2025 NFL Draft What Ifs: Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter and Possible Scenarios

Every team goes into the draft with a perfect scenario in mind. There are players they target who could fall into place in each round, or maybe the perfect trade will present itself. You experience the same feeling during a fantasy draft, though the stakes are obviously much lower.

The best general managers (and fantasy owners) are ready to adapt when things don't go according to plan, though, having plenty of contingency plans in place depending on who might be available when they are on the clock. We see every year that even the analysts who spend their entire lives following and predicting the draft don't know what's going to happen, and chaos can often be expected.

Let's look at some scenarios that could play out in the 2025 NFL Draft based on reports and team needs. More important than what happens is how other teams might react. That will be a major part of what we talk about below.

What happens if…

Two quarterbacks are taken with the top two picks

This would be a worst-case scenario for the Giants and a best-case scenario for the Patriots. It's also very feasible: Tennessee has been increasingly linked to Miami QB Cameron Ward at No. 1, and Cleveland's current best bet under center is Kenny Pickett; that type of desperation could drive a franchise to do anything.

If those teams take Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders (or someone trades up ahead of the Giants to get the second QB), then New York would be left without the new franchise quarterback that everyone is sure they will pick. Even with the signing of Jameis Winston, they are still likely to draft a passer.

The two best players would still be on the board here, and either Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter would be a nice consolation prize. If a team with a big pass rush need, like Atlanta, felt like they could move up to the third pick, the Giants could likely gain a future first-round pick and at least one Day 2 pick. They might not like it, but it would open New York to doing what was truly best.

New England can then simply take whoever is left. If the two quarterbacks and Carter go, they take Hunter and immediately have a new top receiver. The Patriots have been connected to offensive linemen in mock drafts, so even if one of the top guys was there, the team could still stick to their plan and take the first o-line player, maybe a new left tackle.

Jacksonville would be thrilled to grab either Hunter or Carter, I'm sure, but they could otherwise start the second phase of the draft after the top prospects are gone. Around this point, the paths forward start to look the same no matter what happens with the first few picks.

The first quarterback is taken at No. 3

This scenario would see Carter and Hunter go first and second in some order, leaving the Giants their choice of quarterback. This is the best-case scenario for New York. After they take their guy (let's say Ward), the Patriots would then be the ones in control of things.

They could stay the course, taking an offensive lineman, but the Pats might be able to trade back with a team who wants to take the second quarterback. The Raiders only need to come up two spots, and other teams could probably justify the price to get up to No. 4 rather than No. 1, where franchises often pay an extra premium on top of the usual QB premium.

As long as Sanders stays on the board, every pick would be a possible spot for either the team on the clock to take him or another team to move up with a trade. This will be the most fun scenario, especially if he starts to slide a little bit and the tension really heats up.

Three quarterbacks are drafted in the first round

This is looking more and more likely, according to analysts. Quarterback is the most important position, and teams will talk themselves into a lot of possible paths to finding their guy. While Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss is clearly behind the top two, he did have buzz before the season as a guy who could take a jump into that range. It wouldn't be a surprise to see a team take him in the back half of the first round.

The question, then, is where he ends up. It would be funny if Ward and Sanders went with the top two picks, then the Giants took Dart third overall out of desperation. In the scenario laid out above in which New York traded back, that would be a better prelude to grabbing Dart where there's a little more value.

More likely, it will be someone like the Steelers (21st pick), Rams (26th), or a team trading back into the end of the first round (Browns from 33, Giants from 34, Raiders from 37, and others). That first-round designation is important because it gives the drafting team the fifth-year option to help with assessing and signing their players.

There's enough smoke right now to project Dart as a first rounder, which would mean a nice payday for him and hope for the future for the acquiring franchise. Expect to hear Dart's name on Day 1 until further notice.

Ashton Jeanty falls out of the top 10

This would be a lot like Sanders falling, as all eyes will be on Jeanty until he is drafted. Jeanty is a universal top-10 prospect, but there's a chance he could drop because he is a running back, one of the most devalued positions in the sport.

The Raiders are a popular mock spot after they traded for Geno Smith to fill the quarterback spot. It would make for a fun offense, with Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers already in place, and the team could still look for a potential WR1 in a deep top of the draft. The value cost of taking him that high will be debated until draft day.

After Las Vegas, the next spots where he would make the most sense are the Bears at 10 and the Cowboys at 12. The value might be too good for teams to pass up after about the 15th pick, and Jeanty's floor could be the Broncos at No. 20. An ascending Denver team would immediately inject their offense with a lightning rod, but unlike the Raiders, they don't have many other major holes to fill.

Jeanty will be debated before, during, and after the draft, and if he starts to slide, it will prove that the RB position is still seen as secondary, despite a few big signings last offseason.

No receiver is taken in the top 10 (other than Hunter)

This is seen as a strong group of first- and second-round receivers, but no one is on the level of Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers from last year outside of Hunter.

There might be a run on receivers beginning around Seattle at 18. Denver (20), the Chargers (22), Green Bay (23), Houston (25), Baltimore (27), Washington (29), Buffalo (30); at the end of that run, many of the best options might be picked off, leaving those hoping for a steal at the top of the second round with only scraps (so to speak).

Those teams in the mid-30s and beyond who could use a receiver include Cleveland, the Giants, Tennessee, Las Vegas, New England, and New Orleans, who could also look at the position with their first-round pick at No. 9.

No cornerback is taken in the top 10 (other than Hunter)

Defensive players were scarce early in the draft last season. The first player taken on that side of the ball was pass rusher Laiatu Latu 15th overall, and the first corner came off the board at No. 22. That player was Quinyon Mitchell to the Eagles, a major factor in why the team won the Super Bowl.

Both Mitchell and Terrion Arnold (who went to Detroit at 24) were seen as no-doubt first-round prospects who were often seen as mid-first rounders, often projected five to 10 picks higher than they were drafted.

Cooper DeJean was another player seen as worthy of the first round, but he fell to the second and became another piece of the Philadelphia championship puzzle. Those players were some of the most important in determining last year's Super Bowl.

I recently saw/heard/read something to the effect of, “Cornerback is a premium position, but teams don't treat it like that in the draft.” The only defensive back to ever be drafted first overall was Gary Glick back in 1956. Top corners can be found outside the top 10, and they all might fit that group come draft day 2025.

Michigan's Will Johnson is seen as the top cornerback outside of Hunter, but an injury is affecting his pre-draft process and might hurt his draft stock. All the top cornerbacks falling to the second half of the first round means good teams would be adding talented guys at premium positions.

Green Bay, Minnesota, Washington, Buffalo, and Kansas City all pick at No. 23 or later and make sense for a corner. Cornerback is also one of those positions where you can never have enough players, so no team can really be counted out from targeting the position if the value is right.

Watch for playoff teams adding talented players who fall, as they could be the guys who are impacting the championship run next winter.