Latest NFL Draft rumors on Jaxson Dart, Will Campbell, and a surprise trade candidate

Welcome to draft week. Let’s take a ride on the rumor carousel

Welcome to Draft Week.

You may feel like you have made it, dear reader, but there are still some miles to run until we reach the finish line. But we can do it, together.

Here is a look at the latest rumors around the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jaxson Dart: A first-round QB with a third-round grade?

As we have discussed at length in these pre-draft rumor roundups, the history of quarterbacks being pushed into the first round is lengthy. Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, and Jalen Milroe are the latest passers on that list, with all three being discussed as potential first-round QBs on Thursday night.

The bulk of the buzz centers on Dart, the Mississippi passer who continues to pop up in the first round in mock drafts. The latest mock to have Dart in the first round comes from Tyler Dragon, who has been covering the league for USA Today for years. Dragon has Dart coming off the board with the final pick in the first round, as the New York Giants trade back into the first to select the Mississippi QB.

However, it is important to remember the difference between being a first-round pick and having a first-round grade. Talk to scouts and you will learn that for most teams, around 15 players have an actual first-round grade. But with 32 picks on Thursday night, some players without a first-round grade are going to come off the board.

That is especially true for quarterbacks, given the need at the position. And according to some of the rumors around Dart, that will indeed be the case if he is picked in the first round. According to ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler, while Dart could come off the board in the first 15 picks, many teams have a second or third-round grade on him.

“There’s a lot of intrigue and buzz around Jaxson Dart,” Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter “The Saints have done a lot of homework on this quarterback in particular. And the Steelers have a strong grade on him as well. So, somebody could make a move on Dart even though a lot of teams do have a second-round or third-round grade on the quarterback.”

This also comes as Dart’s name was removed from the list of players who would be attending the draft this week.

Patriots zeroing in on Will Campbell

While the exact order is yet to be determined, consensus holds that the top three picks will be Miami QB Cam Ward, Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter Jr., and Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter. Whether Hunter comes off the board second to the Cleveland Browns, or it is Carter, remains to be seen.

Now it seems that the stars are aligning for the fourth-overall selection.

In his Friday pre-draft conference call Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network joined the chorus of analysts pointing to the New England Patriots drafting LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell in that spot.

“With the Patriots, I just have continually heard that offensive tackle was going to be addressed, and I have continually heard that that’s Will Campbell’s spot,” said Jeremiah.

“So it’s not universal around the league, but the feeling in talking to folks is that Will Campbell is really well-liked inside that building in New England,” added the NFL Network analyst.

We are getting closer to putting the Jacksonville Jaguars on the clock, at least in theory.

A surprise pick at No. 6 could alter the Jets’ plans

Ashton Jeanty coming off the board to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 is one of the picks you see in mock drafts that feels like it is set in stone. In fact, Raiders general manager John Spytek fanned those flames himself last week. Speaking with The Athletic, Spytek talked about the importance of running backs, and pointed to what the Philadelphia Eagles did last season after adding Saquon Barkley.

“I’m going to be careful about talking about any specific player, but more broadly to the running back question: We just saw Saquon Barkley change the Eagles in one year,” Spytek said when speaking with The Athletic. “Now, they had a great team around him and added an elite player. And I think where we sit, the idea is to add elite players at any position. I don’t try to devalue any certain position. … There’s certain ways to build a team, and I don’t know where we got to a place where we don’t feel like running backs are valuable.”

With Jeanty coming off the board at No. 6, most mock drafts have the New York Jets taking the best offensive lineman available, often Missouri tackle Armand Membou.

But what if the Raiders shock everyone and take an offensive lineman, perhaps Membou, at No. 6?

That is the rumor discussed by Jets insider Rich Cimini of ESPN, who pointed to Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, or Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., as options at No. 7 if Membou were to be picked ahead of the Jets by the Raiders.

Cimini has often pointed to tight end as a position of need for the Jets, which might also offer a window into the thinking in New York:

Is Atlanta a trade-down candidate?

Most mock drafts have the Atlanta Falcons staying put at No. 15 and adding a pass rusher, given their need on the edge and the depth of that

position in this draft class. However, if you look at the current draft order, the mid-teens could see a run on pass rushers.

After Atlanta at No. 15 there are two other teams — Arizona at No. 16 and Cincinnati at No. 17 — that could add pass rushers in those spots.

Could that open the door to the Falcons trading down for teams hoping to get a pass rusher, and jump in front of both Arizona and Cincinnati? That is the idea floated by ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid as well as Sportskeeda draft insider Tony Pauline. As Pauline notes:

“I’ve mentioned several times that I believe the Arizona Cardinals, who hold pick No. 16, could be a flashpoint for a team that wants to jump in front of the Cincinnati Bengals and draft an edge rusher,” wrote Pauline late last week. “Yet people believe the Atlanta Falcons, the team selecting just ahead of the Cardinals, could be the spot teams jump up to. They point to the fact that the Falcons would be open to moving down, as they own just five draft picks this year, including a pair in the final round, and they could still get a good frontline defensive player late in the first.”

Teams that might move up for a pass rusher? Teams like Baltimore, Detroit, and Washington are often linked to pass rushers in mock drafts.