We are just two weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft.
Two weeks from tonight Roger Goodell will walk across a stage outside Lambeau Field in Green Bay to officially open the Draft, and announce that the Tennessee Titans are on the clock.
If everything goes according to plan, moments later Goodell will return to the stage to announce that the Titans have selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the latest rumors two weeks out from the draft.
Steelers looking at QBs as Rodgers decision looms
The ongoing “will he or won’t he” discussion regarding Aaron Rodgers to the Pittsburgh Steelers drags on to another week, with signs continuing to point to the veteran quarterback joining the Steelers at some point this offseason.
However, that does not mean the Steelers are not doing their homework on quarterbacks in the class. That includes Colorado passer Shedeur Sanders, who is set to visit the Steelers today in a pre-draft visit.
Sanders has been linked to teams inside the top ten, including recently the New Orleans Saints at No. 9, so this could be a matter of simple due diligence in case he falls two weeks from tonight.
Another quarterback the Steelers have been linked to in recent weeks is Mississippi passer Jaxson Dart. He remains a consensus pick for Pittsburgh in mock drafts, with notable names such as Pete Prisco and Rob Rang linking the Mississippi QB to the Steelers in the past week.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport went as far as to write that Dart to the Steelers at No. 21 is one of their “inevitable” picks in the upcoming draft.
That move might give Steelers fans Kenny Pickett flashbacks. After all, Pittsburgh selected Pickett with the 20th pick back in 2022, one spot before they are on the clock in the first round two weeks from tonight. But Dart’s ability to “take a punch” should ease his NFL transition … especially if he can wait a bit behind a veteran QB.
Like Rodgers.
Browns locking in on Hunter at 2
With the Titans locking in on Ward with the first-overall selection, attention will quickly turn to the Cleveland Browns at No. 2. Right now Cleveland has none other than the aforementioned Pickett as their top option at quarterback, meaning the Browns could look to Sanders in this spot.
But in the wake of Colorado’s NFL Showcase, rumors have the Browns going with another Colorado prospect in this spot: WR/CB Travis Hunter Jr. Jeff Howe of The Athletic, reported that Cleveland has been high on Hunter throughout the pre-draft process, and general manager Andrew Berry was at Colorado’s NFL Showcase as well. Browns beat writer Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal made that case earlier this week,
ESPN insider Mel Kiper Jr. also had Hunter to the Browns in his final mock draft, declaring “I debated Hunter vs. Penn State’s Abdul Carter for Cleveland,” Kiper wrote. “There’s no doubt that slotting Carter opposite Myles Garrett would destroy opponents’ game plans. But Hunter is a special prospect in so many ways, and he’d check a big box for the Browns — mainly as a receiver.”
That might still leave a need at QB for Cleveland. More on that in a second.
Jalen Milroe “gaining steam” as draft approaches
Death, taxes, and mock drafts forcing quarterbacks into the first round.
It is a tale as old as time. I’m old enough to remember such first-round passers as Davis Webb, Nathan Peterman, and Mason Rudolph. Dart is not the only passer to pick up some first-round buzz in recent weeks, as Alabama passer Jalen Milroe is “gaining steam” according to Jordan Schultz.
Milroe has already taken a visit with the Browns and has visits with other teams such as the New York Giants, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Seattle Seahawks scheduled. Schultz also reported that Milroe had private workouts with both the Browns and the Saints that were “impressive.”
Our friends at Dawgs by Nature have been beating the “Milroe-to-Cleveland” drum for a long time. With the Browns picking at the top of the second round, that might be the spot for Cleveland to address QB, provided they go in a different direction at No. 2.
Jalon Walker to New England at No. 4?
The first team on the clock in two weeks that does not need a quarterback?
That would be the New England Patriots at No. 4.
Drake Maye has given Patriots fans hope, after a solid rookie campaign, and now the organization has a window to build around their young passer. New England entered the offseason with a ton of cap space and has put some of that to use, bringing in players such as Carlton Davis III, Stefon Diggs, Garrett Bradbury, Morgan Moses, Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, and Harold Landry III.
But there are still needs, including along the offensive line. The Patriots have been linked to several offensive tackles with the fourth-overall selection, including LSU tackle Will Campbell and Missouri tackle Armand Membou, and wide receiver remains a popular pick for them, specifically Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan.
However, Mike Giardi, the former NESCAC player and long-time Patriots whisperer, floated a much different name for the Patriots recently.
Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker.
“You didn’t see this coming, did you? Walker may be the best player in the draft (not named Hunter or Carter), and he has a lot of fans at One Patriot Place,” Giardi wrote in the Boston Sports Journal. “Nothing the Pats did on the defensive side of the ball in free agency would prevent Vrabel & Co from tabbing the 21-year-old with this combination of athleticism, surprising power in his 245-pound frame, and the highest football character (Georgia staff LOVES him). Is he an edge? An off-ball linebacker? He split reps for the Bulldogs, but the more I’ve watched his tape, the more I foresee him on the outside for the Pats.”
Our own JP Acosta dove into Walker this week and liked what he saw.
Does New England?
Rams continue to do homework on QBs
One of the most interesting picks in Kiper’s latest mock draft?
Dart to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 26.
This pick requires a bit of context. As Kiper wrote in his mock draft he did not send a quarterback to Pittsburgh, given the ongoing rumors about Rodgers going to the Steelers. That took a common landing spot for Dart out of contention in his mock draft.
But there have been rumors about Dart to the Rams throughout the process, and the Rams have been doing their homework on quarterbacks this cycle. While Los Angeles reached agreement on a new deal for Matthew Stafford, general manager Les Snead has indicated he is is ”open” to drafting a quarterback, and has mentioned adding a young QB to the roster this off-season.
According to Adam Schefter, the Rams spent “considerable time” with Dart during the evaluation process:
Sources: Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart visited today with the Cleveland Browns, and will next fly to Las Vegas to visit the Raiders, sources tell me and @FieldYates.
Dart also has spent “considerable time” during this interview process with the Giants, Saints and Rams. pic.twitter.com/M6rY1SLGkl
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 8, 2025
In addition, as noted above the Rams are set to meet with Milroe ahead of the draft.
Abdul Carter to visit New England
One of the other names commonly linked to the Patriots at No. 4?
Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter.
Largely considered the best pass rusher in the NFL Draft, Carter will take a pre-draft visit to Foxborough early next week. Carter’s visit to New England will be his fourth — and final — pre-draft visit. The Penn State product has also visited with the three teams picking ahead of the Patriots, and those will be his only visits of the cycle.
It would seem that four is the floor for Carter.
