We’ve seen lately that a litany of first-round options at edge rushing positions could lead to a run at the position in the first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft. After Penn State’s Abdul Carter (projected at Nos. 2 or 3 overall), there isn’t expected to be another pass rusher taken until the mid-teens. If the Falcons open the floodgates, it could both trigger a run at the position and possibly spark some trade movement in the first round, according to sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline.
Pauline calls the Cardinals‘ pick at No. 16 overall a potential “flashpoint” where teams who are looking to add an impact edge rusher may trade up in order to jump the Bengals, who hold the No. 17 overall pick and have been linked to a pass rusher in the first round. He and ESPN’s Jordan Reid identify the Falcons‘ No. 15 overall pick as a more likely target to trade up to.
Pauline points out that Atlanta currently only owns five draft picks and would be more than happy to add more picks to their docket by trading down. Reid adds that, in a deep class of edge rushers, the Falcons “feel comfortable with several options” that they have similar grades on. If a team wants to jump Cincinnati for a pass rusher, proposing to trade with the Falcons may be the route to follow.
Here are a couple other trade rumors that could come to play in next week’s draft:
- Reid also seems to be under the impression that we will see a team trade into the top 10, specifically into No. 10 overall, a pick currently owned by the Bears. Reid asserts that, should the Saints throw a curveball from recent rumors and not draft a quarterback at No. 9 overall, several teams may jump to move up as a result. He sees teams potentially moving up for a top tight end or potentially a pass rusher, though the deep pass rushing class narrative seems to conflict with that sentiment. Without the New Orleans curveball, though, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune believes that a lack of interest in the No. 10 overall pick would make a trade back in the second round more likely than the first for the Bears.
- We’ve seen this several places, but ESPN’s Matt Miller pointed out a bit of the obvious recently, identifying the Vikings as a team likely to seek a trade back in the first round of the draft. The reason this seems so obvious is because, with only four draft picks, Minnesota owns the fewest selections of any team in the draft. The Vikings may attempt to increase their draft capital with a trade back if they can find an interested party.