- The Steelers should keep an eye on a potential Shedeur Sanders fall: Pittsburgh’s ideal first round involves the Colorado quarterback falling to them at No. 21 overall.
- The Falcons can improve their defense significantly in the first two days: Atlanta can grab two potential defensive cornerstones in James Pearce Jr. and Benjamin Morrison with its two top-50 picks.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Every NFL draft pick is a roll of the dice. Sometimes, a team grabs a cornerstone player for the next decade. And other times, the player fails to live up to expectations and falls out of the league.
Therefore, it’s advantageous for teams to have many premium draft picks so they have more chances to hit on those gambles. The following four franchises have only two selections on Days 1 and 2 of this year’s draft. Even without many top picks, they can significantly improve their teams if they nail those selections.
Here are the perfect scenarios for each of those franchises on the first two days, excluding trading back for extra capital.
Atlanta Falcons
Round 1, Pick No. 15: EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
The Falcons desperately need to add juice to their defensive line. In each of the past four seasons, they’ve owned a bottom-six-ranked team PFF pass-rush grade in the NFL. Pearce would provide an instant boost after leading all FBS edge defenders since 2023 with a 22.4% pressure rate.
Round 2, Pick No. 46: CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
Atlanta could continue to improve its pass defense by adding Morrison in the second round. He was limited to just six games this past season due to a torn labrum in his hip but had first-round tape in the two years prior.
Morrison’s nine interceptions across his first two seasons led all Power Four cornerbacks, while his 40.3 passer rating allowed ranked sixth among all cornerbacks in college football. As long as his medicals check out, he could be a massive steal in the second round for the Falcons.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 1, Pick No. 21: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
This is admittedly a stretch, as the Steelers would likely have to trade up to acquire Sanders. However, this article’s purpose is to illustrate the perfect scenarios for specific teams, and there is a chance Sanders will fall this far on draft night, albeit a small one.
His 1.3% turnover-worthy play rate over the past two years ranks second to only Bo Nix among FBS quarterbacks. Pittsburgh’s ceiling as a franchise has been capped for nearly a decade because it hasn’t had a franchise quarterback, but the strength of the roster/excellent coaching has kept the team from being bad enough to obtain a top prospect in the draft. Sanders falling to No. 21 would be a dream scenario for the Steelers, as he can learn behind Aaron Rodgers, who will presumably sign with Pittsburgh soon.
Round 3, Pick No. 83: DI Deone Walker, Kentucky
While Cameron Heyward was the second-highest-graded interior defender this past season, he is 36 years old. Pittsburgh would be wise to invest in the future of the position. The Steelers also could improve at the other defensive end spot, lacking a proven starter there.
Walker is an ideal fit for Pittsburgh’s defense as a 5-technique defensive end in the team's 3-4 defense. While his junior season wasn’t nearly as dominant as his sophomore year, his 73 pressures since 2023 were the fourth most among all defensive tackles in college football.
Minnesota Vikings
Round 1, Pick No. 24: DI Kenneth Grant, Michigan
The Vikings shored up their need for 5-techniques enough by signing both Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen in free agency. However, they could still improve at nose tackle since Harrison Phillips is coming off back-to-back sub-60.0 season-long PFF grades.
Grant is the best nose tackle in the class and has rare quickness for a 340-pounder. He was one of eight FBS interior defenders since 2023 with 80.0-plus PFF grades as both a pass rusher and a run defender.
Round 3, Pick No. 97: S Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State
Minnesota could further improve its defense by nabbing Winston, one of the best safeties in the class. A partially torn ACL limited him to just two games this past season, but he displayed first-round production and athleticism as a sophomore in 2023. Winston was the only safety that year who earned 85.0-plus PFF grades both in coverage and run defense. He also scored above the 99th percentile in PFF’s Game Athleticism Score metric.
With Harrison Smith recently turning 36 years old and Josh Metellus being more of a solid starter than a true star, Winston could be one of the biggest steals of the draft while filling a massive need for the Vikings.
Washington Commanders
Round 1, Pick No. 29: EDGE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
None of Washington’s edge rushers ranked even among the top 50 in PFF overall grade last season, making that the Commanders' top need heading into the draft. Scourton wasn’t as dominant at Texas A&M as at Purdue, but that can largely be explained by his role with the Aggies. At Purdue, he was allowed to pin his ears back and get after the quarterback, whereas Texas A&M required him to read and react far more.
Even with that in mind, Scourton's 90.8 PFF pass-rush grade since 2023 still tied for eighth among all Power Four edge defenders. He is worth a first-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft and should be a player Washington is targeting at No. 29 overall.
Round 2, Pick No. 61: CB Darien Porter, Iowa State
The Commanders’ top priority should be to bolster their defense in all ways. Washington had the second-lowest-graded defense in the NFL in 2024 despite the team's incredible year, which included the lowest-graded group of cornerbacks. Marshon Lattimore is coming off the lowest-graded season of his career (56.8), and while Mike Sainristil had a solid rookie year, he too often played out of position on the outside when he should be a nickel defender.
Selecting Porter in the second round would allow Sainristil to move back inside while giving the Commanders one of the most athletically gifted cornerbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. He ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3 and led all FBS cornerbacks with an absurd 4.7 passer rating allowed when targeted this past season.
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