As of Tuesday morning – two days and change before the 2025 NFL draft commences in Green Bay, Wisconsin – all 32 of the league’s teams own their first-round picks.
Don’t presume that will remain the case.
Yet don’t necessarily expect movement prior to Thursday, either, given the general lack of star power among this year’s incoming college prospects.
“Quarterbacks really drive a lot of pre-draft trades,” says former Giants vice president of player personnel Marc Ross, who’s now an analyst for NFL Network.
“Since there isn’t this great group of quarterbacks, there aren’t these teams doing that now – trading up and (going to) get your guy or trying to secure a place to get a quarterback. And then after the quarterbacks, don’t see a ton of other impact players.”
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Still, clubs and general managers will likely get trigger-happy Thursday night. Never during the common draft era (since 1967) have all of the league’s teams used their organic Round 1 selections in a single draft – and the wheels that would keep that streak intact are likely already in motion.
“What you do is strategize throughout the week (of the draft) and say, ‘Here’s a group of players that we really like, we have them rated high. If the board starts falling to us, if the draft starts falling to us,’” said Ross, “then you start making moves on draft day. But you talk about all these things prior to the draft.”
Then it’s just a matter of supply and demand, though it seems the league’s personnel bosses generally prefer to trade back.
“You pick up extra choices, I think that’s the way to do it – stockpiling picks, having extra resources, even next year,” longtime ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. told USA TODAY Sports.
“If you have a group of players bunched together, and you feel like you can get one of that group by moving down, you can do it. I’m always an advocate for moving down.”
The personal philosophy of Kiper, who’s covered the draft for more than four decades, is to try and amass 10 to 12 picks – more rolls of the dice that might produce a late-round gem like Tom Brady or Brock Purdy. Conversely, trading up not only strips a team of current or future draft capital, it puts a spotlight on the GM making the deal as well as the player he’s targeting…though that can work out, too – if you climb for, say, Patrick Mahomes instead of Paxton Lynch.
“Trading up – hey, it’s worked for a lot of teams. When you see a guy sliding, go get him – be aggressive and just go get him,” says Kiper, who cites Philadelphia EVP/GM Howie Roseman and Baltimore’s Eric DeCosta as masters of maneuvering about the board. “Don’t let somebody else just take him.
“Moving up, moving down – when the situation’s right, either way, you’ve got to be aggressive.”
Kiper cites the Bears and Falcons – for different reasons – as teams that could be active Thursday. He also opined that TEs Tyler Warren (Penn State) and Michigan’s Colston Loveland as players who could spark transactions.
NFL mock draft: Projecting where players go in first round
Here are 12 teams to keep an eye on, in terms of movement potential, ahead of Thursday’s first round as well as a few NFL veterans who might also help facilitate a deal:
Cleveland Browns and New York Giants
Two teams very much in the same boat. They select second and third overall, respectively, both in need a new franchise quarterback…yet neither is likely to overdraft one that high given the presence of Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter and Penn State OLB/DE Abdul Carter – both considered among this draft’s few premium talents. Yet the Browns and Giants are also slotted atop the second round – 33rd and 34th overall, respectively – which means either (or both) can very easily jump back into Round 1, presumably to target a quarterback like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart.
New Orleans Saints
They’re in a comparable, if less desirable, position to New York’s and Cleveland’s. The Saints, who initially select ninth overall, also need a quarterback – apparently now an even more prominent issue given the sudden deterioration of 34-year-old incumbent Derek Carr’s shoulder. Yet if GM Mickey Loomis passes with his first opportunity, he still owns five subsequent picks between Rounds 2 and 4 with multiple in the third and fourth – meaning he can also feasibly pick a second time Thursday and maybe even skip the Browns and/or Giants if a QB scramble ensues later in the proceedings.
New England Patriots
They would doubtless love it if the Browns or Giants opted for a QB early – meaning Carter or, especially, Hunter would be sitting there when the Pats pick fourth overall. The talent deficiency in Foxborough makes it unlikely the Patriots would trade out of the fourth spot otherwise – particularly given the need to better support around second-year QB Drake Maye, both in terms of weaponry and protection. Yet with four of the top 77 selections, might the Pats come up for another prime blocker or receiver?
Chicago Bears
While no club currently has multiple first-rounders, perhaps no one presently owns more premium ammunition than GM Ryan Poles – he has a pair of early Round 2 slots, 39th and 41st overall. He’s been busy remaking second-year QB Caleb Williams’ supporting cast this offseason and, if nothing else, has the flexibility to continue doing so in a significant manner – whether that’s coming up for a specific player or maybe spinning off one of these selections for a top-shelf choice in 2026.
Seattle Seahawks
They have multi-direction flexibility similar to Chicago’s, GM John Schneider now armed with five of the draft’s top 92 slots following the offseason trades of WR DK Metcalf and QB Geno Smith. Seattle needs help in the trenches and might even consider a developmental quarterback despite the recent signing of Sam Darnold … and/or could try to spin some of these assets into future drafts.
Dallas Cowboys
As much flash as this franchise generates and the overexposure it gets, owner (and de facto general manager) Jerry Jones is often pretty conservative during the draft, where “America’s Team” has generally performed rather well in recent years. (Jones, of course, is more inclined to trade his mid-rounders for backup quarterbacks, but that’s a discussion for another time.) Yet coming off a 7-10 season that led to former HC Mike McCarthy’s departure – and another pretty quiet approach to free agency – could Jones get a little nutty later this week, especially as much as the Cowboys have been linked to Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, who played his high school ball near Dallas’ Frisco, Texas, training facility? The Cowboys have 10 picks, though seven come after Round 4. Yet they might have the ultimate bargaining chip in All-Pro DE Micah Parsons, who’s entering the final year of his contract and is due $24 million in 2025. Just sayin’…food for thought, especially for a team careening dangerously toward what Jones hates most – irrelevance.
Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders
Each team has five picks – tied for second fewest in this draft – neither with a third-rounder. It’s self-evident why each club might want to add inventory, and Washington’s spot near the back of Round 1 (29th overall) could be especially attractive to clubs desiring to move back in for a quarterback or other player.
Minnesota Vikings
They have the fewest selections (4) of any club this year and aren’t scheduled to participate in Rounds 2 or 4. Yet given how many bodies they added via free agency, it could make sense to part with the 24th overall pick in order to diversify the overall portfolio.
Los Angeles Rams
HC Sean McVay and GM Les Snead have never been afraid of wheeling and dealing, whether it pertains to draft picks, established veterans or a combination thereof. This year’s second-round pick was spent last year to move up for DE Braden Fiske in Round 2 of the 2024 draft. Yet the Rams, scheduled to pick 26th Thursday, now find themselves as the likely favorites to win the NFC West in 2025 as the 49ers and Seahawks recalibrate their rosters. Might that mean Snead and McVay are proactively on the move Thursday?
Philadelphia Eagles
It’s Roseman, y’all. He’ll be playing chess, and his contemporaries know it. Doesn’t mean he won’t find trade partners and/or won’t chase a player like DB Cooper DeJean in the second round and/or a pair of University of Georgia defenders in the first. The defending champs will pick at or near the bottom of the first four rounds but then have their final four selections in Round 5, providing a nice means to consummate prospective negotiations, and could also use TE Dallas Goedert as a carrot.
Players who could be traded during 2025 NFL draft?
Here are 10 veterans who might find themselves on the move in the coming days, whether as part of draft deals or post-draft cost-cutting measures:
Green Bay Packers CB Jaire Alexander: The two-time Pro Bowler has missed at least 10 games in three of the past four seasons, has occasionally been a locker room distraction and is owed $37 million over the final two years of his contract. Don’t be surprised if the Pack try to replace and displace the 28-year-old.
Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews: Will his disastrous performance in last season’s playoff loss at Buffalo also be the three-time Pro Bowler’s final one in a Baltimore uniform? DeCosta has equivocated about Andrews’ future – understandable, to a degree, given he’s owed $11 million in the final year of his contract (a $4 million bonus already paid) – and at a time when fellow TE Isaiah Likely, who’s nearly four years younger, needs an extension of his own.
Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins: Trading their highly compensated backup quarterback would mean $37.5 million in dead cap money this season for Atlanta. The alternative is paying him $27.5 million to sit behind Michael Penix Jr. Seems like there’s some kind of financial and compensatory compromise to find here so Cousins, 36, can play elsewhere. But don’t expect the Falcons to dump him for nothing or eat a ton of cash so he can simply leave.
Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne: He had a career-low 812 yards from scrimmage in 2024. He’s due $6.1 million going into the final year of his rookie contract – at a time when the Jags are entering a draft rich in running backs, including Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton. Something might have to give here.
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert: He’s owed $15.5 million in the final year of his contract, much of it tied up in a bonus Philly could decline to pay. And similar to Etienne’s situation, a tight end-heavy draft could make Goedert eminently replaceable.
Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson: It’s pretty clear the Bengals don’t want to trade the 2024 sack leader and Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. Of course, they don’t want to pay him what he’s worth, either, given he’s owed a bargain-basement $16 million in the final year of his deal. Doesn’t really seem like Hendrickson, 30, will get moved for anything less than a first-round pick, but stranger things have happened … like the Bengals ponying up for a pair of star wideouts on the same day.
Cowboys DE Micah Parsons: Again, highly improbable Jones lets his best defender get away – especially in a buyer’s market given all the talented edge rushers available in this draft. Still, paying QB Dak Prescott, WR CeeDee Lamb and, apparently, Parsons at or near the top of their positional markets simultaneously is tantamount to salary cap malpractice. But Jones will almost surely commit it … barring a ridiculous offer for Parsons that somehow restores Dallas as an immediate contender.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens: You could argue his game and volatility are a little too similar to Metcalf, his new teammate. Yet Pickens’ salary – $3.7 million in the final year of his rookie deal – is completely dissimilar to Metcalf’s bag and might make the sometimes immature 24-year-old enticing trade bait from a team currently scheduled to pick once in the draft’s first 82 spots.
Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey: The seven-time Pro Bowler, 30, is apparently headed to a mutual divorce with his third NFL team. Ramsey is signed through 2028. However, he doesn’t have any guarantees beyond the upcoming season – a contractual parameter that might make him easier to move if the Fins can find the right dance partner. And while Ramsey is a decade older than this draft’s best corners, none of the young players project to have his lockdown capabilities.
Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams: Three years into his NFL career, he’s developed into quite a deep-strike weapon on the field. Off of it, he continues to have too many missteps – especially for a player who’s the fourth or fifth offensive option overall. And with other extension-eligible players such as DE Aidan Hutchinson slotted for financial priority in Detroit, this could be the ideal time to move a guy who has two years left on his rookie deal, including his fifth-year option.
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