NFL Consensus Mock Draft: Saints take Sanders at No. 9
To give you a better idea of where the top prospects might end up, Kellen Forrest put together a consensus mock draft for the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
If the opening rounds of the Stanley Cup and NBA Playoffs weren’t enough, how about a little football fix as well?
The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is set for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, and there are plenty of intriguing storylines to keep an eye on.
As is often the case, the No. 1 overall pick doesn’t seem to be much of a secret as the Tennessee Titans are expected to take quarterback Cam Ward out of Miami.
But after that, things get interesting.
Will the Cleveland Browns take the “Ohtani of football” in two-way superstar Travis Hunter? Which team will take a shot on QB Shedeur Sanders, Hunter’s college teammate and son of NFL legend Deion Sanders?
And how about some trades? Heading into the draft, every team currently owns its own first-round pick. As the board begins to take shape, we’d bet that won’t last through the first round.
So, to give you an idea of where the top prospects might end up in Round 1, we’ve put together a consensus mock draft.
Results have been aggregated from ESPN, CBS Sports, NFL.com, Pro Football Focus and the Associated Press.
1. Tennessee Titans – Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL)
After announcing that they would keep the No. 1 pick this week, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Ward’s name will be called to start things off on Thursday. The clear top-ranked QB prospect in the class, Ward has the toolset to be the franchise pivot Titans fans have been waiting for.
2. Cleveland Browns – Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
Though the Browns have quarterback issues of their own, it’s not every day you get a chance to select arguably the best two-way prospect the league has ever seen. How exactly the Heisman Trophy winner will be utilized remains to be determined. But no matter what side of the ball he’s on, he makes his impact felt.
3. New York Giants – Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
There were some questions about whether the Giants would look to take a QB in this spot. But with veteran QBs Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston now in the fold, the Giants should do the smart thing and take the best player available. Adding Carter to an already stout defensive line would be a nightmare scenario for opponents.
4. New England Patriots – Will Campbell, OT, LSU
The Patriots do have their QB of the future in Drake Maye, but struggled to protect the rookie last season. Adding Campbell to protect Maye’s blind side makes a lot of sense here.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars – Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
Outside of Carter, Graham appears to be the most NFL-ready defensive line prospect and should improve the interior of the Jags defence.
6. Las Vegas Raiders – Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
The Raiders had an NFL low 3.6 yards per carry last season. Jeanty averaged an absurd 7 yards per rush last season at Boise State and would give new head coach Pete Carroll an instant difference maker on offence.
7. New York Jets – Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
Not much went right for the Jets last season, but they were especially bad at keeping Aaron Rodgers upright. Justin Fields is the new QB in New York, and Membou will help shore up his pocket.
8. Carolina Panthers – Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
The Panthers still have a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball, but that’s especially true on defence. Taking a player like Walker, who can play multiple positions, would go a long way to improving that.
9. New Orleans Saints – Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
Draft experts seem to be all over the place on Sanders’ landing spot, but with the recent news that Saints QB Derek Carr could miss the season, New Orleans seems like a logical landing spot for the Colorado QB. Sanders would give new Saints HC Kellen Moore a perfect pocket passer to shape his offence around.
10. Chicago Bears – Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
Caleb Williams was running for his life over the majority of his rookie season. The Bears investing in an offensive tackle like Banks to protect Williams’ blind side seems like the logical pick here.
11. San Francisco 49ers – Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
The 49ers appear to be in a complete overhaul, but also still have the talent to compete to win next season. Adding a turnover generator like Barron could get them right back to contender status.
12. Dallas Cowboys – Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
McMillan seems like the perfect fit to go along with Cowboys star WR CeeDee Lamb. The top-rated WR prospect in the draft, McMillan projects to be an instant red-zone threat for Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.
13. Miami Dolphins – Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
Starks is a ball-hawking safety who could help fill the hole left by an impending Jalen Ramsey trade.
14. Indianapolis Colts – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
Warren set Penn State school records in catches (103) and yards (1,233) by a TE last season and would fill a massive need for the Colts.
15. Atlanta Falcons – Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
Atlanta desperately needs pass-rushing help, and Green led the NCAA in sacks last season (17).
16. Arizona Cardinals – Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Johnson’s injury history might cause him to fall in the draft, but he’s a top-10 talent and the Cardinals should pounce if he’s still around.
17. Cincinnati Bengals – Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
The Bengals offence was not a problem last season. The defence was. Cincinnati has to go defence here, and a stout run defender in Harmon would go a long way.
18. Seattle Seahawks – Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett no longer in the picture, Golden would give new QB Sam Darnold another weapon to work with. Seattle did add Cooper Kupp this off-season, but his production has dipped and another young weapon would allow Kupp to play primarily in the slot.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
When you watch Campbell on film, he’s everywhere. The versatile linebacker would also be the perfect fit in Todd Bowles’ defence.
20. Denver Broncos – Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
The best RB prospect in the draft outside of Jeanty, Hampton projects to be a three-down player who can fit seamlessly in Sean Payton’s offence.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Dart makes sense here regardless of whether the Steelers end up bringing in Aaron Rodgers. The ideal scenario would be Dart getting a year to sit behind Rodgers and learn from the veteran.
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22. Los Angeles Chargers – Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
The Chargers desperately need another offensive playmaker. Add in the fact that Loveland played for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, and this pick seems like the perfect fit.
23. Green Bay Packers – Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
Green Bay’s lack of pass rush was a glaring issue last season, and at six-foot-five, 267 pounds, while also running a 4.59 40, Stewart has the tools to make an immediate impact.
24. Minnesota Vikings – Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
The Vikings have an aging, depleted secondary and need to inject some youth on the back end.
25. Houston Texans – Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
After struggling to protect C.J. Stroud last season, the Texans need all the help they can get on the offensive line. Booker can help them at either guard position right away.
26. Los Angeles Rams – Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss
With Matthew Stafford back, the Rams need to draft an impact player for their secondary to complement their young, talented defensive line. Amos fits the bill, as he finished with the second-most pass breakups (15) in the FBS last season.
27. Baltimore Ravens – James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
Pearce had 17.5 sacks over his past two seasons with the Volunteers, and would give a big pass-rushing boost to a Ravens team that needs it.
28. Detroit Lions – Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
The Lions don’t have a lot of holes, but a second pass rusher to complement Aiden Hutchinson is one.
29. Washington Commanders – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Washington grabbing another weapon for QB Jayden Daniels would take their offence to the next level. Egbuka is a well-rounded WR that would fit.
30. Buffalo Bills – Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina
Revel had two interceptions in the NCAA last season, and the Bills adding him to improve their secondary might be what they need to finally get over the hump.
31. Kansas City Chiefs – Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
The Chiefs’ offensive line got exposed in the Super Bowl against the Eagles. Adding a young tackle to protect Patrick Mahomes for years to come seems like the move here.
32. Philadelphia Eagles – Walter Nolen, DL, Ole Miss
This pick would be a classic case of the rich getting richer. Nolen would join arguably the best defensive line in the league and make the defending champs that much scarier.
