2025 NFL Draft Order: Where Each Team Is Picking in the First Round

Avi Creditor -

The 2024 NFL regular season is a thing of the past, which means for those teams unfortunate enough to miss the playoffs, the focus turns quickly to the 2025 NFL Draft.

For many teams, regular-season futility was accepted long before Week 18, meaning losses may really have been wins, in terms of improving their draft-order standing. 

In the same light, wins, in some cases, may have felt like losses — at least to the fan bases of those teams hoping for a better pick. The New England Patriots, for example, simply had to lose one more time in Week 18 to keep hold of the No. 1 overall pick. After 13 losses, what was one more? 

As it turns out, it was not something the coaching staff and players had any interest in accruing. They beat a second-string Buffalo Bills team and tumbled down the order, gifting the No. 1 pick elsewhere in the process.

Here’s the order for the first round of the three-day 2025 NFL Draft, with the 18 teams missing the playoffs having their marching orders immediately and the teams that lose in the playoffs following suit as soon as their elimination is confirmed.

Note: We will continue to update this article throughout the offseason until the full first round is set.

2025 NFL Draft Order: First Round

The order was determined by record, as the teams with the worst records got the higher picks. Those picks can be traded any time between now and draft day, and it’s not uncommon for teams to move up and down the board on draft night itself as a means to either target a specific player or acquire more draft capital. Tiebreakers were used to separate teams with the same record.

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10.  Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11.  San Francisco 49ers (6-11)
  12.  Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13.  Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14.  Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15.  Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16.  Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17.  Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18.  Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19.  TBD
  20.  TBD
  21.  TBD
  22.  TBD
  23.  TBD
  24.  TBD
  25.  TBD
  26.  TBD
  27.  TBD
  28.  TBD
  29.  TBD
  30.  TBD
  31.  TBD
  32.  TBD

Which Teams Made the 2024 NFL Playoffs?

The seven seeds in each conference went as follows, with the division winners claiming the top four seeds, regardless of whether wild card teams had better records. Teams eliminated in the same round of the playoffs will be sorted in the draft order by record. The Super Bowl winner will wind up with the last pick in the first round.

AFC

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
  2. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  4. Houston Texans (10-7)
  5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  7. Denver Broncos (10-7)

NFC

  1. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
  3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  4. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  6. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  7. Green Bay Packers (11-6)

Early Look-Ahead: Which College Prospects Will Make for the Best Fantasy Football Picks?

Until we see which players are going where — and until the full draft pool is set — we can’t know for sure which players will have have the best outlook. But we have some pretty good guesses.

We start with Heisman-winning, dual-threat Colorado star Travis Hunter, who could have considerable fantasy value if the team that picks him treats him as a wide receiver and not a defensive back.

Then there’s the Heisman runner-up, dynamic Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who is expected to be the first runner off the board.

Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is also expected to be an early pick, with teams surely salivating over his size (6-foot-5) and skill combination.

At QB, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward are considered the top two options in what’s generally thought to be a relatively shallow QB class.

If you’re a fantasy football player — whether you dabble in season-long leagues, dynasty or DFS (all of which you can play via Sleeper) — you’ll want to pay close attention to where these incoming rookies land. 

In 2024, rookies like WRs Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers and Ladd McConkey; RBs Bucky Irving and Tyrone Tracy Jr.; TE Brock Bowers; and QBs Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Caleb Williams all were impact players and carry plenty of value for the present and future. The class of 2025 will have its fair share of immediate fantasy contributors as well.

When and Where Is the 2025 NFL Draft?

After a lengthy run in New York, the draft has been taken on the road by the NFL to great effect over the last decade. Next up, the NFL Draft will head to Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, where thousands upon thousands of Cheeseheads (and fans from around the league) will show out in full force. 

The first round will take place the night of April 24, 2025, before the second and third rounds on April 25 and rounds 4-7 on April 26.