2025 NFL Mock Draft: The Jets Get Another Offensive Weapon

Now that we have some data from the combine — data in the form of testing numbers, interviews from NFL decision makers and prospects, and of course rumors originating from late-night drinking sessions — the 2025 NFL draft feels like it's really starting to take shape.

And that means it's time to update my mock. For previous versions, check out my Fantasy Life author page as well as our Fantasy Life NFL Draft Hub.

Also, every Saturday edition of the Fantasy Life newsletter is now dedicated to the draft. Subscribe, you no-good fantasy-focused draft-obsessed degenerate! And obviously that's a compliment.

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. Subscribe to our free Betting Life Newsletter for regular guidance, best bets, and more.

2025 Mock Draft

Now that the 2025 NFL draft order is fully set, here's my post-combine mock, followed by notes.

2025 Mock Draft Methodology

Here's a reminder of my general mock process.

1. Identify the 32 players I think are most likely to go in Round 1.
2. Order players correctly within their position groups.
3. Match teams with positions of need.
4. Attempt to mock as many players as possible within their likely draft ranges.

The priority is to hit the ball down the middle of the fairway while getting as much distance as reasonable.

NFL Mock Draft Top 12 Analysis

1.01: Titans - EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State)

At the combine, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Carter has a stress reaction in his right foot. Thankfully, Carter will not have surgery and will work out at Penn State's pro day.

It seems that Carter's foot injury is a nonissue … for now.

It might be enough to push the Titans to select QB Cam Ward (Miami), who is the betting favorite to go No. 1 (-175, FanDuel).

I was tempted to mock Ward at No. 1 because the Titans clearly need a QB.

But Titans President of Football Operations Chad Brinker has said that the team "won't pass up on a generational talent" at No. 1, and Ward — as much as I like him — is not a once-a-decade prospect.

Carter, though, might be: He's young (21 years old), pedigreed (unanimous All-American), and productive (12 sacks and nation-leading 24 tackles for loss as a junior).

I have a position logged in our free Fantasy Life Bet Tracker for Abdul to go No. 1 (+220, FanDuel).

1.02: Browns - QB Cam Ward (Miami)

Entering the combine, I thought the Browns might be inclined to address the QB position via free agency. I also thought the NFL might like Ward but not love him.

I might've been wrong on both counts.

At the combine, the boots-on-the-ground consensus was that Ward will go to the Browns (per Hayden Winks and Brett Kollmann). And Ward was highly regarded by evaluators (per Lindsay Rhodes).

I personally have him ranked as the No. 1 QB in the class. 

Last year he won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best QB with 4,313 yards and 39 TDs passing to just seven INTs with 60-204-4 rushing (including sacks).

I expect him to be a Week 1 starter in the NFL.

Thor's Prospect Profile: Cam Ward

1.03: Giants - QB Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)

The Giants desperately need a QB. They literally don't have one under contract. So it's easy to project them drafting one at No. 3, and with Ward off the board Sanders is a fine option.

As a true freshman at Jackson State, he passed for 3,231 yards and 30 TDs to eight INTs, and then as a sophomore he improved upon those numbers with 3,752 yards and 40 TDs to six INTs.

As a junior, he passed for 3,230 yards and 27 TDs to just three INTs in his first year at Colorado, and then as a senior he had a nation-best 74.0% completion rate while slinging it for 4,134 yards and 37 TDs to 10 INTs and winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation's top upperclassman QB.

Sanders might not be a true difference-making QB in the NFL, but he might be, and he's likely to be an improvement on what the Giants had last year.

Thor's Prospect Profile: Shedeur Sanders

1.04: Patriots - WR/CB Travis Hunter (Colorado)

I have Hunter as the No. 1 player on my top 50 big board. In terms of all-around skill set, he's the most talented prospect in this class.

The prevailing sentiment among draft analysts is that Hunter in the NFL will be a full-time perimeter corner who rotates as a situational receiver. 

Maybe … but Hunter is too good (in my opinion) not to be used heavily on offense, given that last year he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the most outstanding receiver in college football with 96-1,258-15 receiving.

Of course, he's also a total stud on the other side of the ball: Last year, he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the defensive player of the year.

If any guy can step into the NFL and right away play significant snaps on both offense and defense, it's Hunter—and the Pats need help at WR and CB, so he's an ideal option at No. 4. 

Our own Coach Gene Clemons has a fantastic column on Hunter going two ways in the pros.

1.05: Jaguars - DT Mason Graham (Michigan)

I'm tempted to put CB Will Johnson (Michigan) here, but in most mocks the Jags go with a DT instead of CB, and Graham usually goes higher than Johnson.

So for at least this iteration, it's Graham.

The Jags need help all over the defense, and Graham is a unanimous All-American who has the power to anchor against the run and the athleticism to rush the passer.

1.06: Raiders - WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona)

The Raiders still have QBs Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell on the roster — but neither is a satisfying option, so I'm sure the Raiders would love to get Ward or Sanders.

Unfortunately for them, both QB options are gone, so the Raiders decide to add a potential No. 1 WR for their QB, whoever that ends up being. After Jakobi Meyers, the Raiders are dangerously thin at WR … and Meyers isn't an ideal No. 1 WR anyway.

With 90-1,402-10 receiving as a sophomore and 84-1,319-8 as a junior, McMillan might end up being better than Hunter as an NFL pass catcher.

1.07: Jets - TE Tyler Warren (Penn State)

The Jets are all over the board in terms of need, but they're unlikely to keep WRs Davante Adams and Allen Lazard without QB Aaron Rodgers, and TE Tyler Conklin is a free agent, so they could look to add a pass catcher in the draft.

Warren is the highest-rated receiver available — and I think it's notable that Daniel Jeremiah has mocked Warren to the Jets at No. 7 in BOTH of his mocks (Version 1, Version 2) when it's not a chalky team-player pairing.

Personally, I think Warren is worthy of top-10 consideration, and I've been toying with the idea for a while of moving him up in my mocks.

Although Warren did little his first few seasons in college, as a redshirt junior he was No. 2 on the Nittany Lions with 34-422-7 receiving, and then last year—in a John Mackey Award-winning campaign as the most outstanding TE in college football—he served as the driving force of the Penn State offense with a team-best 104-1,233-8 receiving to which he added 26-218-4 rushing.

I resisted it for a little, but now Warren is my No. 1 TE. 

With Warren alongside WR Garrett Wilson and RB Breece Hall, the Jets could have legitimate playmakers at all three non-QB skill positions. 

1.08: Panthers - EDGE Jalon Walker (Georgia)

I view Walker as a top-10 talent: He's young (21 years old) and pedigreed (2024 Butkus Award as the nation's top LB).

While I expect Walker to play primarily on the edge in the NFL, I do think he has the athleticism à la Micah Parsons to line up off the ball as well, and that added versatility could make him attractive to the Panthers.

1.09: Saints - EDGE Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M)

Oh baby. The Saints could go in lots of directions at No. 9.

I can imagine them going with CB Will Johnson (Michigan). Last year they traded away CB Marshon Lattimore, and this year CB Paulson Adebo is a free agent.

But I think that GM Mickey Loomis will be drawn to Stewart's elite freaky athleticism, especially given that EDGEs Chase Young and Payton Turner are free agents and Cameron Jordan turns 36 years old this summer. The Saints need to add bodies at the position—and what a body Stewart has.

As an athlete, Stewart is comparable to Myles Garrett.

Of course, his college production was as un-Garrett-like as it gets. Last year, Stewart had just 1.5 sacks. That's why he's going No. 9 instead of No. 1.

But he absolutely tore up the combine with his physical testing:

• Broad Jump: 10 feet, 11 inches
• Vertical Jump: 40 inches
• 40-Yard Dash: 4.59 seconds

After a showing like that, I expect Stewart's post-combine draft stock to skyrocket à la Travon Walker in 2022.

1.10: Bears - OT Will Campbell (LSU)

The Bears need OL help anyway … and LG Teven Jenkins, C Coleman Shelton, and RG Matt Pryor are all free agents.

With Campbell, the Bears get a prospect who has the upside of youth (21 years old) and pedigree (five recruitment stars, first-team All-American).

If he beats out LT Braxton Jones in a training camp batte, then Campbell can be the team's immediate blindside protector for franchise QB Caleb Williams while Jones kicks inside.

And if Jones stays at LT, then Campbell can develop in the NFL at LG before eventually moving outside.

1.11: 49ers - CB Will Johnson (Michigan)

The 49ers are at risk of losing CBs Charvarius Ward, Isaac Yiadom, Rock Ya-Sin, and Nick McCloud in free agency. They need more depth at the position, and Johnson can step in as an immediate starter.

Blessed with good size (6-2, 194 lbs.) and pedigree (five recruitment stars), Johnson is a worthy No. 1 CB in this class, and the 49ers are fortunate to get him as he slides out of the top 10.

1.12: Cowboys - RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)

Unsurprisingly, the Cowboys are favored to select Jeanty (+260, DraftKings): This has been one of the chalkiest team-player pairings in mocks for months.

And it makes a certain amount of sense: The Cowboys could upgrade at RB, and Jeanty is an awesome player.

Last year, he put up 2,739 yards and 30 TDs in 14 games, earned unanimous first-team All-American recognition, and won the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards as the best all-around player and top RB in the nation.

In fantasy, now is the time to buy Jeanty.

Ten years ago, owner and GM Jerry Jones would've traded up into the top 10 to get him. Now, Jones has a decent chance to get him by staying put at No. 12.

I mean, that won't stop Jones from trading into the top 10 anyway … but I don't project trades in my mock draft.

I'm not an animal.

"Must Include" Players in Round 1

Right now, there are 27 players I think have around an 80% chance (or better) to go in Round 1 (unless something drastically changes in their evaluation between now and the draft).

• QB: Cameron Ward (Miami), Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)
• RB: Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
• WR: Travis Hunter (Colorado), Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona), Luther Burden (Missouri), Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State)
• TE: Tyler Warren (Penn State), Colston Loveland (Michigan)
• OT: Will Campbell (LSU), Kelvin Banks (Texas), Armand Membou (Missouri), Josh Simmons (Ohio State)
• OG: Tyler Booker (Alabama)
• EDGE: Abdul Carter (Penn State), Jalon Walker (Georgia), Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M), Mykel Williams (Georgia), Mike Green (Marshall), James Pearce (Tennessee)
• DT: Mason Graham (Michigan), Kenneth Grant (Michigan), Walter Nolen (Mississippi)
• CB: Will Johnson (LSU), Jahdae Barron (Texas)
• S: Malaki Starks (Georgia), Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina)

After them, I have another two players with at least a 60% chance of getting in Round 1.

• OT: Josh Conerly (Oregon)
• LB: Jihaad Campbell (Alabama)

And then I have six more guys right on the borderline of Rounds 1-2.

• WR: Matthew Golden (Texas)
• OG: Donovan Jackson (Ohio State)
• EDGE: Nic Scourton (Texas A&M)
• DT: Derrick Harmon (Oregon)
• CB: Azareye'h Thomas (Florida State), Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame)

In this iteration, I settled on Golden, Scourton, and Harmon.

Golden allows me to include five WRs in my mock, and Scourton and Harmon have been Round 1 staples to this point.

Borderline Round 1 NFL Mock Draft Prospects

These are the guys I didn't include in my mock but whom I currently view as residing near the borderline of Rounds 1-2.

• QB: Jaxson Dart (Mississippi)
• RB: Omarion Hampton (North Carolina)
• OT: Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)
• OG: Donovan Jackson (Ohio State)
• EDGE: Jack Sawyer (Ohio State), Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College), J.T. Tuimoloau (Ohio State)
• DT: Tyleik Williams (Ohio State)
• CB: Azareye'h Thomas (Florida State), Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame), Shavon Revel (East Carolina)