26. Las Vegas Raiders
With the Las Vegas Raiders, we have a team that has significantly raised its own floor with two moves, in particular. The hiring of head coach Pete Carroll might be one of the best coaching moves of the 2025 offseason, and the trade to acquire Geno Smith is a massive upgrade over the likes of Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew.
The Raiders also landed the most dynamic offensive weapon in the 2025 NFL Draft class with the 6th overall pick where they took Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. There is a lot to like about this Raiders team offensively.
Defensively, they are a mess. Other than Maxx Crosby, who can make it feel at times like the Raiders have 12 guys on the field, this is a defense full of castoffs and misfits. The Raiders lost some of their better in-house players this offseason and did not make appreciable upgrades on paper. Just like the Panthers, we could see the Raiders as one of the most improved offensive teams in the NFL this season and a complete joke defensively. They’ll need players to unexpectedly step up to exceed expectations.
25. Indianapolis Colts
If the Colts had any stability at the quarterback position whatsoever entering this offseason, they’d probably be everyone’s favorite darkhorse pick to make some noise in the AFC South.
Anthony Richardson showed a ton of promise as a rookie, and his injuries felt like an unfortunate halt in that progress. After his second NFL season, injury issues have simply further clouded the picture with this young player, who took a major step back this coming season. Richardson has outstanding physical gifts and talent, but can’t be trusted on a week-to-week basis.
With all of the talent at the skill positions for the Colts, it feels like a golden opportunity for Daniel Jones to become the next Sam Darnold. If he can do that, this Colts team may have some hope yet.