• Are the Giants going into the draft with a “quarterback or bust” mindset? How the team approaches the No. 3 overall pick will say a lot about how the rest of the draft’s first round plays out.

• Ashton Jeanty’s skill set could tempt teams to move up: If the Raiders opt not to pick him at No. 6 overall, other franchises could shake up the first round and trade up to draft the star running back.

• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

As with every NFL draft, this year’s iteration will have multiple turning points, especially during the first 10 picks, that could define how the rest of the first round plays out.

We’ll analyze a couple of possible scenarios and determine how they could impact what other teams will do later in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Will the Giants draft a quarterback no matter what?

Consider that the Titans and Browns could be tempted to draft Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter — the top two players on PFF’s big board — at Pick Nos. 1 or 2 instead of a quarterback, even though both teams need signal-callers. That would potentially leave the Giants, who signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency, although neither is a long-term solution, with a top quarterback prospect in their lap, probably Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. 

However, there is a case to be made that New York might take a quarterback with Pick No. 3 even if both the Titans and the Browns select a quarterback. No Giants signal-caller has earned higher than a 78.7 PFF overall grade (Daniel Jones in 2020) over the past 10 seasons. In 2024 alone, 16 NFL quarterbacks surpassed that mark. Having lacked high-level quarterback play for a decade, New York could try to capitalize on its draft slot, and it may come down to whether the team is high enough on Jaxson Dart.

If three quarterbacks are off the board with the first three picks, it would truly shake up the rest of the first round, which leads us to our next question.

Do the Patriots prioritize drafting an offensive lineman over everything?

New England fielded arguably the worst offensive line in football in 2024. The unit’s 80.1 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating ranked 31st after the team surrendered 222 quarterback pressures — including 33 sacks — on 641 pass-blocking snaps.

Despite adding Morgan Moses in free agency, the Patriots are expected to focus on bolstering their offensive line and could, for example, pick Will Campbell at No. 4 or trade back and draft an offensive lineman a bit later. However, another turning point of this draft could be if New England takes a sliding Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter.

If the Raiders don’t select Ashton Jeanty at Pick No. 6, will a team trade up for him?

Many assume that the Las Vegas Raiders will pick Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at Pick No. 6. However, if they opt not to, it may tempt some teams to trade up for Jeanty.

The Raiders’ current projected starting running back is Raheem Mostert, who played 278 snaps in 2024 and earned a 69.3 PFF overall grade, making Jeanty a solid option for the team. But if not, the Bears, the 49ers or even the Broncos could trade with, for example, the Panthers, who sit at Pick No. 8.

Las Vegas could shake up the top of the first round with their decision on Jeanty.