Eight teams that can contend in 2025 if they nail the NFL Draft
They call it NFL Christmas because there’s no telling what surprises are waiting in the draft. And the beauty of the draft is that, whether it’s the first overall selection or pick No. 199, anyone could go on to become the league’s next legend.
All of that fun rhetoric aside, no two drafts are created equal. Many NFL clubs are already primed for contention, no matter what happens at the end of April, and an unlucky few are probably still at least one more draft away.
Then there are those with the most to gain. Every draft presents an opportunity for also-rans to jump to the forefront, and this year is no exception.
Here are eight teams who can become contenders (to varying degrees) by nailing their 2025 draft.
Mickey Loomis’ refusal to take a step backward would be admirable if it didn’t feel so reckless. The Saints’ general manager has once again pushed his chips in, restructuring Derek Carr’s deal and signing Justin Reid in free agency. New Orleans will once again try to win the NFC South in 2025, which will mean relying on a (very) veteran core of 34-year-old Carr, 30-year-old Alvin Kamara, 36-year-old Cam Jordan, 36-year-old Demario Davis and 33-year-old Tyrann Mathieu to both stay healthy and get the job done.
It’s technically possible. The Saints looked pretty good last year before the entire roster got hurt, and key pieces like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Erik McCoy will hopefully be healthier in 2025.
You know what’d help a lot, too? An infusion of productive young players for this vet-heavy roster. They’ve seen this before. The Saints were stuck in the cycle of mediocrity in 2017, when Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Williams, Kamara, Alex Anzalone and Trey Hendrickson showed up at the same time, turning them into a contender virtually overnight.
It’s a bit unfair to compare anyone to that 2017 haul, which might be the best draft class in history, but there’s still precedent for a quick turnaround. The Saints have four picks inside the top 100, highlighted by the No. 9 overall pick.
Add a couple of immediate difference-makers into the mix, and the Saints very well could win their division for the first time since 2020.
2025 draft picks (9): Nos. 9, 40, 71, 93, 112, 131, 184, 248, 254
Denver may have put together the most exciting offseason that no one is talking about.
Fresh off a playoff appearance, the Broncos infused their defense with attitude by raiding San Francisco’s pantry for two talented tone-setters, Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufunga. The addition of Evan Engram on offense didn’t turn any heads, but it provides Bo Nix with a reliable weapon at a position that head coach Sean Payton values tremendously.
The Broncos have clearly upgraded their roster without doing so recklessly. How much farther can they take it?
It might be challenging. Thanks to their unexpected success, the Broncos pick in the back half of each round. But there still should be ample opportunity for improvement.
Go ahead and guess that Payton will be on the lookout for playmakers. Whether it’s a new top running back or pass-catcher depth, Nix still needs more weapons. The defensive front could use some depth, as well.
The Russell Wilson trade set the Broncos back a bit, but their past two first-round draft picks are Nix and Patrick Surtain II. If they can keep that track record rolling, we could see them change from a pleasant surprise to a true force in the AFC.
2025 draft picks (7): Nos. 20, 51, 85, 122, 191, 197, 208
If you squint, you can see the vision for the Seahawks’ pivot to Sam Darnold.
Mike Macdonald’s defense looks like it’s rounding into form. If everyone stays healthy, the defensive front goes five or six deep with guys who can rush the passer, Ernest Jones was a revelation at linebacker last year, and the secondary is littered with young talents. This is a unit that should be able to take some pressure off its quarterback, much like the Vikings did for Darnold in 2024.
The issue is with the offense, which doesn’t look like it has as clear of a plan as the other side of the ball. The Seahawks signed Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to offset the losses of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, but that doesn’t exactly feel like an upgrade. That’s without mentioning the offensive line, which was one of the NFL’s worst in 2024 and hasn’t added much in the way of new pieces.
That leaves a heck of a job for general manager John Schneider to do at the end of the month. Like several other GMs on this list, Schneider has been in this position before — which is probably why he’s comfortable turning to the draft to address his problems. Schneider drafted Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson in a three-year period, helping to turn the Seahawks from a mediocre afterthought to a team of the decade. And while he hasn’t enjoyed a run that good ever since, the Seahawks’ three most recent drafts have produced a solid group of young players.
There’s no time like the present for another grand slam. Seattle netted a second-round pick in the Metcalf trade, and a third-round pick when they sent Geno Smith to Las Vegas. They have five top-100 picks with which to add to this roster and hopefully give Darnold a better supporting cast.
The Seahawks have finished with a winning record for three straight years, but they’ve yet to legitimately break through in the post-Russell Wilson era. This draft could help them do so.
2025 draft picks (10): Nos. 18, 50, 52, 82, 92, 137, 172, 175, 223, 234
It’s an annual adage that the draft is the life blood of the NFL. No team takes that more literally than the Dallas Cowboys.
To be fair to them, the Cowboys did slightly more during 2025 free agency than they did in 2024. Doing slightly more than absolutely nothing isn’t really worth celebrating, though.
The Cowboys have star power, but they also have a roster full of holes. There isn’t currently a No. 2 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, there’s a sizable question mark at right guard after Zack Martin’s retirement. Trevon Diggs might not be recovered from knee surgery in time for the start of the season and Jourdan Lewis left in free agency, so cornerback is a big concern. Even with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders on the roster, a talented new running back feels necessary.
That’s a lot of stuff to address, and only so many draft picks to go around. But this is how the Cowboys choose to operate, and sometimes it works. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott gave them a shot in the arm with their phenomenal rookie seasons in 2016. Micah Parsons had a similar effect in 2021.
So, the mission is clear: find at least one All-Pro, preferably two, in this year’s draft, and the Cowboys might make the jump from middling team to contender. Sounds simple enough.
2025 draft picks (10): Nos. 12, 44, 76, 149, 171, 174, 204, 211, 239, 247
When you max out your credit card limit on veteran stars, the draft can quickly become your only option.
No shade to the Dolphins for pushing their chips in. They tried to build a Super Bowl roster aggressively by trading for Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb and Jalen Ramsey, and paying marquee free agents like Terron Armstead.
The spending spree raised the Dolphins’ profile and got them to the postseason, but they stalled out in 2024 with no more money left to spend.
If Tua Tagovailoa is healthy, that’s probably good enough to be relevant. If the Dolphins want to matter even more so, it’s going to take some good drafting.
That’s been tough to do recently. The Dolphins gave up their first and second-round picks in 2022 for Hill. They forfeited their first-round pick in 2023 and fourth-round pick in 2024 for violating the league’s tampering rules. And they traded away a separate 2023 third-round pick for Ramsey, for good measure.
This year, Miami has 10 total draft picks and three of those fall in the top 100. Not having the resources isn’t an excuse. The Dolphins need a shot in the arm if they’re going to evolve into a roster that’s capable of doing more than losing in the wild-card round.
2025 draft picks (10): Nos. 13, 48, 98, 116, 135, 150, 155, 224, 231, 253
Most of the teams on this list are middle-of-the-pack units trying to reach the playoffs, or playoff teams trying to take the next step and truly contend.
Not the case here. Tennessee has been a mess for the past three years, dealing with power struggles, firings and bad football. The Titans haven’t had a winning record since 2021 and own the No. 1 pick in the draft.
But we’ve seen year after year that the difference between dysfunction and contention can be one good draft. The Houston Texans were the most hopeless franchise in the NFL until they drafted C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. with back-to-back picks. Washington had been the most toxic organization in the league for a quarter-century until a new front office drafted Jayden Daniels. Both of those teams were drafting No. 2 overall the same year they went on improbable playoff runs.
The same could be possible for the Titans — provided they nail these upcoming picks.
Quarterback is the obvious one. Smart money says Cam Ward will be a Titan in one month, and if he’s the franchise quarterback they hope he’ll be, the learning curve might not be too steep. Tennessee has already sunk a fortune into its offense, with first-round picks and high-priced free agents all over the offensive line. Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are a decent enough skill group for a team with the worst record in the league. The club also holds the No. 35 pick, which could be used to secure a much-needed starter on either side of the ball.
No one is trying to sell the Titans as a Super Bowl contender in 2025, even if Ward is a star. But if he hits the ground running, we shouldn’t be surprised if Tennessee is in the mix quicker than expected and pushing for an AFC South crown this year.
2025 draft picks (8): Nos. 1, 35, 103, 120, 141, 167, 178, 188
I’m not buying the popular rhetoric that the 49ers have completely fallen off. Yes, there were a lot of big losses in March, but there are still seven All-Pros on this roster. Not to mention some exciting young pieces like Deommodore Lenoir, Malik Mustapha, Dominick Puni and Ricky Pearsall.
The 49ers should still be a good team, but the issue is they don’t look like the juggernaut they once were. It was a luxury to have two star receivers, two star linebackers and a defensive front full of productive veterans. That’s not the case anymore.
But the fun thing about the Niners’ feast-or-famine history is that it benefits them come draft time. This is way too good of a roster to be picking No. 11 overall, yet here we are.
San Francisco kick-started a Super Bowl run under similar circumstances. Injuries helped land the 49ers at the top of the 2019 draft order, and they responded by adding Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel and Dre Greenlaw to a roster that was already solid.
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan need to do something similar here. The 49ers need help in the secondary and on the offensive line. Bosa could use some help rushing the passer.
This team should be good. They need to add a future All-Pro or two to the list they already have if they’re going to be great.
2025 draft picks (11): Nos. 11, 43, 75, 100, 113, 138, 147, 160, 227, 249, 252
They just might be the most obvious team on this list, after their busy March.
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are finally under contract for the long term, and there’s optimism in Cincinnati that Trey Hendrickson can be retained, as well. Throw in Mike Gesicki, and Joe Burrow’s campaign to keep the Bengals’ key pieces in the fold was successful.
It’s an impressive development for a team that historically hasn’t loved to spend money. But now the hard part begins.
If you’re going to pay that many marquee players, you simply have to hit on your draft picks. It’s Football Economics 101. But the problem for the Bengals isn’t just that they need to find cheap production, it’s their struggles to do so.
The past few drafts haven’t been up to snuff in Cincinnati. Between the past 24 players drafted by the Bengals, only a handful have filled meaningful roles this far. In fact, Burrow and Chase are the only Bengals first-round picks to reach a Pro Bowl in the past decade.
That can’t continue if Cincinnati is going to maximize the prime years of these great players. The Bengals need to find starters, they need to find Pro Bowlers, they need to find the next crop of guys that will want big contracts. And they need to do it quickly, before they’re left wondering why they didn’t win more.
2025 draft picks (6): Nos. 17, 49, 81, 119, 153, 193
David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
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