The 2025 NFL Draft countdown is on. It’s my only mock draft time to project round one. As always, this is not what I would do if I were the general manager of all teams. That’s how to organize the top 32 picks based on what I’m hearing from my sources around the league.
Round 1 starts on Thursday (8pm on the ESPN, ABC and ESPN apps) and you can catch me from Green Bay throughout the weekend. Let’s go to the pick that projects two transactions. One is in the top 10 and the other is in their mid-20s. Let’s go:
Jump to the team’s first round pick:
ari | atl | bal | buf |car| chi | CIN
cle | dal | den | det | gb | hou | Ind
Jax | kc | lac | lar | lv | mea | min
ne | No | NYG | NYJ | phi | Pit | SF
Sea | tb | 10 | WSH
Come Ward, QB, Miami
Ward is repeating this process and Titan brass is very excited not only with the players but with the people and leaders they are getting. It’s a new day in Tennessee.
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
This is fun. I’ve heard there are a few teams calling to get to #2. I might hear more of this in the next 24 hours.
Hunter can be an elite defensive back from Get-go, but he could also become a top wide receiver. He is probably the rarest outlook we’ve seen in years. The Browns can consider using him on either side of the ball. Kevin Stefanski & Co. The coach makes the most of him with his offense.
Abdul Carter, Edge, PA
A few days ago, it sounded like Carter and Hunter, but the Giants have been having a fluid conversation all week. I could imagine that if Carter wasn’t a slam dunk, many teams would make a call.
Eventually, the Giants passed Mika Parsons in 2021, traded them down instead, robbing wide receiver Cadarius Tony. I can’t see him pass another star pass rush from Pennsylvania.
Will Campbell, OT, LSU
Campbell is smart, tough, reliable, and a leader in a position of great needs. He may not be built like Hall of Fame Orlando Pace, but the Patriots will win a day starter and a cultural guy on their offensive line.
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise
General Manager James Gladstone never gets ti-ill in his debut draft, and new coach Liam Cohen is an offensive mastermind and is looking for a playmaker. Jeanty is everything they wanted on their first pick.
Peter Schrager is surrounded from the left: Tetairoa Macmillan, Ashton Jeanty, Chedur Sanders, Will Johnson Illuston Espan
Armand Membou, OT, MO
Membou has the best physical properties of any tackle in its class. The Raiders can continue to build from Trench. New general manager John Speitoku was in the Tampa Bay front office in 2020 when the Bucks attacked gold with Tristan Wirfs.
Tyler Warren, TE, Pennsylvania
I’ve been asking the Jets about Warren for a few weeks. This may seem like a tight ending early, but in this draft, the team should take the guy to a place where he can get him. In Warren’s case, the new administration can turn to its owners, fans, locker rooms and say, “This is what we’re trying to do.”
Jaron Walker of Georgia, Georgia
The Panthers were able to trade back. If they stay, Walker makes sense. You play him inside, you play him on the edge, you play him everywhere. Walker, the son of the coach, has won all the coaches I’ve spoken about, and will be Carolina’s first day starter.
Michael Williams, Edge, Georgia
Despite all the assumptions from when news of Derek Carr’s injury blew out earlier this month, quarterback Shedeur Sanders doesn’t think he’s a pick here. (Does anyone know what the story actually is?)
Instead, I see the saint on one of the early “awow” picks in Round 1 and grab the elite defender carrying torches from Cameron Jordan for the next decade.
Expected Trade: Ind rises for playmakers
My first deal is fun. The Colts gave up on No. 14 and No. 80, and raised four spots in their bear deals.
Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard has to do something to help him offense, whether Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones is the starting quarterback. So who will he choose?
Colston Loveland, Michigan
GM Chris Ballard & Co. gets a 6-foot-6 tight end, which has attracted more teams than round one. This pick is an immediate offense for teams that need it.
Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
If Noren falls from the top 15 at this point, I’d be shocked – he might be the fastest riser in this draft. He is quick, a mover of people and has a great pre-draft process. Everyone focuses on Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, but Nolen is the rebel outlook I’ve heard more about. Don’t be shocked if he goes before Mason Graham.
The line of defense was once the true strength of the 49ers. It’s time to go back to that era.
Editor’s Pick
2 Related
Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
A guard bully, Booker helps add the beef they need to the Cowboys line. With Zach Martin retired this offseason, there is a desire to fill the interior with a plug and play lineman.
Everyone will scream for the Cowboys to take a running back or receiver. But let’s go to the guard. That’s how I see it.
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
Graham has been considered a perhaps top five pick for the past few months, but he still managed to get there. If he falls to No. 13, this is a great victory for Miami, and Miami will have a chance to win a cultural changer and miss lead on Day 1.
Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
Banks can go before Membou as the top tackle of this class. He has better tapes and is more consistent. If the Bears trade back and still win him, it’s a big win.
Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
For the first time in four years, the Falcons will defend in Round 1. Campbell is all the linebackers that have an immediate impact. His 117 tackles were the most of the season for Alabama players since DeMeco Ryan.
Jahdae Barron of CB, Texas
The winner of the Soap Award is the top corner of this class, not named Travis Hunter. The Cardinals have quietly added their best talent throughout the past few years through the draft. Remember: Coach Jonathan Ganon is the defensive back coach of trade. This makes a lot of sense.
Mike Green, Edge, Marshall
The pass rusher that led the FBS in the sack last season in 17 could be even higher. The unfortunate truth is that the defender filmed by Cincinnati is pitted against veteran Trey Hendrickson. It’s a great outlook and not fair for Green, who deserves the Bengali.
Grezabelle, C/G, North Dakota
I’ve heard about the potential for Zabel to be in 12th place. That’s a bit too rich, but I think there’s a possibility that a top 20 could happen. The senior bowl star turns his head and is as consistent as anyone throughout the draft process.
Tetaroa Macmillan, WR, Arizona
Athletes all over the world are the perfect addition to the large receiver room, a mix of veterans and younger athletes. Bucs loves Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan is off the mark of a rookie year. Macmillan is the perfect student for veterans to teach.
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio
No bar, Egbuka is the most universally well-received prospect in this draft. He is smart, reliable and has a solid hand. He could somewhere be the captain of 10 years and is most often compared to Buckeyes legend Terry McClaurin.
Coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton hit a home run with Bonix a year ago. This could be another simple thing.
Chedur Sanders, QB, Colorado
I know that Sanders had a good meeting in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago. We also know that the Steelers don’t have a QB1 on their roster yet. This could potentially be considered a “slip” Sanders board. He could go anywhere from number 3 to the Giants and the second round.
It’s not too bad to go to Pittsburgh here as the second quarterback of the class.
Kenneth Grant, Michigan DT
Coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Holtis were a big hit on the first four picks a year ago, making it a standout class.
Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter have been familiar with grants since then in Michigan. They will be able to make the most of the 331-pounder inside.
Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
I know that it’s not a character for Green Bay to bring receivers in round one – they haven’t done it since 2002 – but in this scenario, Golden was able to slide right on them. And I can’t see him slipping more.
Green Bay can go in several directions. But I don’t think the Packers thought they could top wide-out the consensus on many boards.
O’Mallion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
The Vikings don’t list running as a clear hole in their roster with needs elsewhere. But if Hampton is on the board, he would be a great addition to the younger core the organization hopes to grow older together.
Donovan Jackson, Ohio, G.
The Texans were able to look at the offensive line and add security guards that could get out and work on it. They are rebuilding protection in front of quarterback CJ Stroud. This is not a pick that draws attention, but it’s wise in this draft.
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Projection Trade: NYG Rises
It’s time for another transaction. This is the third quarterback off the board.
Under this deal, the Giants will send picks 34 and 99 to the Rams, moving up to No. 26. And, importantly, New York will continue to add talent to the roster, maintaining its original three-round pick (No. 65).
Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
If the draft falls like this, I think the Rams are fine. Currently they don’t have a second pick, but if you agree to this deal, there will be four picks on the second day.
I think the Giants will be hit by dirt. I’m not 100% sure.
Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio
Simmons could slip due to an injury – he maintained a torn patellar tendon in October – but he could be the best bundle in the offensive lineman class. The Ravens can add another potential star and can see – he will soon become the maker of the difference.
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Johnson’s stock slipped a bit. He suffered a leg injury last season and was inconsistent with Wolverine. He also sat on pro day in Michigan due to a hamstring injury.
However, he is a top-level talent and he will be the perfect corner to complement Teleorion Arnold.
Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
Has Stewart slipped this far? It can happen. He made a lot of sense to the commander given how run defense worked in the NFC Championship Game.
Malachi Starks, S, Georgia
Starks played safety and nickel corner for the Bulldog, making an immediate impact on Buffalo. The Starks are all balls and are one of the safest prospects in this draft.
Things you need to know about the 2025 NFL Draft
• Mock: Miller|Reed|Yates|Schrager
•Ranking: Kiper | Miller | Lead | Yates
•Draft Guide | 13 Sleeper | Team Plan
• Latest Buzz | Team Needs | QB Board
•Select Order |Scouting Avoidance |More
James Pierce Jr. Edge, Tennessee
The Chiefs can add another player to their defense with the physical properties of the star. Pierce has the potential to be a double digit bag, and has many advantages, but most people slide him into the second round.
Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
The Eagles got cornerbacks on their first and second picks a year ago, but that doesn’t mean they won’t add to the defensive backfield given sales this offseason.
Hairston is a speedster – he ran a 40-yard dash of 4.28 seconds at the combine – he’s just scratching the surface of his talent.
