The first 4 picks of the NFL Draft

 

The early unpredictability of the 2025 NFL Draft

By Joey Priano

March 27, 2025 – As the upcoming NFL Draft approaches, NFL front offices continue to work to find the perfect fit for their teams. Each year, a new class of collegiate players will be tested and evaluated by each team until the end of April, when the teams will draft the best of the best to join their rosters for the next season. Often times the order of these picks can be confidently predicted. However, the top group of players in this year’s draft has not been as easy to predict, making the importance of the first few picks even stronger.

In the 2024 draft, the top four picks of the draft went as follows: Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Marvin Harrison Jr. This top four picks were predicted by fans and analysts all around the NFL, such as Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network), Mel Kiper (ESPN), and Dane Brugler (The Athletic). With the needs of these teams being clear, predicting the order was not very difficult at the top of the draft. However, with the top of draft this year having teams that have lots of different needs and options, it makes the draft very difficult to predict. 

The first overall pick in the draft is owned by the Tennessee Titans, followed by the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and then New England Patriots to round out the top four picks. The players that are likely to be picked in this range could go in a variety of orders, causing analysts and fans alike to have strong disagreements on who will be taken with what pick. 

I am predicting that the Tennessee Titans will draft Cam Ward with the first overall pick. The Senior Quarterback from the University of Miami has shown a great ability to extend plays and throw the ball downfield effectively, which would benefit the Titans greatly. Starting last season with Will Levis and ending with the No. 1 overall pick was extremely disappointing for Titans fans, and many believe that a change at Quarterback to take them back to their first winning season since 2021. The Cleveland Browns have the second overall pick, and I predict that they will draft Abdul Carter. With Ward off the board, the browns may not like any of the Quarterbacks still available and go with the defensive superstar that is Abdul Carter. Collecting a career high 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss, the browns are arguably getting the most talented player in the entire draft with this pick. With that upside paired with the lowering happiness of Myles Garrett in Cleveland, this pick makes a lot of sense. However, it would be very possible for the Titans to also see this upside as more valuable than a Quarterback, and they could take Carter with the first pick instead, which could result in Cam Ward playing for the Browns. At No. 3 the New York Giants now have a very difficult decision to make. Assuming that either Ward or Carter is available at this pick, that would be who I expect the Giants to take. If neither player falls, I believe that the Giants would draft Shedeur Sanders. Son of Hall of Famer and college coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s talents are on the other side of the ball. The Quarterback shined in his final year at Colorado, throwing 37 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards. The difficulty with this pick is that his teammate, Travis Hunter, does something even more impressive. Hunter plays both sides of the ball, which is something that the league has not seen strongly since his former head coach Deion has done. The Giants drafted rookie Wide Receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick last year, while also adding depth to Cornerback this offseason. The positional value of Hunter is not a high priority need of the Giants, but they would be passing on the reigning Heisman winner and freak athletic ability that any team would be thrilled to have. If the Giants do end up taking Sanders, that would be the best case scenario for the New England Patriots, who are not in need of a Quarterback like him but strongly need an athlete like Hunter. With an impressive season from Drake Maye last year, the Patriots need weapons for him to throw the ball to, and Hunter would be their best offensive weapon right away. 

This NFL Draft has a lot of talent in the early rounds, that would benefit lots of teams significantly. However, due to the constant struggle to balance a player’s talent and positional needs for each team, these four players could be drafted in any order. I have predicted Ward, Carter, Sanders, then Hunter, but all four of those players could go to a different team. This makes draft night anticipation even higher this year, as fanbases with disappointing season try to turn it around, led by some of the most exciting new players in the league.