Three things to know about NFL Draft heading to Washington, D.C., plus ranking every NFC team post-draft

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

If you’re like me and you like to plan everything two years in advance, I have some good news for you: We now know the location of the 2027 NFL Draft. It will be in Washington, D.C. and although the event is still two years away, I’d go ahead and book a hotel now just to be safe. 

In today’s newsletter, we’ll be taking a look at the new draft location, plus we’ll be ranking every NFC team and examining which draft classes could have the most impact in 2025.  

As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. 

1. NFL Draft heading to D.C. for first time since 1940: Three things to know

Last Monday, the Commanders opened the week by making a big announcement, and today, they’re doing the same thing. This team loves big announcements. For the first time in more than 85 years, the NFL Draft is going to be headed to Washington, D.C. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

• Washington, D.C. to host 2027 NFL Draft. Commanders owner Josh Harris is heading to the White House today to make an announcement with President Donald Trump to announce that D.C. will be getting the draft in two years. This will mark the first time that the nation’s capital has hosted the NFL Draft since December 1940, which means by the time April 2027 rolls around, D.C. will have gone 86.5 years without hosting a draft. For you trivia buffs out there, the Chicago Bears selected Tom Harmon with the No. 1 overall pick the last time Washington hosted the draft. 
• D.C. beat out one other city. Denver was believed to be the only other city in the running to host the 2027 draft. One huge advantage that Washington, D.C. has over other cities is its unique setup and the NFL plans to take advantage of that. According to the Washington Post, the staging area for the draft is expected to be held at the National Mall. 
• Commanders making headlines again. This is the second big announcement from the Commanders in just seven days. Back on April 28, the team unveiled plans for a new $3.7 billion stadium project that will be constructed at the old RFK stadium site in D.C. where the Commanders played from 1961 to 1996. If the Washington, D.C. city council approves the plan, the new stadium could open in time for the 2030 season. Once the stadium is complete, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hinted that the Commanders will likely end up hosting a Super Bowl. 

The Commanders were once a floundering organization, but things have turned around dramatically since Josh Harris bought the team for $6.05 billion from Dan Snyder in July 2023. 

Before Washington gets the draft, Pittsburgh will be getting one first with the Steel City slated to host the event in 2026. 

2. Ranking the 10 most impactful draft classes

Over the past nine days, we’ve ranked every team’s draft class, we’ve graded every team’s draft class, but now, we’re going to do something different: We’re going to rank each team’s draft class based on how much impact their rookies can have on the field THIS YEAR. 

Here’s the ranking that Chris Trapasso came up with, and Raiders fans, this list should have you feeling good about the team’s future, which isn’t something Raiders fans have been able to feel good about over the past few years. 

1. RAIDERS
Impactful rookies: RB Ashton Jeanty, WR Jack Bech, OG Caleb Rogers, WR Dont’e Thornton, CB Darien Porter, DT Tonka Hemingway
Trapasso’s take: “GM John Spytek, the least known of the fresh faces at the top of the organization, hit a home run down the Vegas strip with his inaugural draft class. Jeanty is lightning in a bottle at running back. Bech already possesses the fine details of the receiver position many NFL veterans don’t have, and Rogers played 4,300-plus snaps at four different positions at Texas Tech.”

2. BILLS
Impactful rookies: CB Maxwell Hairston, DT T.J. Sanders, EDGE Landon Jackson, DT Deone Walker, S/CB Jordan Hancock, CB Dorian Strong
Trapasso’s take: “Defense was the top priority for the Bills this offseason — and GM Brandon Beane attacked it with serious vigor from the free-agent adds of Joey Bosa to his first six selections on that side of the ball in the 2025 draft. Hairston is a supercharged outside cornerback with scheme and role flexibility. Sanders was probably the best pure pass-rushing interior defensive linemen in the draft when considering both athleticism and developed hand work at the point of attack.”

3. PATRIOTS
Impactful rookies: OT Will Campbell, RB TreVeyeon Henderson, WR Kyle Williams, S Craig Woodson, DT Josh Farmer
Trapasso’s take: “The first two picks are seminal selections to the Drake Maye era, as they all directly impact New England’s second-year starter. Campbell won’t have technical or athletic issues at left tackle. He’s a smooth operator on the edge with immense SEC experience for a relatively younger blocker. Henderson stars in pass protection and when asked to catch the football, two elements that’ll get him on the field early and often.”

If you want to check out Trapasso’s entire top 10 list, be sure to click here.

3. Biggest question facing each NFL team after the draft

Every team has spent all offseason trying to fill their biggest needs, but even after free agency and the draft, each team is still facing plenty of questions. With that in mind, Cody Benjamin decided to take a look at the BIGGEST question that each team is now facing with the draft in the rearview mirror: 

• Bills: Do they have enough non-Josh Allen playmakers? “Yes, this team racked up points late in 2024. James Cook and Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid are solid. For a team looking to go from perpetual runner-up to true title contender, they’re just betting a lot on some risky upgrades at premium spots: Joshua Palmer (passable), Joey Bosa (aging/oft-injured) and Maxwell Hairston (rookie).”
• Bears: Can Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson work in tandem? “The Bears have undeniably fortified their young quarterback’s supporting cast, beefing up the O-line with vets like Joe Thuney and adding dynamism to a youthful pass-catching corps. We might be overlooking that Williams still has a new coach; it’s imperative they mesh schematically to maximize the Windy City’s tantalizing talent.”
• Lions: Does Aidan Hutchinson have enough help? “The Lions struggled to find a reliable partner (and then replacement) for their star pass rusher throughout 2024. And it’s arguable they still need to address that spot. Still, the offense looks to be in solid shape even after Ben Johnson’s departure, with rookie Tate Ratledge joining Jared Goff’s all-star supporting cast in the trenches.”
• Chiefs: Is the offensive line actually any better? “Retaining Trey Smith was wise, and rock-solid anchor Creed Humphrey remains at center. But they’re betting a lot on rookie Josh Simmons as a short- and long-term left tackle for Patrick Mahomes, considering their answer to a Super Bowl flop was dealing All-Pro Joe Thuney and signing a career reserve in Jaylon Moore.”

Cody asked 32 questions — one for each team — and you can see them all here. 

4. Ranking every NFC team post-draft: Bears on rise; Saints at bottom

In Friday’s newsletter, we closed out the week by handing out our post-draft ranking of every AFC team, and now, we’re going to flip things around by ranking every NFC team. 

Let’s check out the bottom three teams in Tyler Sullivan’s rankings:

14. Panthers. “The massive question surrounding the Panthers is whether or not Bryce Young’s run at the end of last season was a flash in the pan or a turning of the tide. … There’s a chance he turns back into a pumpkin, which keeps them lower in the power rankings.”

15. Giants. “The Giants may be toward the bottom of these power rankings, but there is promise of a brighter tomorrow. … With the quarterback situation being at least a little more stable, New York made great strides on defense. They selected Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall to slot him along a defensive line that features Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence.”

16. Saints. “Are you ready for some Tyler Shough? Because that’s who it feels like will be New Orleans’ starter in 2025. Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that reportedly has his season in jeopardy, creating a rough start for first-year head coach Kellen Moore.”

If you want to see Tyler’s full NFC rankings, including the top team, we’ve got them here. 

5. NFL offseason grades: Broncos are head of the class in AFC West

We’re going to be spending the next few days grading every NFL team based on how they’ve done this offseason. These grades will encompass how each team did not only in the draft, but also in free agency. After starting things off by grading the AFC East and NFC East last week, we’re going to roll on with the AFC West today. 

• Broncos: A-. “It helps that the Broncos didn’t lose much in the way of important contributors this offseason. … Evan Engram leaves something to be desired, efficiency-wise, but he should be a reliable underneath target for a quarterback who likes to throw underneath routes. And then they added several back-end contributors to a defense that was already among the league’s best. They’ll be a trendy playoff pick come this fall.”
• Chiefs: B. “With the exception of trading Joe Thuney for salary-cap reasons, it’s hard to find much to quibble with when it comes to Kansas City’s offseason. The most questionable move was the splurge for Jaylon Moore in free agency, but the Chiefs followed it up by picking a player (Josh Simmons) who might have been the first tackle off the board were it not for a knee injury. “
• Raiders: B. “Upgrading the disaster at quarterback alone should be worth a few wins, putting the Raiders in position to be significantly more competitive. Throw in retaining Maxx Crosby, drafting Ashton Jeanty and more, and there’s quite a bit to like here.”
• Chargers: B-. “It was surprising to see them invest in offensive skill players with their first two draft picks, given Jim Harbaugh’s general philosophy, and they emerged from the draft still having question marks on the interior of the offensive and defensive lines. This is a team that got better, but given the amount of resources that were on hand, probably could have done even more.”

If you want the full explanation for each team’s grade, you can check out Jared Dubin’s story here.  

6. Extra points: Ravens open up about Justin Tucker’s future

It’s a busy time in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that’s happening, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• John Harbaugh says Justin Tucker decision will be based on football. The Ravens coach said the team still hasn’t heard anything from the NFL about the league’s investigation into Tucker. “We don’t know anything along those lines,” Harbaugh said. “So, we can’t make any decisions based on that. Every decision we make has to be made on football. There’s a lot of layers to that.” If Tucker gets cut, it’s going to be because he gets beat out by rookie kicker Tyler Loop. You can read Harbaugh’s full comments here. 
• Abdul Carter gets denied for a number again. After requesting No. 56 and getting shot down by Lawrence Taylor, Carter has now been shot down by another Giants legend. Carter wore No. 11 at Penn State, but that number is retired for Phil Simms in New York. During an interview Friday, Simms hinted that he might let Carter wear 11, but then he changed his mind over the weekend after talking to his family. You can read the details on Carter’s number drama here. 
• Adam Thielen might retire after 2025 season. The two-time Pro Bowler might hang up his cleats for good following the upcoming NFL season. The 34-year-old, who’s going into his 12th NFL season, said that 2025 “could be” his final season. The receiver spent the first nine years of his career in Minnesota, but is now going into his third season with the Panthers. 
• Julian Edelman to be inducted into Patriots’ Hall of Fame. The Patriots are honoring Edelman’s 12-year career in New England by inducting him into the team Hall of Fame. The former Super Bowl MVP will be inducted along with Bill Parcells. Edelman came out of college as a quarterback from Kent State, but he made the switch to receiver, and after that, the rest was history. 
• Browns linebacker arrested. Devin Bush was arrested on Sunday in Pennsylvania and charged with simple assault and harassment. The Browns said they are “aware and gathering more info” on the situation. We’ve got the full details here. The former first-round pick was taken 10th overall by the Steelers in 2019, but left Pittsburgh after just four seasons. He spent the 2024 season in Cleveland and started 10 games. 
• Chiefs and Cowboys get their first-round picks under contract. Kansas City and Dallas didn’t waste any time getting a contract done with their first-round picks. The Cowboys got a four-year, $22.5 million deal done with Tyler Booker on Friday while the Chiefs waited until Sunday to get a four-year, $14.68 million deal done with Josh Simmons. With rookie contracts being slotted, there isn’t a lot of negotiation involved in the deal, but it’s still a surprise to see two guys sign so quickly.