I Have No Wins and I Must Draft (Part 6)

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(I Have No Wins and I Must Draft is our ongoing series that follows the 2025 NFL draft order and the players projected to be taken at the beginning of that draft.)

Pick #6: Las Vegas Raiders

In the days after their 34-20 loss to the Chargers in Week 18, the Raiders made the decision to fire both head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco. Las Vegas had been in position to get the first overall pick for most of the season, largely thanks to a ten game losing streak from Week 5 to Week 15, but then beat the Jaguars and Saints in Weeks 16 and 17. Now they're picking sixth, with no head coach and no general manager to give a clear indication of what direction they might take with this pick. Given the performance of Gardner Minshew and Aiden O'Connell this season, a quarterback has to be in consideration even though there is very little chance of them getting a first-round talent at that position if they're picking this late in the draft. Las Vegas seems like a very likely candidate to try and trade up to get Sanders or Ward, but the only way to pull that off might be to convince the Cleveland Browns that they don't need Travis Hunter. If they stay put at sixth overall, there is a strong likelihood that they start the run on defensive players. This is considered to be a very deep class in terms of defensive talent, and picking in this position gives them the opportunity to draft Mason Graham, Abdul Carter, or Jalon Walker, whoever they think fits their scheme the best.

Pick #7: New York Jets

The Jets ended their season with a 32-20 win over the Dolphins to improve their season record to 5-12. They did so under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich and interim GM Phil Savage, both of whom took over mid-season. Reports indicate that the Jets are still interviewing long-term candidates for both positions, and much of that decision probably hinges upon the sentiment of Aaron Rodgers. The Jets have a few different directions they could go with this pick, but will likely choose to bolster their defense with whoever is still available between Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, or Jalon Walker. 

Pick #8: Carolina Panthers

Things looked bleak for the Panthers through the first couple months of the season. They ended October with a 1-7 record and only succeeded in putting up more than 20 points in a game one time during that stretch. Bryce Young was benched early on, but was forced to play again soon after due to Andy Dalton's injury. Still, first year head coach Dave Canales managed to right the ship somewhat and finish the year with a 5-12 record. Bryce Young got his confidence back and ended the season with a great performance in an exciting overtime win against a Falcons team that was still fighting for a playoff spot. Any thoughts of tearing down the Panthers offense and starting over have been pushed aside for now. Instead, general manager Dan Morgan is probably looking for any way to remedy the abysmal defense this team was working with. Carolina ranked at or near the bottom in almost every defensive category, especially points allowed total yards allowed. For now, expect this pick to be either of the two Georgia standouts: Jalon Walker or Malaki Starks 

Pick #9: New Orleans Saints

Speaking of the Panthers, losing to them in Week 9 was the last straw that got Saints head coach Dennis Allen fired. Assistant coach Darren Rizzi took over for the rest of the season, and they are currently interviewing candidates for next season. Their longtime general manager Mickey Loomis is not expected to go anywhere anytime soon. New Orleans ended the season with a 4 game losing streak to drop from 5-8 to 5-12, which puts them here at the ninth pick. With question marks at many positions heading into 2025, Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan could make a lot of sense but the best defensive player available at this spot might be too good to resist given New Orleans' struggles on defense last year.

Pick #10: Chicago Bears

It's hard to pinpoint exactly why the Bears struggled as much as they did this season, but it goes without saying that they did not meet expectations. This team was 4-2 at the end of Week 6, but then went into a 10 game losing streak that was only snapped by a 24-22 win over the Packers in the season finale. Head coach Matt Eberflus was fired after the Thanksgiving loss to the Lions that featured some notoriously bad clock management, but general manager Ryan Poles made it through the season with his job intact and will return next year. With the roster they currently have in place, it would make sense to take advantage of the abundance of offensive line talent still on the board. This pick could be Kelvin Banks Jr. from Texas, Josh Simmons from OSU, Armand Membou from Mizzou, or potentially Will Campbell from LSU if the first nine teams in this draft all decide to go after other positions.

Picks 11 - 15 will be covered in the next installment of this series, but here is the full draft order that we know for certain as of this moment:

1. Titans

2. Browns

3. Giants

4. Patriots

5. Jaguars

6. Raiders

7. Jets

8. Panthers

9. Saints

10. Bears

11. 49ers

12. Cowboys

13. Dolphins

14. Colts

15. Falcons

16. Cardinals

17. Bengals

18. Seahawks

19. Buccaneers

20. Broncos

21. Steelers

22. Chargers

23. Packers

24. Vikings

The teams picking 25th - 28th will be finalized at the conclusion of the Ravens @ Bills game on Sunday night.

 

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