With only 5 picks in the 2025 NFL draft, the Washington Commanders are a prime candidate to try to trade back from the first round and collect more assets for general manager Adam Peters to utilize. There should be a handful of teams that want to move back up to pick 29, depending on how the board falls on draft night. With the possibility of a quarterback, wide receiver, or edge rusher falling to 29, there should be a team wanting to take advantage of a fifth-year option on a premier position being drafted in the first round.
Here's a look at teams that might call Washington's phone on night one of the draft.
It's no surprise that the Browns are on this list due to their need for a quarterback and the unlikely chance they have to take one at pick 2 with Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter on the board. Cleveland has done extensive homework on quarterbacks this offseason, and we could see a run on quarterbacks with the Saints at No. 9 and the Steelers at 21. However, the right situation would allow the Browns to move back into the first round and take Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe. Although it's very unlikely to receive picks 94 or 104 from the Browns, a trade package for 29 could include picks 33, 179, 192, and a 2026 fifth-round pick (which Washington also needs), to move back only four spots. Washington could still take a top player here, while adding valuable picks for this year's draft and next.
The Giants are in the same situation as the Browns, needing a quarterback, but also selecting too high in the draft at pick 3 to take one with the chance that Abdul Carter falls to them. There is still a chance that the Giants' brass will end up taking Shedeur Sanders at 3, but if not, they will be eager to move back into the first round to get their guy. Adam Peters showed in his first draft in Washington that he isn't concerned with making a trade with a division rival, as long as it helps the team out. Washington could trade back five spots to pick 34, and maybe get lucky enough to land pick 105 in doing so. If not, the Commanders can get a package that includes picks 154 and a 2026 fourth-round pick, which could still be well worth it.
The Titans are the team kicking things off in the draft with the first overall pick, and all signs point to them selecting quarterback Cam Ward. Even with selecting a quarterback in the first round, the Titans still need help at a lot of positions that could be sitting there at 29, including a wide receiver like Luther Burden III, or an edge rusher that ends up falling in the first. New Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi is unlikely to want to sit around and wait to win after his time with the Chiefs, and he will need to make some notable moves after drafting Cam Ward to hit the ground running next season. Washington could acquire picks 35 and 103 for 29 straight up, or receive more of a package in picks 35, 121, and 140, to help fill in the missing gaps after pick 61.
Las Vegas is another team that I could see being aggressive with massive new changes in town this offseason, including the reunion of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith. The Raiders are a wild card team at pick No. 6, and could either go with running back Ashton Jeanty, or go with a higher positional value pick on defense first. If they decide to pass on Jeanty, the Raiders could move back up to 29 to take a running back before the run starts, or take a top wide receiver that falls as well. Washington trading pick 29 for 37, 108, and 143 would be a really valuable haul, and still be within the range to take a player who fell, such as James Pearce Jr., Maxwell Hairston, or Jayden Higgins. Adam Peters would have seven picks in the draft and the opportunity to find those value picks on Day 3.
The Saints have the opportunity to shake up the entire draft with pick No. 9 being such an unknown right now. There's a lot of smoke surrounding Shedeur Sanders being a top option now, following the news that quarterback Derek Carr is likely out for the whole season. However, people still believe that the Saints have too many needs to take a quarterback at No. 9. If New Orleans takes a top defender on the board in the first round, then they would love to move back up to 29 to select Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe. Pick No. 40 might seem like a long way to trade back to, but it would be worth it if Peters can trade pick 29 for picks 40, 93, and a 2026 sixth-round pick, or a package of picks 112, 131, and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
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A lot will all depend on how the board falls in one of the most unpredictable first rounds in NFL history, but Peters will have a tough decision to make as the time ticks down, and the phones start blowing up when Washington is on the clock at pick 29.
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