Race for the No. 1 Pick of the 2025 NFL Draft:
Carolina Panthers:
The Panthers got a one-point win over the Saints to get Carolina their second win of the season. Carolina (2-7) is still in their rebuild and should challenge for the No. 1 pick this year. If they land it, they could take a new quarterback like Shedeur Sanders and move on from Bryce Young.
Tennessee Titans:
The Titans improved to 2-6 on the season with an overtime win over the Patriots. Tennessee is a prime contender for the No. 1 pick with Will Levis or Mason Rudolph at quarterback.
New England Patriots:
The Patriots forced overtime on a phenomenal play by Drake Maye and Rhamondre Stevenson, but Tennessee was able to prevail. At 2-7, New England is clearly in rebuilding mode after years of poor drafting by Bill Belichick.
New Orleans Saints:
The Saints lost their seventh straight game after blowing a lead to the hapless Panthers. At 2-7, New Orleans is in free fall and a serious contender for the No. 1 overall pick.
Cleveland Browns:
The Browns were dropped to 2-7 as the Chargers cruised over Los Angeles. Cleveland’s offense has struggled all season, and the Browns roster has had a lot of injuries and attrition from the playoff unit of last year.
Top General Manager Candidates:
- Detroit Lions director of scouting development Mike Martin
- Detroit Lions assitant general manager Ray Agnew
- Atlanta Falcons vice president of player personnel Kyle Smith
- Indianapolis Colts chief personnel executive Morocco Brown
- Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray
- Tennessee Titans director of pro scouting Brian Gardner
- Philadelphia Eagles director of scouting Brandon Hunt
- Miami Dolphins assistant general manager Marvin Allen
- Washington director of pro scouting Eric Stokes
- New England Patriots executive Alonzo Highsmith
Top Head Coach Candidates:
- Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden
- Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
- Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
- Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley
- Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia
- Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen
- Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson
Head Coach Hot-Seat Tracker:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Doug Pederson
- Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy
- New York Giants: Brian Daboll
- New Orleans Saints: Dennis Allen
Let’s Play Matchmaker:
Arizona Cardinals: Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss 
The Arizona defense took care of business, shutting out the Bears in the second half and racking up six sacks. While the offense was not prolific through the air, they had three rushing touchdowns and totaled 213 yards on the ground. Arizona had some issues with Rome Odunze, and in their division, they could use a true No. 1 corner to help their defense.
Amos flashed on tape for Alabama in 2023, and he has picked up where he left off after transferring to Ole Miss. Thus far in 2024, Amos has 35 tackles with three interceptions and 11 passes broken up. Amos (6-1, 190) has good size, speed, and athleticism. He could be a riser for the 2025 NFL Draft next April, and Amos has big time ability. He could be an excellent first-round pick for Arizona in the mid to late portion of the first round.
Buffalo Bills: DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson 
The Bills essentially won the AFC East on Sunday when Tyler Bass drilled a 61-yard field goal to drop the Dolphins. At 7-2, Buffalo is not going to get caught by Miami, New England, or the Jets. Buffalo had problems stopping the Miami rushing attack and allowed the Dolphins to have a lot of success on the ground. The Bills have had injuries at linebacker, but they could use a run stuffer to go next to Ed Oliver.
In 2024, Capehart has 13 tackles and two passes batted. Clemson had a rotation of defensive linemen in 2023, but Capehart played well enough to impress the NFL advance scouts. In 2023, Capehart totaled 15 tackles, five tackles for a loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one pass broken up. The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder has a good skill set with upside. Team sources say he is a bear at the point of attack and phenomenal at plugging running lanes on the inside of the line. Capehart is big, strong, and physical. He could be an excellent pick for Buffalo in the second round.
Cincinnati Bengals: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina 
The Bengals rolled the Raiders on Sunday as Trey Hendrickson had four sacks, Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes, and Chase Brown ran all over Las Vegas. The Cincinnati defense had some issues with Brock Bowers, and they have yet to find a true replacement for Jesse Bates. A safety upgrade is sorely needed for the Bengals.
Emmanwori has 52 tackles with four interceptions and two passes broken up. He had an interception returned for a touchdown against Kentucky and then a 102-yard touchdown pick-six that had the return whipped out on a suspect penalty versus LSU. Emmanwori (6-3, 220) is a huge safety with rare coverage ability for a player that big. He has been a steady contributor for the Gamecocks for the past two seasons. In 2023, he had 71 tackles, 10 passes broken up, and two interceptions in 11 games. The previous season, he totaled 85 tackles as a freshman. Emmanwori is a freak athlete with instincts and speed and can flash some physicality. He would be a phenomenal first-round pick for the Bengals.
Carolina Panthers: Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma 
The Panthers pulled off a surprising comeback to get their second win of the season. Alvin Kamara ripped Carolina’s defense with 155 yards on he ground and another 60 through the air. The Panthers need more linebacker talent and they could land an upgrade on the second-day of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Stutsman (6-4, 241) is a tough linebacker for the Sooners, making a lot of tackles and some splash plays for his defense. Thus far in 2024, Stutsman has 70 tackles. In 2023, he totaled 104 tackles, three sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, and three passes defended. In 2022, he recorded 124 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and five passes broken up. Team sources said Stutsman is athletic, quick, and instinctive. They said he has good size and length but lacks ideal strength and physicality. He also has some limitations in coverage. They called Stutsman a less strong, more finesse version of Pete Werner. He could be a nice day-two pick for Carolina.
New York Jets: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
The Jets pulled off an upset over the Texans as their defense swarmed C.J. Stroud, and they had some highlight reel catches from Garrett Wilson, with Davante Adams also finding the end zone. This offseason, New York needs to get more receiving weapons for Aaron Rodgers.
In 2024, McMillan has 63 receptions for 1,066 yards and six touchdowns. To open the season, McMillan had an amazing performance with 10 catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns taking on New Mexico. Arizona had an impressive 2023 season while featuring a dangerous passing attack. Wide receiver Jacob Cowing was a known factor for 2023, but McMillan emerged as a playmaker that season. The sophomore caught 90 passes for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns. McMillan notched 39 catches for 702 yards and eight scores as a freshman. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder McMillan has mismatch size for the NFL and he would be an outstanding first-round pick for New York.
Baltimore Ravens: Patrick Payton, DE, Florida State 
The Ravens went against one of the top defenses in the NFL and had no issues as they put up 41 points on the Broncos. This season, Baltimore’s offense has been incredible, but what has been the biggest shock has been the struggles of their pass defense. They have a lot of good talent in their secondary, but the Ravens could use more young pass rush talent to help out the back end.
In 2024, Payton has 22 tackles and four sacks thus far. Payton (6-5, 240) was superb in 2023, making many clutch plays for the Seminoles. He totaled 43 tackles, seven sacks, and nine passes batted on the year, but he also was more disruptive than the numbers illustrate. In 2022, he totaled 31 tackles, five sacks, and three passes batted. Payton would make a lot of sense as a late first-rounder for Baltimore.
Tennessee Titans: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado 
The Titans got their second win of the season with Tony Pollard producing a big day for Tennessee. With Pollard, Calvin Ridley, some young talent on the offensive line, and a good defense, the Titans could be a team that has a quick turnaround in 2025 if they can get the right trigger man at quarterback. Landing Sanders in the first round could be a dream come true for the Titans and he would be an immediate upgrade over Mason Rudolph and Will Levis.
Sanders does not have an elite skill set with a Josh Allen arm or Lamar Jackson running ability, but he is a natural football player. His instincts, I.Q., toughness, and leadership skills are tremendous. Sanders is a very accurate quarterback with tremendous ball placement. In 2024, Sanders has completed 73 percent of his passes for 2,591 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has three rushing touchdowns as well. Sanders has things to work on, but he would be a great fit in Brian Callahan’s offense.Team Draft Report:
In this section, we take a deeper look at specific teams and where they stand in regards to the 2025 NFL Draft.
Seattle Seahawks:
The Seahawks have been an enigma this season. Seattle started with a 3-0 record before going 1-5 over their next six games. The Seahawks are still in the NFC West race, but trending in the wrong direction. After this season, Seattle has some obvious areas of the roster to work on for improvement next season.
It was surprising that Seattle did not upgrade their offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft. They felt that Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy was too good to pass up, but the blocking front has been an issue for the Seahawks for the past few seasons. In the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Seattle could have some good tackle options to consider in LSU’s Will Campbell, LSU’s Emery Jones Jr, or Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea. On day two, there could be interesting prospects like Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery, N.C. State’s Anthony Belton, Texas’ Kelvin Banks, or Georgia’s Earnest Greene. Some of them might go in the first round, but Seattle should have some offensive line talents available on the first two nights of the draft.
In my latest mock 2025 NFL Draft, I have Seahawks taking Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter, and that would make a lot of sense. Seattle decided not to wait for the offseason as they traded for former Ram and Titan Ernest Jones IV. Jones is a good player but a free agent after this season. Even if Jones is re-signed, Seattle could use more linebacker talent. In the NFL, Carter could be Sam linebacker that also rotates to edge rusher. Carter would be a nice addition to the Seattle defensive scheme to help them as a linebacker upgrade that also gives them speed across from Boye Mafe. Aside from Carter, Seattle could consider adding a traditional inside off the ball linebacker like Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman, Utah’s Lander Barton, and Clemson’s Barrett Carter.
The quarterback position will have to get some consideration as well. Geno Smith has been a solid starter, but if they like a prospect, they must consider drafting one as the long-term starter. However, Seattle also may have landed a steal in their trade for Sam Howell. He could be getting groomed to be the potential starter. How Smith plays over the back half of the season will also greatly impact the decision.
The Seahawks have a lot of good young talent on defense and the skill positions on offense. Adding more offensive line talent and having more continuity with a second year under Mike Macdonald could push Seattle to being in a position to challenge as one of the top teams in the NFC.
Los Angeles Rams:
A year ago, the Rams were not expected to challenge for the post-season, but Los Angeles played better than expected and were able to get into the post-season. Thus, you can’t dismiss the Rams as out of the playoff race until they are officially eliminated. They are a well-coached team with an elite quarterback in Matthew Stafford and some dangerous weapons in Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, and Kyren Williams. Around those weapons, Los Angeles has started a youth movement as their Super Bowl roster aged out. There are still some needs for the Rams to address to get back into Super Bowl contention.
In my latest mock 2025 NFL Draft, I have the Rams taking some cornerback help. Last year, former defensive coordinator Raheem Morris did an excellent job of disguising coverage and helping a depleted Rams defense. Jalen Ramsey is gone, and veteran Tre White is not a long-term solution. Los Angeles needs a true No. 1 corner, and they could have some good options available, like Michigan’s Will Johnson, Ole Miss’ Trey Amos, and Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison.
The Rams also could consider some linebacker help, but they will probably get better value by targeting that position in the mid-rounds. Cornerbacks are a more pressing need, and Los Angeles could also find some solid starting linebackers in free agency.
Offensively, Los Angeles has a strong unit, and they invested a lot of free agency money on the offensive line last offseason. If they don’t re-sign starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, that will open a hole they must fill. That could lead to a first-round left tackle being in play for the Rams. It could make more sense to keep Jackson and then use their first-round pick on the best available player on defense. Even though they took an end and tackle in the first and second round last year, they could add more to the defensive line to go with Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. It will be an interesting offseason in Los Angeles. If they draft well, the Rams could get back into Super Bowl contention while they still have Stafford playing at a high level.
