One year ago, I tabbed the Commanders, Broncos and Chargers as three teams that needed to nail the 2024 NFL Draft. And guess what? They kinda did.

The Commanders and Broncos each secured their long-term quarterback solutions and found other help in their respective draft classes. The Chargers added multiple contributors on each side of the ball. All three of those teams saw notable win-total jumps and ended up in the playoffs.

Likewise, I also featured teams such as the Bears, Vikings and Cardinals on last year’s list. The Vikings and Cardinals also saw big improvements in their win totals but didn’t receive much from their rookie classes in Year 1. On the flip side, the Bears might have secured their QB and WR1 of the future … but also watched the season collapse (after a 4-2 start) into a 5-12 debacle.

So improvement and success are relative, and draft classes never can be judged based on one year’s worth of production. But we certainly have a solid idea heading into the 2025 NFL Draft of which teams are facing the most external and internal pressure, which ones have suffered the most net offseason losses or secured the fewest gains and who has the most/least draft capital to help crystallize offseason plans.

Taking everything into consideration, I’ve ranked the nine teams I think have the most riding on this year’s draft. Strong cases can be made for some squads that were left on the cutting-room floor, including the Jets, Saints, Seahawks and even the Steelers. There’s a fair debate there. But it feels inarguable that the nine I chose are facing considerable pressure to get it right this April.