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It's getting to be crunch time for the 2025 NFL Draft. As I sit down to write this latest set of projections, there are just 16 days left until the first round kicks off in Green Bay.
This draft remains a puzzle with all sorts of misfit pieces and unpredictable fits. In this incarnation, I mixed a handful of trades that seem plausible to happen. These projections are an idea of what might happen and do not represent the choices I would necessarily make in the team situations. That will be the next edition, the "what I would do" mock draft.
Until then, here is the latest look at how the first two rounds--with a few trade projections--might play out.
While it's not carved in marble or tattooed on the back of the neck, Ward to Tennessee does seem like the only realistic outcome for the Titans and the top pick.
Hunter is the flavor of the week in Cleveland, at least according to oddsmakers. Will that hold? A lot of Browns fans would be very happy if it did.
Hard to overlook the allure of Shedeur Sanders, but the Giants bought a year (maybe more?) with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. Carter gives the Giants a formidable stable of pass rushers who can win from multiple alignments.
Campbell becomes instant help for Drake Maye. And yes, Campbell is absolutely a tackle in the NFL until proven otherwise.
The overriding consensus still leans to Michigan DT Mason Graham to Jacksonville here, but his injury status and low production (8 sacks in 39 career games) keeps the door open for the Jaguars to turn their attention to the offensive line. Membou has surged to the forefront with his size and technical ability at tackle or perhaps right guard.
The Bears package No. 10 and No. 41 (second round) to Las Vegas for No. 6 and No. 180 (sixth round) to land Jeanty, who could very well be the perfect weapon for new head coach Ben Johnson.
There's a risk here for the Jets in going after Simmons, who is coming off a knee injury. But no one would have blinked twice at this match if Simmons had stayed healthy, and the Jets sorely need his high-end ceiling on the OL.
Stewart is a very tough draft nut to crack, as noted here. The Panthers are in a good spot to weigh the athletic reward over the (to this point) meager production risk.
This feels like both the latest Sanders will get selected and also the best-case scenario for the quarterback--high enough that it respects his considerable talent but low enough that it fuels the chip on his shoulder.
The Raiders fall back a few spots and land the first receiver off the board in Golden, a playmaker with outstanding speed and a growing overall game.
Graham plugs right into the middle of the overhauled (overhauling?) 49ers defense. His ability to smother the run on the way to collapsing the pocket is Graham's best quality.
Dallas gets the big wideout to complement CeeDee Lamb and make defenses work much harder to stop the passing game. Thought about Omarion Hampton here, but the Day 2 RB class is strong enough for the Cowboys to wait--and the WR class might not be...
The Scouting Combine phenom also happens to have a lot of impressive game tape in roles the Miami defense can surely use. I have a feeling Emmanwori might not even last this long, the mock draft machines be darned...
This is one of those player/team pairings that most everyone is making and there's no reason to overthink why. Warren is a perfect fit for what the Colts offense needs.
Denver trades No. 20, No. 85 (third round) and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Atlanta for No. 15 and a 2026 fifth-round pick. The Broncos surge up to secure Loveland, who is neck and neck with Warren to be the top TE, and there is a definite drop-off (perceived anyway) enough to spur the action.
Johnson would bring a playmaking panache to the Cardinals secondary. His length and confidence are both top-shelf. Originally had a reunion of Emeka Egbuka with Marvin Harrison Jr. here but opted for the higher-ceiling player.
Walker has been Plan B for a lot of the recent picks, and the Bengals tab the undersized-but-dynamic pass rush option to make a potentially lethal 1-2 punch with Trey Hendrickson off the edge.
Zabel primarily played tackle for the Bison, but he's a high-end prospect at center and guard. The OL-needy Seahawks can figure out where Zabel fits best as a fun problem to have.
Barron elevated his game the more he played at cornerback, and his safety background comes into play in the run game well. Tampa's thin defense would gladly take both of those.
The Falcons land their flamethrower of an outside pass rusher after moving back. Green has some size concerns and off-field issues that must be vetted, but he's also the best speed-to-power rusher in this class and it's not particularly close.
Nolen is an interior agitator, and a hard-nosed one at that. Lots of different ways for the Steelers to go here, but when in doubt--attack the trenches with a high-ceiling player.
Eschewing the urge to peg a Michigan man with coach Jim Harbaugh and instead leaning into another "M" school with Burden, who just may be the best wideout in the class.
The powerful Williams would help the needy Packers pass rush right away. Williams might not have the ceiling of other EDGEs available here, but his reliably high floor is a good fit for Green Bay
Revel fell out of mind with a knee injury, but prior to that, the plucky Pirate was a potential top-10 pick and the best coverage corner in the class. The Vikings can surely use Revel in a creatively pass-happy division.
This was a team/player match that gained traction at the combine and there's no reason to move off it until proven otherwise. Egbuka is a do-it-all receiver for a Texans offense that needs someone just like that.
The Browns jump back into the first round, trading No. 33, No. 94 and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Rams to move up and land Dart. His college offense will need to get coached out of him, but Dart has every chance to be this year's Bo Nix--and that represents a huge win for Cleveland.
Somebody probably should have taken the multitalented Starks well before here, but the Ravens--as they often do--get a potential All-Pro falling into their lap.
Lions can go a number of ways here, but Harmon's high-end interior pass rush and impressive football character make him a fit on a Detroit defensive front that only has Alim McNeill at DT beyond 2025.
Hairston is an aggressive ballhawk who also happens to be the fastest CB in the class from combine testing. He's a high-energy personality that can help bring some sizzle to the Commanders backside defense.
Grant is a nose tackle, but can also do so much more than a traditional space-eating run-stuffer offers. It's a long-term move for the Bills that can also pay early dividends.
Banks is a seasoned blind-side protector, something the Chiefs need along a line that is in flux. His athleticism can also help the Chiefs in the run game.
The Super Bowl champs got there by putting an emphasis on overstocking the lines, and Ezeiruaku fits that bill nicely as a "plays bigger than his size" speed rusher who can contribute right away.
33 - Los Angeles Rams (trade with CLE) - Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama - The Rams almost never go LB in the first round, and thanks to the trade they don't have to use a first on Campbell, though he's worthy of the selection at 26.
34 - New York Giants - Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
35 - Tennessee Titans - James Pearce, EDGE, Tennessee
36 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
37 - Las Vegas Raiders - Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
38 - New England Patriots - Josh Conerly, OT, Oregon
39 - Chicago Bears - Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State
40 - New Orleans Saints - Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
41 - Las Vegas Raiders (via earlier trade with CHI) - Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
42 - New York Jets - Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame
43 - San Francisco 49ers - Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
44 - Dallas Cowboys - Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
45 - Indianapolis Colts - Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona
46 - Atlanta Falcons - Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
47 - Arizona Cardinals - Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas
48 - Miami Dolphins - Wyatt Milum, OL, West Virginia
49 - Cincinnati Bengals - Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss
50 - Seattle Seahawks - Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
51 - Denver Broncos - TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
52 - Seattle Seahawks - Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
53 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
54 - Green Bay Packers - Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
55 - Los Angeles Chargers - Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
56 - Buffalo Bills - Olafemi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA
57 - Carolina Panthers - Harold Fannin, TE, Bowling Green
58 - Houston Texans - Marcus Mbow, OL, Purdue
59 - Baltimore Ravens - Princely Umanmeilen, EDGE, Ole Miss
60 - Detroit Lions - Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
61 - Washington Commanders - Jordan Burch, DT, Oregon
62 - Buffalo Bills - Jack Bech, WR, TCU
63 - Kansas City Chiefs - Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami FL
64 - Philadelphia Eagles - Hollin Pierce, OT, Rutgers
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: 2-round mock draft with trades with two weeks until the 2025 NFL Draft
Continue reading...
This draft remains a puzzle with all sorts of misfit pieces and unpredictable fits. In this incarnation, I mixed a handful of trades that seem plausible to happen. These projections are an idea of what might happen and do not represent the choices I would necessarily make in the team situations. That will be the next edition, the "what I would do" mock draft.
Until then, here is the latest look at how the first two rounds--with a few trade projections--might play out.
1 - Tennessee Titans - Cam Ward, QB, Miami FL
While it's not carved in marble or tattooed on the back of the neck, Ward to Tennessee does seem like the only realistic outcome for the Titans and the top pick.
2 - Cleveland Browns - Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
Hunter is the flavor of the week in Cleveland, at least according to oddsmakers. Will that hold? A lot of Browns fans would be very happy if it did.
3 - New York Giants - Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
Hard to overlook the allure of Shedeur Sanders, but the Giants bought a year (maybe more?) with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. Carter gives the Giants a formidable stable of pass rushers who can win from multiple alignments.
4 - New England Patriots - Will Campbell, OT, LSU
Campbell becomes instant help for Drake Maye. And yes, Campbell is absolutely a tackle in the NFL until proven otherwise.
5 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
The overriding consensus still leans to Michigan DT Mason Graham to Jacksonville here, but his injury status and low production (8 sacks in 39 career games) keeps the door open for the Jaguars to turn their attention to the offensive line. Membou has surged to the forefront with his size and technical ability at tackle or perhaps right guard.
6 - Chicago Bears* (trade with Raiders) - Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
The Bears package No. 10 and No. 41 (second round) to Las Vegas for No. 6 and No. 180 (sixth round) to land Jeanty, who could very well be the perfect weapon for new head coach Ben Johnson.
7 - New York Jets - Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
There's a risk here for the Jets in going after Simmons, who is coming off a knee injury. But no one would have blinked twice at this match if Simmons had stayed healthy, and the Jets sorely need his high-end ceiling on the OL.
8 - Carolina Panthers - Shemar Stewart, DL, Texas A&M
Stewart is a very tough draft nut to crack, as noted here. The Panthers are in a good spot to weigh the athletic reward over the (to this point) meager production risk.
9 - New Orleans Saints - Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
This feels like both the latest Sanders will get selected and also the best-case scenario for the quarterback--high enough that it respects his considerable talent but low enough that it fuels the chip on his shoulder.
10 - Las Vegas Raiders (from trade with CHI) - Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
The Raiders fall back a few spots and land the first receiver off the board in Golden, a playmaker with outstanding speed and a growing overall game.
11 - San Francisco 49ers - Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
Graham plugs right into the middle of the overhauled (overhauling?) 49ers defense. His ability to smother the run on the way to collapsing the pocket is Graham's best quality.
12 - Dallas Cowboys - Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
Dallas gets the big wideout to complement CeeDee Lamb and make defenses work much harder to stop the passing game. Thought about Omarion Hampton here, but the Day 2 RB class is strong enough for the Cowboys to wait--and the WR class might not be...
13 - Miami Dolphins - Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
The Scouting Combine phenom also happens to have a lot of impressive game tape in roles the Miami defense can surely use. I have a feeling Emmanwori might not even last this long, the mock draft machines be darned...
14 - Indianapolis Colts - Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
This is one of those player/team pairings that most everyone is making and there's no reason to overthink why. Warren is a perfect fit for what the Colts offense needs.
15 - Denver Broncos (trade with Atlanta) - Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Denver trades No. 20, No. 85 (third round) and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Atlanta for No. 15 and a 2026 fifth-round pick. The Broncos surge up to secure Loveland, who is neck and neck with Warren to be the top TE, and there is a definite drop-off (perceived anyway) enough to spur the action.
16 - Arizona Cardinals - Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Johnson would bring a playmaking panache to the Cardinals secondary. His length and confidence are both top-shelf. Originally had a reunion of Emeka Egbuka with Marvin Harrison Jr. here but opted for the higher-ceiling player.
17 - Cincinnati Bengals - Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Walker has been Plan B for a lot of the recent picks, and the Bengals tab the undersized-but-dynamic pass rush option to make a potentially lethal 1-2 punch with Trey Hendrickson off the edge.
18 - Seattle Seahawks - Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
Zabel primarily played tackle for the Bison, but he's a high-end prospect at center and guard. The OL-needy Seahawks can figure out where Zabel fits best as a fun problem to have.
19 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
Barron elevated his game the more he played at cornerback, and his safety background comes into play in the run game well. Tampa's thin defense would gladly take both of those.
20 - Atlanta Falcons (from trade with DEN) - Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
The Falcons land their flamethrower of an outside pass rusher after moving back. Green has some size concerns and off-field issues that must be vetted, but he's also the best speed-to-power rusher in this class and it's not particularly close.
21 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Nolen is an interior agitator, and a hard-nosed one at that. Lots of different ways for the Steelers to go here, but when in doubt--attack the trenches with a high-ceiling player.
22 - Los Angeles Chargers - Luther Burden, WR, Missouri
Eschewing the urge to peg a Michigan man with coach Jim Harbaugh and instead leaning into another "M" school with Burden, who just may be the best wideout in the class.
23 - Green Bay Packers - Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
The powerful Williams would help the needy Packers pass rush right away. Williams might not have the ceiling of other EDGEs available here, but his reliably high floor is a good fit for Green Bay
24 - Minnesota Vikings - Shavon Revel, CB, East Carolina
Revel fell out of mind with a knee injury, but prior to that, the plucky Pirate was a potential top-10 pick and the best coverage corner in the class. The Vikings can surely use Revel in a creatively pass-happy division.
25 - Houston Texans - Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
This was a team/player match that gained traction at the combine and there's no reason to move off it until proven otherwise. Egbuka is a do-it-all receiver for a Texans offense that needs someone just like that.
26 - Cleveland Browns (trade with LA Rams) - Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
The Browns jump back into the first round, trading No. 33, No. 94 and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Rams to move up and land Dart. His college offense will need to get coached out of him, but Dart has every chance to be this year's Bo Nix--and that represents a huge win for Cleveland.
27 - Baltimore Ravens - Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
Somebody probably should have taken the multitalented Starks well before here, but the Ravens--as they often do--get a potential All-Pro falling into their lap.
28 - Detroit Lions - Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
Lions can go a number of ways here, but Harmon's high-end interior pass rush and impressive football character make him a fit on a Detroit defensive front that only has Alim McNeill at DT beyond 2025.
29 - Washington Commanders - Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
Hairston is an aggressive ballhawk who also happens to be the fastest CB in the class from combine testing. He's a high-energy personality that can help bring some sizzle to the Commanders backside defense.
30 - Buffalo Bills - Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Grant is a nose tackle, but can also do so much more than a traditional space-eating run-stuffer offers. It's a long-term move for the Bills that can also pay early dividends.
31 - Kansas City Chiefs - Kelvin Banks, OL, Texas
Banks is a seasoned blind-side protector, something the Chiefs need along a line that is in flux. His athleticism can also help the Chiefs in the run game.
32 - Philadelphia Eagles - Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
The Super Bowl champs got there by putting an emphasis on overstocking the lines, and Ezeiruaku fits that bill nicely as a "plays bigger than his size" speed rusher who can contribute right away.
Second round
33 - Los Angeles Rams (trade with CLE) - Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama - The Rams almost never go LB in the first round, and thanks to the trade they don't have to use a first on Campbell, though he's worthy of the selection at 26.
34 - New York Giants - Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
35 - Tennessee Titans - James Pearce, EDGE, Tennessee
36 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
37 - Las Vegas Raiders - Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
38 - New England Patriots - Josh Conerly, OT, Oregon
39 - Chicago Bears - Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State
40 - New Orleans Saints - Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
41 - Las Vegas Raiders (via earlier trade with CHI) - Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
42 - New York Jets - Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame
43 - San Francisco 49ers - Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
44 - Dallas Cowboys - Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
45 - Indianapolis Colts - Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona
46 - Atlanta Falcons - Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
47 - Arizona Cardinals - Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas
48 - Miami Dolphins - Wyatt Milum, OL, West Virginia
49 - Cincinnati Bengals - Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss
50 - Seattle Seahawks - Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
51 - Denver Broncos - TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
52 - Seattle Seahawks - Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
53 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
54 - Green Bay Packers - Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
55 - Los Angeles Chargers - Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
56 - Buffalo Bills - Olafemi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA
57 - Carolina Panthers - Harold Fannin, TE, Bowling Green
58 - Houston Texans - Marcus Mbow, OL, Purdue
59 - Baltimore Ravens - Princely Umanmeilen, EDGE, Ole Miss
60 - Detroit Lions - Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
61 - Washington Commanders - Jordan Burch, DT, Oregon
62 - Buffalo Bills - Jack Bech, WR, TCU
63 - Kansas City Chiefs - Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami FL
64 - Philadelphia Eagles - Hollin Pierce, OT, Rutgers
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: 2-round mock draft with trades with two weeks until the 2025 NFL Draft
Continue reading...
