NFL Draft rumors include 1 team hoping Ashton Jeanty falls to them and more trade candidates

Let’s take a spin around the latest NFL Draft rumors as Draft Week begins

One day closer, dear readers.

Monday brings the start of a new work week, and brings us one day closer to the 2025 NFL Draft. This is the time of the draft cycle when the rumors truly kick into gear, so let’s not waste any time.

Could a team trade to No. 2 for Shedeur Sanders?

The closer we get to the draft, the bigger the rumors become.

Perhaps the biggest rumor to emerge on Easter Sunday came from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

That a team could trade to No. 2 with the Cleveland Browns and select quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

“And then there’s the nuttiest one we’ve heard in recent days. At least one experienced and accomplished evaluator of talent thinks there’s a chance someone trades all the way up to No. 2 to get Sanders,” wrote Florio.

Our own Jared Mueller addressed that rumor as well, writing at Dawgs by Nature that such a move would be an “unlikely possibility.” Many believe that it is more likely that Sanders will slide deep into the first round than it is a team trades up to No. 2 for him.

While it may seem like Sanders’ stock is falling, the Colorado quarterback does have support around the league. According to ESPN draft insider Jordan Reid, one assistant general manager told Reid that they were impressed with Sanders’ “on-field demeanor.”

Now, these could be the same person, that is possible too. But remember: It only takes one team to fall in love with a player.

Commanders looking at wide receivers

The Washington Commanders are building around second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels and already made several key additions on the offensive side of the football in free agency.

But it seems they are not done adding weapons for their talented young passer.

According to Tony Pauline, the Commanders are looking to add a wide receiver or two out of this draft class. While Washington traded for Deebo Samuel already this off-season — who might be an ideal match for Kliff Kingsbury’s offense — only Luke McCaffrey is under contract with the Commanders beyond 2025.

Pauline mentions Maryland WR Tai Felton as one option for the Commanders.

What may prove tricky for Washington and general manager Adam Peters to navigate is the big gap between their second pick (Pick 29 in the second round, 61 overall) and their third pick (Pick 26 in the fourth round, pick 128 overall). Does Washington look to bridge that gap via a trade, to add a receiver sometime in the third? Or will they stay at 61 and pick the receiver they like?

Should Derrick Harmon just buy a house in Pittsburgh already?

Last week we highlighted a pre-draft rumor involving the Pittsburgh Steelers, which linked Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon to the team. According to radio host Andrew Fillipponi, the Oregon DT has emerged as the “clear favorite” for the team in the first round:

Now another NFL insider has added their voice to the chorus.

Writing in The Washington Post, NFL Insider Jason LaCanfora also connected Harmon to the Steelers. LaCanfora relayed one analysis of Harmon from an NFL evaluator, which held that “[Harmon] fits whatever defense you want to run if you know what you’re doing.”

Certainly seems like there is a lot of smoke around this pairing.

It is also worth noting that Gerry Dulac in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote Saturday that while the team has a first-round grade on Jaxson Dart and “likes” Sanders, taking a quarterback at No. 21 is “unlikely.”

Could the Jaguars surprise everyone?

Adam Schefter’s column on Monday on ESPN+ (subscription required) is filled with fascinating bits of pre-draft intel.

One such bit involves the Jacksonville Jaguars. Conventional wisdom holds that the Jaguars will draft Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham with the fifth-overall selection. But Schefter relays this message from a league executive: “Jacksonville is a wild card — watch.”

Who might the Jaguars pick in that spot? Schefter mentions Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who has the ESPN insider notes has drawn comparisons to Mike Evans. That might be the kind of player that new Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen — who coached Evans last year in Tampa Bay — was to build his new Jaguars offense around.

A surprise team to watch for Ashton Jeanty

Again from Schefter’s column, the ESPN insider lists a surprise team to watch for Ashton Jeanty.

The Chicago Bears.

“There are multiple personnel people who believe the Bears are praying that Jeanty slips to them at No. 10,” writes Schefter. “They think new Bears coach Ben Johnson could feature Jeanty and D’Andre Swift as a two-headed duo the way the Lions did with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs when Johnson was Detroit’s offensive coordinator.”

What Chicago does in Johnson’s first draft with the Bears will be fascinating to watch. The idea that Johnson will push Ryan Poles to build an offense similar to what he had in Detroit makes a great deal of sense, and when you look at the Bears’ options at No. 10, the offensive line and tight end also stand out.

But the value Jeanty offers might be too hard to pass up if he were to slide to No. 10.

Trade candidates to watch

In another bit of ESPN+ content, draft analyst Matt Miller identified three teams that might be looking to trade on Thursday night: Two teams looking to move down, and one team looking to move up.

According to Miller, the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings are looking to move down. Carolina, a team linked with wide receivers and pass rushers, is looking to add more picks on Day 2 of the draft given the depth at those two position groups. The Panthers currently have nine draft picks, including two in the fourth round and three in the fifth round, but have just No. 57 and No. 74 on Day 2.

The other trade-down candidate? The Minnesota Vikings. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has just four picks to work with: One in the first round (No. 24), one in the third round (No. 97), one in the fifth round (No. 139), and one in the sixth round (No. 187). Minnesota would love to add more picks via a trade-down if possible, and No. 24 might be a good spot for a team coming up to draft a quarterback.

As far as a team looking to move up — not for a quarterback — Miller lists the Kansas City Chiefs as that team. With a need along the offensive line, Miller believes the Chiefs would move up if an OT they like slides down the board.

The ESPN analyst taps the Houston Texans at No. 25 and the Los Angeles Rams at No. 26 as potential trading partners with the Chiefs.