2025 NFL Mock Draft 2.0: Titans select Cam Ward over Shedeur Sanders at No. 1
2025-01-18
Category: sports

We're heading into the divisional round of the 2024 NFL playoffs and officially getting a better picture of what the 2025 NFL Draft order will look like. As is always the case during this time in the season, there has been some movement in the order since I gave you my first mock draft. But no need to fear because I'm back with my "mock draft reloaded." Remember, this exercise assumes there are no further trades in the first round. Let's dive into it. 1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami He turns 23 in May and has had 57 college starts. I expect the Titans to be much&nbsp;improved with him under center next season. 2. Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado With DeShaun Watson popping his Achilles twice in the last three months, there’s no telling if he’ll play at all in 2025. The Browns have to take a QB here and deal with the sunk cost they've lost and move on from the bad contract. 3. New York Giants: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State Carter is an utterly dominant edge rusher. He's the top one in the draft. Sure, the Giants already have Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, but can you take a right tackle here? They’d love to trade down, but who is moving up?  4. New England Patriots: Will Campbell, OT, LSU The Pats had the worst offensive line for much of the season. Yes, they'd love to trade down, but whichever tackle they draft here should start from Day 1.&nbsp; 5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado This rotten secondary could get a big-time playmaker, who probably flashes a few times on offense, too. Might even overtake Trevor Lawrence as the team’s most popular player in a year. 6. Las Vegas Raiders: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan If Ben Johnson gets this job, it feels like maybe they go for offensive line, the way that Detroit was built. Johnson doesn’t have the name recognition that Hunter does, but according to many critics and analysts, he's considered the better player. 7. New York Jets: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan There's still so much to be determined for this woebegone organization when it comes to the coach, GM and quarterback. So for now, we’ll go best player on the board and predict that the Jets pair Graham with Quinnen Williams to form the best interior run defense in the league. Also softens the blow of losing D.J. Reed at CB in free agency.  8. Carolina Panthers: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona I went offense here to help continue Bryce Young’s strong finish to the season, but the defense is desperate for some playmakers in the front seven. 9. New Orleans Saints: Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia They have needs all over the place. But it’s tough to tell what they will want to do, given we don’t know who their next coach will be. Williams has top-five talent and is only 20 years old. 10. Chicago Bears: Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas Bears have a glaring need on the offensive line. Worst offensive line in the division by a mile, and the Bears must fix this in the draft and free agency. 11. San Francisco 49ers: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota You can’t give Brock Purdy all the money and then not prepare for life without Trent Williams, the All-Pro LT who turns 37 in August. 12. Dallas Cowboys: Luther Burden, WR, Missouri Yes, it is popular to mention a running back like Jeanty here. But reality is the Cowboys are extremely limited outside. If Lamb goes down for any period of time, you aren’t going anywhere with Tolbert, Turpin and Ringo leading the way. Burden is extremely explosive, and on indoor turf, he will give this Cowboys offense big-time juice.  13. Miami Dolphins: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon The Dolphins got great interior play on the line from Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler, but Campbell turns 39 in September. Can we expect another great year? They will have to do extensive homework on tackles, too. I expect at least one guard to be drafted in the middle rounds, possibly two. 14. Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State I had him here back in December, and it feels like this is his floor. Would love to see him with a dynamic offensive coach, and I’d keep an eye on the 49ers at eleven. 15. Atlanta Falcons: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee Reminds me a little of Nolan Smith, the undersized edge rusher from Georgia who went to the Eagles. He struggled as a rookie, but now, now he's popping. Pass rush is the top priority.&nbsp; 16. Arizona Cardinals: Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&amp;M They don't really have needs on the offensive line but they ranked 27th in pressure rate and the defense gave up 30 or more points five times. 17. Cincinnati Bengals: Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia He's a versatile LB who can also get after the QB. Walker is a great place to start rebuilding this defense around Trey Hendrickson.&nbsp;  18. Seattle Seahawks: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama Sticking with this projection, which is where I had Milroe in my earlier draft. I don’t see another QB sneaking into the first round. Let’s see how the process goes for Jaxson Dart. 19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Wyatt Milum, OL, West Virginia Bucs are in good shape to win the division again after a tough home playoff loss to Washington. Milum is 23 and ready to start, although he might have to start inside. He graded out as the second-best tackle in college football per PFF. 20. Denver Broncos: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia The Broncos were ahead of schedule, making the playoffs with a rookie quarterback. And the defense was pretty strong much of the season. When you go 0-3 against Herbert and Mahomes, my thought is to bolster the defense. 21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State No drama. Just catches. The Steelers' WR room needs adults, and Egbuka qualifies. Yes, the Pickens stuff ended so badly that they need to get a WR early just in case.  22. Los Angeles Chargers: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State There is a need at receiver. Maybe they go that way here or tackle it in free agency. Despite Jeanty’s unspectacular performance against Penn State, you’re looking at a terrific prospect and behind that Chargers OL, potentially a monster year. 23. Green Bay Packers: Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina Revel is 6-foot-3, rangy and athletic. He's in the mold of Richard Sherman. He's coming off a torn ACL. With Stokes a free agent and Jaire Alexander’s injury history, going cornerback here seems like the move. 24. Minnesota Vikings: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State Did you see the playoff loss? The offensive line graded out as 21st this season, but they did lose their anchor Christian Darrisaw to injury. Simmons projects as a LT, but they’ve got to take their top-rated tackle or guard.&nbsp; 25. Houston Texans: Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford Huge need on the offensive line. But might they get that done in free agency with a proven player, and then plug Ayomanor into an offense that struggled when Diggs and Dell got hurt? At 6-foot-2. and 210 pounds, he was a big-time track athlete in high school and had offers from SEC schools and Notre Dame.  26. Los Angeles Rams: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan Offensive line and secondary are where the Rams have a few needs. But can they pass up another Michigan standout? Loveland has huge potential, and Higbee just turned 32 and missed most of the season due to injury. 27. Washington Commanders: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas No,&nbsp;he wasn’t the only guy who held Jeremiah Smith to one catch for three yards, but he was an All-American with the Longhorns. 28. Baltimore Ravens: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas This is about keeping Lamar Jackson with top-tier weapons. Golden could be their version of Xavier Worthy and could also spread the field with his track-star speed. 29. Buffalo Bills: Shemar Stewart, DL, Texas A&amp;M If they bow out to the Ravens or Chiefs, the finger will be pointed at the defense, which has gotten old and small. They’ll probably look to bolster the front seven with some beef. Stewart is 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds. He can play multiple spots on the DL, though he excels at pass rushing. 30. Philadelphia Eagles: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State This is the best roster in the NFL and they have some options here. I do think a WR will be in play. But Saquon Barkley had 345 carries this season. which was by far a career high. And running backs at his age with that many rushes usually slow down (or get hurt) the following year.  31. Kansas City Chiefs: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame We saw him do a terrific job against Marvin Harrison last season. He's injured and will miss the Buckeyes' championship game, but he's for sure first-round talent. Twitchy and a tough tackler.&nbsp; 32. Detroit Lions: Jack Sawyer, Edge, Ohio State&nbsp; Doesn’t he just look like a Detroit Lions defensive player? Will probably slide a little when it comes to testing, but he’s got those qualities you can’t quantify, like heart and grit.&nbsp; Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst who also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead. Follow him on Twitter @JasonRMcIntyre. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!