- Will Kenny Pickett end up the Browns’ starter? Cleveland’s interest in a quarterback in this year’s draft will ultimately determine Pickett’s role on the team.
- The Patriots’ wide receiver room may still be a work in progress: The team’s signings of Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency don’t preclude drafting a wide receiver, which could leave Ja’Lynn Polk searching for snaps.
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We are now less than two weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft. This draft has the potential to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, which adds to the excitement for fans around the league.
While most of draft season is spent talking about potential prospect fits with teams, the way current players in the NFL are affected is often overlooked. We’ll take a closer look at five players who have the most to lose/gain in the draft, depending on whom their teams target (particularly in the early rounds).
RB D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
No NFL team has done more to improve its offensive line than the Chicago Bears, which comes as no surprise with Ben Johnson now in charge after all his success in Detroit. Chicago ranked 24th in PFF’s end-of-season offensive line rankings but has created a top-10 unit heading into the draft through trades and free-agency signings.
With the offensive line becoming a strength, the question now is what the Bears will do with their running back unit. D’Andre Swift is on the books for a $7.39 million salary this season and finished 2024 with just a 65.7 PFF rushing grade, ranking 37th out of 43 qualifying running backs.
There has been speculation that Chicago may look to draft a running back early in this year’s draft. Boise State‘s Ashton Jeanty would be a dream scenario if he fell to Pick No. 10, but the team also holds two second-round picks, which makes a running back a realistic possibility on Day 2.
If the Bears choose to address other needs in the draft, Swift will open the season as the clear starter and benefit from a running back-friendly system behind one of the top offensive lines in football. As we’ve seen in the past, running back success has a lot to do with the trenches, which could certainly be the case for whoever Chicago’s lead back is in 2025.
QB Kenny Pickett, Cleveland Browns
The Browns acquired Pickett in a trade with the Eagles for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick. At the moment, Pickett is the only healthy quarterback on the team’s roster.
While all signs point to the Tennessee Titans selecting Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first-overall pick, the draft really starts at Pick No. 2 with Cleveland. Cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter and edge defender Abdul Carter are the top two players on PFF’s big board and will certainly be in play. Shedeur Sanders could be in consideration, as well, if the team is looking for its next franchise quarterback, something PFF’s John Kosko predicted in a recent mock draft.
Pickett served as Jalen Hurts’ backup last year but did get some playing time at the end of the season, most notably in Week 17 against the Cowboys. In that game, he earned a 77.7 PFF overall grade and made three big-time throws on just 15 pass attempts.
KENNY PICKETT 🎯
pic.twitter.com/HCDAhqJtY6— PFF (@PFF) December 29, 2024
It’s fair to assume Pickett will head into camp as the Browns’ starting quarterback if the team does not draft a quarterback early. For Pickett, it’s an opportunity to showcase his abilities in a starting role once again and, if he plays well, cash in for 2026 and beyond. On the other hand, he could be delegated to a backup role once again if the team drafts a quarterback early.
WR Ja’Lynn Polk, New England Patriots
The Patriots drafted Polk 37th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the 10th wide receiver taken in an incredibly deep class at the position. While other receivers in his class found immediate success at the NFL level, Polk struggled, playing just 436 snaps on a team that wasn’t deep at wide receiver. His 43.1 PFF overall grade ranked last among 133 qualifying wide receivers for the season.
The Patriots prioritized upgrading the wide receiver unit in free agency, most notably by signing former All-Pro Stefon Diggs. The team also added Mack Hollins, who will be playing for his fifth team in five years. The veteran wideout handled an important role for the Buffalo Bills last year, leading the unit with 853 snaps.
New England holds the fourth-overall pick in this year’s draft and is one of the true wildcards at the top of the order. The Patriots are in a great spot to take the best player available, depending on how the draft plays out ahead of them, or trade down. If they opt for a wide receiver early, Tetairoa McMillan (No. 3 on PFF’s big board) would make a lot of sense.
In the past, we have seen wide receivers struggle early in their careers and then develop after gaining more experience. For Polk’s sake, he would benefit if the team chose to address other positions in the draft, allowing him to work with and learn from veterans such as Diggs and Hollins. If the team does take a wideout early, he could find himself buried on the depth chart and struggling to get much playing time.
OL Liam Eichenberg, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins traded up to select Eichenberg 42nd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then, he has averaged 912 snaps a season and has played all five offensive line positions. Unfortunately for Eichenberg (and the Dolphins), his experience hasn’t translated to much success, as he’s never graded higher than 53.1 for any season in his career.
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| 969 | 720 | 673 | 1,207 | 166 |
It came as a surprise to some when Eichenberg, a free agent this season, re-signed with Miami on a one-year deal worth just over $2 million. The move shows that the Dolphins value his familiarity with the system and versatility.
Eichenberg was Miami’s starting right guard last season, but the team signed James Daniels in free agency to fill that void this year. Terron Armstead recently announced his retirement, and 2024 second-round pick Patrick Paul should get an opportunity to start there to begin the year. The biggest question for the Dolphins right now is left guard, a position Eichenberg played sparingly in 2023 but logged 625 snaps at in 2022.
If the season were to start today, Eichenberg would likely be the Dolphins’ starting left guard. While it’s a position they may look to address in the draft, their roster has some notable holes/depth issues at other positions that they could prioritize first. If that is the case, Eichenberg may have yet another shot to perform. And if he improves, he would set himself up for a bigger payday in 2026 as a free agent once again.
EDGE Marcus Davenport, Detroit Lions
Davenport is a former first-round pick of the Saints who enjoyed five productive years in New Orleans from 2018-2022, grading no lower than 71.8 in any of those seasons. He recorded a career-best 88.8 PFF overall grade in 2021, ranking eighth out of 110 qualifying edge defenders.
In more recent years, Davenport has struggled to stay healthy and get on the field. He appeared in four games in 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Last season, he signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions but was lost for the year after a triceps injury in Week 3.
The Lions re-signed Davenport last month in the hope he can return to form and complement Aidan Hutchinson on the edge. His path to playing time becomes a lot clearer if Detroit does not target an edge defender early in the draft; if the team does, he will have to fight harder to earn reps. The 28-year-old Davenport can hit free agency next year with more leverage if he secures enough playing time and can stay healthy in his second stint with the Lions.
