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Only 14 NFL teams advanced to the postseason and had their minds set on winning the Super Bowl. Eighteen teams were eliminated from playoff contention prior to Wild Card Weekend, and six more joined them after the first round of postseason play. Those teams have little to look forward to but the 2025 NFL Draft. Luckily, the NFL Draft brings hope to all teams involved, especially the teams picking early. Not to mention, the draft is a spectacle these days, and the months leading up to it are some of the most covered in the football world.
We now know what the order for the first 24 picks of the draft will be, so in this article, we are going to take an early look at the 2025 NFL Draft. After all, there were a lot of draft-related implications during the final week of the regular season, including a new team taking over possession of the top pick in the draft.
2025 NFL Draft order (top 24)
- Tennessee Titans
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Giants
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Jets
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Chicago Bears
- San Francisco 49ers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Miami Dolphins
- Indianapolis Colts
- Atlanta Falcons
- Arizona Cardinals
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Denver Broncos
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
2025 NFL Draft prospects
- Travis Hunter, Colorado, WR/CB
- Abdul Carter, Penn State, Edge
- Mason Graham, Michigan, DT
- Will Johnson, Michigan, CB
- Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, QB
- Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas, OT
- Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, RB
- Mykel Williams, Georgia, Edge
- James Pearce Jr. Tennessee, Edge
- Will Campbell, LSU, OT
- Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona, WR
- Malaki Starks, Georgia, S
- Luther Burden III, Missouri, WR
- Cam Ward, Miami, QB
- Nic Scourton, Texas A&M, Edge
- Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame, CB
- Tyler Warren, Penn State, TE
- Josh Simmons, Ohio State, OT
- Jalon Walker, Georgia, Edge
- Kenneth Grant, Michigan, DT
Draft targets for top teams
The 2025 NFL Draft isn't necessarily considered a stacked draft class, but it certainly is one of the more anticipated drafts in recent memory. That is largely because of the top prospect in the class, Travis Hunter. The receiver/cornerback from Colorado might not go first overall because he doesn't play the quarterback position, but he will still be highly coveted.
We haven't seen a true two-way player in over 50 years, but Hunter has a case as both the best receiver and the best cornerback in the draft, and he seems insistent on playing on both sides of the field at the professional level despite many thinking that will be impossible. The Heisman Trophy winner thrived in college playing two ways, and he could very well do so in the NFL, too. A quarterback seems likely to go first overall, as is the case in most drafts, but Hunter could be snatched up with any pick from the two slot to the four slot.
The Cleveland Browns are picking second overall, and they have some tough decisions to make. They are financially invested in Deshaun Watson for at least the next two seasons due to the fact that they gave the quarterback one of the biggest contracts ever, but Watson has been a monumental failure, and they might want to look in a new direction at the quarterback position despite the financial repercussions. That goes without mentioning that it was just reported that Watson had a setback in his rehab from an achilles tear. If the Browns deem it too soon to give up on Watson, then Hunter is a logical fit. The Browns' already elite cornerback unit could allow Hunter to ease in on defense without having to do too much early, and the team needs another receiver to pair with Jerry Jeudy, who surged late in the season.
Like the Browns, the New York Giants might be targeting a quarterback in the draft, which means Hunter might slide past them, too. If that is the case, there shouldn't be any way that he drops past the New England Patriots at pick four. The Patriots are talent deprived, but they already have a franchise quarterback in last year's number three pick, Drake Maye. Hunter could fill in on both sides of the ball and give New England a massive boost, especially considering they have arguably the weakest receiver corps in football. The Patriots, of course, lost their chance at the number one pick with a Week 18 win.
The quarterback-needy teams at the top will be deciding between Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. Sanders was Hunter's quarterback at Colorado, and he is the number one quarterback on most expert's big boards. Some have Ward above him because of his massive arm strength, though. The Tennessee Titans pick first overall, so they have their pick of the litter. All of the Titans, Browns, Giants, Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints will at least consider a quarterback inside of the top 10.
Another prospect who could stir things up on draft day is Ashton Jeanty. The Boise State running back finished second in the Heisman voting and is one of the best running back prospects in recent memory. Recently, most teams have been hesitant to draft running backs in the first round, but Jeanty's talent could convince teams to change that philosophy. The Raiders have one of the worst running back situations in the NFL, and they might be picking too late to get a quarterback. They've also had a propensity to draft skill position players early in the draft before, so they are one team to look out for when it comes to drafting Jeanty. If not Las Vegas, the Dallas Cowboys are a fit as well, but Jeanty could see a draft day slide due to his position.
One team that could go in a number of directions during the 2025 NFL Draft is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even though Trevor Lawrence hasn't lived up to the lofty expectations placed on him when he was drafted first overall, he is still clearly the franchise signal-caller in Jacksonville. The Jaguars had one of the worst defensive units this season, and they need help all over on that side of the ball. Will Johnson, Mason Graham, and Abdul Carter all make sense as draft targets for the Jaguars.
