An unprecedented NFL Draft is at hand. The first round is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT Thursday, and every team still holds its original choice in the opening 32 selections.
Already the first draft since 1967 for which each team still held its original first-round pick when the league year started, that’s still the case five weeks later.
But there will be trades in the first round. Not at the top, though. The Tennessee Titans brass said on Tuesday they would make the No. 1 pick on Thursday night. Miami (Fla.) quarterback Cam Ward is the presumed choice.Last year, quarterbacks were the first three picks and filled six of the opening 12 slots. But even though the Cleveland Browns at No. 2 and New York Giants at No. 3 have QB questions, the evaluations of the other first-round possibilities – Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe – coupled with the opportunity to add a projected star such as Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter will make this a different draft.The quarterbacks still might go in the first round, but for Dart and Milroe, that would require teams trading back into the opening 32. Both the Browns and the Giants can make that happen. Each team will have four more picks in the top 105 after they make their first-round selections.
The perceived evenness of talent in the draft and the depth of prospects at positions such as edge rusher will have several teams eager to trade back. The Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all short of selections. The Vikings and Commanders seem the most likely candidates to trade out of the first round.
On the other side of that coin, the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have the draft capital to try to dictate where they pick. Seattle and Buffalo seem the most likely to move up to get what they want in the first round.
The Los Angeles Rams also need to move up to be happier about their first-round pick. But they also could trade out of the first round to fill the void on their draft board between the No. 26 and No. 90 picks.
Teams in the second half of the first round that appear able to sit still and end Thursday night genuinely thrilled include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans.
Then there’s the wild card of Kirk Cousins. The four-time Pro Bowler has a no-trade clause, but he doesn’t want to spend the 2025 season as Michael Penix’s backup in Atlanta. Cousins flourished with Minnesota when current Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski was the Vikings’ offensive coordinator.
An injury also looms over the first round. A recent shoulder ailment has cast doubt on New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr’s 2025 season, and it has caused a recalibration of mock drafts. Is a quarterback in play for the Saints at No. 9 or does New Orleans prefer free agents Aaron Rodgers or Carson Wentz? Or maybe a trade for Cousins? Are the Saints and Falcons even allowed to trade with each other?
Here’s a projection of the first-round picks played like a golf shot (as it lies, at least for now):
1. Tennessee Titans: Miami (Fla.) quarterback Cam Ward
2. Cleveland Browns: Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter
3. New York Giants: Penn State outside linebacker Abdul Carter
4. New England Patriots: LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham
6. Las Vegas Raiders: Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty
7. New York Jets: Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou
8. Carolina Panthers: Georgia outside linebacker Jalon Walker
9. New Orleans Saints: Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan
10. Chicago Bears: Penn State tight end Tyler Warren
11. San Francisco 49ers: Michigan nose tackle Kenneth Grant
12. Dallas Cowboys: Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden
13. Miami Dolphins: Michigan cornerback Will Johnson
14. Indianapolis Colts: Michigan tight end Colston Loveland
15. Atlanta Falcons: Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron
16. Arizona Cardinals: Georgia safety Malaki Starks
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen
18. Seattle Seahawks: Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell
20. Denver Broncos: North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka
23. Green Bay Packers: Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart
24. Minnesota Vikings: Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon
25. Houston Texans: Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons
26. Los Angeles Rams: Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III
27. Baltimore Ravens: Marshall outside linebacker Mike Green
28. Detroit Lions: Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams
29. Washington Commanders: Boston College defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku
30. Buffalo Bills: North Dakota State center Grey Zabel
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr.
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Alabama guard Tyler Booker
