Ranking the most desperate teams in the 2025 NFL Draft

• New Orleans faces a massive cap deficit: Mickey Loomis and the Saints’ front office have gotten crafty in finding ways to circumvent the cap and push the bill down the road. But it’s time to pay up.

• Minnesota holds the fewest picks of any team in the 2025 NFL Draft: The Vikings currently have just three picks, the fewest of any franchise. The 24th overall selection in the first round is their only pick until Round 5, where they hold two picks.

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

---

---

NFL free agents are gearing up for the start of the legal tampering period, kicking off March 10. While the top players will have plenty of suitors, not every franchise is positioned to make a splash on the open market. A lack of cap space and/or an exodus of talented players will leave many teams in a tough spot, amplifying the importance of addressing major needs come the 2025 NFL Draft.

Editor’s Note: Cap numbers courtesy of Over the Cap

---

1. Cleveland Browns

A massive quarterback contract often makes roster management a delicate dance, and when that quarterback has an extensive injury history, the task becomes nearly impossible. 

That’s the position Browns general manager Andrew Berry finds himself in as he attempts to navigate Deshaun Watson ($72.9 million cap hit this season) likely missing the 2025 season after retearing his surgically repaired Achilles and the team’s franchise cornerstone, Myles Garrett, requesting a trade out of Cleveland. That’s all without mentioning Cleveland’s $24 million cap deficit.

The situation puts extensive pressure on this franchise to find foundational pieces in the draft. Fortunately, Cleveland possesses the No. 2 overall selection, but with it comes a franchise-altering decision: Take one of the class’s top quarterbacks and deal with Watson’s contract fallout down the road, or find an impact player to fill one of their various other needs?

Read more: 2025 NFL free agents and trade targets, ranked — Myles Garrett, Tyreek Hill and more

---

2. New Orleans Saints

For years, Mickey Loomis and the Saints’ front office have gotten crafty in finding ways to circumvent the salary cap and push the bill down the road.

Now, it’s time to pay that bill.

New Orleans ranks dead last in available cap space, currently projected to go more than $47 million over the cap threshold. With little room to maneuver, the franchise is left in a precarious position that could potentially result in the departures of key players, including Cam Jordan, Derek Carr and Tyrann Mathieu. While nothing is official, it’s apparent that this roster will look very different in Kellen Moore’s first year as head coach.

Armed with a top-10 selection in this year’s draft, the Saints face the difficult decision of finding a true impact player with the pick or trading back to address a growing list of needs.

---

3. Miami Dolphins

Inopportune injuries at the quarterback position resulted in another middling campaign from a team flush with talent and promise. Now, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier faces the challenge of improving on that result while being both strapped for cash and watching several key contributors depart for free agency. 

Currently projected to land in the negatives for cap space this season, Miami won’t be able to retain key players on expiring contracts — Jevon Holland, Jordan Poyer and Calais Campbell, to name a few — and will have to rely on current high-dollar contracts holders to restructure or risk becoming a cap casualty. And that’s all without mentioning the tenuous relationship between the Dolphins and star receiver Tyreek Hill.

Falling outside of the top 10 in the 2025 NFL Draft order will make this task a bit more challenging, further emphasizing how crucial it is that Miami hits on its Days 1 and 2 draft picks. In PFF’s most recent mock draft, Jordan Plocher projects the Dolphins to attack the trenches in an effort to keep Tua Tagovailoa off the ground and in the lineup.

---

4. Dallas Cowboys

Walking a tightrope in terms of cap flexibility, Dallas faces losing many of the key players who salvaged the team’s season down the stretch. Osa Odighizuwa, Jourdan Lewis, Eric Kendricks, Rico Dowdle and Cooper Rush, among others, are slated to enter the market as unrestricted free agents. 

While Dak Prescott‘s injury set Dallas back, the team’s run-game struggles (31st in team PFF rushing grade and 30th in team PFF run-defense grade) truly marred its 2024 campaign. Now, the Cowboys must find ways to rejuvenate their ground game as well as supplement the passing game with limited resources. 

With needs at receiver, running back and all along the defensive front, the Cowboys can’t afford to take any false steps in their draft strategy. While selecting Ashton Jeanty at No. 12 overall is a popular option among draft media pundits — myself included — PFF’s Josh Liskiewitz offered a different approach in his Cowboys seven-round mock draft that could provide answers to many of Dallas’ burning questions.

---

5. Atlanta Falcons

Moving on from a quarterback less than 12 months after signing him to a significant contract would create an issue for any front office. Pair that with significant cap restraints exacerbated by a trade or cut of said quarterback, and you face a complicated situation. 

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot will have to weigh his options regarding Kirk Cousins’ future. To further complicate matters, Atlanta faces losing several key players on both sides of the ball, including Justin Simmons, Dee Alford, Mike Hughes and Matt Judon, whom they traded a 2025 third-round pick to acquire. The most impactful loss could be that of Drew Dalman, who enters free agency after manning the center position for this offense over the past four seasons.

Despite limited spending power and a litany of needs to address, the Falcons still need to maximize their window with a rookie quarterback contract. Cousins’ presumed departure could create roadblocks.

---

6. Minnesota Vikings

A breakout 2024 season for bridge quarterback Sam Darnold has given the Vikings much to ponder this offseason. Will they use their cap space to franchise-tag the passer who rejuvenated his career in Kevin O’Connell’s system? Or will they use their resources to attack free agency to rebuild a roster that will see many faces depart?

The Vikings will watch many key contributors from their 2024 secondary enter the market, with Josh Metellus standing as the lone cornerback or safety left under contract who recorded 80 or more defensive snaps this past season.

That puts significant pressure on Minnesota’s front office to land quality free agents and also emphasizes the team’s lack of draft capital should they fall short in free agency. Minnesota currently holds just three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, the fewest of any franchise. The No. 24 overall selection in the first round is their only pick until Round 5, where they hold two picks. However, they are on track to earn a third-round compensatory pick from Kirk Cousins’ departure.