It’s one week until the NFL Draft and we’re starting to get a clearer picture of what might happen on Thursday. Predicting the first round is always a fool’s errand, as something evidently blows up everything we thought — but that hasn’t stopped us compiling the information we’re hearing.
Between public media reports, and what we’ve heard behind the scenes, these are the elements of the first round we think we know as we approach the draft,
More quarterbacks will go in the 1st than you think
For the majority of this process the assumption was that Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders would go in the Top 10, and then it would be a long wait to head another QB’s name called. That has changed in the last week or so.
Jaxson Dart had been floated a lot as a first rounder, but he’s been joined by Jalen Milroe and potentially even Louisville’s Tyler Shough, who could sneak in to the back-end of the first round with a QB-needy team trading back into the first.
This is not a great QB class, but desperation leads to unpredictable things — so don’t be shocked if we see four quarterbacks get taken in the first round.
Pass rushers are going to dominate the first round
2024 was the year of the first-round quarterback. Three passers — Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye — came off the board in that order to kick off the first round. Three more quarterbacks joined them in J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr., marking a new record for the position.
This year will be about players tasked with sacking them on Sundays.
While the quarterback group has some questions beyond Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, pass rusher is a very deep and talented group, with potentially seven or more EDGEs coming off the board on the first night of the draft. Abdul Carter is likely a top-three selection, and there is serious buzz about Jalon Walker coming off the board inside the first five picks, perhaps to the New England Patriots at No. 4.
Those are not the only pass rushers mocked inside the first round. Mykel Williams from Georgia, Shemar Stewart from Texas A&M, Mike Green from Marshall, James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee, and Donovan Ezeiruaku from Boston College are also popular picks in the first round.
Nic Scourton from Texas A&M could also sneak into the first 32 picks.
Expect to hear a lot of pass rushers coming off the board on the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Carolina at No. 8 could be a pivot point for the draft
The Panthers’ primary need is pass rush help, and it’s looking increasingly likely that Carolina could miss out on Jalen Walker at No. 8, pushing them into the second apron of pass rushers.
Their pick just happens to be right before the QB-needy New Orleans Saints, who would love for Shedeur Sanders (possibly even Jaxson Dart) to be there at their pick. This leads to a very big possibility someone will try to jump up to Carolina’s pick to land a QB, with the Steelers being a team to watch, or potentially even someone like the Giants making a big move up.
The player trade market is quiet … too quiet
There isn’t a lot of buzz right now about veterans being traded, and that makes it feel like something could really pop on draft night. The players to watch here would be Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson, Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey, and a wild card in Vikings WR Jordan Addison.
These are three players who would attract a ton of interest from the right team if the board doesn’t break how a team hoped.
