These are the playoffs we don’t want our teams to pick.
We’re less than two weeks from the first round of the NFL Draft with rumors flying left and right. Some of the biggest, boldest decisions in war rooms are being made now — with strong convictions from scouts and executives worming their way into the process.
This 2025 class doesn’t have that many true, legitimate “busts” waiting to happen (unless you count Jaxson Dart), but the class is full of boom-or-bust prospects that frankly scare to the point we hope we don’t hear their name when our teams are on the clock.
Here are the players that we fear the most, and then we want to hear from you: Whose name do you absolutely NOT want to hear in the 1st round of the draft?
James Dator: I think I’d lose it if the Carolina Panthers took James Pearce Jr.
I don’t think this is going to happen, but it’s still a nagging thought that scares me in the back of my mind. Abdul Carter will be gone by No. 8, and if the Patriots or Jaguars take Jalon Walker there’s a very real chance the Panthers need to either pivot away from taking an edge rusher, or reach for someone.
Pearce Jr. scares the hell out of me. I know it wasn’t long ago that he was regarded as a Top 5 pick in this class, but a lot changed during his final year at Tennessee. There was regression in his play, and a lot of talk that he simply lacked the drive or desire to get better. Even if his measurables and athletic ability are stellar, it would crush me to see the Panthers roll the dice like this.
I’m not delusional. The Panthers have myriad issues and need a lot of new talent. I’d be sick to my stomach to see Carolina reach for an edge rusher just because it’s a pressing need, potentially leaving someone like TE Tyler Warren or WR Tetairoa McMillan off the board because they aren’t as much of a pressing need. At this point I’m all about getting an EDGE, but if the value isn’t there, just get Bryce Young some more help.
It especially worries me that Pearce is from Charlotte. The organization loves to take local guys, which is why I’d give this a little more credence than it otherwise deserves.
Mark Schofield: Almost anything is going to be okay for New England. Almost
Sitting with the fourth-overall selection, the New England Patriots are in a fascinating position.
With Drake Maye, they do not need to entertain drafting a quarterback, which puts them in a decent spot. With Cam Ward expected to come off the board first overall, that increases the chances that a player like Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter Jr. falls to them at No. 4, especially with a pair of QB-needy teams like the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants ahead of them at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
Even if those teams pass on Shedeur Sanders, and those two players are drafted ahead of New England, the Patriots will still have options. They address offensive line with either Will Campbell from LSU or Armand Membou from Missouri, and I would be fine with either pick. I know that there is concern about Campbell’s arm length but from studying him the LSU prospect has the ability to use his hand skill and foot quickness to beat players to the spot on the edge.
They could still address defense, with Texas A&M edge Shemar Stewart or, as is becoming more of an option in recent days, Georgia LB Jalon Walker. Again, would be fine with either of those picks. Mason Graham at No. 4? Again, I can live with that. The NFL might be headed back into a “big meaty men slapping meat” phase and adding help in the trenches makes a great deal of sense to me.
There are also some wild cards that we can put in the “offensive playmaker to help Maye” category. Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan? Great, love it, give Maye the X-type receiver who can win on the boundary. Penn State TE Tyler Warren or Michigan TE Colston Loveland? Okay, both work for me, even at No. 4. Ashton Jeanty there? Again, I’m on board.
Then of course there is the idea that if the draft begins Ward-Hunter-Carter or Ward-Carter-Hunter, New England could trade out of No. 4 for a team desperate to come up for Sanders (glances at the New Orleans Saints). If that is the route they want to go, that is fine as well.
But with one caveat.
Make sure the return is worth the trade.
According to the Fitzgerald-Spielberger Trade Value Chart, the gap from say No. 9 to No. 4 is around a late-round pick. Moving back from four to nine is fine, but if a team is coming up for a quarterback, they need to pay the QB tax. A mere late-round pick is not enough of a reason to move off four, even in a world where Hunter and Carter are both off the board.
I’m okay with just about anything the Patriots can do at four, but trading down — and not getting big value in return — is the one thing that would have me nauseous.
JP Acosta: The Jaguars are in a prime position to not screw this up — let’s see how they end me this time
I think I’m at the point where I can realistically see the vision for any of the top prospects the Jaguars might draft at 5. Michigan DT Mason Graham is the most popular decision, and while it might not be sexy, it’s an incredibly effective pick. The Jaguars’ cornerstone pass rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker need help from the interior, and Graham is a ball of tenacity on the inside that can help unlock the Jaguars’ defensive line. Georgia EDGE Jalon Walker is a hot name associated with the 5th pick, and while I have some questions about where he’s going to play on the Jaguars’ defense, he’s a damn good football player who would boost the pressure as well. A sleeper pick at 5 for the Jags is Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty. With new head coach Liam Coen bringing more gap scheme runs to the offense, it feels like RB Travis Etienne might be on his way out of Jacksonville. Jeanty is simply phenomenal, and can be a factor in the run and passing game. It would make a lot of sense for the Jags to take Jeanty if things fall that way.
However, there’s one position that I’ll have a bit more questions about if Jacksonville drafts there at 5, and that’s offensive line. After a free agency period where they shored up the interior of the offensive line, I just don’t see them picking a guy like LSU’s Will Campbell or Missouri’s Armand Membou at 5. Although it wasn’t the same regime that gave out the deal, Walker Little is set to start at left tackle and just got an extension so I think they’re going to give him a chance and see what happens in a new offense. I do think they’ll add some more youth to the offensive line room, but not at 5.
Who are you afraid your team might draft in the first round?
