Predicting the top five teams in the 2025 NFL Draft

The NFL is full of exciting teams and stars that have us glued to our TVs every Sunday from September to February. 

This isn’t a piece about those teams, though. Sad face.

No, rather, today I’ll be listing the five teams I expect to be quite bad. So bad that they’ll be the five teams with the top five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Enjoy.

5: Washington Commanders

I like a lot of the moves the Commanders made. Bringing in Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu gives them a very good off-ball linebacker tandem, and the signing of Austin Ekeler at running back was also a good move. However, they are fielding a rookie quarterback, and a rookie quarterback I don’t see panning out at the NFL level in Jayden Daniels. They knocked the draft out of the park and their defense will be much improved, but this is far from a one-year project.

4: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers will be better in 2024, but not so much better that they escape the top five of the NFL Draft. Dave Canales will be a welcome addition to guide Bryce Young into becoming the quarterback the Panthers were hoping they’d get when they drafted him No. 1 overall in 2023. Adding Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette will also be massive upgrades at receiver. That said, there is no more Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu, or Jeremy Chinn - arguably their three best defenders. So, while the offense will be better, the defense will be worse. If the Panthers can win five games, that will be a massive win for Year One of this de facto reboot.

3: New Orleans Saints

Maybe I’m too low on the Saints, but they are just so boring. Dennis Allen is the worst coach in the NFL, and their offense lacks any sort of flair or pizazz. The defense has been good, but their best players are ancient. A falloff will come sooner than later, and I wouldn’t be shocked if we see Spencer Rattler before year’s end.

2: Denver Broncos

The Broncos are going to be brutal. They will be starting Bo Nix or Zach Wilson at quarterback - yikes. Their defense outside of Patrick Surtain is a lot of unprovens and unknowns, and they play in a division that has two of the best quarterbacks in football. Roster wise, they are absolutely the worst team in the AFC and will own a top three draft pick in 2025.

1: New York Giants

Someway, somehow, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, the Giants are still doing the Daniel Jones thing. We are in year six of this - he’s not good. And neither are any of the Giants’ skill players not named Malik Nabers. Adding Brian Burns is great, but look at how having Brian Burns went for the Panthers. He’s great, but didn’t really impact the win-loss record. The Giants will be the worst team in football, and will be taking Carson Beck in April, finally ending the Daniel Jones experiment that went on two years too long.