NFL Draft intel: Bold predictions for every NFC team

Every NFL Draft has a huge surprise or three, so what about this year's event in Detroit?

Will the Dallas Cowboys trade one of their stars before the first round? Is WR Brandon Aiyuk staying put in San Francisco? Who will the Chicago Bears get in the draft if they move up from No. 9 overall in the first round?

As the clock to the start of Thursday's first round winds down, here are bold predictions and intel for every team in the NFC courtesy of Yardbarker's NFL writers.

NFC East  

DALLAS COWBOYS | Team makes blockbuster trade | With wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons expecting contracts in excess of $100M in 2025, the salary-cap-challenged Cowboys use one of their star players to move up the board while adding draft capital. Dallas may be frustrated with Parsons and team owner Jerry Jones has openly described Lamb as an asset. So, could a deal for their star linebacker come during the draft?

NEW YORK GIANTS | Trade back for wide receiver | With holes all over the roster, New York trades out of the top 10 for additional assets. While Washington WR Rome Odunze or LSU WR Malik Nabers will be tempting, lesser-touted wideouts such as Texas' Xavier Worthy and LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. would look pretty good in Giants blue, especially with added picks.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | Jeremiah Trotter Jr. no matter what |General manager Howie Roseman may have a bias toward legacy players such as Trotter, but he doesn’t have a third-round pick. That's where the Clemson linebacker – the son of former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter – is expected to be drafted. With little talent at the position, Philadelphia uses the second of its second-round picks (53) to add their native son to new coordinator Vic Fangio's defense.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | McCarthy is their man | If LSU QB Jayden Daniels is really Washington's guy, why insult him by bringing in North Carolina's Drake Maye and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy for visits? Before taking over as Commanders GM, Adam Peters worked in San Francisco, where Brock Purdy – a traditional pocket passer like McCarthy – saved the franchise from Trey Lance, a dual-threat quarterback like Daniels. — Bruce Ewing

NFC West

ARIZONA CARDINALS | The Cardinals trade out of No. 4 | The Cardinals desperately need a wide receiver, but more teams are desperate for a top quarterback. The Cardinals will recognize that fact, trade back from No. 4 overall, collect a boat-load of draft picks and still be able to take advantage of an incredibly deep wide receiver class.

LOS ANGELES RAMS | They trade back in the first round | The current Rams regime has never hesitated to make moves involving its first-round picks and this year, the team actually has one for the first time since the 2016 class. That does not mean they are making the pick where they currently sit (No. 19 overall). Expect the Rams to move back and stockpile depth.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | Brandon Aiyuk gets dealt | There is enough smoke here for there to be a fire burning. Aiyuk wants a new contract, but the 49ers must be selective about whom they sign with a big deal for QB Brock Purdy on the horizon. Expect San Francisco to get a nice haul of draft picks for Aiyuk to keep building up depth.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | Seahawks move up … for quarterback | The Seahawks, who have the No. 16 overall pick in the first round, need a long-term answer at quarterback and are in a strong position to move up in the draft. The incentive to do so here is that they have a stop-gap option for this season (Geno Smith) and the 2025 class for quarterbacks is especially weak. — Adam Gretz

NFC North 

CHICAGO BEARS | Trade up from No. 9 for OT Joe Alt | The Bears have only four picks in the draft, so trading up from the ninth overall pick seems unlikely and borderline foolish. However, with quarterbacks and wideouts likely to go off the board over the first six picks, options to trade back may not be as enticing as once thought. Instead of getting stuck, general manager Ryan Poles will use some of 2025's draft stock (eight picks) to move up a few spots and land Alt, who – combined with Darnell Wright at RT – could provide security in front of expected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams for a decade or more.

DETROIT LIONS | Lions move up to pick top CB | The Lions won't wait until pick No. 29 to make their first selection but instead will make a big splash, trading up to grab Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell, one of the top cornerbacks in the class, per Pro Football Focus. Detroit has already upgraded the NFL's 27th-ranked pass defense, adding corners Carlton Davis (via trade) and Amik Robertson (via free agency), but the chance to bring in Mitchell – whose elite speed and physical traits make him an ideal No. 1 CB – will be too attractive to pass up.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS | Stand pat at No. 11 and No. 23 | Armed with two first-round picks and saddled with a dire need at QB, many pundits believe a trade-up for the Vikings is all but a certainty. However, instead of parting with a massive package to jump the board, general manager Kewesi Adofo-Mensah will stand pat and add a quarterback at No. 11 (such as Washington's Michael Penix Jr.?) while using No. 23 to improve the league's 24th-ranked pass defense with a cornerback (such as Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry?).

GREEN BAY PACKERS | Packers draft a WR at No. 25 | The Packers haven't selected a wide receiver in the first round since taking Florida State standout Javon Walker 20th overall in 2002. However, despite a wealth of options at wideout on roster (highlighted by Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks), GM Brian Gutekunst will opt to give his young QB, Jordan Love, another weapon in Texas WR Adonai Mitchell, who was one of only seven Power Five players to record 800-plus yards receiving and 11 or more touchdown catches in 2023. — Mike Santa Barbara

NFC South

ATLANTA FALCONS | Go defensive with first two picks | Widely predicted to take an edge-rusher with the No. 8 overall pick, the Falcons will double down on defense and grab a cornerback in Round 2. The team has a need opposite A.J. Terrell and it won’t take long to fill it.

CAROLINA PANTHERS | A bold trade down from No. 33 | Carolina general manager Dan Morgan should be a popular man on Thursday night following the first round. Teams will likely hound him for the first selection on Day 2 and the first-year GM shouldn't hesitate to turn that asset into multiple picks. Carolina – the worst team in the NFL last season (2-15) – needs all the help it can get.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | Add a top-100 draft pick | Based on the current draft order, following the Saints’ second-round selection (No. 45), they don’t pick again until No. 150. As NOLA's Jeff Duncan noted, New Orleans has more holes than quality picks but can rectify that by trading down for extra draft capital.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | Draft a quarterback on Day 3 | Baker Mayfield is set as the team’s starting QB, but the Bucs may look to improve their depth behind him. Ho-hum Kyle Trask and John Wolford are the backups, but don’t be surprised if Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen – who coached Devin Leary at Kentucky last season –reunites with his former quarterback in Tampa Bay. — Eric Smithling