The NFL Scouting Combine begins on February 27th, but could early returns from the pre-combine indicate how the top picks will go in the 2025 NFL Draft? Here is a recent tweet from Hayden Winks, the Director of Underdog Fantasy:
Growing consensus out of the combine:
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) February 25, 2025
1. Titans - EDGE Abdul Carter
2. Browns - QB Cam Ward
3. Giants - CB/WR Travis Hunter
There has been a ton of NFL coaches and executives meeting with the media during the pre-combine festivities, so it appears that this is where Winks is getting this consensus from. So, let's unpack this is a bit of this is how things are shaking out thus far.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans may not take a QB with the first overall pick, and that would probably be a wise idea, as neither Shedeur Sanders nor Cam Ward is truly worthy of the first overall pick. Both players would have ranked lower on the 2024 NFL Draft board.
Sanders would have probably been a second or third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, in fact. The Titans could opt to take Abdul Carter, who appears to be the clear-cut best player in the draft class, and when you consider how awful the Titans are, they are in a position to take the best player available.
Teams who are fielding more completing rosters can operate with the mindset that they want to fill needs in the NFL Draft.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns saw the Deshaun Watson trade blowup in their face, so it would make sense that they could be targeting Cam Ward with the second overall pick. And while Ward at pick two is going to be too rich, perhaps the Browns front office does have a higher grade on him than we think.
If they do, they should not hesitate to take Cam Ward. The quickest way for the Browns to dig themselves out of this mess is to hit on a QB, period.
New York Giants
The dysfunctional New York Giants will have probably addressed their QB situation in a big way if they did use the third overall pick on Travis Hunter, a first-round prospect at cornerback and wide receiver. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy in 2024 and will probably end up as a better CB who could occasionally play WR when needed.
The G-Men have made so many mistakes in recent years that it's simply too hard to keep track of, and it seems like GM Joe Schoen is in way over his head here. I am not sure the Giants taking Hunter would happen unless they were able to trade for someone like Matthew Stafford...