The 2025 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night in Green Bay, and a lot of teams are going to significantly change their franchise for the better. There are also going to be some teams that get their top picks wrong and miss out on that opportunity. Let's take a look at four teams that are mostly likely to mess things up on Thursday.
This is not necessarily a prediction on who each time will pick, but just an example as to how they could mess up.
Tennessee Titans
It is really difficult to mess things up when you have the No. 1 overall pick, but the Titans might end up doing so.
They seem likely to take Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the top pick, and it is at least somewhat understandable. It is a quarterback-driven league, they need a quarterback and they have an opportunity to add a player they hope will be a star.
But is Ward a franchise-changing player, or is he simply the best quarterback in a thin quarterback class?
You want to get a quarterback, but with that pick you also need to pick somebody that is going to be a superstar and have a borderline Hall of Fame career.
Penn State Edge rusher Abdul Carter could be that sort of player. Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter could be that sort of player.
Will Ward be that player? If he is not, this could be a big miss.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders seem like the best bet to take Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty to give new head coach Pete Carroll the type of dominant running back he wants for his offense.
There is nothing wrong with a team taking Jeanty in the first round. He is the best prospect at his position and in the right situation could be an immediate impact player and star.
The problem is whether or not the Raiders are that team. A lot of teams are going to learn the wrong lessons from the Philadelphia Eagles and Saquon Barkley and try to duplicate that sort of blueprint. The reason Barkley and the Eagles worked was because they already had a great team and brought him in as a free agent to be the missing piece of the puzzle. They did not start their offense with him.
The Raiders are not quite in that same situation and still have big holes at wide receiver and on the offensive line, while also not having a long-term solution at quarterback. Jeanty might not excel in this setting as much as he would elsewhere, and the Raiders might miss a chance to take somebody else that can make a bigger impact in another spot.
Top-10 picks need to be immediate impact players at the most important positions. Running backs can be had in other spots.
Dallas Cowboys
This is a very similar situation to the Raiders. You have a team that tends to march to the beat of its own drum and can make weird decisions without caring about the fallout. Like the Raiders, it is also a team that could be in the market for a running back.
If Jeanty somehow falls to the No. 12 spot, that might be decent value, especially since the Cowboys already have a quarterback and some playmakers.
But what if he doesn't? What if he is not there and they decide to reach for a running back like North Carolina's Omarion Hampton? Or what if they do something even worse and trade up for a running back? Those would be potentially bad options.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are desperate for a quarterback. So desperate, in fact, that they are entertaining the possibility of signing a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers and put up with his nonsense to see if he still has something left in the tank.
Are they so desperate to reach for a quarterback like Jaxson Dart of Jalen Milroe with the No. 21 pick?
If Shedeur Sanders is available he would be solid value. But if he is not they can not and should not reach for one of the other picks. They might be so desperate that they have no other choice.
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As the Green Bay Packers deal with their own crowded wide receiver room, multiple former Packers pass-catchers are also embroiled in position battles across the league. Notably, two veterans that turned in many successful seasons in Green Bay now find themselves battling to make rosters and have been labeled as big names that could become surprise cuts when rosters are trimmed down. New York Jets May Soon Be Done With Former Green Bay Packers Receiver Allen Lazard Former Packers receiver Allen Lazard was always a favorite of Aaron Rodgers during their time together in Green Bay. When Rodgers left the franchise, Lazard ended up following the quarterback to the New York Jets. While the Rodgers era for Gang Green has gone up in flames, Lazard remains on the roster – for now. Lazard entered camp as the presumed second receiver behind Garrett Wilson, but so far, fellow veteran Josh Reynolds has seemingly beaten out Lazard for the second spot. A former Detroit Lion, Reynolds has reportedly been building a good rapport with new signal-caller Justin Fields, leaving Lazard potentially relegated to slot duties. Although the Jets have receiver depth problems, some experts don’t believe that Lazard will survive cuts. The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt has stated that he does not expect Lazard to be on the 53-man roster. Some names behind Lazard on the current depth chart include veteran Tyler Johnson and rookie Arian Smith, both of whom have had flashes of ability in camp so far. Several of the younger players also offer one thing that Lazard notably doesn’t – the ability to play on special teams. If Lazard is cut by the team, it would mean the team would have moved on from another former Packer after dumping both Rodgers and Davante Adams this summer. Can Former Green Bay Packers Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling Stick in Seattle? Marquez Valdes-Scantling was a member of the Green Bay Packers from 2018 to 2021, playing out his rookie contract with the team while being a big part of the offense. He had over 2,000 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns for the green and gold before leaving for Kansas City in free agency. In 2025, Valdes-Scantling was with the New Orleans Saints until he signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks worth around $4 million. Despite the 29-year-old being a proven veteran and solid deep threat, Valdes-Scantling currently finds himself near the edge of the Seahawks roster. Rookie receiver Tory Horton has already surpassed Valdes-Scantling on the depth chart and has been the fourth receiver in the team’s first-team rotation so far. Valdes-Scantling has been relegated to the second unit in training camp practices as of early August. Respected NFL writer Brady Henderson has said that Valdes-Scantling has “barely made any” plays throughout camp so far, whereas Horton has continued to catch eyes and has been nicknamed “Jerry Rice Jr.” by teammate Tariq Woolen. Like Lazard, Valdes-Scantling does not offer much on special teams either, and although the Seahawks would love to have a deep threat to compliment Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, if Valdes-Scantling does not show up in camp, the team could move on from the former Green Bay Packer with little financial consequence.
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
The Indiana Fever came crashing back down to earth on Tuesday night following their disappointing 100-91 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. The Fever had a lot of momentum entering this matchup, only to see their five-game winning streak come to an end against a Sparks team that they have failed to beat in three tries this season. Fever Coach Stephanie White Reacts to Loss Indiana head coach Stephanie White was not in a jovial mood during her postgame press conference. The veteran shot-caller was able to see some positives from the loss — including Kelsey Mitchell’s 34-point explosion on seven triples — but White just had to assign blame for the tough defeat. "I felt like we got good shots," White said. "Sometimes they don't fall. ... Oftentimes we can get people going in transition. We couldn't do it because we couldn't get stops. You can't get out on transition when you're consistently taking the ball in the net. "For us, we felt like we had enough, offensively. But we didn't get it done on the defensive end of the floor. ... We got to get better on the defensive end of the floor." Fever Had No Answer for Sparks The Sparks shot 56.1% collectively on Tuesday night, which explains why White just had to call out her team’s defensive shortcomings on the evening. Four L.A. starters scored at least 16 points, with Rickea Jackson (25 points, five rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (25 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 11 assists) leading the charge. Azura Stevens (19 points on 7-of-8 from the floor) and Dearica Hamby (16 points, seven rebounds) also chipped in. Apart from their problems on defense, Indiana’s bench also struggled badly in this one. The bench combined for just two points on 1-of-11 shooting, which is simply unacceptable, especially against a team like the Sparks, who have now won eight out of their last 10 games. Fever Remain Fifth in WNBA This loss saw Indiana fall to 17-13 on the season. They currently remain fifth in the league, and are now 1.5 games behind the Phoenix Mercury, who won on Tuesday, for the No. 4 spot in the WNBA. A top-four finish will secure home-court advantage for the Fever in the first round of the playoffs, and this is an attainable goal they will go and set out for. They will be back in action on Thursday in the fourth and final game of their current road trip. Indiana will battle the Mercury at PHX Arena on Tuesday in a matchup that will have postseason implications.
Fabrizio Romano now reports that Manchester United are increasingly confident of completing a deal for Benjamin Sesko. The Red Devils officially threw their hat into the ring with a total package valued at €85m [£74m]. Newcastle’s competing bid (a second offer following a rejected first) is understood to comprise a fixed rate of at least €80m [£69.5m]. Manchester United confident they’ll beat Newcastle to Benjamin Sesko There’s potentially quite a bit riding on Newcastle’s transfer clash with United for Sesko’s signature. Those of a Liverpool persuasion will certainly be keeping a close eye on proceedings, given the surrounding context around Alexander Isak. Reports coming out of St James’ Park indicate that the Magpies will only consider selling the Swede if they manage to secure a replacement. Following Fabrizio Romano’s latest update on X (formerly Twitter), however, matters are about to become complicated. If a club is near openly briefing they’re confident of beating a Premier League rival to a deal, it probably doesn’t bode particularly well for Eddie Howe’s men. That said, this update isn’t conclusive until Romano throws out his trademark ‘Here We Go’.