• San Francisco 49ers in position for a top tackle: Texas’ Kelvin Banks was elite in pass protection in 2024
• New York Jets poised to land a defensive playmaker?: Georgia’s Malaki Starks could boost their defensive backfield
• 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: 11 minutes
The first round of the NFL playoffs is in the books and we now know the draft order for the top 24 teams in the 2025 NFL Draft.
We also have an idea of the top needs for each team in the NFL heading into the offseason. While these don’t have to be filled in the NFL draft, we have presented a Day 1 or 2 oNFL Team Needs Tracker: One upcoming free agent, one 2024 NFL Draft prospect for all 32 teams after Week 12ption for every team in the NFL at a position of need for them.
Collins put together the best season of his college career in 2024, earning an 87.2 PFF grade. He finished the year with 27 tackles resulting in a defensive stop and an 85.0 PFF run defense grade.
The Falcons need speed off the edge, which is exactly what Pearce can provide. Over the past two seasons, he has raked up 107 total pressures and earned 81.9 and 88.9 PFF pass-rushing grades in 2023 and 2024.
Ronnie Stanley is set to be a free agent, so the Ravens potentially have a big need at tackle. Conerly improved in pass protection in the past two seasons and finished 2024 with an 83.3 PFF pass-blocking grade after allowing nine total pressures from 521 pass-blocking snaps.
Nolen would add some support to the interior of the Bills defense, as he impressed as a pass-rusher and when defending the run this year. He racked up 35 total pressures from 362 pass-rushing snaps and was even better as a run defender, earning a 91.6 PFF run defense grade.
In the running to be the best defensive player in this draft class, Carter has earned PFF pass-rushing grades above 90.0 in each of the past two seasons. In 2024, he had the best season of his college career, racking up 66 total pressures, 23 of which were either a sack or a quarterback hit.
The Bears probably won’t want to spend a top-10 selection on a guard, but Booker could be available in the second round when they come on the clock. The Alabama guard has excelled in pass protection throughout his college career and allowed just 10 pressures from 395 pass-blocking snaps in 2024.
How big a need wide receiver is for the Bengals depends on whether or not Tee Higgins leaves in free agency, but Egbuka would be an interesting replacement in the first round. With one game left to go this year, he averages 2.51 yards per route run on the season.
If the Browns don’t opt to draft a quarterback with the number two overall selection, they could be a prime spot for Colorado’s Hunter. The Heisman trophy winner earned PFF receiving and coverage grades above 89.0 in 2024, and he allowed just 22 receptions from 428 snaps in coverage.
One of the most obvious fits of draft season Jeanty would give the Cowboys the dynamic running back they crave. Jeanty earned PFF rushing grades above 90.0 in each of the past three seasons and forced 151 missed tackles on 375 carries in 2024.
Getting more weapons for quarterback Bo Nix is likely to be high on the agenda for the Broncos this offseason, and Warren would give them a playmaker in the middle of the field. He averaged 2.77 yards per route run in 2024, 1.36 ahead of his previous career-high, and earned a 93.3 PFF receiving grade in the process.
The Lions made a move for Za’Darius Smith after the injury to Aidan Hutchinson this season and will likely target an edge defender early in the draft, too. Umanmielen dominated in his lone season at Ole Miss, racking up 56 total pressures and earning a career-high 91.7 PFF pass-rushing grade.
The Packers have one of the deeper receiving rooms in the NFL but are likely to still chase a player who can develop into a true No. 1 wide receiver this offseason. Ayomanor has enjoyed two solid seasons at Stanford, earning PFF receiving grades above 70.0 in both years.
The other interior prospect on the Michigan defensive line, teammate Mason Graham is almost certain to go in the top 10, Grant is a good player in his own right. He earned PFF grades above 80.0 in each of the past two seasons and racked up 50 total pressures from 551 pass-rushing snaps over the past two seasons.
Morrison earned PFF coverage grades above 80.0 in 2022 and 2023, and he was having another solid season in 2024 before it was ended by injury. From 168 coverage snaps over the first seven weeks of the season, he allowed just 12 receptions from 27 targets.
The Jaguars should be able to draft one of the top defensive players in the 2025 NFL Draft from where they pick, and Michigan’s Johnson could be an instant impact player. He earned a PFF coverage grade above 75.0 in each of the past three seasons.
Left tackle has been a problem for the Chiefs throughout the 2024 season so they will likely look to try to fix it once again this offseason. Milum is coming off the best season of his four-year college career, earning PFF pass-blocking and run-blocking grades above 89.0.
Loveland averaged 2.67 yards per route run in 2024 and would give the Chargers an excellent weapon in the middle of the field for Justin Herbert. He dropped just 3.4% of the catchable targets he saw this past season.
Membou has impressed in pass protection throughout his career at Missouri, but 2024 was his best season, He allowed just nine total pressures, none of which were sacks or quarterback hits, from 410 pass-blocking snaps and just four pressures on 125 true pass sets.
McMillan had the most productive season of his college career on a per-snap basis in 2024, averaging a career-high 2.87 yards per route run. He earned PFF receiving grades above 85.0 in each of the past two seasons and will likely be the first receiver drafted in April.
Watts had the best season of his college career in 2024 and could find himself in the late first-round conversation by the time the draft comes around. Should he be available in the second round though, the Dolphins would be wise to add him, coming off a season where he earned an 88.9 PFF coverage grade.
Revel looked to be on his way to a strong final season at East Carolina before it was ended by injury in Week 3. He earned PFF coverage grades above 80.0 in each of the past two seasons and recorded 15 combined interceptions and pass breakups from 444 snaps in coverage in that span.
Getting more weapons and better protection for quarterback Drake Maye should be top of the agenda for the New England Patriots in 2025, and LSU’s Campbell would be an ideal selection in the first round. He’s coming off his best season as a pass blocker, earning an 80.9 PFF pass-blocking grade after allowing 18 pressures from 557 pass-blocking snaps.
The Saints have plenty of needs this offseason but getting better off the edge is likely to be one of their top priorities. Scourton had his best season in 2023 at Purdue, earning a 90.9 PFF pass-rushing grade, but impressed this past season at Texas A&M, with a 79.2 PFF pass-rush grade while racking up 36 total pressures from 318 pass-rushing snaps.
It’s no secret that the Giants need to find a franchise quarterback, and they will likely draft either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders if they are available when they come on the clock with the third overall selection. Sanders had a turnover-worthy play rate of just 1.2% in his final season at college.
The Jets are in position to select one of the top defensive playmakers in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Starks could be an ideal selection for them. He has earned a PFF coverage grade above 70.0 in each of the past two seasons and has missed just 6.9% of the tackles he has attempted in his college career.
Green comes from a non-Power Four school but was one of the best pass-rushers in all of college football in 2024. He earned PFF run defense and pass-rush grades above 90.0, racking up 65 total pressures from 358 pass-rushing snaps.
Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are free agents this offseason and even if they bring either of them back, they are still in the market for a quarterback to develop. Milroe’s hype has fallen some, but he earned PFF grades above 87.0 in each of the past two seasons.
A down season sees the 49ers with a top-15 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, and that would give them the opportunity to bolster their offensive line. Banks was elite as a pass blocker in 2024, allowing just four total pressures on 143 true pass sets.
The second offseason under Mike Macdonald should see the Seahawks continue to revamp their defense, and Ohio State’s Sawyer would be a nice addition. He has earned a PFF grade above 89.0 in each of the past two seasons, and PFF grades in run defense and pass-rushing above 85.0 in both years too.
Winston missed most of the 2024 season but came into the year as one of the top prospects in the class. His 2023 season was special, earning PFF grades above 85.0 in both run defense and coverage.
The team with the No. 1 selection in the draft will have the opportunity to take whichever quarterback they want to build around, should they like one of them enough. Ward earned a 92.5 PFF grade in his lone season at Miami and set a career-high with a 5.7% big-time throw rate.
Adding a pass catcher to pair with Terry McLaurin will be key for the Commanders in Year 2 with Jayden Daniels at quarterback. Higgins is a safe pair of hands with a drop rate below 2.5% in each of the past three seasons.
