Every season the NFL Draft takes center stage and remains a crucial part of the offseason for all 32 teams. The teams that win Super Bowls typically build through the draft.
Just look at the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Seven of their offensive starters were drafted, including Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts and four of the five starters on arguably the best offensive line in football. Every starter on the defensive line was drafted, and top cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were each selected with the team’s top two selections last year (No. 22 and No. 40 overall).
No matter where a team sits on the NFL pantheon, that team can instantly improve in 2025 with a good draft class. The Houston Texans did it with C.J. Stroud in 2023 and the Washington Commanders did the same in 2024 with Jayden Daniels, adding franchise quarterbacks to help them along the way. Of course a franchise quarterback helps, but teams can still improve their playoff chances and even become a Super Bowl contender with rookies who contribute immediately.
There are many teams in the AFC vying to take down the Kansas City Chiefs and can improve their chances with a good draft class. Others are trying to get their franchises back in contention and out of their losing ways. These are five teams that need to ace the draft in the AFC this year.
The Bengals tied their salary cap into retaining Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (who they drafted), signing the two wide receivers to massive long-term extensions this offseason. Joe Burrow is one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in football, another reason why there is little margin for error in getting draft picks right and improving other areas of the roster.
Then there’s the future of pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who Cincinnati still hasn’t come to terms with on an extension. The Bengals need significant help on defense at edge rusher (even with Hendrickson), cornerback and linebacker as new defensive coordinator Al Golden needs to revamp the unit. They also need to improve an offensive line that allowed a sack rate of 6.9% last season (19th in NFL).
If the Bengals can ace the draft with their top selections (they have No. 17 and No. 49), they’ll be AFC contenders once again.
The Patriots have a franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, but New England had one of the worst rosters in the NFL last season. One of the benefits of having a top-five pick is getting a premium player in this year’s draft class, and two of the top three picks could be quarterbacks. That could shape New England up to get either wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or pass rusher Abdul Carter.
Regardless of whether the Patriots land one of those players or not, New England must improve an offense that was last in the league in pass yards per game (176.2), 29th in net yards per attempt (5.7), and 30th in offensive points per game (16.5). The Patriots added Stefon Diggs at wide receiver, but need to find another pass catcher who can immediately boost this offense at No. 38 overall or No. 69 overall. They also need to improve an offensive line that was 29th in sack rate (9.0%) last season, even with free agent signings Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury.
New England just needs to take the best player available at No. 4, and fill out the roster from there.
Having the No. 1 pick in the draft is already critical for a franchise to get the selection right, especially in a class that doesn’t appear to be deep at quarterback. The Titans appear to be locked in on Cam Ward at No. 1 overall, but have to make sure they have the quarterback right and the offensive line to protect him in Year 1 (27th in sack rate allowed last season at 8.9%).
What if Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter become generational players? Does that mean Tennessee made a mistake if Ward is just a “good” quarterback? This is the dilemma with a team that needs a franchise quarterback in a winnable division like the AFC South.
Tennessee also has the No. 35 pick and two picks in the fourth round (No. 103 and No. 120), but the No. 1 pick is going to be the selection that jump-starts the rebuild. Getting this pick right could change the outcome of the franchise.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (8 picks)
The Chiefs are still the team to beat in the AFC, but it’s clear they need to make a few tweaks to the roster in order to win another Super Bowl. Their offensive line was manhandled in the Super Bowl by the Eagles’ pass rush, one of the main reasons why Patrick Mahomes struggled throughout the game.
Kansas City has to address the left tackle position, which resulted in Joe Thuney taking over after Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris couldn’t win the job last year. They also traded Thuney, so the entire left side of the offensive line has to be revamped.
The Chiefs also could use depth at defensive tackle and could also use a long-term replacement for Travis Kelce. The Super Bowl window is always open for Patrick Mahomes, but the Chiefs can immediately improve their roster by hitting on their top four picks (No. 31, No. 63, No. 66, No. 95) — all in the first three rounds.
If the left side of the offensive line can be addressed with quality starters, teams will have a hard time pouncing on Kansas City in the AFC.
The Bills were right on the verge of beating the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game but came up three points short of going to their first Super Bowl since the 1993 season. This was with a roster that wasn’t as strong as in previous years.
So how can the Bills finally get past the Chiefs? Finding a wide receiver to complement Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman is paramount, as Josh Allen could use all the skill-position players he can get. Buffalo will also have to address the departures of Rasul Douglas and Kaiir Elam, finding a starting cornerback in this draft.
The Bills have talent on the roster, but how can Buffalo get over the hump? Finding more pass rushers to expose the Chiefs weakness on the offensive line would also significantly help. Buffalo has the No. 30, No. 56 and No. 62 picks in this draft, a huge opportunity to find starting-caliber players who can contribute immediately and fill out the top end of the roster.
The Bills typically draft well under general manager Brandon Beane. They can’t mess this one up.
This news was originally published on this post .
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