Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
Here’s an early look at pick capital in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Buffalo Bills hit the reset button during the 2024 offseason, releasing several veterans, allowing long-tenured players to sign contracts elsewhere, seeing their All-Pro safety seemingly retire, and trading their star wide receiver. The net result has them set up to recover from any salary cap concerns they had entering the 2024 offseason, but another byproduct is reloading with draft picks.
As it stands now, the Bills have the most draft capital for the 2025 NFL Draft.
The second-round pick they acquired from the Houston Texans in exchange for receiver Stefon Diggs is actually the Minnesota Vikings’ pick. With Minnesota starting over with a rookie quarterback, that pick has the potential to be a high two.
Buffalo also added a fourth-round pick in a trade with the Chicago Bears during the 2024 NFL Draft and they are projected to receive a fourth-round compensatory pick for receiver Gabe Davis, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
That’s three picks in the first two rounds and seven total picks in the first four rounds. Despite his moves down the board in 2024, Bills general manager Brandon Beane has a propensity to move up the board and with that ammo in the first four rounds, don’t be surprised if Buffalo moves up on the first two days of the draft.
Looking around the landscape, the 2025 NFL Draft is very unique in that no first-round picks have currently been dealt. Typically you would have seen future firsts moved during 2024 NFL Draft trades or for a player here or there. All 32 first-round picks currently remain in place.
Like 2024, when the Chicago Bears held extra picks thanks to their 2023 trade with the Carolina Panthers for the number one overall pick and Bryce Young, the Bears have one additional Day 2 pick and will be players once again. They have an extra second-round pick as the final piece of the Young trade.
The Miami Dolphins have one extra Day 2 pick despite trading their original third-rounder. Based on Over The Cap’s compensatory pick projection, they have third-round compensatory picks coming from both DT Christian Wilkins and offensive lineman Robert Hunt.
The Kansas City Chiefs are among the other teams with an extra third-round pick. Theirs is courtesy of the Tennessee Titans, who traded for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed during the 2024 offseason. The Jacksonville Jaguars (via Minnesota), New York Jets (via Detroit), and Philadelphia Eagles (via Miami) all have an extra third-round selection thanks to 2024 NFL Draft trades, as well.
Third-round compensatory picks are also projected for the Minnesota Vikings (Kirk Cousins) and San Francisco 49ers (DeMeco Ryans/Ran Carthon). (The Los Angeles Rams have a third-round compensatory pick for losing Raheem Morris, but they traded their second-round pick and have three picks in the first three rounds.)
On the other end of the spectrum, it’s going to be more difficult for the Minnesota Vikings to surround their new quarterback with talent in 2025. While they’re projected to receive the third-round compensatory pick for Kirk Cousins, they don’t have picks in rounds two, three, four, six, and seven. Minnesota will only have picks in the first, third, fifth, and fifth rounds for a grand total of just four selections.
