Teams With Most at Stake in the 2025 NFL Draft
The NFL draft may be an important milestone for each of the league's 32 teams, but certain franchises have a bit more riding on the outcome of the 2025 event than others.
Whether these clubs have an aging core, salary-cap woes or glaring roster holes following the first wave of free agency, it's clear the following organizations need the kind of help that only a transformative draft class (and cheap rookie-scale contracts) can provide.
With that in mind, here are five teams that have the most at stake during next month's draft.
Cincinnati Bengals
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The Cincinnati Bengals accomplished a critical offseason objective when they kept their world-class passing offense together for the foreseeable future.
While the benefits of making Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins the highest-paid WR1 and WR2, respectively, in history are obvious, there are some drawbacks to hammering out these blockbuster extensions.
The biggest problem is a lack of financial flexibility to address defensive inefficiencies. The Bengals need to come away from the 2025 offseason with several major upgrades for a unit that ranked in the bottom quarter of the NFL in both yards allowed and scoring in 2024—the main reason they missed out on a playoff spot last season.
While Cincinnati did add a few minor pieces such as Oren Burks and T.J. Slaton on the open market, it will need to utilize most of its 2025 draft capital on defensive talent.
Although the Bengals have just six picks at their disposal, half of these selections occur within the top 81 and none are later than No. 193. The front office must use these choices to come away with starting-caliber talent on both sides of the trenches, in the linebacking corps and on the edge.
Bar some trade downs to acquire more picks, Cincinnati will have to emphasize quality over quantity this year. Although it won't get too many swings, hitting a home run during this draft could push this organization over the Super Bowl hump.
Dallas Cowboys
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After failing to move the needle during last year's free-agent signing period, the Dallas Cowboys have again eschewed marquee pickups this offseason.
This strategy failed the club last year, and it appears its success in 2025 hinges on the outcome of the upcoming draft.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer is already facing an uphill battle in his first season at the helm after taking over for Mike McCarthy. The former offensive coordinator is being tasked with taking Dallas back into the playoffs on the heels of a 7-10 campaign, a record that may be tough to improve upon next season unless the Cowboys fare well in the 2025 draft.
They do have some things working in their favor. They aren't in need of starting-caliber quarterbacks or a top-end pass-rusher thanks to the presence of veterans such as Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, but both sides of the trenches could use an influx of young talent.
Dallas has one superstar in the receiving corps with CeeDee Lamb, but finding him some help is another box to tick in the draft. Jalen Tolbert doesn't seem to be the right choice for a No. 2 wideout after he caught just 49 passes for 610 yards in a pivotal third season.
While Dallas holds 10 selections in total this year—including the No. 12 overall pick—more than half won't occur until No. 171 or later.
The Cowboys could unearth some depth options and even a star with these Day 3 picks, but the front office should be feeling the pressure to hit on the three top-76 picks it possesses.
Kansas City Chiefs
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The Kansas City Chiefs haven't had the best offseason so far. After opening it on the heels of blowing the opportunity to become the first three-peat Super Bowl champions, they were forced to part ways with impact veteran guard Joe Thuney to free up cap space.
While Kansas City's brass did address its No. 1 need by signing left tackle Jaylon Moore, there's far more work to be done if it is going to remain a dynasty for years to come.
Beefing up the offensive trenches should be the top priority after the team was dominated in that facet of the game by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs can still be a contender every season for as long as Patrick Mahomes continues to play at the highest level, but even the superstar quarterback looked human at times during the 2024 season due to protection woes.
Despite going 15-1 in his 16 starts, the 29-year-old took a career-high 36 sacks and failed to breach the 4,000-yard passing mark for the first time since taking the reins of the offense in 2018.
With eight picks in the 2025 draft—including four within the first 95 selections—the Chiefs will have ample opportunity to restock the cupboard and keep their dynasty alive.
If Kansas City general manager Brett Veach can come away with one elite offensive lineman and a couple of depth options who can develop into future starters, the team will be well-positioned for future success.
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New York Giants
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The New York Giants are stuck between a rock and a hard place right now.
Lacking the talent to compete but given a mandate by owner John Mara to put a winning product on the field, the head coach-GM combo of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen can't afford to whiff on this crucial 2025 draft class.
The G-Men have a respectable number of picks at their disposal, including No. 3 overall, but they have needs up and down the roster to address with their eight selections.
The biggest hole continues to be at the quarterback position. The team did little to fill it this offseason besides signing Jameis Winston to two-year, $8 million deal.
While the interception-prone veteran could work as a serviceable bridge QB, Big Blue must come away with a blue-chip passer such as Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders—the top quarterbacks on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board—to have any realistic hope of contending.
The Giants do have some weapons to help a young QB—notably breakout star Malik Nabers—but they must upgrade his protection to avoid squandering their development. It wouldn't be a surprise if the team uses at least one of its three picks on Day 2 to bring in a quality offensive lineman.
The defense must also be addressed if the Giants are going to be competitive in 2025. There are voids at linebacker, cornerback and in the defensive trenches following the initial free-agency waves, positions they can try to fill in the latter rounds after reinforcing the offense.
It's going to take a truly special draft for the G-Men to claw their way back into contention after a 3-14 season—one of the worst in franchise history—but there's at least a chance Schoen and Daboll stick around by nailing the draft.
San Francisco 49ers
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The San Francisco 49ers will have a new look in 2025.
They have had a whopping 17 players exit the Bay Area via free agency or trade since the new league year began—the largest wave of departures in the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era.
While the Niners are hurting now, they can flip the script on the offseason by knocking the draft out of the park. They hold a whopping 11 picks in the upcoming draft, including the No. 11 overall selection and three others in the top 100.
Replacing some of the reliable starters the team has lost—a list that includes Deebo Samuel, Charvarius Ward and Dre Greenlaw—will be the focus next month.
Expect San Francisco to tap rookies who can fill the void at wide receiver, cornerback and linebacker created by those departures, and land at least one high-profile defensive lineman and an offensive tackle who can back up and eventually replace Trent Williams.
The 49ers have made two of the last five Super Bowls by drafting well and making smart offseason decisions. Things may not look great for the club now, but there's a real chance it will bounce back from a disheartening 6-11 campaign and re-enter the league's upper echelon by nailing this draft.
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