2025 NFL Draft Bold Predictions

The 2025 NFL Draft is set to start tonight in Green Bay at 8 pm EST, and it will be the conclusion of months of speculation. The draft is always a wild ride but it feels like there’s even less consensus about this group of prospects, which should make for some interesting twists to play out.

Three of us here at NFL Trade Rumors — myself, Nate Bouda and Ethan Woodie — have already put out mock drafts of what we think will happen in the first round. You can check those out at the links below and there will also be a table with all our picks later on in this article. But today we’re taking a different approach and highlighting some bold predictions that have stood out to us after months of preparing for the draft.

Most of these won’t pan out. But a few just might.

Logan: Just one QB is taken in the first round

I noted this in my mock, with Cam Ward going first to the Titans and no other quarterbacks coming off the board in the other 31 picks. It’s widely viewed as not a banner year for quarterbacks, but the sports books have still set the betting line at 2.5 in the first round. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders had widely been viewed as a first-round prospect throughout this process, and guys like Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and even Louisville’s Tyler Shough have garnered some degree of first-round buzz.

I would take the under on that comfortably, however. Last year was an exception with six quarterbacks in the first 12 picks but usually teams do a solid job of not propping up prospects who aren’t viewed as capable quarterbacks, even though the demand does lead to some reaches. For every E.J. Manuel or Kenny Pickett who goes in the first, there’s a Will Levis, Malik Willis, Drew Lock and Geno Smith who slide to Day 2. You can make a case for guys like Sanders, Dart, Milroe and Shough, but ultimately all of them have flaws that make a team far less likely to be head over heels in love. While teams usually will trade up to ensure they land their guy, I think this is going to be a lot more like 2022 when teams let the board come to them.

Nate: Browns end up with both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders

It’s sad to admit but a lot of my “bold” calls have become less “bold” in recent days. I could see a scenario where the Steelers pass on Sanders and the Giants/Browns eventually move up for him. The Browns ending up with both Hunter and Sanders is something I’d place a flyer on if I was a betting man…

Ethan: More DTs go in the first than WRs — including Hunter

There are as many as seven DTs that could go in the first round when it’s all said and done.

Michigan DT Mason Graham
Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen
Michigan DT Kenneth Grant
South Carolina DT T.J. Sanders
Oregon DT Derrick Harmon
Toledo DT Darius Alexander
Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams

I don’t think all seven will, but any combination of four to five wouldn’t surprise me. Comparatively, outside of Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan, Texas WR Matthew Golden and Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka, I’d be surprised if we got another receiver going in the first, even including Hunter. Both Nate and Logan left Egbuka out of their first-round mocks and he was the 32nd pick in mine.

Nate: The Day 2 edge group is a better value than the first round group

I have 5 “EDGE” players going in the top-16 of my mock draft, about in line with the consensus, yet I don’t really feel great about this group. All of these guys have real questions, whether it’s a lack of production or questions about scheme fit. I actually feel better about the OL prospects likely to go in Round 1 than the EDGE, even if they have questions too. I’m concerned about this EDGE class actually living up to where they could be drafted.

There will be a number of front-seven players drafted in the second round. Some possibilities include Arkansas DE Landon Jackson, Texas A&M DE Nic Scourton, Ohio State DE J.T. Tuimoloau, Oregon DE Jordan Burch, UCLA DE Oluwafemi Oladejo and maybe more. The value is likely better in that group, in my opinion.

Logan: Three running backs go Round 1

Running backs are back in style after this past season, and this just happens to be one of the best classes at the position in a long time. Not only is this group deep, with quality players who will be on the board deep into the fourth and fifth rounds, but there’s outstanding talent at the top as well. Even with the devaluing of the position due to analytics, Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty is a lock for the top ten picks and might not get out of the top five. North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton is a likely first-round pick as well, which is why the books have set the betting line at 2.5 backs in the first round.

I think Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson makes it three, though. Henderson has game-breaking speed, with a highlight reel that looks similar to some of the stuff Dolphins RB De’Von Achane does on Sundays. He’s a dual-threat back who’s a weapon in the receiving game. What I think will really have teams coveting Henderson, however, are the little details of the position he does well. He’s an excellent pass protector and his effort is apparent on every snap, whether he’s getting the ball or not. It matches up with his reputation as an outstanding example of football character at Ohio State. In a class with a lot of depth and few standouts, I think a team will want to jump at that profile in Round 1.

Ethan: Only two RBs go in the first

I’m taking the under on backs in the first. This class is as deep as it is good, and teams will like their options on Day 2. You’ve got Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, and I’m personally really high on Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson and Kansas State’s DJ Giddens, among others. I had 13 running backs in my top 100 players.

Let’s get bolder. What’s a prediction you’d make if you could get all of the credit for being right but no blowback for being wrong?

Ethan:

Andrew Mukuba is a first-round pick. Great athlete, versatile in deployment, can cover all types 1-on-1, coming off a stellar season at Texas. Safeties don’t usually go that high, and most evaluators like other safeties more, but Mukuba checks a lot of boxes teams are looking for.

Logan:

Go on a journey with me. In the last week, the conversation around the Jaguars at No. 5 has abruptly shifted from Graham to a new consensus from other teams that Jacksonville will take an offensive player. It’s one of the few clues about the pick, as the new Jaguars’ regime has been tighter than Fort Knox when it comes to information. New GM James Gladstone even brought over the policy of not doing ’30’ visits from the Rams.

The emphasis on an offensive player makes sense with Gladstone’s Rams background, along with the fact that new HC Liam Coen has a background on offense. Given how much money Jacksonville has spent on the offensive line in the last 12 months, a skill player feels like it would make more sense, which is why Jeanty and McMillan have become popular names to mock for the Jaguars.

One of the few other clues Gladstone has dropped this spring has been saying, multiple times, that the Jaguars want players who are “intangibly rich.” Jeanty certainly fits that description. McMillan less so. Teams will have different opinions, but there are persistent questions about McMillan’s work ethic and how much he truly loves football. As for Jeanty, would an analytics-forward GM really use a top-five pick on a running back, even in a flat class like this? Perhaps. Gladstone did see the impact a back could have when Todd Gurley was dominating for the Rams, but he also saw how quickly the wheels could fall off.

So if the Jaguars want an intangibly rich player who scores touchdowns and plays a premium position, we arrive at Golden. The highest he’s usually mocked is No. 12 to the Cowboys but if we set that aside and look a little more at his profile, he starts to make a lot of sense. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler notes there was a clear improvement in Golden’s practice habits over the course of last season, and he played his best football at the end of the year as things clicked. His 4.29-second 40 at the Combine proved he has elite speed, a commodity teams crave. It’s why the Jaguars just gave $10 million to Dyami Brown despite a largely non-descript first four seasons. Before that, Golden’s scouting reports would praise his technical skills like releases, route running and hands.

A technically proficient big-play receiver who declared early and improved every year in college sounds a lot like a quality first-round pick, at least in this class. There’s been almost zero buzz surrounding Golden, but I think there’s a chance he could be the latest out-of-the-blue draft pick to stun us all on draft night.

Nate:

What if the Bears trade up with the Jaguars for Jeanty? Some of the reports from this week have indicated that the Jaguars would like to move down, and it makes sense if they view the player they take at No. 5 as similar to a player they could get later. Meanwhile, Jeanty is considered to be one of the few blue chip players in this class, even if he is a running back, and the Bears are one of three teams that hosted him for a visit.

This reminds me of the Dion Jordan trade involving the Raiders and Dolphins back in 2013, which was also viewed as a weak class. The Raiders were desperate to trade out of their pick and accepted a lower value return to do it. They sent the No. 3 pick to Miami for the No. 12 and No. 42 pick.

The difference on the Jimmy Johnson trade chart between the No. 5 and No. 10 picks is the No. 50 pick. Chicago has two second-round picks at No. 39 and No. 41.

Dueling Mocks

Here are all three of our mock drafts:

Pick	Team	Nate	Ethan	Logan
1	Titans	Cam Ward	Cam Ward	Cam Ward
2	Browns	Travis Hunter	Travis Hunter	Travis Hunter
3	Giants	Abdul Carter	Abdul Carter	Abdul Carter
4	Patriots	Will Campbell	Will Campbell	Will Campbell
5	Jaguars	Mason Graham	Ashton Jeanty	Ashton Jeanty
6	Raiders	Ashton Jeanty	Jahdae Barron	Jalon Walker
7	Jets	Tyler Warren	Tyler Warren	Tyler Warren
8	Panthers	Jalon Walker	Mason Graham	Mykel Williams
9	Saints	Armand Membou	Mykel Williams	Armand Membou
10	Bears	Shemar Stewart	Armand Membou	Mason Graham
11	49ers	Mykel Williams	Shemar Stewart	Walter Nolen
12	Cowboys	Tetairoa McMillan	Matthew Golden	Tetairoa McMillan
13	Dolphins	Nick Emmanwori	Walter Nolen	Kelvin Banks
14	Colts	Colston Loveland	Colston Loveland	Colston Loveland
15	Falcons	Mike Green	Mike Green	Mike Green
16	Cardinals	James Pearce	Jalon Walker	Tyler Booker
17	Bengals	Derrick Harmon	Kenneth Grant	Derrick Harmon
18	Seahawks	Grey Zabel	Tetairoa McMillan	Jihaad Campbell
19	Buccaneers	Jihaad Campbell	James Pearce	Donovan Ezeiruaku
20	Broncos	Omarion Hampton	Omarion Hampton	Omarion Hampton
21	Steelers	Shedeur Sanders	Shedeur Sanders	Kenneth Grant
22	Chargers	Will Johnson	Will Johnson	Matthew Golden
23	Packers	Matthew Golden	Maxwell Hairston	Shemar Stewart
24	Vikings	Jahdae Barron	Kelvin Banks	Grey Zabel
25	Texans	Josh Simmons	Grey Zabel	Donovan Jackson
26	Rams	Maxwell Hairston	Josh Conerly	Josh Simmons
27	Ravens	Kelvin Banks	Donovan Jackson	Nick Emmanwori
28	Lions	Tyler Booker	Landon Jackson	Darius Alexander
29	Commanders	Donovan Ezeiruaku	Nick Emmanwori	James Pearce
30	Bills	Malaki Starks	Trey Amos	Jahdae Barron
31	Chiefs	Josh Conerly	Josh Simmons	TreVeyon Henderson
32	Eagles	Walter Nolen	Emeka Egbuka	Josh Conerly

Which teams were hardest to mock for?

Nate: The Packers. They never take who I would in Round 1, so I’m chalking that up as an L, especially given that I have them taking a WR …

The Seahawks. I thought Seattle could go a few ways, but hearing GM John Schneider talk about OL, it seems like it will be a serious consideration to me.

Ethan: The Colts are a tough team to predict this year. Tight end is the easy connection to make, but I think Ballard will like the prospects on Day 2 and could surprise with the selection.

I’d also say Broncos. Everyone (including all of us) gave them Hampton but this pick could easily be for the defense. It wouldn’t shock me if this was the Jihaad Campbell spot, if he ends up going in the first. I almost gave them Nick Emmanwori, I think he’s their type. They did spend a lot on defense but there could be some great fits available there and they can go all-in on offense later in the draft. They do keep talking about how much they love their receivers.

Logan: As explained above, I really agonized over the Jaguars’ pick before settling on Jeanty. It was tough to push Graham that far down; legitimately there’s a possibility every team from No. 5 onward would run the card in if he’s on the clock.

Each of us had players who are in the consensus top 32 picks that we left out of our mock drafts. Explain why.

Nate: Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State OL Donovan Jackson, Michigan DT Kenneth Grant.

All three were strong considerations at the end. I really wanted to get Egbuka in there.
He’s the least surprising guy to go Round 1, who I don’t have going in my mock. I dropped Grant because nose tackles often end up in Round 2. Jackson is on the edge of Round 1 based on a number of draft boards. He tested well, so another guy I wouldn’t be surprised to see pushed up.

Ethan: Oregon DT Derrick Harmon, Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama G Tyler Booker, Boston College DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

Harmon and Campbell have both been medically flagged by some teams. Harmon becomes the victim of a deep DT class, whereas with Campbell, linebacker is already a position that doesn’t often go in the first.

Booker didn’t test well and this is a strong interior OL class. He’s a questionable fit in many schemes that lean heavily on wide zone, but teams love his intangibles. It wouldn’t surprise me if a team like the Lions wanted him in the last few picks, but I think we can put to rest the idea that he’ll go top 15.

As for Ezeiruaku, it’s just a deep ED class. Not enough room for everyone in the top 32.

Logan: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, Michigan CB Will Johnson, Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston

I went in-depth on Sanders earlier so I won’t beat a dead horse. It just doesn’t seem like teams view him as having the standout traits they want from a first-round passer.

Johnson has had a poor pre-draft process after a somewhat shaky 2024 season. He missed considerable time with a turf toe injury, then did not allay any questions about his speed by declining to run a 40 at any point in the process. Pure speed does kind of matter for cornerbacks and a lack of speed will restrict what teams can do with Johnson. To make matters worse, there are rumors he has a knee thing that could limit his longevity. Johnson is slipping to the second half of the first round in most mocks, I just have him sliding a little further.

As for Hairston, I think some of the second-tier corners are getting propped up by the demand. He blazed a 4.28 40 at the Combine but he’s slight for my taste and I don’t think he’s a lock for the first round. In general, I think the defensive backs will get pushed down the board by other positions.

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