As temperatures drop and winter arrives, playoff football is on its way. For some NFL franchises, the cold weather is an indication of their upcoming run at a postseason spot, with their Super Bowl hopes also still alive. For others, those playoff chances are long gone with their attention now turning toward retooling their rosters.
With Week 14 now in the rearview mirror, the projected order toward the top of the 2025 NFL Draft is starting to take shape, with numerous teams still in the mix for the No. 1 overall selection.
In Sunday's early games, the Raiders and Giants each did their part to stay atop the race for the No. 1 pick. Las Vegas fell to Tampa Bay on the road to drop to 2-11 and New York missed a game-tying field goal to lose 14-11 at home to New Orleans. The Raiders have the tiebreaker based on strength of schedule and currently are in the driver's seat to pick first in the spring.
The Jaguars fell out of the top spot after picking up a divisional win against the Titans. Despite star QB Trevor Lawrence sidelined with a head injury, Mac Jones and Jacksonville knocked off Tennessee to improve to 3-10. With the victory, the Jags fell all the way down to the No. 4 draft spot.
In the afternoon slate of games, the Bears' loss to the 49ers was their seventh straight defeat, moving them up to the No. 9 selection in the order.
The Bengals then shocked the Cowboys in the waning minutes on Monday night, keeping Cincinnati's faint playoff hopes alive but hurting its draft position. Dallas improves its positioning slightly, but that's a small consolation for the painful loss.
Here's a look at how the NFL Draft order looks heading into Week 15.
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NFL Draft order 2025
| Pick | Team | Record |
| 1 | Raiders | 2-11 |
| 2 | Giants | 2-11 |
| 3 | Patriots | 3-10 |
| 4 | Panthers | 3-10 |
| 5 | Jaguars | 3-10 |
| 6 | Titans | 3-10 |
| 7 | Jets | 3-10 |
| 8 | Browns | 3-10 |
| 9 | Bears | 4-9 |
| 10 | Saints | 5-8 |
| 11 | Bengals | 5-8 |
| 12 | Cowboys | 5-8 |
| 13 | Dolphins | 6-7 |
| 14 | Colts | 6-7 |
| 15 | Falcons | 6-7 |
| 16 | Cardinals | 6-7 |
| 17 | 49ers | 6-7 |
| 18 | Rams | 7-6 |
| 19 | Buccaneers | 7-6 |
| 20 | Commanders | 8-5 |
| 21 | Chargers | 8-5 |
| 22 | Texans | 8-5 |
| 23 | Broncos | 8-5 |
| 24 | Seahawks | 8-5 |
| 25 | Ravens | 8-5 |
| 26 | Packers | 9-4 |
| 27 | Steelers | 10-3 |
| 28 | Vikings | 11-2 |
| 29 | Bills | 10-3 |
| 30 | Eagles | 11-2 |
| 31 | Chiefs | 12-1 |
| 32 | Lions | 12-1 |
NFL Draft prospects
Here's a look at the top 10 NFL Draft prospects, based on our own Vinnie Iyer's latest 2025 big board:
| Rank | Player | Position | College team |
| 1 | Travis Hunter | CB/WR | Colorado |
| 2 | Mason Graham | DT | Michigan |
| 3 | Will Johnson | CB | Michigan |
| 4 | Tetairoa McMillan | WR | Arizona |
| 5 | Abdul Carter | EDGE | Penn State |
| 6 | Malaki Starks | S | Georgia |
| 7 | Ashton Jeanty | RB | Boise State |
| 8 | Shedeur Sanders | QB | Colorado |
| 9 | Cam Ward | QB | Miami |
| 10 | Will Campbell | OT | LSU |
The crown jewel of the 2025 class is shaping up to be Hunter, who became a two-way star at Colorado as both an elite cornerback and wide receiver. It remains to be seen how an NFL team will utilize Hunter, though.
A pair of Michigan Wolverines headline the defensive talent in the class, with Graham and Johnson likely to be joined by Carter and Starks as building blocks for an NFL defense.
Two of the most intriguing prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft come at skill positions, with McMillan arguably being college football's most talented wide receiver and Jeanty remaining toward the top of Heisman Trophy conversations all season. Both could soon become key weapons at the next level.
While this isn't regarded as an especially top-tier quarterback class, there's still high-end talent likely to be available in the early stages of the first round. Sanders and Ward are trending toward becoming the top two quarterback selections, each with the potential to become a new centerpiece for whichever team drafts them.
