- Derek Carr’s injury status changes the Saints’ plans: The recent news that Derek Carr has an unknown, but potentially serious, shoulder injury pushes New Orleans to draft a quarterback.
- All out of options, the Steelers reach a bit: As the top quarterbacks fly off the board in front of them, the Steelers go with Jalen Milroe — PFF’s 100th-ranked prospect — at Pick No. 21.
Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes
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While many don’t consider the 2025 NFL Draft’s quarterback class to be loaded with elite talent, it is still the most important position in sports, and that will always push quarterbacks up draft boards. That’s what happens in this mock draft.
In this mock scenario, the Titans decide to move on from Will Levis and start a new era with Cam Ward at the helm.
Ward was the best quarterback in college football in 2024, as his elite 92.9 PFF overall grade and 39 touchdown passes both led the nation. He parlays that on-the-field production into being the No. 1 overall pick here.
The Browns don’t reach for a quarterback at No. 2 here but instead take the best — and most versatile — player in the draft. Hunter would improve a Browns’ wide receiver group that featured only one player with a PFF overall grade above 70.0 last season (Jerry Jeudy, 73.5).
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Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson‘s presence shouldn’t prevent the Giants from continuing to hunt for their franchise quarterback. The team’s signing of Wilson will allow Sanders to ease into the quarterback spot.
Sanders is effective on deep throws, producing 14 touchdowns and just one interception on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield in 2024. Sanders and Malik Nabers should combine for some big plays.
New England stays put and gets one of the draft’s few blue-chip players. In 2024, Carter earned a 92.3 PFF pass-rushing grade to go along with 13 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 43 hurries on 352 pass-rushing snaps. The Patriots should be well positioned in the second round to draft an offensive lineman.
Graham would be a big body and a stout run defender for the middle of the Jaguars’ defense. His 92.6 PFF run-defense grade in 2024 ranked first in college football among interior defenders. This pick would give Jacksonville one of the league’s scariest defensive lines.
While the thought of drafting running back Ashton Jeanty has to be tempting for new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, this is a deep running back class in which a starter can be acquired later in the draft.
Here, Carroll goes for his first positional love: a talented defensive back. The versatile Barron started at outside cornerback, slot cornerback and safety in college. His 91.1 PFF coverage grade in 2024 ranked first in the draft class among all defensive backs.
The Jets nab the versatile, playmaking Warren, who averaged 6.7 yards after the catch per reception in 2024. His catch-and-run ability will give New York a middle-of-the-field threat to complement Garrett Wilson’s play on the outside.
Walker is a versatile player who can line up both on and off the ball. In 2024, he played 249 snaps on the line of scrimmage, 311 as a second-level box defender and 61 as a second-level overhang defender. The Panthers would likely use him as an edge to get the biggest return on their draft investment.
News broke this past week that starting quarterback Derek Carr has a shoulder injury that might require surgery, leaving his 2025 status up in the air. In turn, the Saints decide to get younger at the position by drafting Jaxson Dart.
Much like Carr, Dart excels at throwing deep. He tossed 17 touchdown passes on deep passes (20-plus yards downfield) and posted a 92.6 PFF passing grade on deep throws in 2024.
A workhorse running back like Jeanty should help take some pressure off quarterback Caleb Williams. In addition to his well-established ground-game ability, Jeanty is also an excellent pass catcher who averaged 11.1 yards after the catch per reception and forced 41 missed tackles as a receiver during his college career.
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The 49ers haven’t drafted an offensive tackle in the first round since 2018. Trent Williams will be back in 2025, but he will be 37 years old and in his 15th season. Membou would give the 49ers an athletic tackle who fits what they want to do schematically.
Membou earned an 80.7 PFF run-blocking grade in 2024 on outside zone runs, a concept the 49ers deployed on 50% of their run plays.
At 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, McMillan has a vastly different body type and skill set from CeeDee Lamb and would provide Dak Prescott with a big-bodied threat on the outside while Lamb does his damage in the slot. McMillan is also a run-after-the-catch threat, having tallied 29 forced missed tackles in 2024.
The Dolphins luck out as Will Campbell falls into their laps. They get to fill one of their biggest needs with one of the most talented players in the draft class.
Terron Armstead’s retirement meant the Dolphins simultaneously lost their starting left tackle and highest-graded player on offense (89.4 PFF overall grade). Campbell recorded an 80.6 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2024 and can step in to fill that void for Miami.
With the top tight end prospect gone, the Colts turn to getting an athletic and versatile front-seven player in Campbell. He showed what a well-rounded linebacker he is in 2024, garnering an 81.0 PFF run-defense grade and an 80.1 PFF coverage grade to go with eight sacks.
The Falcons address their need for a talented edge defender with Shemar Stewart. He has tremendous size at 6-foot-5 and 281 pounds with 34 1/4-inch arms. Stewart will be a great draft-and-develop prospect after earning an 88.2 PFF run-defense grade in 2024 amid continued improvements as a pass rusher.
The Cardinals could have used an interior defender or a speedy wide receiver, but they take Will Johnson here to improve a secondary that needs help at outside cornerback. Garrett Williams played very well in the slot last year, earning an 83.7 PFF coverage grade, but none of the team’s outside cornerbacks sported a PFF coverage grade above 66.0 in 2024.
The Bengals may still trade star edge defender Trey Hendrickson as he searches for a long-term contract. Mike Green is a premier pass-rusher to help the Bengals try and keep pace in the competitive AFC North. Green notched 17 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 32 hurries as the FBS’ highest-graded edge defender (92.4) in 2024.
The Seahawks would have hoped Jihaad Campbell fell here, but it wasn’t in the cards. They instead take the best edge rusher available. Ezeiruaku had a dominant pass-rushing season in 2024, earning an elite 90.5 PFF pass-rushing grade to go along with 14 sacks, 20 quarterback hits and 26 hurries.
Starks can play in multiple spots, having logged 544 snaps in the box, 1,191 snaps at free safety and 664 snaps in the slot over his college career. He also excels as a run defender, with PFF run-defense grades of 84.8 and 85.6 in the past two seasons.
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Yes, the Broncos just spent money on Evan Engram, but he is entering his ninth season. This selection also prevents Loveland from going to the division-rival Chargers.
The Michigan product posted a very impressive 2.67 yards per route run in 2024 to go along with his 90.6 PFF receiving grade. The pick should lead to an increase in the Broncos’ use of 12 personnel.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is drooling over the thought of having a rushing threat at quarterback. In 2024, Milroe earned an 81.8 PFF rushing grade and forced 32 missed tackles on the ground.
Milroe ran a reported 4.40-second 40-yard dash at Alabama’s pro day, so he brings rare speed to the quarterback position. Smith’s run-first offensive approach will ease his NFL development, as he won’t be asked to drop back and throw the ball 40 times per game.
With the top tight ends gone and no need for one of the talented offensive tackles still on the board, the Chargers turn to big-bodied run stopper Kenneth Grant. He recorded an 87.5 PFF run-defense grade in 2024, and his selection continues the Chargers’ defensive line rebuild.
The Packers like to use early draft picks on the defensive trenches. Williams is so athletic that he can play multiple positions along the line and rush standing up or down in a stance. He is still developing as a pass rusher but is a great draft-and-develop edge prospect who boasts a 6-foot-5 and 260-pound frame along with very long 34 3/8-inch arms.
Williams is already a stout run defender, with PFF run-defense grades above 80.0 in each of the past two seasons.
Zabel played left tackle last season for North Dakota State and garnered a 93.1 PFF pass-blocking grade after allowing only one sack, two quarterback hits and four hurries on his 453 pass-blocking snaps as he helped his team win an FCS national championship. Zabel has the ability to play multiple positions along the offensive line but would start at guard initially for the Vikings.
The Texans address their biggest need by improving their offensive line. Banks can start at guard if needed before becoming the team’s left tackle of the future. His 89.9 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2024 ranked third among tackles in the draft class.
The run on wide receivers hasn’t started yet, so Houston could still look to select a wide receiver in the second round with Pick No. 58.
None of the Rams’ outside cornerbacks earned PFF coverage grades above 63.0 in 2024. Trey Amos is a scheme-diverse cornerback who tallied 75.0-plus PFF grades in both man and zone coverage in 2024.
The 2025 draft class is deep at edge rusher, and the Ravens are lucky enough to land one as talented as Pearce with the 27th overall pick. Pearce’s athleticism and ability to win consistently as a pass rusher led to him collecting more than 50 pressures in each of his last two seasons of play against SEC offensive lines.
Scourton gives the Lions another young edge defender to pair with Aidan Hutchinson. He has a different body type than Hutchinson, bringing a shorter and stockier build, so the two should complement each other. Scourton earned an 80.6 PFF pass-rush grade in 2024.
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The Commanders didn’t have a single secondary player with a PFF coverage grade above 65.0 in 2024. Hairston’s 2024 campaign was shortened by injury, but he posted an 85.3 PFF coverage grade along with five interceptions and four pass breakups in 2023.
The Bills should be drafting the best defensive player available at Pick No. 30. Nolen is one of the top interior defensive linemen in the class and had an elite 91.6 PFF run-defense grade in 2024, which ranked second in the FBS — behind only Mason Graham.
After the Chiefs’ lackluster offensive showing in Super Bowl 59, it became apparent that upgrading their offensive line should be their top priority. Simmons has the ideal size for an NFL tackle at 6-foot-5 and 317 pounds with 33-inch arms. He had an injury-shortened season in 2024 but earned an 82.0 PFF pass-blocking grade before getting hurt.
The Eagles already have the best roster in the NFL, and now they add a physical outlier to their defense. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Emmanwori measured in at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and had explosive jumps of 43 inches in the vertical and 11 feet, 6 inches in the broad.
While it almost seems like a luxury pick, Emmanwori earned an 86.8 PFF coverage grade in 2024 and should be able to help the backend of Philadelphia’s talented defense.
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