2025 NFL Mock Draft: Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, and More

It's Saturday, Dec. 14—which means that tonight we will learn who the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner is.

Spoiler: I've been to the future, and future Freedman told me it was WR/CB Travis Hunter (Colorado).

But he wouldn't tell me anything about the 2025 draft. He said he didn't want me “losing our bankroll.”

With that in mind, now feels like a good time to update my 2025 mock draft.

Here are previous versions, in case you're curious.

• Version 1: Way-too-early version (May 2024)
• Version 2: Midseason version (Nov. 2024)
• Version 3: Two-thirds-through-the-season version (Nov. 2024)
• Version 4: Pre-college conference championship version (Dec. 2024)

Over the past six years (since I started submitting mocks in competitions), I’m the No. 2 mocker for accuracy, and I'm a lifetime 484-424 (+102.6 units) betting on the draft.

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In 2024 I was a terrible 38-49 (-10.4 units) thanks largely to a heavy fade of QB Michael Penix, but I was at least the No. 5 mocker.

I plan to do more draft content moving forward, so be sure regularly to check out our Fantasy Life NFL Draft Hub, where you can see my NFL prospect big board, Thor Nystrom's first mock of the season, and his early thoughts on the top of the draft board at each skill position.

• Top-five QBs for the NFL Draft
• Top-five RB for the NFL Draft
• Top-five WR for the NFL Draft
• Top-five TE for the NFL Draft

2025 NFL Mock Draft - pre-Heisman Predictions

I've determined the draft order by leveraging my projected wins for each team. Every week, you can access my team projections in our Fantasy Life Game Models (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription).

Once we have an official draft order and get closer to the event, I'll provide notes for each pick.

Right now, though, I provide notes on a position-by-position basis.

Here's my pre-Heisman mock.

Borderline Round 1 NFL Draft Prospects

These are the players I currently view as residing on the borderline of Rounds 1-2.

• QBs Jalen Milroe (Alabama) & Quinn Ewers (Texas)
• WR Isaiah Bond (Texas)
• OTs Jonah Savaiinaea (Arizona) & Wyatt Milum (West Virginia)
• EDGEs J.T. Tuimoloau (Ohio State), Jack Sawyer (Ohio State), Lebbeus "LT" Overton (Alabama) & Harold Perkins (LSU)
• DTs Deone Walker (Kentucky) & Omarr Norman-Lott (Tennessee)
• LB Jihaad Campbell (Alabama)
• CBs Jahdae Barron (Texas) & Trey Amos (Mississippi)
• S Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina)

Position By Position 2025 NFL Mock Draft Breakdown

Quarterbacks

Just last month, I had six QBs going in the first seven picks of Version 2. Now, I'm down to just two in Round 1: Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Cameron Ward (Miami).

Sanders is a -125 favorite to go No. 1 (FanDuel), but I think he and Ward share a tier together.

While Sanders has been hyped for the past two seasons as one of the best players in college football, Ward emerged this past year with a Davey O'Brien Award-winning campaign that saw him pass for 4,000-plus yards and total a nation-best 36 TDs through the air.

Either one would be a fine option at No. 1, and I think they both make sense at the top of the board.

Running Backs

Jeanty worthily won the 2024 Doak Walker Award as the top back in college football with a nation-leading 344-2,497-29 rushing and 20-116-1 receiving.

Wherever the Cowboys end up picking in Round 1, that's how high he could go—but he might theoretically deserve to go even higher than that, regardless of positional value.

Wide Receivers

I've been vacillating between 4-5 WRs in my mocks for the past month. It's possible that the College Football Playoff will end up determining how many WRs go in the top 32.

Tight Ends

After my last mock, the main feedback I got from readers—as well as Thor—was that Tyler Warren (Penn State) would be the No. 1 TE in this class ahead of Colston Loveland (Michigan).

For this mock at least, I've capitulated, and also for the first time included both in Round 1—but I'm not yet firmly placing Warren ahead of Loveland.

In this mock, I'm matching the John Mackey Award-winning Warren with the Broncos because I think HC Sean Payton will see Warren's all-around skill set (88-1,062-6 receiving, 23-191-4 rushing in 13 games this year) and think that he can use him the way he utilized Taysom Hill with the Saints.

Plus, I can no longer resist the temptation of mocking Loveland to the Chargers in order to reunite him with HC Jim Harbaugh, for whom he previously played college ball.

But in future mocks I might have Loveland back as the No. 1 TE. I think he and Warren are in the same tier.

Offensive Linemen

I'm finally giving the Texans an OG. They need one.

At OT, I think Will Campbell (LSU) and Kelvin Banks (Texas) are Round 1 locks, but after them there could be maybe five guys fighting for just 2–3 spots in the top 32. 

Defensive Linemen

I still have 13 Round 1 DLs, which is an absurd number … but that's the strength of this class, and I have another six on the borderline.

I can't remember another draft so stacked at the top of the board with talent in the defensive trenches.

Linebackers

There's a chance Jihaad Campbell (Alabama) will be in my next mock, but it's hard to know where to slot him, as few teams have a strong need at LB, and those that do might be uninclined to spend a premium pick in the position.

Secondary

I think this class has some DB talent, but I can also imagine a few guys—namely CB Will Johnson (Michigan) and S Malaki Starks (Georgia)—falling down the board farther than they probably should because of demand at other positions.

More 2025 NFL Draft Analysis