An exciting first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books. It featured plenty of surprise, including one right off the bat with the Jaguars trading away next year’s first round pick to Cleveland for the rights to draft Travis Hunter.
The way the board broke this year, with just two quarterbacks going in the first round (Cam Ward and Shedeur Jaxson Dart) and Shedeur Sanders falling into the second day, I think 2026 will call for a reversal. The talent is better and there will be more teams at the top who need to get off the free agent carousel and find their quarterback of the future. Could that be Arch Manning? He will appear in many way-too-early mock drafts, but my hunch is he plays two full seasons at Texas and thus enters what will be a historically good 2027 NFL Draft — that is, unless he either wins the Heisman Trophy or a national championship and rides off into the sunset.
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You’ll see many of these players featured in my ranking of the top 150 players in college football, which I released a few weeks ago for the 2025 season. But not all of them. South Carolina fans won’t be thrilled with me for snubbing LaNorris Sellers, who I have too many questions about right now. And the order is different, too, as is the difference between a great college player and a great NFL prospect.
Our draft order here is based on a combination of projected win totals, reversed Super Bowl odds and a few judgement calls — such as the New Orleans Saints, regardless of what they do the rest of the draft, being really bad and, well, quarterback-hungry. We do our best to avoid glaring positional repeats to be different than what teams did Thursday night, but this is more instructive as a sorting of the best draft-eligible players in 2026 and, as we just saw with the Carolina Panthers snaring Tet McMillan, teams do repeat positions every once in a while.
1. New Orleans Saints: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
The Saints have no choice but to finally embrace the tank, which would get them the local star from LSU, Garrett Nussmeier, whose father Doug happens to be New Orleans’ offensive coordinator. Garrett had a solid first season as a full-time starter replacing Jayden Daniels, showing off his strong, accurate arm and gunslinger mentality. He can throw into tight windows and connect on deep crossers with ease. Nussmeier will be in the mix to be QB1 in 2026’s draft and right now I have him winning the two-horse battle with Drew Allar.
Speaking of: Allar was much improved in 2024 under the direction of a new offensive coordinator. The former 5-star recruit has a strong arm and is more of a traditional pocket passer. He’s from Medina, Ohio, and is used to the elements up north, so this would be a neat pick for a Cleveland Browns franchise that went for the best player available in Thursday’s first round of the 2025 NFL Draft (Travis Hunter) but will need to start over again at QB next year.
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The Giants are probably content with letting first-rounder Jaxson Dart marinate behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston while they spiral toward another top five pick — and then a guy to join Andrew Thomas in fortifying a wall around Dart.
World is raw prospect with huge upside with ideal length and athleticism (he’s 6-foot-8). He transfers in from Nevada to Oregon as a five-star addition and has the potential to be the first lineman off the board with some attention to detail on his techniques and continued development in the weight room.
4. New York Jets: Carson Beck, QB, Miami
If the Jets are picking this low again, they’ve got to take a quarterback and hope they finally get lucky. I’m betting on Beck getting back to his full self this fall and recovering his draft stock, which was once sky-high, in a similar vein to the way Cam Ward supercharged his earnings potential in Miami’s explosive offense. The 2024 was a wash for Beck, with an unusual amount of forced interceptions, (12) and dropped passes but he still produced some impressive numbers.
Don’t let the numbers fool you. Woods only registered three sacks last year because he was played out of position on the edge. He’ll be back inside this fall and should be the best defensive tackle in the country. He plays the run well, affects the quarterback and has excellent lateral quickness for a big body. The Titans need to get back to playing winning football on the defensive line, which was their hallmark when they were once of the AFC’s best teams under Mike Vrabel.
Downs is an instinctive, high-IQ player who also can return punts and figures to be one of the top players in the country entering his last season for the defending national champions. A pretty flawless overall player, Downs will be a top-15 pick after the season and goes here to the safety-needy Raiders in a pick perfect for the franchise that boasts Jack Tatum, Ronnie Lott and Charles Woodson. Shades of Pete Carroll’s old “Legion of Boom” here.
Carolina’s defense needs a lot of work. Maybe my Panthers — they drafted me in 1995, their first year in existence — take another wide receiver and channel the Detroit Lions of the Matt Millen era, or maybe they’ll wisen up and get better where it counts. Faulk has excellent length and power and position versatility to line up anywhere along the defensive line — and let’s face it, Carolina’s defense needs a lot of work. Faulk has prototype size for a power edge.
8. Cleveland Browns: Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
Surprised? Fields is of the most impressive players I’ve watched this offseason who I had scant idea existed a few months ago. Fields, who transfers to Notre Dame trom Virginia, is a huge receiver is built more like a tight end that can not only stretch you vertically but also catch the five-yard hitches and break arm tackles for huge chunks. He’s a D.K. Metcalf starter kit and is my top wide receiver in the draft. He goes here to a Cleveland team that can pair its new QB with a new weapon.
9. Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
The Colts have plenty of needs, but linebacker is listed as one so we’ll give them Texas’ new-age linebacking star who is an athletic, can well run sideline to sideline and change direction in coverage. Texas uses Hill as a spy and as pass-rusher, too — Hill led the SEC with 16.5 TFLs notched eight sacks, which aren’t your typical numbers for a box linebacker. He’s worth a top-10 pick.
10. New England Patriots: T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
Mike Vrabel will want to fortify the defensive trenches in New England and Parker is easily going to be one of the best players in the entire draft. Parker is an extremely explosive and productive edge rusher with an elite get-off who can beat tackles in a variety of ways off that speed. While he lacks the prototypical length the NFL covets, his production speaks for itself (11 sacks). He’s just a natural.
11. Seattle Seahawks: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Seattle, which has a terrible offensive line, took a versatile player in Grey Zabel, who profiles as a guard. Let’s keep addressing a need here in the massive Proctor (6-foot-7, 360 pounds). He has good feet for his size but would be wise to lose a little weight before next season, which early reports are he has. Proctor could find himself kicking inside to guard at the next level, which would still be OK for Seattle and appropriate for the value of a No. 11 pick, too.
Banks is a massive player with great length who excels in both phases. He got to the quarterback seven times last year and had another 22 hurries with a blend of power and quickness as well as excellent hand swipes. He needs to improve as a run-stuffer but his skill at getting after the quarterback is a boon. Atlanta traded this pick to Los Angeles on Thursday.
McCoy is recovering from an ACL tear in January but will be back in time for the majority of Tennessee’s 2025 season. McCoy is excellent in press coverage and is rarely beaten. His spatial awareness is excellent and he’s a physical tackler in run support. We thought Miami could have gone defensive back Thursday night, but in this projection the Dolphins go that route in 2025.
Dallas had all the Ashton Jeanty buzz months ago, but Jeanty’s stock rose too high for the Cowboys. Jerry gets his chance here for a billboard talent on offense. Love enters the year as RB1 with a nice blend of speed and power and the ability to take over a game, hit the home run and make plays as a receiver.
We do our very best to avoid repeats in this projection, but it’s unavoidable here after Arizona took Walter Nolen on Thursday. Why? Miller needs to come off the board! Miller is the next man up in Georgia’s long lineage of elite interior defensive linemen and, boy, does he have elite traits. The powerful, yet slippery, Miller does a nice job slipping offensive lineman to be a force in the run game and has a quick and powerful fist step. For any Cardinals fans reading — I’m sure coach Jonathan Gannon would find a way to work in Miller and Nolen, who are each versatile enough to fit together.
Fano feels like a Steeler. He’s of the best run blockers in the country and has great power and technique at the point of attack. He’s solid in pass protection and has the feet to recover if slightly beat and run defenders by the quarterback.
This would be a home run pick for the DL-needy Bears. Harris is a massive human with excellent length; he will be the guy for Ole Miss’ rebuilt defensive front in 2025. Harris has an explosive first step but can also hold the point with heavy hands.
18. Denver Broncos: Aaron Anderson, WR, LSU
An explosive play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball, Anderson had 61 catches for 884 yards and five touchdowns last season. He can separate and stretch the field as well as make tough contested catches despite not having a good catch radius. This would be a great pick for Denver as it builds around Bo Nix.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Charles Jagusah, OG, Notre Dame
Jagusah is a 6-foot-7, 330 pounder who I actually think could be a guard at the next level — and perhaps one of the best in the league. Jagusah is a powerful run blocker with knock-back power and excellent athleticism.
A high-priced transfer import from Stanford, Bailey had seven sacks last year thanks to an explosive get-off. He wins mostly with speed and a ghost move off the edge and also has a nice spin move that can get home. He’s got big-time NFL potential if he cna improve his pass repertoire. Needs to improve his run defense and strength to hold up every down on the line of scrimmage. Jim Harbaugh would probably enjoy taking a (former) Stanford player.
21. Houston Texans: Francis Mauigoa, OG, Miami
For Houston, it’s about throwing a ton of resources at the offensive line during CJ Stroud’s rookie window. A five-star prospect, Mauigoa has been as advertised for the Hurricanes over the last two seasons in both phases, starting from jump street at left tackle. Because he’s not very long, I have Mauigoa profiling as an offensive guard at the next level.
22. Minnesota Vikings: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Styles is exactly what the NFL covets as a ‘backer with versatility and twitch. Styles can blitz and rush the passer off the edge racking as well as defend the box in the run game and cover sideline to sideline. If he can clean up his coverage skills he will have a shot to be the first linebacker off the board after the season. Minnesota needs players at all three levels of its defense.
23. San Francisco 49ers: Suntarine Perkins, EDGE, Ole Miss
Perkins was one of the most disruptive players in the country last season with 10.5 sacks and 14 TFLs. He’s a hybrid edge/outside ‘backer with serious jets to spy the quarterback and play sideline to sideline. Watching his explosiveness on film, I have a feeling Perkins’ testing numbers down the road could threaten some all-time numbers. A good guy to get in the room for a rebuilt 49ers roster.
24. Green Bay Packers: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
I don’t care that Green Bay took a receiver in the first round Thursday for the first time since 2002. We’re doing it again because the window is now for Jordan Love. Tate took a jump last year for the Buckeyes will be a star player this fall opposite the All-World Jeramiah Smith. A five-star prospect, Tate is a smooth route runner who caught 52 balls for over 700 yards last year. He excels in the intermediate part of the field and can move the chains.
I expect a dominant season for Howell, who has elite get-off and twitch off the edge. Howell can set the edge in the run game and has speed and quickness to string out and make tough tackles in space. EDGE is circled as a huge need for the Bengals and let’s give them another one (and an Aggie, at that) even after they took Shemar Stewart on Thursday night, especially considering the uncertain status of Trey Hendrickson.
26. Washington Commanders: Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois
Jacas has adequate speed off the edge but wins with a nice arsenal of moves from hand swipes, to inside counters, and power rushes. He can even rush out of the interior, so he’d be a nice, disruptive player for Dan Quinn’s defense.
27. Los Angeles Rams: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
The Matthew Stafford era in LA can’t go on forever, though they’ll give it another big run this fall. Even if Los Angeles picks a QB in the next few rounds, which it should, I can see Sean McVay going for some nice long-term security here in Klubnik, who came on like gangbusters to end the 2024 season. McVay would make things easy for Klubnik, a dual-threat who thrives when under duress and has gotten much better at taking care of the football. Klubnik has a great winning pedigree going back to high school.
The Lions and Rams are destined to be linked because of the Stafford-Jared Goff trade, and just like Los Angeles, next year is the time for Detroit to plan for the next era. Leavitt would be Detroit grit personified. The scrappy dual-threat is clutch in big games, accurate on the move and always a threat to take off as a runner.
Kansas City lost Justin Reid and have liked this back-of-the-round perch to tab a Day 1 starter. That is Kilgore, who had five interceptions in 2024. He’s played strong and free safety in Columbia and will try out nickel this fall. That’s terrific versatility.
30. Buffalo Bills: Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon
We keep waiting for Stewart to break out in a huge way and I bet this is his year for the uber talented athlete who was once the top-ranked receiver in his class. Stewart has elite athletic ability and can start and stop on a dime and is an excellent route runner. With the speed to stretch defenses vertically and the ability to make difficult catches look routine, I think he’s the type of player Josh Allen would stand on the table for.
31. Baltimore Ravens: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
The Ravens love those versatile players along the defensive front and DDS fits the mold of the rangy edge-rusher they’ve looked for in the past. Dennis-Sutton had a staggering five sacks in the College Football Playoffs alone (8.5 total) and will build on that this fall.
32. Philadelphia Eagles: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
Congratulations are in order, it appears, as the Philadelphia Eagles go back-to-back. Now to start preparing for a world in which it cannot afford two highly-paid receivers on a side of the football where quarterback Jalen Hurts’ salary is set to cost Philly up nearly $40 million yearly. Conception, who transferred in after two seasons at NC State, has a unique skill set with quickness in the slot and run after catch ability.
