There are a number of strategic plans that can be devised and executed in the NFL Draft. A year ago, the Rams had the idea to pair Florida State defensive linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske to compensate for the singular loss felt from Aaron Donald’s retirement. The plan delivered optimal results as the franchise advanced to the postseason as the NFC West representative.
There have been other plans that were far less fruitful.
The reality is that there are so many variables to consider; namely whose voice holds the most weight in each organization. In the case of Indianapolis, it is general manager Chris Ballard, who has always been prone to selecting some of the prospects with the best testing results each year. The recent hire of Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel came with reports that Vrabel would have final say over personnel decisions. As a coach with a defensive background, would he funnel assets into the defensive side of the ball? And even after gaining an understanding of how each team comes to a decision, there is always the possibility that the owner overrules everyone else. There was the well-traveled report that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam factored in the opinion of a homeless man before making the decision to draft Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
In the next four months leading up to the draft, we will be factoring who is making the picks once it is learned who will be filling each of the remaining head coaching vacancies.
Without further ado, let’s kick this off!
The draft order below was determined using the current 2025 NFL Draft order.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on “With the First Pick” — our year-round podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc.
The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.
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