It's still early, but it's abundantly clear that there are some teams that must take a QB in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. For these five teams, nothing is going to change for the better at the QB position. And in the NFL, no team is going to sustain success without a viable QB.
Teams should really be in the business of taking a QB every single NFL Draft until they've found their guy. With how much the league has shifted to being offense first over the last decade or so, the QB position has actually become more valuable.
As we approach the 2025 NFL Draft next April, let's look at five teams that must take a first-round QB.
2025 NFL Mock Draft: These teams must take a first-round QB next April
Cleveland Browns
Maybe the worst and most dysfunctional team in all of sports, the Cleveland Browns absolutely need to do everything they can to lesson the blow of Deshaun Watson's horrid play and contract. They're still stuck with him for years, but taking a QB in the first round could be a great first step to erase this era.
It's baffling that the Browns haven't benched Watson yet, but I guess depending on who you ask, it may not be a surprise at all. The team really should have stuck it out with Baker Mayfield, who is enjoying himself with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young is not the answer and the Carolina Panthers should not make the mistake of giving him another shot in 2025. This team is not going to be viable until they get a legitimate franchse QB in the building, and as long as they keep losing like this, they'll be able to select quite high in the 2025 NFL Draft. Most Panthers' mock drafts should really have them taking a first-round QB.
And beyond that, their defense is among the worst in the NFL, so this team needs more than just the QB. There were rumors that the 2023 Panthers' coaching staff wanted to select CJ Stroud, but owner David Tepper overruled them and told them to take Young instead.
Tennessee Titans
Will Levis is hilarious and not a starting-caliber QB in the NFL. He also wasn't exactly a very good prospect coming out of college, so his lack of success in year two in the NFL isn't a shock. The Tennessee Titans hired Brian Callahan to be their new head coach, and I am not sure Callahan would have any interest in sticking with Levis beyond this year.
The Titans do seem to have a good defense, so I suppose if they get the franchise QB in the building, they'd be closer than many of us think. Will Levis is just not the answer and the Titans shouldn't entertain the idea of giving him into 2025.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders probably expected someone like Michael Penix Jr to be there when they made their first-round select back in 2024 at pick 13. Penix shockingly went inside the top-10, so I believe that threw a giant wrench into their plans. This team won't have any direction until they take a first-round QB.
They've already benched veteran QB Gardner Minshew, and their new starter, Aidan O'Connell, is not fooling anyone. The Raiders simply need a first-round QB in the building.
New York Giants
Daniel Jones still being the starter of the New York Giants in year six is just a huge indictment on how poorly this organization is run. It's a bad operation from top to bottom, but the Giants seemed to have figured out their offensive line and have a stingy defense, so there are pieces in place. Rookie WR Malik Nabers looks like the read deal and Brian Daboll can coach, period.
A franchise QB puts this team on a playoff track quickly, and with the Giants being able to move on from Jones next offseason, it's shaping up to be a first-round QB and perhaps a backup veteran in the mold of Andy Dalton or Jacoby Brissett. The G-Men just need to end the Daniel Jones era and need to quit holding out hope that he is the answer.
GM Joe Schoen extending him was one of the biggest QB mistakes in NFL history, and it just needs to stop.