We’re now less than one month away from the start of the 2025 NFL Draft. Free agency has changed a great deal across the NFL, and trades have also moved some notable pieces around the league to help teams solve glaring issues with their rosters as everyone chases the Philadelphia Eagles for next year’s Super Bowl.
With the trades and signings in the rearview mirror, and pro days happening at campuses around the country, let’s take another run at a first round mock draft. In this mock draft, we project two trades that shake up the order of the top 10 overall selections.
- Projected trade: Cleveland trades picks Nos. 2, 33 in 2025 and Cleveland’s first-round pick in 2026 to Tennessee for pick No. 1 and Tennessee’s second-round pick in 2026.
If the Titans are more sold on Carter being the “generational” player that most believe he is, and the Browns are desperate enough to make a deal to move up to the first overall selection, the Titans could add draft capital and still get the top guy on their draft board.
After signing Jameis Winston in free agency, that buys the Giants a year to either wait to draft a quarterback or develop one behind him this year. Hunter is a freak athlete, however, and could be the Giants’ No. 1 corner on the first day of camp—and help their offense as a situational receiver.
Yes, this is a bit of a surprise. The Patriots spent a lot of money improving their defensive front in free agency but they still need to surround their young quarterback with some weapons. Warren is a ridiculously athletic tight end who plays more like an oversize receiver.
Find a spot on the roster that isn’t an issue in Jacksonville and that could be the pick here. Their biggest problem is they’ve already committed a lot of money to Trevor Lawrence and the return on that investment has been mediocre thus far. Protecting him needs to be their mandate this offseason. Taking a big, versatile lineman here makes sense.
This is one spot where Shedeur Sanders could easily land—and I’m sure he would love to go to Vegas. The Raiders traded for Geno Smith this offseason, and might want to push their chips in sooner than later and not draft a quarterback to develop in the top ten. Graham is a beast of an interior defensive lineman who can rush the passer and stuff the run.
Justin Fields is now the quarterback for the Jets and they have skill position guys all over the place on the offensive side of the ball. They also have a nice depth chart on defense. What they need to do is protect whomever is under center better than they have. Campbell can play tackle or guard, and would help them moving forward.
At some point, they need to give Bryce Young some big time weapons on the outside. McMillan is precisely that. And with Young looking more like an NFL quarterback after taking some time on the bench last year, this could be a spot where they land his No. 1 of the future.
The Saints defense needs some youth up front and they need to get after the quarterback better. The great news for them is, after Carter, they have the pick of the rest of a very good draft class in that regard. Williams is a terrific athlete who could make a lot of noise in New Orleans.
- Projected trade: Dallas trades picks Nos. 12 and 44 to Chicago for picks Nos. 10, 72 and 148.
The Niners need someone to rush the quarterback opposite Nick Bosa, who has dealt with injuries over the past couple years. They’re in a great spot to land an impact player to help accomplish that at No. 11. Walker is a terrific athlete.
The Bears are in an absolutely amazing spot this year. They have added pieces to fix the interior of both their offensive and defensive lines. They’ve got some good pass rushers on the roster but might look to add depth there. They might strongly consider taking the top running back in this draft, although having Will Johnson opposite Jaylon Johnson could make their secondary the best in the NFL in the coming years. Two big, long shut down corners help a pass rush look better. Moving back and adding a third pick in the second round is tremendous work.
Miami’s secondary needs some help and they’re in a position to go corner or safety here. Starks is easily the best safety in this year’s draft class and would be an impact player for them immediately.
The Colts lost defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo to the Bears in free agency and need to replace him. The great news for them is there are plenty of options on the board to do that here.
The Falcons have been the worst pass rushing team in the NFL over the past five years and have to get someone to get to the quarterback at some point. There’s no better time than this year’s draft, with plenty of viable options. Pearce put on a show at the NFL Draft Combine and could be their remedy for that long-term problem.
Do you think Kyler Murray wouldn’t love to have a big tight end to complement Marvin Harrison, Jr. in the pass game? Loveland would be the top tight end prospect in many draft classes with his size and pass catching ability. Arizona has some other issues but this is a big value play to help their offense get into the end zone.
The Bengals now have almost $100 million locked up in their top two receivers and quarterback. Who’s blocking in front of Joe Burrow remains a huge issue, and the Bengals don’t have much cap space to help solve that problem. So drafting a big guy to keep people off Burrow seems to make a lot of sense here.
It’s déjà vu all over again for Sam Darnold, who signed with the Seahawks after spending one year in Minnesota starting for the Vikings after JJ McCarthy, their top pick, got hurt. The Seahawks don’t need to start Sanders right away with Darnold in the fold. They also can’t wait forever for the next quarterback to arrive. This is a good spot for Sanders to present value on the board.
At some point the Bucs are going to have to find a long-term replacement for Lavonte David in the middle of their defense. It works out perfectly for them that Campbell is available here for them to solve that problem.
The Broncos could use some help around their young quarterback on offense but the value in Barron is too much for them to pass up here. Corner is another area of need, especially in a division that throws the ball a lot, and Barron could easily be gone before this pick.
The Steelers need a quarterback and Dart has quickly put himself into the first round conversation. Pittsburgh might sign Aaron Rodgers but that isn’t going to solve the position long term.
Joey Bosa is gone to Buffalo, making this a big need for the Chargers. The value is great for them to solve that immediately with a quality rusher from Boston College.
The Packers might need to draft multiple corners this year. Revel would help them by immediately starting in their secondary in a division with young quarterbacks in Chicago and Minnesota and Detroit happily throwing the ball all over the field.
The Vikings will be tempted to go defense here; they have needs on that side of the ball. And a team might look to trade back into the first round here to grab someone who’s still available as well. Taking an every down back like Hampton to help their young starting quarterback makes sense.
Houston needs to add some weapons around CJ Stroud to get their offense back on track. So how about a wide receiver from his alma mater? Egbuka is a quality receiver who would help their pass game.
The Rams need help at every level of their defense. They would love to get an inside linebacker. With Campbell off the board, there isn’t another strong candidate for the first round. Emmanwori is in the conversation to be the first safety off the board and would be good value for the Rams here.
Just another quality piece falls into the Ravens’ lap. Grant could go in the top dozen picks this year but the emphasis on pass rushers on the outside might see the valuable interior defensive linemen’s stock slide a bit. This would be a great fit.
The Lions will strongly consider a pass rusher to complement Aidan Hutchinson here. They also need to bolster their offensive line and Booker is the best available player for them at this point.
The Commanders need to get after the quarterback more consistently. Green is a volatile prospect who’s been mocked anywhere between the 8-10 range to the end of the first round. If he’s available here, Washington won’t take much time to turn in the pick.
The Bills can score but they need to keep their opponents off the board. They’ve added a few good pieces in free agency but a solid corner to help their secondary makes sense here.
If the Chiefs took one thing away from the Super Bowl loss it was that they need to better protect Patrick Mahomes. They lost one of their guards via trade to the Bears and have other needs up front. If they’re going to maximize their championship window, keeping Mahomes on his feet is a must.
The Eagles won the Super Bowl because they got after it defensively. Nolen is a really good interior defensive line prospect who could slide in and make an immediate impact.
