NFL Draft Rumors – Ashton Jeanty, Shadeur Sanders, Matthew Golden

I love April. Nature truly starts to awaken after its long winter’s nap. The sun has warmth to it again, and the NFL Draft comes around. The NFL Draft brings NFL Draft rumors. Where are the top players going to land? We won’t find out for sure until Thursday, but it is sure fun to speculate until then.

I love the NFL Draft. Probably because I’ve been a Buffalo Bills fan since I was five years old. I remember a lot of Novembers where the only thing to look forward to as a Bills fan was the NFL Draft. We’ve had no real football for two full months now. What NFL Draft rumors are we hearing?

NFL Draft Rumors

Raiders and Bears Both Love Ashton Jeanty

Unfortunately for Jerry Jones, I don’t believe destiny has Ashton Jeanty going to the Dallas Cowboys. At this point, his floor is the 10th overall pick to the Chicago Bears. And, it would be a shock if Jeanty doesn’t go to the Las Vegas Raiders at 6. Both would be superb landing spots for the rookie RB, but Las Vegas has higher upside. Ben Johnson’s heavy use of a two-RB rotation in Detroit would limit Jeanty’s ceiling in Chicago.

Colts and a TE are a Match Made in Heaven

If we dial the calendar back a full year, we see the Indianapolis Colts ready to pounce on TE wunderkind Brock Bowers. Until suddenly the Raiders surprised everyone and snagged Bowers despite having spent a premium pick on Mike Myers the year before!

After yet another disappointing year from their TE room, the Colts once again are heavily into the rookie TE market. This time, there are two tight ends leading the pack instead of just one. Neither is on the level of Bowers, but either one of Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland would improve the Colts’ TE corps from the get-go.

High-End RBs are in Demand

Are you a dynasty fantasy football player and rostering Chase Brown, excitedly looking forward to a full season of the third-year RB in the backfield? Or maybe you’re a Javonte Williams owner hoping he’ll regain lost magic in Dallas? Perhaps you’re a best ball aficionado and have been grinding the early-season drafts and taking one or both with an eye on their upside. If so, you may want to look away from this one.

Both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cowboys have made it clear they’re putting the top rookie RBs through their paces. Quinshon Judkins, TreVeon Henderson, and Omarion Hampton all visited each team. This is the “silly season,” so it’s very possible this is just a smoke screen. But it’s time to make plans at RB outside of those two if you roster them.

Derek Carr’s Shoulder and Shedeur Sanders’ “Slide”

Two weeks before the NFL Draft, news suddenly broke that Derek Carr has an injured shoulder. The nature of the injury itself is a complete mystery. All we “know” is that there’s a chance he misses time into the season and surgery may be necessary. So what does this mean for the NFL Draft?

Well, there are layers to it. The first is that the only other quarterbacks on the New Orleans Saints roster are Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Both saw action in 2024 and frankly, were terrible. Neither gave any indication they had enough physical and mental skills to play QB in the NFL. That means QB is squarely on New Orleans’ radar at pick 9 in the first round.

The second layer is that Shedeur Sanders is reportedly sliding down draft boards. There was a point a week or two ago where draftniks thought he might slide out of the first round altogether, or that Jaxson Dart could leapfrog him.

So we come back to the Carr injury, and now the Saints are working out Sanders again. It is possible this is all just a ruse, but we have to consider that pick 9 is very possibly a QB. If the Cleveland Browns want their pick of QBs, they’ll need to take one earlier than planned. Or, a team like Pittsburgh needs to trade up into the Top 10 if they want their pick. I’m fascinated to see how this one evolves.

Matthew Golden is a Hot Commodity

Several teams seem to be looking for “WR1” or, at the very least, WR help early. Tetairoa McMillan was the hot name in the draft space throughout the college season. Once the NFL Combine hit, Matthew Golden flashed outstanding speed and made draft evaluators go back to look at his film. 

The Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all met with Golden multiple times, including each using one of their “Top 30” visits (link to Steelers Top 30 visits tracker). In addition, the Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans all went out of their way to meet and work out Golden. If there’s a WR who’s going to leapfrog McMillan in the draft, keep your eye on Golden.

Shedeur Sanders and Cleveland?

Cleveland did work out and spend a Top 30 visit with Sanders, this is true. However, they only did so after it came out that Derek Carr injured his shoulder. They’ve spent just as much time with Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, Cam Ward, and even Tyler Shough. The big difference is that they spent time working out and visiting with the non-Sanders QBs much earlier in the evaluation process. This looks like a case of a Cleveland smokescreen, which sounds like a euphemism, but I promise it’s not.

Sanders has the widest variance of any likely first round player in the 2025 NFL Draft. He could go Top 8 when a team leapfrogs the Saints, or he could go in the mid-20s as a team trades back into the first round to secure him. Or he could even fall out of the first round altogether. None of those outcomes would shock me.

Top 10 Teams Want to Trade Down

What do the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers all have in common? The heading is a giveaway. They’re all picking in the Top 10, they all have numerous important holes on their rosters, and they all want to trade out of the Top 10.

I’ve talked a lot about Shedeur Sanders, but he’s not the only QB who could see their stock rise thanks to teams being desperate for signal callers. Remember in 2024 when we thought Michael Penix and Bo Nix were going to be second round picks? Both ended up going in the Top 12.

Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe are not on their level as draft prospects, but some teams still need a QB just as badly as they did last year. If any of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, or Mason Rudolph are starting Week 1 without a clear plan for the future, we have to see it as a failed season for their franchises.

NFL Draft Live Blog

Make sure to check out my NFL Draft Live Blog on Thursday and Friday. I’ll post commentary for all picks in Round 1 and focus more on fantasy impact skill players through Round 2 and 3. NFL Draft starts Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern. Can’t wait!