With the regular season completed, the focus for most NFL teams has turned to the draft, scheduled for April 24-26 in Green Bay.
Before the first week of the NFL playoffs, Yardbarker NFL writers assess the greatest need for every team in the NFC. (Per NFL.com, here is the current NFL Draft order. The remainder of the order will be determined by playoff results.)
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS (7-10) | Running back | Salary-cap restrictions kept the Cowboys from adding a top-tier running back to replace Tony Pollard in 2024, and $376M in new contracts for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and QB Dak Prescott won’t make things any easier in 2025. Rico Dowdle rushed for a career-high 1,079 yards this season, but he’s an unrestricted free agent and will likely get better offers from other teams.
NEW YORK GIANTS (3-14) | Quarterback | Neither QB Drew Lock nor Tommy DeVito is signed for next season and Daniel Jones, New York’s former QB, now plays for Minnesota. Expect the Giants to land either Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders or Miami QB Cam Ward with the No. 3 pick. Or perhaps New York will make a play for Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (14-3) | Pass rush | Linebacker Josh Sweat helped the Eagles make up for the loss of Haason Reddick with a team-high eight sacks in 2024, but he will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. With defensive end Brandon Graham expected to retire, Philadelphia’s top-ranked defense could soon have two big holes to fill.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (12-5) | Cornerback | Emmanuel Forbes Jr., the team’s first-round pick in 2023, was released with five games left in the 2024 regular season, and Marshon Lattimore has appeared in just two games since coming over from the Saints in a Week 10 trade. Washington’s secondary improved significantly over the unit that allowed a league-high 262.2 yards passing per game last season, but it needs more help in a division with wide receivers A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb and Malik Nabers. — Bruce Ewing
NFC West
ARIZONA CARDINALS (8-9) | Defensive line | The Cardinals took a big step forward in 2024 with eight wins, but they must improve on defense to get back into the playoffs. The biggest area of weakness remains on their defensive front seven, where they are average against the run (126.4 YPG, 20th in the NFL). Arizona also needs a more consistent and disruptive pass rush, especially from the interior.
LOS ANGELES RAMS (10-7) | Cornerback | The secondary has been a big question in recent seasons. Los Angeles tried to address it in free agency last offseason after using premium picks on the defensive line in the draft. But after allowing 223.1 yards per game (20th in the NFL), the Rams must make a significantly larger investment in cornerbacks.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (6-11) | Edge | Despite having one of the NFL’s best edge-rushers in Nick Bosa, the 49ers were a disappointing 24th in the NFL in sacks in 2024 (37). They desperately need to give Bosa help on the opposite side of the defense.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (10-7) | Offensive line | The offensive line has been a huge weakness for far too long. Seattle has selected one offensive lineman (Charles Cross in 2022) in the first two rounds of the draft since 2018, and it cannot keep avoiding the position and trying to get by with a patchwork group. — Adam Gretz
NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS (5-12) | Offensive line | 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times during his rookie season, tied for the third most in a season and most since 2005. Outside of 2023 10th overall selection OT Darnell Wright, the Bears need an entirely new offensive line — something they can address early with their three picks inside the top 50.
DETROIT LIONS (15-2) | Edge-rusher | Due in large part to injuries to key defensive players (including DE Aidan Hutchinson), the pass rush has been lackluster this season, generating the ninth-fewest sacks as a unit (37). Detroit lacks an elite pass-rushing talent opposite Hutchinson, and while it can make a bid for Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby or another veteran in free agency, adding a young star as injury insurance wouldn’t hurt.
GREEN BAY PACKERS (11-6) | Linebacker | Since 2011, the Packers have spent 12 of their 14 first-round picks on defensive players, with QB Jordan Love (2020) and OT Jordan Morgan (2024) being the lone exceptions. Green Bay will likely stick to its defensive-oriented ways in the draft again, potentially targeting Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell as a replacement for Quay Walker, who has struggled to find his footing since his selection 22nd overall in the 2022 draft.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (14-3) | Cornerback | Minnesota’s cornerback room is headlined by Byron Murphy Jr., who allowed the third-most yards as the nearest defender this season, according to NFL Pro, and Stephon Gilmore, who will turn 35 in September. The Vikings won’t pick in the top half of the draft, but there will be plenty of top-end cornerbacks available at the end of the first round, likely including East Carolina standout Shavon Revel. — Josh Eaton
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS (8-9) | Edge | The Falcons have drafted offensive players with their past four consecutive top-10 first-round picks to the detriment of the defense, which ranks last in the league in sacks (112) during general manager Terry Fontenot’s tenure from 2021-24 (h/t Stathead). This year, the Falcons must use their top pick (No. 15) on an edge-rusher; Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart are names to watch.
CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-12) | Linebacker | The Panthers sorely missed interior defensive lineman Derrick Brown (season-ending knee injury in Week 1), finishing with the league’s worst rush defense. Fixing the defense should be the priority, and while Brown should help the line, GM Dan Morgan must target a top linebacker — perhaps Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman or Penn State’s Kobe King — with one of their three top-75 picks (Nos. 8, 54, 74).
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-12) | Defensive tackle | New Orleans ranked 31st in yards per rush attempt allowed (4.9) in 2024, and its last six opponents gained more than 100 yards rushing. The interior of the defensive line is a weakness, making Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham a perfect fit … assuming he’s available at No. 9.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (10-7) | Linebacker | Tampa Bay was forced to lure Shaq Barrett out of retirement in late December to help its linebacker depth. Lavonte David, who turns 35 on Jan. 23, played a team-high 96.5 percent of its defensive snaps, making it essential for the Bucs, who won’t know their first-round draft pick position until their playoff run ends, to start thinking about getting younger at linebacker. — Eric Smithling
