- Colts general manager Chris Ballard is known for bolstering his Day 2 war chest: In six of Ballard’s eight drafts as a general manager, he has made more than one selection in the second, third or fourth round.
- The Buccaneers are in an ideal spot to trade back: The Browns or Giants may want to jump the Steelers for a quarterback, or perhaps a team will look to move past the Broncos for a running back.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
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With the 2025 NFL Draft just over a week away, we're exploring which teams could shake things up on draft night. A handful of franchises may be looking to move up, but it takes two to tango; so what about the teams looking to trade down?
Here are three teams we believe could be looking to move back on the first night.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
The Colts aren’t desperate for picks, holding their original seven draft selections — no more, no less. Their roster is also set in a way that could provide general manager Chris Ballard some flexibility to acquire extra selections. In six of Ballard’s eight drafts as a general manager, he has made more than one selection in the second, third or fourth round. That seems to be his sweet spot when it comes to roster building, helping him acquire players such as tackle Bernhard Raimann (career-high 85.1 PFF overall grade), running back Jonathan Taylor (87.1) and tackle Braden Smith (83.3) — all of whom were one of multiple picks in those rounds.
The Colts have a major need at tight end, furthered by the secondary additions of Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward in free agency. They likely no longer feel as desperate to get a starting-caliber secondary player in the first round. The same can be said for the defensive and offensive lines.
The easy priority players for Indianapolis at No. 14 are tight ends Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland and linebackers Jihaad Campbell and Jalon Walker. There is a chance only one of those four will be available when the Colts come on the clock, so perhaps they will feel their best draft strategy is to secure more picks in Rounds 2-4, as they have done many times in the past, as this class is deeper than it is top-heavy.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
General manager Jason Licht is more likely to trade down than up, but make no mistake: His phone stays active during the draft. He made his way to the general manager’s chair through the scouting department ladder, so building his team through the draft is his priority. He knows that having more draft picks is often a recipe for success.
The Buccaneers currently pick at No. 19 in the first round. If linebackers Jihaad Campbell or Jalon Walker are available, Tampa Bay could jump on them. Campbell, in particular, brings versatility after posting a 13.1% pass-rush win rate, grading positively on 17.1% of run plays and forcing incompletions on 13.3% of targets while recording 22 coverage stops in 2024. But perhaps the Buccaneers don’t love any of the pass rushers, linebackers or cornerbacks at that point. I could see them luring some teams further down the draft order into moving up for certain pass rushers, quarterbacks or even running backs.
Let's say the Browns or Giants want to jump the Steelers for a quarterback. Let’s say one of the teams in the backend of the draft wants to jump the Broncos for a running back. Maybe one of those same teams wants to move up for a pass rusher. The Buccaneers may have a few trade-down angles to consider.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The Vikings are the most obvious trade-down candidate in the 2025 NFL Draft. They have only four draft picks: their own first- and third-rounders, Cleveland’s fifth-rounder and San Francisco's sixth-rounder. Most importantly, they have their pick in the first round at No. 24 but then do not pick again until No. 97 in the third round.
Knowing this, Minnesota correctly made a big splash on the offensive and defensive lines during free agency. But even with those parts of the roster shored up a bit more, you want more than four draft picks in a single class. The pick they can use to manipulate that number the most is, obviously, No. 24.
In a recent PFF 2025 NFL mock draft by Mason Cameron, the Vikings trade back twice in the first round to acquire more ammo.
The best-case scenario for Minnesota is that one or more quarterbacks are still on the board whom the Browns or Giants would be interested in trading up for, assuming they don’t pick one at Nos. 2 and 3 to start the night. This would allow the Vikings to get at least one extra Day 2 pick in return, and could likely net some Day 3 selections, too.
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