2025 NFL Draft: Buying and selling the latest rumors

College & Draft Sports

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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The 2025 NFL Draft season has hit a fever pitch concerning speculation. Many of the top selections are tough to get a read on. All 32 teams hold their first-round selection, but that could change in a heartbeat. Teams with a plethora of Day-2 picks could get aggressive in acquiring players they need to improve their team.

Let’s take stock in some of the rumours that have been running rampant lately as we progress toward draft weekend.

The Tennessee Titans are locked in on Cameron Ward with the first overall selection

Verdict: Buy

Tennessee didn’t dive into the free agent quarterback market aside from Brandon Allen, whom Brian Callahan is familiar with from their days together in Cincinnati. Will Levis has yet to prove he is a viable starting quarterback in the NFL. The Titans finished dead last in team passing grade in 2024. The need at quarterback is far too obvious for them not to take one with the first overall pick.

Cameron Ward, the highest-graded quarterback in the FBS last season, is available to the Titans with the first overall pick, and it’s beginning to feel overwhelmingly likely that they will take him. While Callahan recently said everything is still on the table with regard to the first selection, including Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, there seems to be a general consensus among scouts that Ward is the top quarterback in this year’s class. If Tennessee selected Carter or Hunter, they would still be hard-pressed to win games with Levis as their starter. Ward’s stock has never been higher.

The Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston signings mean the New York Giants won’t take a quarterback in the first round

Verdict: Sell

There is an assumption that because the Giants signed veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, they may now be out of the running to take a quarterback if Cameron Ward or Shedeur Sanders were available when they make the third overall selection. That shouldn’t entirely be the case, especially if the Giants feel either or both of those players would be a long-term solution.

Wilson’s one-year contract maxes out at $21 million but comes with just $10 million guaranteed. Winston reportedly signed a two-year deal worth $4 million per year. Those two guaranteed totals add up to the same amount that Daniel Jones signed for to play in Indianapolis this season. In short, $14 million guaranteed is high-end backup money.

If the Giants are sold particularly on Shedeur Sanders, the more likely available of the two, then they shouldn’t pass on him. Signing Wilson and Winston simply ensures against feeling forced to start Sanders right away. If Sanders earns the starting spot or becomes the primary backup ahead of Winston, then Winston becomes an easily tradeable asset.

Mason Graham could still be a top-five selection

Verdict: Buy

There’s been much debate since the combine about Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. He’s been easily the best interior player in college football over the past two seasons. His size, particularly his playing weight and length, have come into question as scouts try to decipher how he will translate to the league.

Graham is a player whose tape shouldn’t garner debate. He was simply dominant as a run defender and pass-rusher throughout his time in Ann Arbor. While it may be shocking, he shouldn’t be entirely off the board for the New York Giants, who hold the third overall pick and little interior depth beyond Dexter Lawrence. The Jacksonville Jaguars should be very interested after their defensive tackle unit finished 28th in PFF grade last season. They also didn’t sign a single interior defender in free agency. 

Considering all of the teams within the top 12 that need defensive line help, it would be shocking to see him fall out of that range. On the higher end, he should absolutely be in consideration for a top-five selection.

Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter are the only options for the New England Patriots in the first round

Verdict: Sell

While many draft boards, including PFF’s, have Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Penn State’s Abdul Carter as the top two players in this draft class, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the New England Patriots are locked in to select either if they are available with the fourth overall selection.

Drafting players always comes with the balance of talent, availability and fit. The Patriots recently signed Stefon Diggs to a wide receiver room that includes Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglass and 2024 draft picks Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. They also signed Carlton Davis III in free agency to start alongside Christian Gonzalez. The determinant to selecting Hunter may simply be their opinion of whether or not he is an elite wide receiver, assuming he is even available.

Carter’s case is much more straightforward, as the Patriots don’t have an elite edge rusher, but the Patriots spent a ton of money on their defense in free agency, including MiltonWilliams and Harold Landry III on the defensive line. Their defense would be stacked with Carter in the fold, but they would still have gaping holes on offense at left tackle, wide receiver and running back.

Head coach Mike Vrabel recently mentioned that he is evaluating Will Campbell as a left tackle. Armand Membou could also be a possibility. He also mentioned at the NFL combine the need for a receiver who can haul in off-target passes, which sounds an awful lot like Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. The Patriots’ situation is going to be very fluid all the way until they are on the clock with the fourth overall selection.

The Houston Texans have to select an offensive lineman in the first round

Verdict: Sell

Since Houston traded Laremy Tunsil to Washington for a haul of draft picks, there has rightfully been a substantial amount of concern about how they will protect C.J. Stroud next season and beyond. While most mock drafts are projecting the team to select an offensive lineman with the 25th overall pick, they still have other needs that can be filled.

If the Texans are absolutely sold on an offensive lineman at pick 25, then so be it. However, they shouldn’t force things when they added veteran depth via free agency and the trade market. They have other legitimate needs that need to be filled as well.

Houston could be in a good position to add a wide receiver like Luther Burden III, Matthew Golden or Emeka Egbuka after losing Stefon Diggs in free agency. They also desperately need to improve their interior run defense, so players like Kenneth Grant and Walter Nolen should be options for them if available. Selecting players solely because of need is a dangerous game to play. If the Texans have someone at another position higher on their board, they should not pass them up just because they feel the need to draft an offensive lineman.

All 32 teams will make their first-round selection

Verdict: Sell

There has not been a draft since 2002, the first year that the NFL expanded to 32 teams, where every team selected a player in the first round. Each team currently still holds their own first-round pick, but it still seems highly unlikely that things will remain that way through the first night.

There are teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders who pick in the mid-to-late 20s who could be looking to back out of the first round to recoup draft capital after recent trades. There are also multiple teams with a plethora of day two selections like the Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, and Jacksonville Jaguars who could seek to get aggressive and acquire another first-round-caliber player. Don’t expect the order to be as static as it currently is.

This news was originally published on this post .

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