NFC East news: First-round draft possibilities coming into focus
Omarion Hampton could give Commanders ‘serious horsepower’ – Zach Selby. Commanders.com
Giving Jayden Daniels a weapon out of the backfield may take the offense to a new level.
The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.
Another draft is on the horizon, which means the Washington Commanders have another chance to improve their roster and get closer to competing for a championship.
The Commanders put themselves among the best teams in the league last season, going from 4-13 in 2023 to earning an appearance in the NFC Championship in head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters’ first year leading the franchise. Although their season ended against the Philadelphia Eagles, they now have a clear foundation for the future with former No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels in the backfield.
Now, the Commanders are picking on the opposite end of the first round with the No. 29 overall selection. They got the most important piece last year with Daniels, but there are still several positions they need to address before the 2025 season begins.
In anticipation of that selection, Commanders.com will highlight one mock draft from a draft expert each week to delve into how that player, or players, would fit with Washington. This week, **Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald** have the Commanders taking one of the best running backs in a deep class.
Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
For all the positions the Washington Commanders could address with the 29th pick, running back is seemingly low on the list. The group is mostly unchanged with Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler at the top of the depth chart, and it fueled the team’s dominant rushing attack throughout the regular season.
But drafting for need is not general Adam Peters’ style. The Commanders want to fill their roster with good players, regardless of their position, in order to be as dynamic and explosive on both sides of the ball as possible. So, even though the draft is considered deep with talented running backs, it might make sense to take one of the best on the board.
Tice and McDonald certainly think so, which is why they have the Commanders taking Hampton out of UNC.
“This might feel like a luxury pick given the Commanders’ needs elsewhere, but they would have some serious horsepower on offense with the addition of Hampton,” Tice and McDonald wrote. “He has been a star of the draft process coming off the backs of a dominant season running the ball for UNC.”
Draft analyst proposes interesting ‘best fit’ at QB for New York Giants – Ed Valentine, BigBlueView.com
New York’s pick, likely a QB, may be a surprise to the NFL world.
The New York Giants have picks 3 and 34 in the 2025 NFL Draft. There are five quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft class expected to be in play in that range of the draft, and the Giants are expected to seek one of them.
What, though, if the Giants miss out on Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough?
Giants head coach Brian Daboll reminded at the owners’ meetings a few weeks ago that “everything’s gotta fall in line” to get the quarterback you want because “you don’t know when they’re gonna get taken.”
So, back to the question. What do the Giants do if they don’t get one of those top five quarterbacks.
Derek Klassen of The Athletic has an outside the box idea. In naming best fits for quarterbacks in the upcoming draft, Klassen matched the Giants and Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.
Klassen wrote:
Brian Daboll’s best work over the years — outside of his time with Josh Allen — was at Alabama in 2017, with Jalen Hurts, and in 2022, with Daniel Jones.
Though different quality players, Hurts and Jones can both generally be described as sturdy, athletic quarterbacks with the arm talent to push the ball down the field a little bit. Both players added something to the offense via their mobility, and Daboll took advantage.
Aside from maybe Milroe, Leonard is Daboll’s best swing at that kind of athlete. Leonard is 6-foot-4, 218 pounds with serious wheels. He’s fairly explosive in short areas and excels when he really gets to stride out, similar to Jones. He’s clearly a weapon in the designed-run game and the red zone.
Leonard still has a lot to prove as a passer, but his athletic ability and toughness gives him a floor to work with while he figures it out.
Leonard, interestingly, may have more love from the NFL itself than from the media-based draft scouting community. He is widely considered a likely Day 3 pick. The NFL Mock Draft Database lists him as QB10 and overall prospect No. 163, putting him somewhere around Round 5. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has a Round 4-5 grade on Leonard.
Eagles NFL Draft Plan Growing Perfectly Clear – Aiden Kauffman, AthlonSports.com
With less than two weeks until the 2025 NFL Draft, one thing has become abundantly clear: the Philadelphia Eagles are zeroing in on defensive reinforcements with their first-round selection. Following their Super Bowl victory, the defending champions hold the 32nd overall pick, and all signs point toward Howie Roseman reverting to his time-tested philosophy of building through the trenches—specifically on the defensive side of the ball.
The name appearing most consistently in mock drafts is Walter Nolen, the disruptive defensive tackle from Ole Miss. Nolen’s connection to Philadelphia makes perfect sense on multiple levels. First, the Eagles just watched Super Bowl standout Milton Williams depart for a lucrative contract with the Patriots. Second, Nolen’s skill set as a penetrating interior defender with explosive quickness and surprising strength matches exactly what defensive coordinator Vic Fangio covets in his scheme.
While Moro Ojomo showed promising development as a seventh-round find, the reality is that defensive tackle remains a rotational position where Philadelphia has historically invested premium resources. Nolen would instantly contribute to the Eagles’ defensive line rotation while learning behind established veterans.
What’s most telling about these mock draft projections isn’t just the names being connected to Philadelphia, but what they represent: a return to fundamentals. After investing heavily in the secondary during the 2024 draft, Roseman appears poised to reinforce the defensive front—the bedrock of Philadelphia’s championship formula.
The Eagles’ defensive-minded approach reflects both immediate roster needs and long-term organizational vision. By continuing to stockpile talent along the defensive line, Philadelphia ensures its ability to generate pressure with its front four—a critical component of Fangio’s defensive philosophy.