The first round of the NFL draft can be a bit of a zoo, trading up, down and around either before or during the actual event in order to snag a player they believe to be their franchise’s future. This year, however, league experts fear no one is jockeying for a better selection. In fact, some teams could be hoping to move down.
Speaking on an episode of The Athletic's Scoop City podcast released Thursday, NFL insider and reporter Dianna Russini predicted as much while sharing her two cents ahead of draft day.
"Just based on talking to teams over the last week or so," she said, "I'm not predicting a lot of movement up at all." Instead, it seems that "everyone's trying to get out."
Co-host Chase Daniel agreed, with both pundits ascribing teams’ collective disinterest in moving up to the strength (or lack thereof) of this year's draft class.
"Teams probably think they can get the same player at No. 25 that they can at No. 8 because this draft class in general is not great," Daniel said.
Also on Thursday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared that he has been hearing similar information, a revelation offered off the back of related comments from Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht.
“I do think this year is going to be—I could be wrong—you’re going to see maybe a little less people maybe wanting to move up and offering enough to make it worth your while just because the draft is pretty leveled out at a certain point,” Licht said during a presser on Thursday. “You might be able to get the same level of player in the second round as you can in the fourth round at certain positions, so I think you’ll maybe see a little bit less of that."
Rapoport agreed. "That's what it feels like. Not a lot of teams trying to move up," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). (At first blush, both Rapoport and Licht's comments seem to be connected to general draft trades overall and not just the first round, for what it's worth.)
So there you have it—as we count down the days to Round 1, it seems we would all do well to prepare ourselves for a little less trade madness both ahead of and during the draft.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Insider Predicts Fewer First-Round Trade Fireworks at 2025 Draft.
