- Dallas Cowboys need assistance on each traces: A top-heavy roster has been hindered by struggles from every of their previous two first-round draft picks.
- Houston Texans are a group in transition: The promise of 2023 disappeared on the finish of 2024, and they’re determined for assist in entrance of quarterback C.J. Stroud.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is right here: Strive PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and study 2025’s high prospects whereas buying and selling and drafting in your favourite NFL group.
Estimated Studying Time: 5 minutes
Nailing the NFL draft could be a cheat code for soccer groups all through the NFL. If groups can discover some key starters on rookie contracts, it offers them extra flexibility to be aggressive in free company, and in the event that they discover the suitable gamers, it could actually flip their franchise round.
The draft is vital for everybody, however some groups are extra determined for a great draft than others, so right here is our take a look at 5 groups that have to get the 2025 NFL Draft proper.
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Draft Place Rankings
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals made their greatest splash this offseason by locking up each star receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins long run. Each had been vital strikes, however after a quiet free company interval, they have to be complemented by a robust draft, with wants on either side of the trenches.
Cody Ford and Cordell Volson are at present slated to begin at each guard spots, however neither earned a PFF grade above 60.0 in 2024, and so they mixed to permit 80 whole pressures over the course of the season – although most of Ford’s snaps got here at left sort out. On the defensive facet of the ball, Trey Hendrickson was the one defensive lineman to earn a PFF grade above 71.0 final season, and with questions round his future, this can be a unit determined for an injection of expertise.
New England Patriots
The Patriots will really feel assured that they’ve discovered their subsequent franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, who ended the 2024 season with a 70.1 PFF grade that ranked fourth amongst rookie quarterbacks, however these subsequent two drafts are crucial to how they construct round him, significantly on offense.
The offensive line has main query marks, with the left sort out spot set to be manned by Vederian Lowe at this level, with the 2022 sixth-round draft decide by the Minnesota Vikings incomes a 54.0 PFF grade in 2024. That’s why they’ve been repeatedly paired with gamers like LSU’s Will Campbell and Missouri’s Armand Membou in 2025 NFL mock drafts. They’ve points at broad receiver, too, although, and whereas they introduced in Stefon Diggs lately, a disappointing rookie marketing campaign from Ja’Lynn Polk, the place he averaged simply 0.35 yards per route run, signifies that they could have to look so as to add one other early-round broad receiver on this class.
Houston Texans
After a 2023 season that noticed the Texans, with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, appear like the subsequent contender to emerge from the AFC, 2024 noticed them stumble alongside all through the season earlier than shedding to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs within the playoffs. Their offensive line already appeared to be an issue, and after buying and selling away left sort out Laremy Tunsil, the Texans have to make strikes to make sure they put a practical unit in entrance of Stroud in 2025.
As issues stand, the one projected starter on the offensive line who earned a PFF grade above 65.0 final season is left guard Tytus Howard, and it might be fully justified if the Texans used a number of early draft picks at both sort out or on the inside.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys need and anticipate to compete for Tremendous Bowls, but they discover themselves choosing twelfth general within the 2025 NFL Draft. Whereas they’ve expertise at key positions, as broad receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge defender Micah Parsons are two of the perfect gamers in soccer, they should get higher within the trenches.
Zack Martin‘s retirement leaves a gap on the inside of the offensive line, whereas a rookie season from left sort out Tyler Guyton that noticed him earn a PFF grade of simply 49.4 prompts questions on whether or not or not they acquired that choice appropriate. Seemingly lacking on former first-round draft decide Mazi Smith at defensive sort out hasn’t helped both, as the previous Michigan standout has earned a PFF grade of beneath 50.0 in every of his first two seasons within the league, so the Cowboys want defensive inside assist, too.
Miami Dolphins
When you may have a quarterback who ranks sixth within the NFL in per-year wage, you anticipate to be competing for division titles, and whereas the Dolphins did end second within the AFC East in 2024, they had been a great distance off from really competing for the division. Like a lot of the groups earlier than them on this record, they should get higher within the trenches if they’re to take a critical step ahead.
The retirement of left sort out Terron Armstead, who earned an 89.4 PFF grade in 2024, wasn’t surprising however nonetheless leaves them with work to do on an offensive line that completed 2024 because the Fifteenth-ranked group in PFF’s offensive line rankings. The inside of their defensive position will not be in nice form both, and so they have struggled to adequately exchange the Christian Wilkins loss in free company final yr, so don’t be shocked to see them look to deal with that very early within the draft this week.
