Week 1 hammered home the idea that a handful of NFL teams are probably going to need quarterbacks by next season. Deshaun Watson, Bryce Young and Daniel Jones all had dismal beginnings to the 2024 season, and in this mock, the Browns, Panthers, and Giants all land new passers.
And while there is not a Caleb Williams nor a Trevor Lawrence in the 2025 draft class at the most vital position in football, there's a bevy of options, a deep collection of passers all vying to be the first few quarterbacks off the board in April.
Miami's Cam Ward has been sensational to begin the Hurricanes season, showcasing a fine blend of athleticism and accuracy to all levels. Miller Moss has worked surgically inside the pocket in Lincoln Riley's offense, and Jaxson Dart has looked incredibly calm operating Lane Kiffin's attack in Ole Miss' first two wins of the season.
You'll notice some highly thought-of prospects, such as Texas' Quinn Ewers and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, are not among the signal-callers in this Round 1 mock. They very well could, in about eight months, be selected in the first round.
With Ewers, I want to see more individual high-caliber play from him after not viewing him as a first-round caliber prospect before he decided to stay in school after the 2023 season. There were a few nice throws, namely early, against Michigan. But Steve Sarkisian's scheme has provided ample throwing lanes and open targets for Ewers entering the third week of the college season. There's no denying Ewers' natural talent, though, and if his steady play continues, he can cement himself as a first-rounder next April.
As for Sanders, as every evaluation is a fluid process in-season, some weeks he looks like a first-round prospect and other weeks he doesn't. But in trying to attempt how the NFL will view him, actions on the sideline in the loss to Nebraska and his press conference afterward won't help him. He's not so outrageously talented that clubs will gladly accept distractions from him. Of course, there's time to right the ship, but if the draft was tomorrow, it wouldn't surprise me if Sanders did not hear his name called among the first 32 selections.
Anyway, let's get to the players who did hear their names called in my mock draft 2.0.
The draft order below was determined using preseason Super Bowl odds but in reverse order.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen below!
Round 1 - Pick 1
Pearce has the goods to be a first overall selection as an edge rusher. He's long, super-bendy and plays with ridiculous burst off the line of scrimmage. Plus, there's clearly room to add weight to his frame and he still isn't 21 years old.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
The Panthers' current regime has no draft ties to Bryce Young, and if he doesn't distinctly improve this season, it's not out of the question Carolina looks for another quarterback in the 2025 draft.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
Moss lands with another franchise likely (see: moving toward clearly) in need of a quarterback upgrade. He has the pocket tools to thrive in the NFL.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Johnson looks the part of a top-five cornerback. He has length, fluidity, plus instincts, physicality and speed. He's precisely the type most teams need, and the Commanders especially need.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Scourton is a wide, girthy rusher with inside-out capabilities and the light feet of a defensive linemen 20 or 30 pounds lighter.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
At this point, no one has any clue how the quarterback position will shake out in April -- there's no real consensus for these top guys -- but Beck feels like the safest bet, and the Raiders need stability at the game's most vital position.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
The Broncos need to bolster the offensive front protecting Bo Nix, and Banks is one of the cleanest blockers in this class -- at least to date.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
The Cardinals need a DUDE on the defensive line, and Williams has Travon Walker-like traits up front and hails from the same NFL factory in the SEC.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
What a fun selection here -- Hunter can act as the No. 1 CB in Minnesota and Kevin O'Connell can design an offensive package to utilize Hunter for the true beginning of the J.J. McCarthy era.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
With Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Burden, the Saints would have a sneaky good, young receiver group.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
McMillan went bananas in Arizona's opener with over 300 yards and four touchdowns. While he's not a sudden, Calvin Johnson-type athlete, he's a large, intimidating presence on the boundary and is well on his way to another enormous season.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
Morrison will enter the NFL with loads of press coverage experience, and he has the arm length and chiseled frame to specialize as an in-your-face cornerback in the NFL.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald would get Kyle Hamilton vibes with Starks, and the former Ravens defensive coordinator would work wonders for another uber-talented safety.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
The Steelers are probably going to need to dip back into the quarterback well in the 2025 draft, and Dart has the big-game experience, plus talent and productivity, to go in Round 1 next April.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Walker is an enormous human being with tremendous block-shedding skills and deceptive upfield rush ability for a nose tackle.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
The Browns go with the live-arm and the pocket poise of Nussmeier to steady the ship in Cleveland.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Egbuka could've been a top-100 pick in the 2024 class and leads another epically deep Ohio State receiver group -- what else is new? -- in Columbus. The Chargers continue their receiver-room rebuild with this selection.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Without a clear position of need, the Bears go best player available, and that very well could be the ferocious Michigan defensive tackle.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Stutsman has played a lot of football at a high level and is a twitched-up athlete with coverage capabilities. He could sneak into the first round.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
The Rams could use a big-time talent at cornerback to match the opposition's No. 1 receiver each game. The towering Davis has that type of skill set.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
The Dolphins look to fill the void left by Christian Wilkins' departure with the super steady and athletic Sanders inside.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Loveland is the consensus top tight end in the class -- at least now -- and the Jets could've gone Brock Bowers in April to add more firepower to the offense for Aaron Rodgers.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
After years of selecting non-flashy offensive linemen -- or defensive tackles -- in the first round, Jerry Jones gets his wish with the thunderous runner from Boise State who also comes with lightning quickness.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Perkins is too inherently talented to go any later than this. Whether he's a blitzing outside linebacker or slot defender in Green Bay, he has the talent to be a fun player in the Packers defense. Any defense, really.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
As a former rangy, all-hustle linebacker, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans will gravitate toward Penn State's do-everything linebacker.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Burden isn't the only stud receiver at Missouri. Wease has game, too. Buffalo continues to build the new-look receiver room.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Grant is the other Michigan interior defender with athletic gifts and an always revving motor who would be a welcomed addition inside in Cincinnati.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Ratledge is a mauling guard with the measurables to be selected this high at around 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Walker can do it all in the front seven -- range to the football on an outside run or beat an offensive tackle with speed-to-power conversion around the corner. Feels like a future Philadelphia Eagle.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Sawyer isn't on the same level as some other highly decorated Ohio State edge rushers who've entered the NFL over the past decade. He is, though, a very steady player who can beat blockers in a variety of ways en route to the quarterback.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Ferguson has an NFL frame and should be in for a sizable season at Oregon as a pass catcher.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
With Ersery and 2024 second-round selection Kingsley Suamataia, the Chiefs have their bookend tackles for a long time.
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