went first and second overall, respectively, in 2000.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ father Deion was the No. 5 pick in 1989. If Shedeur goes in the top 10, the Sanders family would join the Mannings (Archie and Peyton/Eli) and the Matthews (Bruce and Jake) as the only father-son combinations to both be picked in the top 10 in the common draft era.
There have been at least three quarterbacks selected in the first round in eight of the past nine drafts.
The reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes had 15 players in Miller’s seven-round mock draft (posted on March 27), the most of any school. If there are 15 Ohio State players drafted, it would be the program’s most in a single year in the common draft era, surpassing the 14 players it had selected in 2004.
Running back is considered a significant strength this year, with Scouts Inc. ranking 31 running backs with a draftable grade. Since the NFL draft moved to seven rounds in 1994, there have been only two drafts in which at least 30 running backs were selected — 32 in 1996 and 30 in 2011.
While the players drafted in the first round get most of the spotlight, a significant portion of a team’s roster is built on Day 2 and Day 3. Among active players in the 2024 season, 63% were drafted in Rounds 4-7 or went undrafted.
Projecting the draft’s top players
To give you a glimpse of which players could pan out to be the best, NFL analyst Aaron Schatz projected the top prospects and picked comps. With contributions from Nathan Forster, Alexandre Olbrecht and Jeremy Rosen, Schatz projected the top running backs via BackCAST, edge rushers using SackSEER and wide receivers using Playmaker Score. He capped things off projecting the top quarterback prospects.
See all positions: Quarterback | Wide receiver | Running back | Edge rushers
Read more about the prospects
Which prospects have particularly interesting paths to the draft?
Check out the NFL Draft Day Predictor
Our Draft Day Predictor is a tool that uses expert mock drafts, Scouts Inc. grades and team needs to forecast pick probabilities for prospects. We can predict when the best players will get picked and the chance they will be available at certain slots. Additionally, our NFL draft simulator gives users the opportunity to make picks and conduct trades.
More: Draft Day Predictor settles 10 debates
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Adam Teicher has covered the Kansas City Chiefs for more than 30 seasons. He joined ESPN in 2013 for the launch of NFL Nation.
In leading the Kansas City Chiefs’ running backs and wide receivers through a passing camp in his home state of Texas, Patrick Mahomes is getting to see what he saw only in training camp last year.
That’s a lineup that includes the team’s top three wideouts: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. Injuries kept Rice and Brown out for most of last season, leaving only Worthy, then a rookie.
Seeing them together again has Mahomes hopeful the Chiefs can have the big-play passing game in 2025 that they lacked last season.
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“Everything looks great right now getting the guys back and healthy,” Mahomes said. “I think the offense has a chance to be really, really good. The core group will be back in its entirety, so the goal is to try to build on it and get even better and try to get back to some of the explosive passing plays that we’ve done in years past.”
Rice was leading the NFL in catches with 24 last year through the first three games before a knee injury ended his season. After throwing to Rice in the passing camp, Mahomes said he expects the wide receiver to play like he was before the injury.
“The expectations are high,” Mahomes said. “He looks really good. He is running routes, he’s catching the football. I don’t know when we get back into the actual OTAs [in May] how much he’ll be able to do, but he’s been able to do everything here as far as running routes and everything like that.
“I know it was unfortunate how he got hurt last year, but it was so early in the season that he’s going to get pretty much a complete offseason, which I think will be big going into this season.”
The Chiefs were encouraged last year by what they saw in training camp from Brown, a free agent addition. But Brown suffered a sternoclavicular injury on the first play of the preseason and, after surgery, returned in time to play only two games in the regular season plus all three playoff games. His contributions in those five games were minimal, with 14 receptions for 141 yards.
“It’s hard to throw guys in at the end of the season and try to give him a huge role,” Mahomes said. “I was happy to have him back at the end of the season and for him to kind of get back in within the offense, but I think now with hopefully him having the full offseason and training camp and keep staying healthy and continue to [expand] his role even more. You can see when he gets to football in his hands and he has a huge role in our offense, it makes everybody go.”
Worthy wound up being the Chiefs’ leading wide receiver with 59 catches and 638 yards. He also caught two 50-yard passes in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, but both came after the Chiefs had fallen far behind.
“We had to push the envelope, and you saw Xavier making some big plays down the field,” Mahomes said. “Trying to take a positive away from that and from the rest of the season as well is that we’ve got the guys. It’s about me trusting them, making the throws downfield and letting them make plays.”
