https://sports.yahoo.com/2025-mock-draft-2-0-093621020.html
2025 Mock Draft 2.0: Best-case scenario delivers two-way star to Pats originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Senior Bowl has come and gone. Super Bowl LIX is just days away. And there are lessons to be taken from both that we’ll apply to our latest NFL Mock Draft.
Despite featuring one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl very could well be determined by big bodies in the trenches. Can Kansas City’s Chris Jones create enough disruption to stop the Eagles offense? Or is Philly’s offensive line too good? On the other side, can anyone on the Chiefs offensive line stop Jalen Carter and the Eagles’ fleet of pass-rushers?
Suffice it to say, as teams look to replicate what makes the NFL’s best rosters its best rosters, you’ll see a huge number of offensive and defensive linemen taken in the first round in this mock.
When it comes to the Senior Bowl, a relative lack of quarterbacking talent there could be indicative of how things will play out on draft weekend. Though some of the passers in Mobile, Ala. had their moments — Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, for instance — it doesn’t look like there will be dependable depth in this year’s class at the game’s most important position.
If you want one, then, you better act quickly. That’s exactly what happens with the top-two signal-callers in this year’s class. They go off early, which ultimately ends up helping the Patriots in our NFL Mock Draft 2.0:
1. Tennessee Titans: Abdul Carter, ED, Penn State
The Titans have made it clear. They want a generational talent if a generational talent is deemed to be there. The guess here? They feel that either Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter is that kind of talent. They go with the pass-rusher in this scenario.
2. Las Vegas Raiders (via Cleveland): Cam Ward, QB, Miami
If it wasn’t clear already, it was after the Senior Bowl. This isn’t a loaded quarterback class. Want one? Pounce early. That’s what Tom Brady and the Raiders do here, grabbing the more physically-gifted passer between the two consensus first-rounders.
3. New York Giants: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
Brian Daboll and the Giants need a quarterback. And fast. Sanders may not have the arm or the athleticism that Ward does, but he might be able to hit the ground running as a pocket passer. As we just established, if they want a quarterback they like, they can’t wait around.
4. New England Patriots: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
Consider this a version of the best-case scenario for the Patriots. Seeing two quarterbacks go off the board inside the top three picks means that one of the two blue-chip talents in this class slides all the way to No. 4.
The question with Hunter is this: What position will he play? He wants to play both ways, at cornerback and wide receiver, as he did in college. But league sources don’t believe he’ll be able to do that on a full-time basis.
Evaluators, for the most part, see him as a high-end corner who can moonlight at wideout. Which, for the Patriots, would have plenty of value. Hunter and Christian Gonzalez would represent one of the best corner tandems in the NFL.
But the greater need in New England is at receiver. Hunter is so talented that if he focused solely on receiver, he might still be a top-of-the-draft kind of pick. Could Mike Vrabel ever convince the Heisman Trophy winner that his best path is to play receiver and moonlight on the defensive side, playing in critical sub-package situations?
If so, Hunter’s body type, his ability to track the football, and his footwork at the tops of his routes makes him at times look a little like Jets star wideout Garrett Wilson.
Wherever Hunter ends up playing, if he ends up in New England, he’ll bring high-end talent to a team in desperate need of that kind of juice.
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5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Will Campbell, OT, LSU
Liam Coen already has a quarterback in Jacksonville. Now he needs to protect him as well as he can. Campbell looks like the best tackle in this year’s class.
6. Cleveland Browns (via Las Vegas): Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
The Browns are so analytically driven that getting a future first-rounder and a second-rounder from Las Vegas would warrant a drop from No. 2 to No. 6. To then land a big-bodied contested-catch threat at a premium position with their first pick? Not a bad haul.
7. New York Jets: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
Graham may be getting left out of the mix in the blue-chip discussion when he shouldn’t be. He looks like a well-rounded, three-down defensive tackle who’ll make an immediate impact.
8. Carolina Panthers: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
The Panthers will gladly pounce on one of the best corners in the class after a season-ending injury pushes Johnson down the board. Jaycee Horn now has a partner in crime to give opposing quarterbacks fits.
9. New Orleans Saints: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
It looks like New Orleans is set on hiring an offensive-minded head coach who will want to upgrade the offensive weaponry in his locker room. Warren is a do-it-all tight end with next-level athleticism.
10: Chicago Bears: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
Caleb Williams is going to need a much better offensive line if Ben Johnson is going to cobble together a competent offense in his first year as head coach. Whether it’s at tackle or guard, Banks will provide competent play in short order.
11: San Francisco 49ers: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
Trent Williams isn’t going to play forever, and Simmons might’ve been the top tackle off the board had he not injured his knee in the fall.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Mykel Williams, ED, Georgia
Long arms. Lightning quick off the line. Jerry Jones may be enamored by the Bulldogs’ versatile edge defender. With Micah Parsons going into a contract year, this may be viewed as a position the Cowboys want to address early.
13. Miami Dolphins: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
Jevon Holland is going to be one of the best free agents on the market this offseason. If a big deal awaits him elsewhere, Starks is an excellent fill-in.
14. Indianapolis Colts: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
The Colts might have to shake up their receiver room a bit if they make this pick. It’s getting crowded in there with capable players. (Maybe call the Patriots to see if they’d be open to a trade?) But Burden’s playmaking ability is considered too good to pass up here.
15. Atlanta Falcons: Jalon Walker, ED, Georgia
The Falcons could use some front-seven help, and Walker theoretically could help them at two spots, because he’s played both inside and outside linebacker. Atlanta stops Walker’s slide here by taking an explosive tackler with quality leadership traits.
16. Arizona Cardinals: James Pearce Jr., ED, Tennessee
If you’re looking for burst off the edge, Pearce is for you. The Cardinals might have to refine the Tennessee product’s eye-opening physical traits, but his gifts are rare — and worthy of middle-of-the-first-round investment.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Green, ED, Marshall
Cincinnati can’t keep everyone. “We can’t have guys at the top of the payroll in every position, right?” general manager Duke Tobin told the Cincinnati Inquirer recently. If Trey Hendrickson, the subject of that conversation, moves on… enter Green, who had a strong Senior Bowl week.
18. Seattle Seahawks: Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama
Never a bad idea to solidify the interior of the offensive line when looking for answers there. Booker is Daniel Jeremiah’s No. 14 player in his top 50.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Nic Scourton, ED, Texas A&M
Opinions seem to be split on Scourton, but he looks the part coming off the edge at at 6-foot-4, 280 pounds. He has the tools to defend the run more consistently than he did in college, and in this scenario, the Bucs are willing to bet on those.
20. Denver Broncos: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
There’s a scary corner tandem coming together in Denver. Patrick Surtain II has an argument as the best in the game. Add the ball-hawking Barron to the Broncos secondary and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have some fun.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Depending on George Pickens to carry the receiver room in Pittsburgh for another year? Could be a headache for Mike Tomlin. Adding the dependable Egbuka is just what they need.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Would come as no surprise if Jim Harbaugh wanted to add a Michigan man to his roster here, but instead he’ll go with an underappreciated cover corner coming off an injury.
23. Green Bay Packers: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
The Packers are in an interesting spot in that they have two young tackles (Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker) going into contract years at the same time. If they feel they can’t get both taken care of, adding another layer of depth at the position would be wise. Conerly wasn’t necessarily dominant at the Senior Bowl, but he’s intriguing enough to call in the first round.
24. Minnesota Vikings: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
One of the most talented players in the draft slides due to positional value here. But the Vikings have a good enough roster elsewhere that adding a tackle-breaking machine to their backfield is an easy choice — particularly for a team that may be looking to make things as easy as possible for an inexperienced quarterback in J.J. McCarthy.
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25. Houston Texans: Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
Offensive line issues plagued the Texans all season, and in Membou, they add a player who potentially could contribute at both tackle and guard. He wasn’t able to participate at the Senior Bowl due to an illness, but he may still crack the first round come the spring.
26. Los Angeles Rams: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
Tackle could be a consideration here with both Alaric Jackson and Joe Noteboom potentially departing via free agency. But they could use a versatile chess piece in their front seven like Campbell, who impressed at Alabama as both an edge rusher and an off-ball linebacker.
27. Baltimore Ravens: Shemar Stewart, DL, Texas A&M
The Ravens won’t be afraid to continue to add pass-rush help as they look at the rest of the AFC and see quarterbacks they’ll want to make nervous for years to come. Stewart has excellent size and quickness off the line, and he flashed big-time potential at the Senior Bowl.
28. Detroit Lions: Donovan Ezeiruaku, ED, Boston College
Another pass-rusher here who showed up in Mobile, Ala. For a Lions defense that could use an Aidan Hutchinson complement, Ezeiruaku makes a lot of sense.
29. Washington Commanders: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Zach Ertz eventually will hand the torch to Loveland, who’ll help Jayden Daniels get better and better at attacking the middle of the field. Scary duo here for the rest of the NFC East.
30. Buffalo Bills: Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
If the Bills want to bother Patrick Mahomes up the middle, Harmon looks like their best bet at this point in the draft. One of the most pro-ready defensive linemen in the class, Harmon will be able to contribute on all three downs if asked.
31. Philadelphia Eagles: Cameron Williams, OT, Texas
Howie Roseman is no stranger to investing in the trenches. Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata were excellent in 2024 so they shouldn’t be replaced any time soon. But if and when the Eagles are looking for their next answer at tackle, Williams has the skill set to slide in. He’ll need developing, but he’ll be given the time and coaching to do exactly that in Philly.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Aireontay Ersery, OT, Minnesota
Whereas the Eagles are working from a position of strength when addressing the tackle spot, the Chiefs are much more desperate. As well as Joe Thuney has done bumping outside in a pinch this season, they need help protecting the edge. Yesterday.
The 6-foot-5, 339-pound Ersery was good enough at Minnesota — and then at the Senior Bowl — to be taken here.
https://sports.yahoo.com/2025-mock-draft-2-0-093621020.html
