Mock Draft: QBs go fast as blue chip players fall to needy teams
Let's get the quarterbacks out of the way first and move on.
I mean, it’s about time we get into the habit of writing one mock draft per week.
The college football season is winding down with the playoffs beginning next week, and the NFL season is on the home stretch as well. I’ve already booked my trip to the Shrine Bowl in one month as the predraft process is right around the corner.
The 2025 NFL Draft will be upon us before we know it.
So let’s highlight 32 players who deserve to hear their names called early this upcoming April. Enjoy this full first round mock draft as we inch closer toward the next generation of NFL stars getting the call.
As always, reach out in the comments or on social media and call me an idiot if you hate your favorite team’s pick.
Draft order reflects through Week 15 Sunday Night Football
1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
If the quarterbacks are going to go off the board first, then the best one is going first overall. Tom Brady will reportedly have a ton of say, and Brady knows a smart and accurate quarterback when he sees one.
2. New York Giants: QB Cam Ward, Miami
What choice do the Giants have? With Sanders going off the board first, the Giants need to save themselves as general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll need to turn it around fast (if they even survive this season). They go with the talented but raw Ward.
3. New England Patriots: CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
The Patriots get a gift with the quarterbacks dropping the Heisman Trophy-winner and best player in the draft class right into their laps. Christian Gonzalez, already having a stellar season, gets a lethal running mate while Drake Maye also gets a new target for 10-15 snaps per game.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: CB Will Johnson, Michigan
*insert the John Travolta meme looking for a quality healthy cornerback in Jacksonville not named Tyson Campbell*
5. Carolina Panthers: EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
My No. 2 overall player in the draft class, Abdul Carter sees red all the time between the stripes. He’s got elite bend, and explosiveness, and his hands get better every single game. The Panthers get a dynamic player here.
6. Tennessee Titans: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
The Titans need a wide receiver. They need a quarterback too, but that’s out of the question here. So instead, they add Luther Burden III to their wide receiver room to give their next quarterback a weapon to throw to and to pair with Calvin Ridley.
7. Cleveland Browns: DT Mason Graham, Michigan
The Cleveland Browns could not have imagined a worse season for having the highest-paid roster in the NFL. Sitting with a top-10 pick with their first first round pick in three years, they somehow get a blue-chip player to fall in their laps.
8. New York Jets: S Malaki Starks, Georgia
The Jets have a ton of needs, especially at quarterback. However, this draft class where they stand as of now does not offer them much immediate relief. So why not take the best player on the board in Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks? Especially in a backend that currently consists of Chuck Clark, Jalen Mills, and Ashtyn Davis.
9. Chicago Bears: OL Will Campbell, LSU
Protecting Caleb Williams must be the priority for the Bears this offseason. Even though Will Campbell may be best suited to play guard at the next level, he is still the best overall offensive lineman in the class. The Bears need interior offensive linemen anyway.
10. New Orleans Saints: EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
While a scheme change could be in the future after the departure of Dennis Allen, the Saints opt for bigger-bodied pass rushers. How does an ultra-explosive and powerful 6-foot-6 and 290-pound pass rusher do?
11. Miami Dolphins: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
The Dolphins have more pressing needs along their offensive line, but I cannot resist the fun of it all here. With De’Von Achane playing a ton out of the slot as a receiver, there is room for both him and the Heisman Trophy runner-up on the field. Let’s get wild.
12. Indianapolis Colts: TE Tyler Warren, Penn State
Rinse and repeat this fit.
13. Cincinnati Bengals: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
With Tee Higgins hanging in limbo and potentially departing in free agency, why not draft the guy who gets comped to Tee Higgins?
14. Dallas Cowboys: EDGE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
This is for my co-host Dalton.
15. San Francisco 49ers: OL Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
Needing a right tackle and a guard, the 49ers zero in on a player that analysts are torn between what position he will play. Aaron Banks is hitting free agency, Banks can play left guard. Colton McKivitz has been subpar for years, Banks could play right tackle. Trent Williams is getting up there in age, Banks could play left tackle.
16. Atlanta Falcons: EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia
Mykel Williams has all of the necessary tools but is more raw than many want to admit. It’s also rare to see him win along the outside track with bend, and that could limit his ceiling. His floor, however, is that of a stout run defender while he figures out the rest. The Falcons have a big need at pass rusher and they take their shot with the toolsy Williams here.
17. Arizona Cardinals: LB Jalon Walker, Georgia
There is a joke in here about the Cardinals drafting tweener, positionless linebackers. However, Walker will be an off-ball backer, and Jonathan Gannon needs an off-ball backer.
18. Seattle Seahawks: OT Cameron Williams, Texas
Charles Cross is growing into one of the best young tackles in the NFL, but the Seahawks have a void at right tackle. They fill that void with the massive yet explosive 6-foot-5 and 335-pound Texas right tackle Cameron Williams.
19. Los Angeles Chargers: RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Let Jim Harbaugh cook and run the damn ball. Kaleb Johnson is as smooth as butter and his stock will continue to rise. With the continued health woes of J.K. Dobbins, the Chargers need a long-term plan at running back. This is a fun fit.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
After rightfully moving on from Devin White, the Buccaneers have struggled to find a running mate for Lavonte David (who is also on the backend of his career). Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell has the elite size and athleticism to make a difference, even if his eyes need a bit of fine-tuning.
21. Los Angeles Rams: OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
The Rams have a ton of holes, but the quarterback position doesn’t appear to be one of them yet. Protecting Matthew Stafford, however, is. If Josh Simmons hadn’t gotten hurt he may have gone much higher than this. The Rams get a potential steal here.
22. Washington Commanders: CB Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina
While the Commanders traded for Marshon Lattimore, he made his debut just this weekend. He also has no guaranteed money so the Commanders can move on if the move bottoms out. Outside of Lattimore, however, the depth in their cornerback room is ugly. Dan Quinn gets a long and explosive ball hawk here.
23. Denver Broncos: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
Give the man who turned the athletic Jimmy Graham into a star another athletic tight end in Colston Loveland. Every other pass catcher in Denver is massive and they collect another one here.
24. Baltimore Ravens: OG Tyler Booker, Alabama
25. Houston Texans: OL Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
Back-to-back guards here, and the Texans select the jack of all trades at Arizona in Savaiinaea. He has started games at left tackle, right guard, and right tackle throughout his NFL career. Some think he needs to kick inside, but he has the requisite foot speed and arm length to hang at tackle.
C.J. Stroud gets an upgrade upfront one way or the other.
26. Green Bay Packers: EDGE Landon Jackson, Arkansas
Landon Jackson isn’t the best pass rusher on the board here, but the Packers have a standard size threshold they follow that James Pearce Jr. doesn’t fit. The massive and yet surprisingly spry Jackson does.
27. Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
I talk about this fit extensively here.
28. Minnesota Vikings: CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
The Vikings need a young and twitched-up cornerback. Maxwell Hairston did not miss a beat after coming back from a long injury. He’s slender, but Hairston has a ton of long speed, can flip his hips with ease, and provides a ton to love. Flores gets a new toy.
29. Buffalo Bills: DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
The Bills need a defensive tackle, and one that pairs well with Ed Oliver. While they could opt for another gap shooter like Oliver, they get him a massive mountain of a man to take pressure off of him instead in Michigan’s Kenneth Grant.
30. Philadelphia Eagles: EDGE James Pearce, Tennessee
Once seen as potentially the top player in the class, Tennessee’s James Pearce has dropped down some boards. The Eagles, however, need an EDGE as Nolan Smith has not panned out, Josh Sweat is set to hit free agency, and after trading Haason Reddick to the New York Jets this offseason.
31. Detroit Lions: OL Marcus Mbow, Purdue
The Lions need a guard, and they also might need a center with Frank Ragnow’s future in limbo. While Mbow played right tackle (he also played right guard) at Purdue, his athleticism may just translate best at the pivot in the middle of the offensive line. Or you could play him at guard and get a Day 1 starter.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
Could the Chiefs give Kingsley Suamataia another year and a full offseason to figure it out after a rough rookie season? Sure. But do they want to continue to capitalize on their window? If that is the case they may just pursue the ultra-athletic Josh Conerly Jr. as their left tackle of the future.