NFL Mock Draft: 5 teams who are better off trading down than making their pick as is

Where you land matters. There may be one or two guys taken in the first round of a given NFL Draft that are just going to succeed anyway, no matter who picks them. Barring injuries, of course, the two players I do not think will bust under any circumstance are Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter and a very distant second of Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. Those feel like incredibly safe picks.

However, I think were every other first-round hopeful goes matters a ton. Organizations that know what they are doing tend to be far better landing spots than dysfunctional franchises or those who are consistently inconsistent. While there is plenty of talent to be had in the 2025 NFL Draft, it feels like a year where you can get good players in the trenches on both sides of the ball more than most.

After scanning through Cody William's latest NFL mock draft for FanSided.com, I found myself thinking there could be a handful of teams who could trade back, gain more capital and still end up getting their guy. Getting additional capital in return for moving back can help build a roster faster, as well as help mitigate a potentially terrible pick before it destroys the bad franchise's current regime.

Here are five teams that I think could move back and still draft the guy my False Start co-host picked.

5. No. 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison

I am a big fan of Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison as a prospect, but I think that at team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could potentially trade back from No. 19 and still get him. This is because there is a huge separation between the top two corners in this draft in Michigan's Will Johnson and however we want to classify Colorado superstar Travis Hunter, and then wherever Morrison lands.

With the Buccaneers having to hire yet another offensive coordinator in as many seasons with Liam Coen leaving Tampa Bay for the Jacksonville Jaguars job after only one season, there may be bigger fish to fry to this team that moving back for Morrison. Other teams in-division like the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers are trending up. Tampa Bay needs to be smart, hold steady and draft well.

Morrison may be the right pick for them, but I would much rather the Buccaneers take him in the 20s.

4. No. 21 Pittsbugh Steelers: Alabama QB Jalen Milroe

Chill out, Yinzers! This is not the same as reaching on local product Kenny Pickett out of Pitt in 2022. I have always thought that Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe could be special in this league. While I may be higher on him than many NFL Draft pundits, the Pittsburgh Steelers could potentially move back a few spots from No. 21 to draft him. He is very much QB3 on my big board, so keep that in mind.

Milroe might be ideal to run Arthur Smith's ground-centric offense. To me, Milroe is a less damaged version of what the Steelers had last year in Justin Fields. While Fields' arm is a bit more lively, Milroe went up against better competition in the SEC than Fields did in the Big Ten. That being said, I think you could move back a few spots before a team like the Los Angeles Rams are picking and be safe.

Getting any additional compensation for moving back to get Milroe would be incredibly ideal here.

3. No. 6 Las Vegas Raiders: Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan

I love the player, I am okay with the fit, but I am not okay with the Las Vegas Raiders using the No. 6 overall pick on Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. He should be the first true wide receiver taken in the draft, although I am sure cornerback/wide receiver hybrid Travis Hunter will be off the board before the Silver and Black are on the clock. This has everything to do with not having a quarterback!

With Pete Carroll taking over as head coach and John Spytek taking over as general manager, the Raiders simply do not have enough time to not actively pursue a quarterback this spring. Again, I love McMillan as a prospect, but he did not help the Arizona Wildcats do much of anything in their first year in the Big 12. This is a college team that won nine games under Jedd Fisch two seasons ago.

It may not happen, but the Raiders could still get McMillan if they trade back a bit inside of the top 10.

2. No. 15 Atlanta Falcons: Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr.

Of course, we had to talk about my team, the Atlanta Falcons. While I will come around on any defensive front-seven player the Dirty Birds take in the first round, I have some trepidation about Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. being the guy. Whatever the Falcons can do wrong when it comes to evaluating edge rushers will go wrong. I would be much happier if they drafted Pearce after No. 15.

While one of the best edge rushers in Falcons franchise history made a name for himself in Tennessee in Chuck Smith, I would be remiss if Atlanta overlooked top prospects from Georgia once again. If Pearce really is the guy, then that is great. I just do not think I can live in a world where Jalon Walker or Mykel Williams fall to the Philadelphia Eagles. Pearce is fine, but I wonder about scheme fit.

Atlanta must move back from No. 15 anyway to recoup some precious draft capital after last season.

1. No. 12 Dallas Cowboys: Marshall EDGE Mike Green

Who knows what the Dallas Cowboys are even doing, honestly? As Cody Williams smiles through the dysfunction like the Hide the Pain Harold he is unfortunately becoming, Mike Green was not even on my radar to be drafted inside the first round! He may be a fast mover up draft boards. While Marshall does have the longest active winning streak in college football, Charles Huff's exodus was so strange.

No. 12 is where I could see the Cowboys drafting someone like Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, Missouri wideout Luther Burden III or even Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty to help reignite a stagnant offense. The drafting of Green may offset potentially losing DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency. I understand what Cody was trying to do here, but the Cowboys have to trade back.

If the Cowboys end up being locked-in on Green out of Marshall, it serves them to move way back.