In case you missed it, the NFL unveiled the 2025 NFL Draft Caps this weekend. The NFL Draft will take place from April 24-26th, and this year, the Green Bay Packers will play host to the event.
These are the caps that newly drafted players will wear on stage, when they are selected and hold up the jersey of the team who has picked them.
There are actually a couple different “Draft Caps,” but it is the one with the black crown and team logo that the players will wear. There is also a light-colored cap as well. This year, the caps will come with a small pin, which is supposed to represent something special or unique to the team. Here’s a look at the Packers’ caps and pin option.
All in the details🚲 Shop the New Era Draft Collection now: https://t.co/i5AZHGXRx6 pic.twitter.com/R8v4SmxKHT
— Packers Pro Shop (@packersproshop) March 28, 2025
As you can see, Green Bay’s cap features a bicycle pin, which represents their cool practice of riding bikes to practice. Each club has a different pin. Some of these work well and are spot on, while others…not so much.
For example, the Kansas City Chiefs’ pin is “142.2” which represents the decibel level (supposedly the highest ever recorded at an NFL game) for a 2014 game. The Seattle Seahawks’ pin is a sasquatch wearing a No. 12 jersey. So…yeah.
Aside from the black crown, each cap has a team-specific color for the brim. With some clubs, this works really well (for example, the Steelers or Panthers, both of whom have black in their color scheme, have caps that match said color scheme). For others, having a black crown (when it’s not a team color) looks off. Like seriously, the Bengals and Browns caps come off as almost twin-like, due to the black crown.
![](https://cdn.uni-watch.com/app/uploads/2025/03/Bengals-and-Browns.jpg")
Since no NFL team has indicated they will have a new set of uniforms this season (and it’s possible no one will undergo a full redesign), those uniforms are almost always unveiled before the draft. This year’s caps all appear to have the logos and colors teams wore last season, so there don’t appear to be any clues as to whether any teams will have new uniforms debut before the draft.
Let’s take a look at all the caps, by division. We’ll start with the AFC.
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
The team-colored brims also feature a set of laurels in the shape of a wreath. Since they’re sewn in the same color thread as the brim, they’ll basically be invisible when worn by the players. Honestly, I prefer the light colored caps, not only because those light crowns represent a neutral color, but the brim laurels are visible.
The light caps all feature a team color on the brim, with constrasting color for the wreath graphic.
Draft caps don’t do much for me, so I honestly don’t have a strong opinion on them either way, though I think the caps with the light crown will work better than those with the black crown.
To all the hat/cap collectors out there: are NFL draft caps something you normally collect (and do you like this batch)? For everyone else, would you consider purchasing one of these for your team?
What are your thoughts in general and overall for the 2025 draft caps?
I usually get one when they are or 10 or 15 bucks.
I love the pins but otherwise Woof with a capital W.
Did nobody at the NFL look at the product photography before posting? If the pins were important enough to make, they could at least have made the left side of the cap the hero shot.
They did show several views: front, sides, rear, bottom showing the underbrim (and including those showing the pins from the “left” side) — like this shot I created here: link
At UW we traditionally show the *other* (right) side view of the cap as it does not have the NE logo on the side. I kept the same protocol for these (not showing the NE logo), but they also don’t really show the pin. If someone really likes the cap enough, they can see it with the pin on the Fanatics or New Era websites.
that’s a miss for UW then.. highlight the new feature even if it means showing NE logo which is shown so much in other shots anyway (even if not featured)
Fanatics, it turns out, has a straight-on view of the cap. So you can see the pin, and not the New Era logo. What a concept.
Many of those pins looked washed out due to the lighting.
Believe me I considered it.
Why would you want people to leave your website?
“Scrambled eggs” are traditionally reserved for officers in the military. I’m surprised the pins aren’t purple and heart-shaped.
That’s not really the case anymore, and hasn’t been for some time. Cruise ship captains wear them now, and to my mind, a cruise ship is about as far from military service as you can get.
Looking at these caps from other angles at the NFL Shop, I can’t tell what some of these pins are supposed to be. Like Vegas, for instance. (Oh, I’m sorry, “Only One Nation” or whatever.) And the Bengals. And what’s up with “DUUUVAL, FL” for the Jags?
Some goofy stuff going on here.
A few of the teams have nicknames instead of the city/state name. It’s completely random
These earned a big sigh, but the pins are neat.
Question: would the pin really be a “make or break” for buying the cap? Like, if it didn’t come with the pin, would that cause you (or someone) NOT to buy it?
And for those who buy draft caps…is the pin something you’d leave on the cap or would you take it off as more of a collectable?
I don’t know about you, but I think the most appropriate pin for Kansas City would be a steak.
OK, for the record, and as a public service, I took a closer look on the Fanatics website and here’s what the pins appear to be; if anyone can fill in the blanks, please….
Cardinals: AZ flag in shape of state w/ cardinal perched on upper right corner
Falcons: peach
Bills: bison
Ravens: crab
Panthers: panther
Bengals: ____________
Bears: IL state flag
Browns: electric guitar
Cowboys: USA map w/ star over it
Broncos: mountain
Lions: wheel
Packers: bicycle
Texans: “H-TOWN MADE”
Colts: anvil and hammer
Jaguars: ____________ Bridge
Chiefs: that 142.2 thing
Raiders: maybe Allegiant Stadium?
Chargers: bear & star from CA state flag, in a circle with a lightning bolt behind it
Rams: some kind of fancy jacket
Dolphins: wind-blown palm tree
Vikings: Viking helmet
Patriots: lighthouse
Saints: umbrella
Giants: subway car
Jets: torch
Eagles: Liberty Bell
Steelers: _________ Bridge
49ers: buoy or tower w/ horns
Seahawks: Sasquatch
Buccaneers: skull
Titans: acoustic guitar
Commanders: hog
The Bengals’ pin is a throne, “representing the Bengals as the ruler of the jungle,” according to New Era. The Bengals have a real-life throne that they use in a pregame ceremony called “The Ruler of the Jungle” where a notable person leads the team’s “Who Dey” chant.
The Jaguars’ pin depicts the John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge, a bridge everyone outside of Jacksonville will learn about for the first time because of this pin.
The Steelers’ pin is of the Roberto Clemente Bridge, one of Pittsburgh’s many bridges.
People in Jacksonville call it the Main Street Bridge and is a instantly recognizable local landmark. It was the basis for the SB 39 logo too.
link
What about Deh Raidehs?
The Raiders’ pin is the silhouette of their home, Allegiant Stadium
I didn’t know the Bengals were doing that. Seems weird that they adapted lion mythology to the tiger. Especially when there is another NFL team called the Lions. Why didn’t they just call them “Big Cats of the Jungle”? I’m not seriously bothered by this either way. It just seems odd.
Correction: Bears is Chicago city flag
Yea; realized that right after I posted. Oops.
Bears pin is the city of Chicago flag
The pin thing is kind of cool, but those are just ugly hats. Not understanding the wreath thing on the visors either (a bunch of ship captains? – Maybe Alan Hale was a big NFL fan). Anyway, “H-Town Made”? That one is puzzling to me. Like, what the hell is that? I assume someone commented on this before when the alts came out, but does anyone refer to Houston as “H-Town”? Somewhat like Cleveland as “The Land”.
Yikes. BFBS for all!
If New Era (or whoever came up with the idea) is so proud of these pins to accompany the hats, why didn’t they photograph them from an angle that would show them off rather than obscure them. Seriously inept marketing.
See my comment (reply) above Kary.
They *did* photograph them from every angle. I just chose not to show that angle since it also includes the NE logo. But if you go to Fanatics or NE, you can view the caps from every possible angle, including better angles for the pin.
I liked it better when I thought they were inept at marketing.
It’s hilarious how no one on this site ever likes anything that’s put out. These are genuinely beautiful caps
Not true, but Uni Watch is a fandom that is obsessed with aesthetics while New Era is obsessed with turning a profit by putting out a piece of slap happy, one size fits all generic merchandise that is somehow both repetitive and wildly inconsistent that will hopefully convince enough collectors and team loyalists to shell out the forty plus dollars to wear as their team selects a future UFL second stringer.
My OCD can’t be bothered with these. Some have cities (specifically cities with their respective states), some have just states, some have nicknames, and some have slogans. WTF. So one guy goes up and receives his hat, looks at it, and enthusiastically shouts “only one nation!” The next guy goes up, receives his hat, looks at it, and dejectedly says “Cleveland… oh.”
I was on board until you gave your ridiculous example. No player is taking cues from the hat as to what they shout on stage.
That part was just for laughs, but I’m sorry I lost you. Glad to know I helped at least one person enjoy these hats now, though, even if it was by accident.
LOL I would never buy one anyway! The consistency (or lack thereof) is certainly annoying.
Everything Dave said at 15h32. Hate the total inconsistency. If the team has a city identifier, it’s either the correct answer to City State (Browns: Cleveland, OH; Bills: Buffalo, NY), the wrong answer (Commanders: Washington, DC [wrong, Landover, MD]), a silly slogan (Broncos: Mile High City), or an even sillier slogan (Jaguars: how many U’s am I supposed to put in Duval before I lose the straight face I was holding?)
White crown never fails, they’re just as good or better than the black counterparts across the board.
One silver lining is that somebody is a Seattle Pilots fan and they snuck the scrambled eggs in to the design.
The Jaguars cap with the Duuuuuuuuval is down right just dumb.
Not really draft cap related but couldn’t find a more relevant place to share, they’ve apparently loosened the uniform elements restrictions.
link
These are remarkably bland
Well, I guess they’re just draft caps, so whatever.
The black/white seems pretty lame, and works better for some teams than others (not a fan of the Broncos in black & orange, for example). White seems to work better for most teams, but I’d never buy a white baseball cap (not that I’d buy these anyway).
The wreath seems like an arbitrary detail. They look okay (if silly) with contrasting colors, but they seem even more pointless with no contrast.
I do like the idea of geographically-relevant details, but some of the pins seem a bit tenuous.
Overall, I don’t like expensive caps that look like cheap caps. I’ve felt this way throughout the relatively recent revival of the “trucker hat,” which started out as an ironic meme, but ended up with kids paying $60 for $8 gas station hats.
My preference with draft caps would be simple team colors, styled to look somewhat like the helmet, with the main logo on the front. If the team has a helmet stripe, maybe that’s on the rim of the visor. Maybe you put the official place-name and nickname, and/or “2025 NFL Draft” in smallish print on the side or back.
The New Era 59FIFTY Trucker Caps are definitely higher quality and a better, more comfortable fit than the traditional $8 gas station trucker cap. But I totally agree that the price for one is absolutely obscene.
I’m just here for the repetitive and obnoxious “Giants/Jets play in New Jersey!” comment section, like give it up already.
Do the 49ers play in San Francisco? Do the Cowboys play in Dallas??
Move on people.
There are 42 comments, and yours is the only one about that “issue”. Who exactly are you telling to move on?
Oh no, the Browns keep trying to sell this hated dog logo garbage to fans. What an embarrassment. Oh well, at least they didn’t include “The Land.”
Missed opportunity. Instead of the pin they should have depicted the pin design in team colors all over the (white) hat to make it more team specific. I will only buy one of these if they turn up second hand in my local vintage store for 5 bucks.
Wow. Those are MLB- and NBA-level ugly. Can’t get enough BFBS.
I won’t be buying one of these. I like the pin idea, but the hats themselves are fugly.
Putrid
The geographic identifier just feels half baked. It works well for a few of them, but then the NFL clearly just didn’t put much thought into how all 32 would work. They should really proofread what all of the hats will say before sending them to print.
They do have colored crown versions.
link