• Will Campbell shores up Patriots’ pass protection: The LSU tackle didn’t allow a sack on true pass sets in college and gives Drake Maye a foundational piece up front.

• Tetairoa McMillan boosts Bryce Young’s arsenal: The Arizona star ranked top-10 in targets, contested catches, receiving grade and yards per route run over the past two seasons.

• Celebrate the 2025 NFL Draft with 25% off PFF+: Get 25% off PFF+ and unlock access to player grades, fantasy tools and the 2025 Draft Guide.

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

The best way to develop a quarterback isn’t always drafting one — it’s building the structure around them.

Whether it was adding protection up front or playmakers on the outside, several NFL teams used their first-round pick to make life easier for their quarterbacks. Here’s a look at who did it the best.

Few teams struggled more in pass protection last season than the Patriots, who finished with a 52.3 team pass-blocking grade, the second-worst mark in the NFL. First-year quarterback Drake Maye faced pressure on 37.4% of his dropbacks, one of the league’s worst marks.

Will Campbell should help stabilize that unit. The LSU left tackle started as a freshman in the SEC and didn’t surrender a single sack on true pass sets throughout his college career. He gives Drake Maye and New England a long-term solution at one of the game’s most important positions for years to come.

Bryce Young looked like a different quarterback in the second half of last season. From Week 8 on, he led the NFL in big-time throws and earned the seventh-highest passing grade. But Carolina’s receiving corps offered little support — the Panthers finished with the league’s lowest team receiving grade and had just one player eclipse 500 receiving yards.

Adding a top wideout was a must, and they landed arguably the consensus No. 1 receiver in Tetairoa McMillan. Over the past two seasons, McMillan ranked top-10 in targets, contested catches, receiving grade and yards per route run among 2025 draft prospects.

10) 

The Bears continue to go all in on building around former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. After addressing the offensive line in free agency, they turned to the passing game with their first-round pick, adding another reliable target.

Despite last offseason’s investments, Chicago still finished with the sixth-lowest team receiving grade in 2024, and none of its tight ends posted a receiving grade above 60.0. Enter Colston Loveland, a polished receiving tight end who thrived despite inconsistent quarterback play at Michigan. He recorded the third-best receiving grade and ranked fifth in yards per route run among FBS tight ends last season.

The Vikings invested heavily in their offensive line throughout free agency and on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft to protect first-round quarterback JJ McCarthy, who is coming back from a major injury.

Donovan Jackson, the team’s selection at No. 24 overall. played two full seasons at left guard before featuring at left tackle down the stretch for Ohio State in 2024. As a guard, Jackson allowed just three sacks across 900 pass-blocking snaps in three seasons. The Vikings now have seemingly every offensive line position covered, giving McCarthy the protection he needs to be the franchise quarterback they envision.

After making the NFC Championship game, the Commanders continue to protect their franchise quarterback, Jayden Daniels. They made one of the biggest splashes in free agency when they traded for Laremy Tunsil, and now they continue to use premium capital on boosting their offensive line.

The Commanders’ tackles struggled at times in 2024, requiring plenty of help through chips and double teams, and still allowed more than 80 pressures. Despite Josh Conerly Jr. playing more than 99% of his snaps at left tackle, Washington likely believes he can slot in at guard or even right tackle, giving the team some flexibility along the offensive line while Laremy Tunsil locks down Daniels’ blindside.

Conerly allowed just two sacks over the past two seasons and earned a 78.1 PFF pass-blocking grade on true pass sets, ranking 18th in the FBS.

The Chiefs fell short in the Super Bowl due to their lack of protection for Mahomes, so they were always expected to beef up their offensive line. Mahomes was pressured more than 40% of the time in the Super Bowl and throughout the NFL season, and the Chiefs’ left tackles were responsible for 34.7% of all pressure — the highest rate in the NFL.

Josh Simmons gives Kansas City one of the most athletic tackles in the draft. Prior to a season-ending knee injury, Simmons allowed just one sack over the past two years and earned an 82.2 PFF pass-blocking grade on true pass sets in 2024 (ninth best in the FBS).