- A blockbuster trade sends Myles Garrett to the Commanders: The Browns shore up their wide receiver room with the extra 2025 first-round pick in this mock.
- Travis Hunter falls to No. 5: Seen by some as the consensus top player in the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter lands with the Jaguars in this mock, creating a potentially elite cornerback tandem with Tyson Campbell.
Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
The 2025 NFL Draft seems to revolve around the suspense of who will select a quarterback near the top and what will happen if Myles Garrett gets traded. Predicting the domino effect after that is more complicated, but there are certainly scenarios where each team can fill their needs regardless.
Here is one mock draft scenario, including a Garrett trade, an early run on offensive linemen and a few trades for playmakers in between.
1. Tennessee Titans: QB Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
After finishing dead last in PFF passing grade in 2024, the Titans elect to take Ward as their franchise quarterback. Ward finished his lone season at Miami with the nation’s highest PFF overall grade and an outstanding 6.3% big-time throw rate.
2. Cleveland Browns: EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
The Browns select their Myles Garrett replacement (more on that below) in Carter, who was the Power Four’s highest-graded pass-rusher last season. Assuming they secure a nice haul for Garrett, the Browns can begin to reset their roster with an elite pass-rusher before drafting a franchise quarterback in the future.
3. New York Giants: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
The Giants are desperate for a quarterback, and Sanders is the best one on the board. He is college football’s all-time completion percentage leader, boosting a Giants team that placed 29th in that category last season. His ability to accurately throw the ball to Malik Nabers becomes the foundation of New York’s offense.
4. New England Patriots: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
While Travis Hunter is higher on many boards, there are questions about where he will play in the NFL. With Tee Higgins likely no longer an option in free agency, New England could spend money elsewhere and opt for McMillan as its top receiving threat. Patriots wide receivers recorded the worst PFF receiving grade in the NFL on 10-plus-yard targets last season. McMillan should help that cause.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter falls to the fifth spot, where Jacksonville would gladly take him. He gives them a potentially elite cornerback pairing with Tyson Campbell. If Hunter could also handle a significant offensive workload, he would create a dynamic receiving duo with Brian Thomas Jr.
6. Las Vegas Raiders: CB Will Johnson, Michigan
New Raiders head coach Pete Carroll will look to improve a defense that ranked dead last in PFF coverage grade last season. Johnson is an incredibly sound technician who can fit in any defense, as long as he is healthy. In three seasons at Michigan, he compiled an elite 91.2 PFF coverage grade.
7. *TRADE* New Orleans Saints: DI Mason Graham, Michigan
Trade terms: Saints receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 7); Jets receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 9), 2025 third-round pick (No. 93)
The Saints jump two spots to ensure they can swipe Graham away from the division rival Panthers. They have a desperate need on the interior, as their defensive tackles ranked last in PFF run-defense grade in 2024. Graham’s 92.6 PFF run-defense grade this past season led all FBS defensive tackles.
8. Carolina Panthers: EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
The Panthers weren’t quite lucky enough to have Mason Graham fall to them, so they opt for the best edge defender on the board: James Pearce Jr. Pearce compiled an outstanding 22.4% pressure rate over the past two seasons, ranking first among FBS edge defenders with at least 200 pass-rush snaps in that span.
9. *TRADE* New York Jets: TE Tyler Warren, Penn State
Trade terms: Jets receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 9), 2025 third-round pick (No. 93); Saints receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 7)
New York moves down a couple of spots but still ends up with the draft’s top tight end. Warren’s skills are desperately needed for a team whose tight ends ranked 30th in PFF overall grade and last in PFF run-blocking grade in 2024.
10. Chicago Bears: T Will Campbell, LSU
The Bears will likely shop in free agency for interior offensive linemen, but it would be both unlikely and expensive for them to buy three legitimate starters. That’s where Campbell comes into play — if he falls this far. He’s skilled and smart enough to move inside and still be an asset.
11. San Francisco 49ers: T Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
Banks’ pass-protection skills and outside-zone run-blocking prowess make him an excellent fit in San Francisco, a team that continues to search for answers alongside Trent Williams. If Banks can play tackle despite concerns about his arm length, he could be a natural replacement for Williams down the line.
12. Dallas Cowboys: T Armand Membou, Missouri
As tempting as Ashton Jeanty is, Dallas needs to improve the right side of its offensive line, given Zack Martin’s retirement and Terence Steele’s struggles in pass protection. Whether he plays tackle or guard, Membou offers improvement as one of just two FBS tackles ranked in the top 15 in PFF pass-blocking grade and PFF run-blocking grade.
13. Miami Dolphins: S Malaki Starks, Georgia
The run of offensive linemen leaves Miami in a tough spot. The Dolphins choose to improve their secondary with Malaki Starks, who would immediately play a crucial role following the potential departure of Jevon Holland in free agency.
14. Indianapolis Colts: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
The Colts have long needed premier talent at outside cornerback, and Barron gives new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo just that. His 91.1 PFF coverage grade last season led all Power Four cornerbacks. He would be a perfect fit in Anarumo’s complex zone coverage schemes.
15. Atlanta Falcons: EDGE Mike Green, Marshall
Atlanta desperately needs an elite pass-rusher. Green led all FBS edge defenders in PFF overall grade and sacks last season, and he proved he could play at a higher level during Senior Bowl week. The Falcons have to come out of this offseason with a vastly improved pass-rush unit.
16. *TRADE* Los Angeles Chargers: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Trade terms: Chargers receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 16); Cardinals receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 22), 2025 third-round pick (No. 86) and 2025 sixth-round pick (No. 183)
Trading up within the first round for a running back is rare these days, but so is a player as talented as Jeanty. After rewriting the PFF record books in 2024, Jeanty joins the NFL as the dynamic player the Chargers were missing in the run game last season, taking some pressure off Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: DI Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
If the Bengals plan to retain Tee Higgins, then their focus will likely be on defense early in this draft. They never found a way to replace DJ Reader on the interior in 2024, so they opt for the talented Nolen, who placed second behind Mason Graham in PFF run-defense grade last season.
18. Seattle Seahawks: LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
The Seahawks desperately need interior offensive line help, but they may be able to wait until Day 2 to find it. Another option in the first round could be Campbell, the top-ranked linebacker on PFF’s big board.
19. *TRADE* Los Angeles Rams: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
Trade terms: Rams receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 19); Buccaneers receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 26), 2025 third-round pick (No. 100)
The Rams were reportedly sniffing around to see if they could trade up for Brock Bowers last year. If either Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland is within reach here, they could pull the trigger for a tight end this time around. Loveland ranked second, behind Warren, among Power Four tight ends with a 90.8 PFF receiving grade over the past two seasons.
20. Denver Broncos: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
Denver ranked 24th in explosive pass play rate this past season, so Burden could be an answer to that problem as both a deep threat and a dynamic receiver after the catch. The Broncos ran screen passes at the third-highest rate in the NFL in 2024, and Burden led all Power Four wide receivers with a 91.3 PFF receiving grade on such plays over the past two years.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Steelers wide receivers posted the second-worst PFF receiving grade in the league last season on targets under 20 air yards. A reliable route runner like Egbuka would at least somewhat remedy that problem, giving Pittsburgh someone who can reliably move the chains without the offense always needing to air it out.
22. *TRADE* Arizona Cardinals: DI Kenneth Grant, Michigan
Trade terms: Cardinals receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 22), 2025 third-round pick (No. 86) and 2025 sixth-round pick (No. 183); Chargers receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 16)
Arizona may make multiple defensive line selections in this draft. Grant would give them a massive run-stopping presence on the inside, finishing tied for seventh among Power Four defensive tackles in PFF run-defense grade in 2024. The Cardinals’ defensive tackle unit ranked 25th in the NFL in that same metric.
23. Green Bay Packers: OL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
The Packers may lose center Josh Myers in free agency, though he didn’t grade particularly well across four seasons in Green Bay anyway. The team could see some appeal in Zabel, who would be moving over from left tackle but seems athletic enough to do so and thrive in Matt LaFleur’s zone run scheme.
24. *TRADE* New England Patriots: T Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
Trade terms: Patriots receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 24); Vikings receive 2025 second-round pick (No. 38), 2025 third-round pick (No. 77)
While New England will have several interior options to choose from in free agency, there aren’t as many quick fixes for their abhorrent tackle situation. The pick-needy Vikings could look to trade down, as projected here, and the Patriots become a suitor to select Conerly. If New England feels satisfied at wide receiver and offensive tackle after this draft, they’ll have succeeded.
25. Houston Texans: G Tyler Booker, Alabama
Interior protection for C.J. Stroud is the Texans’ biggest need, and they address that by selecting Booker. He finished 2024 with the fifth-highest PFF pass-blocking grade on true pass sets in the FBS and allowed just two sacks in his Alabama career.
26. *TRADE* Tampa Bay Buccaneers: EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia
Trade terms: Buccaneers receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 26), 2025 third-round pick (No. 100); Rams receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 19)
Tampa Bay gains an extra pick from the Rams and picks up a versatile, high-ceiling player in Williams. While he still needs to develop as a pass-rusher, Williams would help a Buccaneers edge unit that had just one player grade above 60.0 in run defense last season.
27. Baltimore Ravens: T Josh Simmons, Ohio State
The Ravens could lose Ronnie Stanley in free agency, which would make left tackle their biggest draft need. They take a chance on the athletic Simmons, who is coming off a serious knee injury but has a ton of talent.
28. Detroit Lions: EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
If the Lions don’t trade for Myles Garrett, they seem likely to dig into this deep edge defender class at some point. Stewart would nicely complement Aidan Hutchinson as an outstanding run defender who still has a chance to grow into his pass-rush potential.
29. *TRADE* Cleveland Browns: WR Matthew Golden, Texas
Trade terms: Browns receive 2025 first-round pick (No. 29), 2025 third-round pick (No. 79), 2026 first-round pick; Commanders receive EDGE Myles Garrett, 2025 third-round pick (No. 95)
In this hypothetical scenario, the Browns receive two first-round picks for Myles Garrett along with a favorable pick swap in this year’s third round. Given that they already selected Abdul Carter, they target an offensive weapon in Golden, an excellent route runner who had a late breakout this season for Texas.
30. Buffalo Bills: DI Derrick Harmon, Oregon
Buffalo’s struggles on the interior this past season push them to draft Harmon, who had a major breakout at Oregon. He and Mason Graham were the only two Power Four defensive tackles who finished with 80.0-plus PFF grades as a run defender and a pass-rusher.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: DI Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
The Chiefs miss out on the top-tier offensive tackles, so they add an elite run-stopper to their defensive line. Williams finished 2024 with the eighth-best PFF run-defense grade in the FBS (88.6) and would immediately complement Chris Jones‘ pass-rushing prowess.
32. Philadelphia Eagles: LB Jalon Walker, Georgia
History repeats itself: The Eagles land another athletic pass-rusher from Georgia late in the first round. Walker isn’t nearly as experienced on the edge as Nolan Smith was as a prospect, but his athletic potential and the team’s ability to bring him along slowly could pay big dividends.
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