6. Baltimore Ravens
Continuity can go such a long way in today’s NFL, and the Baltimore Ravens kept the majority of their group from last season intact.
They added DeAndre Hopkins to the wide receiver room, and even though expectations for him should be tempered, I like the thinking there to bring a veteran like that into the mix and at least draw some attention.
Defensively is where we saw the most significant additions and the Ravens managed to get two guys who were probably in the top 20 overall on most draft boards strictly in terms of the on-field evaluation.
Malaki Starks is a perfect pairing with Kyle Hamilton on the back end of the defense, and while there are some off-field concerns with Mike Green, he might be the best EDGE rusher in this class. The Ravens are a juggernaut and I’d be shocked if they lose more than three games this coming season.
5. Washington Commanders
There’s no handbook for completely overhauling a franchise and making it to the NFC Championship Game in your first year at the helm. General manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn deserve a ton of credit for building this Commanders program the right way and getting a fantastic fit with Jayden Daniels at the #2 overall pick slot last offseason.
This year was all about building around Daniels, and the Commanders got aggressive in doing so. They traded for veterans Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and Deebo Samuel at wide receiver before using their first-round pick on offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. You love to see the deliberate, aggressive attempt at upgrading that side of the ball around Daniels.
The steal of the 2025 draft class for the Commanders was Trey Amos in the second round. He was routinely in the first round of my final mock drafts and he has all of the traits to be an instant starter opposite Marshon Lattimore at outside corner with Mike Sainristil running things from the slot.