NFL Draft
3/21/25
7 min read
Teams With The Most At Stake In The 2025 NFL Draft
With the initial free agency wave over and teams turning their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft, a handful of teams have a ton at stake when it comes to nailing this year's picks.
That means different things for different teams. For some, it could mean nailing enough picks to be viewed as a legitimate playoff or Super Bowl contender, while for others, it could mean making the right moves to finally get the franchise on the right track after years of disappointing seasons.
As the draft approaches, let's examine a handful of teams with the most at stake.
Teams With The Most At Stake In Draft
San Francisco 49ers 
After years of being on the cusp of a Super Bowl championship, the San Francisco 49ers are suddenly facing a rebuilding season unless they can nail more than a couple of their picks in the 2025 draft.
The 49ers lost 17 players this offseason to trade and free agency, including key starters like Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks, Talanoa Hufanga, Charvarius Ward, and Dre Greenlaw. Meanwhile, left tackle Trent Williams is nearing retirement, Brandon Aiyuk continues to be mentioned in trade rumors, and Brock Purdy is likely seeking a top-of-market deal.
Most of San Francisco's free agent additions were depth pieces like Demarcus Robinson, Luke Farrell, and Tre Brown, meaning that the 49ers will have to address multiple positions through the draft and rely on rookies for the 2025 season.
The good news is that the 49ers still have established stars on both sides of the ball, but they'll need to find some Day 1 contributors in the draft if they want to be a playoff contender.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have been the youngest team in the NFL for the past two seasons but have made the playoffs in both years. However, after an early exit to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, age is no longer an excuse for a team that might be talented enough to compete for a Super Bowl title.
General manager Brian Gutekunst filled two important, albeit unexciting, needs in free agency by signing guard Aaron Banks and cornerback Nate Hobbs. However, some significant needs remain, most notably in the trenches at EDGE and on the interior of the defensive line.
The Packers ranked 26th in pass rush win rate last season, having to rely on creative blitzes and games to generate pressure instead of straight rushes with four defenders. Finding a premier pass rusher in the draft is difficult when picking so late in the first round, but a player who can instantly improve the team's pass rush could make the defense even more imposing.
An effective pass rusher, along with some help on the defensive line, cornerback, and maybe even another wide receiver, could make the Packers a legitimate threat in the NFC.
Cincinnati Bengals
Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are staying with the Cincinnati Bengals, and while fans (along with Joe Burrow) are thrilled to see the two-star receivers staying with the team, their contracts have put even more pressure on the Bengals to find real stars in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Those deals forced the Bengals to be much more strategic in free agency, only signing a couple of depth pieces in T.J. Slaton, Oren Burks, and Samaje Perine. That has left some unaddressed needs, particularly on a defense that has already lost its defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo.
On top of all of these defensive needs, the Bengals still need to figure out what to do with the NFL's leading sack leader, Trey Hendrickson, who is seeking a trade or long-term contract extension.
Instead of trying to build out of the defense in free agency, the Bengals will now have to heavily utilize their draft capital to fix that side of the ball. Otherwise, the Bengals could be looking at another season with video game numbers on offense but without another playoff berth.
Miami Dolphins
The seats are starting to warm up for head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier.
Despite some exciting moments over the last couple of seasons for the Miami Dolphins, they've gone 0-2 in the playoffs and are coming off an 8-9 season without a trip to the postseason. A full season of Tua Tagovailoa could fix many of Miami's problems, but there are still some crucial needs for this team that need to be addressed.
The Dolphins ranked just 19th in defensive DVOA and 22nd in offensive DVOA this past season. They still need some help in the trenches on both sides of the ball, along with some additional help at cornerback to bolster their secondary.
Nailing the draft isn't just about fielding a competitive team but helping Miami get over the hump by winning at least one playoff game to take some of the pressure off of the head coach and GM.
New York Giants
There might not be a team with more at stake in this year's NFL Draft than the New York Giants.
The head coach and GM were given another year to try and keep their jobs, with the hope that they could save them by finding a new quarterback to turn the franchise around. Presumably, they were going to have no issue getting one of the top two quarterbacks with the third overall pick, but the recent buzz and rumors suggest that the Giants may have to trade up to find their quarterback of the future.
That's a lot of pressure to make sure the Giants get the quarterback right, especially if they end up having to trade up to get one of the top two guys. Shedeur Sanders is an extremely intelligent and decisive passer, but the media circus that will come with him brings significant baggage, regardless of whether or not that's fair.
Meanwhile, Cam Ward has all of the physical tools and has worked his way up the ranks, but there are lingering questions about his ability to operate within the structure of a pro-style offense.
Both are far from perfect prospects, but at least the Giants have spent the offseason building up a legitimate defense to take some of the pressure off of a likely rookie to put up big numbers in Year 1.
The Giants can use the draft to find their quarterback of the future and some offensive talent to grow alongside them, but they have to get those picks right if they want to turn the franchise around and help Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen keep their jobs.
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