2025 NFL Mock Draft: Updates Ahead Of CFB Playoff Semi-Finals
We're into the 2025 calendar year, Week 18 of the NFL season, and Round 3 of the College Football Playoff, so now feels like a good time to update my 2025 NFL 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)
- Version 5: Pre-Heisman version (Dec. 2024)
- Version 6: Pre-Round 1 CFB Playoff (Dec. 2024)
- Version 7: Pre-Round 2 CFB Playoff (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 2025 NFL Draft
- Top-five RBs for the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top-five WRs for the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top-five TEs for the 2025 NFL Draft
Updated 2025 NFL Mock Draft
The 2025 NFL draft order is almost set for the non-playoff teams, but for now—with one week of games to go in the regular season—I'm determining draft order by projecting wins for each team.
Every week, you can access my team projections in our Fantasy Life Game Models (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription).
Here's my pre-Round 3 CFB Playoff mock, followed by a few general notes.
Pick | Team | Player | School | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CLE | Shedeur Sanders | Colorado | QB |
2 | NYG | Cameron Ward | Miami | QB |
3 | NE | Travis Hunter | Colorado | WR |
4 | TEN | Tetairoa McMillan | Arizona | WR |
5 | CHI | Kelvin Banks | Texas | OT |
6 | CAR | Luther Burden | Missouri | WR |
7 | JAX | Will Johnson | Michigan | CB |
8 | LV | Jalen Milroe | Alabama | QB |
9 | NYJ | Mason Graham | Michigan | DT |
10 | NO | Abdul Carter | Penn State | EDGE |
11 | SF | Will Campbell | LSU | OT |
12 | DAL | Ashton Jeanty | Boise State | RB |
13 | ARI | Mykel Williams | Georgia | EDGE |
14 | IND | Malaki Starks | Georgia | S |
15 | MIA | Josh Simmons | Ohio State | OT |
16 | CIN | James Pearce | Tennessee | EDGE |
17 | ATL | Jalon Walker | Georgia | EDGE |
18 | HOU | Tyler Booker | Alabama | G |
19 | SEA | Aireontae Ersery | Minnesota | OT |
20 | DEN | Tyler Warren | Penn State | TE |
21 | TB | Nic Scourton | Texas A&M | EDGE |
22 | LAR | Benjamin Morrison | Notre Dame | CB |
23 | PIT | Emeka Egbuka | Ohio State | WR |
24 | LAC | Colston Loveland | Michigan | TE |
25 | WAS | Isaiah Bond | Texas | WR |
26 | GB | Shavon Revel | East Carolina | CB |
27 | BAL | Kenneth Grant | Michigan | DT |
28 | BUF | Derrick Harmon | Oregon | DT |
29 | PHI | Shemar Stewart | Texas A&M | EDGE |
30 | MIN | Walter Nolen | Mississippi | DT |
31 | KC | Cameron Williams | Texas | OT |
32 | DET | Landon Jackson | Arkansas | EDGE |
*Editor's Note: Picks 30-32 are ordered MIN-DET-KC based on projected wins, but have been reordered in the above table to coincide with the draft sequence alternating conferences (AFC, NFC) based on how the NFL playoffs play out.
Borderline Round 1 Prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft
These are the players I currently view as residing on the borderline of Rounds 1-2.
- OTs Jonah Savaiinaea (Arizona), Wyatt Milum (West Virginia) & Josh Conerly (Oregon)
- OG Donovan Jackson (Ohio State)
- EDGEs Mike Green (Marshall), Jack Sawyer (Ohio State) & J.T. Tuimoloau (Ohio State)
- DTs Tyleik Williams (Ohio State), Deone Walker (Kentucky), Omarr Norman-Lott (Tennessee) & T.J. Sanders (South Carolina)
- LB Jihaad Campbell (Alabama)
- CBs Jahdae Barron (Texas) & Trey Amos (Mississippi)
- S Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina)
Is This The Perfect NFL Mock Draft?
Here's what I like specifically about this mock.
- QBs Shedeur Sanders & Cameron Ward: I think they should be in the top five, and I specifically like them going off the top of the board to QB-needy teams.
- WRs Travis Hunter & Tetairoa McMillan: Hunter deserves to be the first non-QB selected, but I do think McMillan is in his tier as a receiver and warrants a top-five selection.
- QB Jalen Milroe: There's no guarantee that Milroe will declare for the draft, and most mocks currently have two QBs in the top 32, but I like Milroe's dual-threat skill set and see him as a Round 1 talent.
- Five WRs: Most mocks have 3-4 WRs in Round 1, but I want to get five in my top 32.
- Two TEs: Mocks are currently split between 1-2 TEs. I increasingly believe we'll get two in Round 1.
- OG Tyler Booker: I got him back in my top 32. He's just too good not to include, even though it's not immediately clear where he best slots in.
I like a lot about this iteration.
And yet …
Still Not the Perfect Mock Draft
No mock is perfect. Here are ideas I have for future versions.
- RB Ashton Jeanty: I am torn. I want to mock him to the Cowboys … and yet I also want to get him in the top 10, because I can imagine a team actually drafting him that high. Maybe the Raiders at No. 8? The Jaguars at No. 7???
- WR Luther Burden: I still think I'm too high on Burden, but it's hard for me to get five WRs in Round 1 if I don't have him in the top 10. Still, I think he belongs in the middle of Round 1.
- TEs Tyler Warren & Colston Loveland: Thor is adamant that Warren is the No. 1 TE in the class, and I have him going off the board as such in this mock, primarily because I can see Broncos HC Sean Payton drafting him to use him like a super version of Saints TE Taysom Hill. That said … most mocks have Loveland as the No. 1 TE … and I kind of want to have him ahead of Warren. I anticipate that this will be a back-and-forth thing for me throughout draft season.
- Seven EDGEs & Four DTs: I think DL is the strength of this class, and I can see as many as 15 DLs going in the top 32. With only 11 DLs in this mock, it feels light. That said, I can also see how scarcity elsewhere pushes a few DLs down the board, given the depth at EDGE and DT.
These issues aren't major, I'll keep them in mind as I make future updates.
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