Five teams that could influence what the Green Bay Packers do with the No. 25 pick in the 2024 NFL draft

Why is it so hard to predict what the Green Bay Packers will do with the No. 25 pick in Thursday's 2024 NFL draft? Well, for one thing, it's because there are 24 other picks to be made before Green Bay's anticipated selection, which means a lot of movement before the Packers even get a crack.

Unless, of course, they trade up. But couldn't they just as easily trade back? And with whom?

There are some teams to keep an eye on when things get under way from Detroit at 7 p.m., and what they do could impact the Packers.

Buffalo Bills (pick No. 28)

In theory, teams that need a wide receiver (or quarterback) aren't a problem for the Packers, a team that seemingly needs neither and would love to see the 24 picks ahead of them get populated with those positions, pushing positions of greater need down to No. 25. The Bills, having just lost Stefon Diggs, are one such team, perched below the Packers at the moment, but it isn't hard to imagine a scenario where Buffalo moves up.

Not only could that jostle the board and send better fits toward the Packers, Green Bay could even be that trading partner. The Packers front office has been notoriously comfortable trading back, and with no clear consensus on which talents belong in the first round after the first 15 picks or so, this might be the draft to deal back and get more value in the second and third round.

San Francisco 49ers (pick No. 31)

Likewise, San Francisco needs a wideout, and truthfully you could make the same case for Baltimore (No. 30) and Kansas City (No. 32), meaning four teams behind the Packers could make a logical trading partner. The future of 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk − coincidentally, a player San Francisco traded up for in 2020 before the Packers had a chance to draft him − is cloudy. But the 49ers' perceived weakness last season was its interior offensive line, which means the 49ers are less likely to make a deal with the Packers than they are to get ahead of them and select a player ostensibly on Green Bay's draft board.

Miami Dolphins (pick No. 21)

Green Bay enters this draft with 11 picks, tied for most in the NFL, while Miami is on the other end of the spectrum, possessing just six, and only two in the top 100. The Packers, a team already with two second-round and two third-round picks, would make an ideal trading partner if Miami wanted to move back and acquire one of those Day 2 selections.

This is the team with whom the Packers traded up in 2020, getting the pick that turned into Jordan Love.

Dallas Cowboys (pick No. 24)

Dallas is an issue of proximity, picking one spot before Green Bay and therefore in danger of taking the Packers' preferred pick. It's also notable that the Cowboys would be a logical team to pursue a first-round offensive lineman (although that could be applied to many teams in this draft), and that could mean the two 2023 postseason foes are battling for the same player.

Chicago Bears (picks No. 1 and No. 9) and Minnesota Vikings (picks No. 11 and 23)

These two are obvious on multiple fronts. The Bears are on their way to choosing Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, meaning a high-profile quarterback is heading into the NFC North. And there's a very good chance we go to bed Thursday with two new high-level quarterbacks in the division, with Minnesota having a glaring need at quarterback and two first-round picks putting it in position to make a deal.

It doesn't directly speak to the Packers as it relates to No. 25, although two first-round picks for both teams means, at minimum, their divisional foes are going to theoretically get a lot stronger Thursday. It also goes without saying that any trades would have ripple effects. The Bears have only four total picks in the draft, fewest in the league, so it stands to reason they could use their second first-rounder to load up on additional picks. The Vikings' ability to grab one of the top quarterbacks in the draft will be one of the more compelling story lines of draft night.