2025 NFL mock draft: Recent moves cause Abdul Carter to slip slightly

The bulk of NFL free agency is in the books, which means it’s time to resume our regularly scheduled look at the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

As several teams added players to fill positions of need, we might’ve gotten some clarity on how the first round of this year’s draft will go. So, I took my second stab at trying to project how the first 32 picks will shake up in April.  

Just a reminder, before we get going here, I’ll be back with NFL Network on the desk for the first two nights of the draft. I’m excited to get out to Green Bay for that. 

Now, let’s get to the mock!

The Titans need a quarterback. Ward has continued to impress after the NFL Scouting Combine and throughout this entire process. I think his top end is very good. I’ve loved Ward for a long time, even back to his time at Washington State. It was a great signing for Miami, and he’s just got enough gunslinger in him to really go out there to take a bad team and improve it — because he’s willing to take chances. He’s going to be willing to go out there and go put it on the line. The Titans have bulked up their offensive line in free agency, but they’re not going anywhere without a QB.

Last week, I would’ve 100% predicted that the Browns would’ve picked Abdul Carter — assuming that Myles Garrett would be long done. However, now that Garrett is staying in Cleveland, the Browns can continue to bolster their roster. I don’t know if you can pass up Hunter right here. He can improve both sides of the ball, and there’s never been a player you can say that about in the history of the draft. I believe that he’s going to be a great corner in the NFL, potentially being in the top five at the position. What makes him so special is that he can couple that with being a No. 3/slot-style wide receiver. He wouldn’t be in on every play, so you’d get to minimize his stats to maximize his production. He’s going to make an impact on both sides of the ball, just like how he was at Colorado en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. 

The Sanders-Giants relationship is strong. The Giants flew out to Colorado several times dating back to the fall to scout Sanders and get to know him at a deeper level. I really like Sanders’ game. I know he has taken some arrows in this process. It’s a tale as old as time that we get a polarizing player because people don’t like a certain element about them. In this case, it’s the name on his back. His dad happens to be Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, who’s arguably the greatest showman in the history of sports. I think it’s so lazy for people to attack the younger Sanders’ character. In terms of his play, he can be surgical when he’s protected and a magician when he’s not. Few quarterbacks are like that. He also turned a terrible Colorado program from a one-win team to a nine-win squad in two years, and I think he was the biggest reason for that.

Cam Ward & Shedeur Sanders in Joel Klatt’s Mock Draft 2.0

You might be thinking there’s no way Carter falls this far. Well, the Patriots would love this. They’d run to the podium. This would be a great scenario for them. Mike Vrabel’s squad has been active in free agency, particularly on defense. Adding Carter would help further build that unit up. I know they’ve got issues along the offensive line, but there’s just no way I’d take an offensive lineman with Carter still on the board. He’s just too good. I loved covering Carter last season as he played everywhere for Tom Allen’s defense, being an effective off-ball player and edge rusher. 

The Jaguars were last in pass defense and takeaways in 2024, so they signed Jourdan Lewis to play slot corner, and now they can get their lockdown corner on the outside. It sucks that we didn’t get to see Johnson for a full season in 2024 due to the turf toe injury, but he’s an excellent player, showing great ball skills from the time he stepped foot on the field in Ann Arbor. He was one of the best cover guys on the outside. He’s tough, and you can’t play in that defense if you’re not willing to make tackles. Three of his nine career interceptions went for pick-sixes. 

Vegas is interesting. The Raiders went out and got quarterback Geno Smith, which I think allows them to take the best player available here. They’re in a division with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix, so you’d think that after watching what the Eagles did in Super Bowl LIX that the Raiders would want to replicate that in some way. Adding Graham would bolster an already strong defensive line, putting him with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins. That might be the most disruptive defensive line in football with Graham, and you need that to beat Mahomes. I don’t think there’s been a defensive tackle prospect like him in quite a while, being great against the run and at disrupting blocks.

There are rightly some concerns about the depth of the offensive linemen in this draft, but Campbell is a great player, and I’m not as concerned about his arm length as others. I get it, but Campbell was excellent at LSU. If it didn’t show up on the tape, I’m not going to let measurements scare me.

The Panthers had the worst scoring defense in the league. Luckily for them, it’s a strong defensive draft, particularly with edge rushers, defensive tackles and linebackers. Walker fits what Carolina needs, being a do-it-all linebacker at Georgia. He can play inside and make tackles while being explosive at the edge. I’m a big fan of Walker.

Williams had an incredible pro day at Georgia, running a 4.73 in the 40 at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. The only reason why he didn’t have a better year in 2024 was due to a nagging ankle injury. I think he could’ve had a huge year. That Saints defense needs some help, finishing 30th in yards allowed. Williams would give them a much-needed playmaker.

This is an interesting pick because the Bears are close to having a pretty solid roster. They don’t have a ton of needs, but they’ve got a ton of picks. Bolstering the offensive line is important and doing that will allow them to properly evaluate quarterback Caleb Williams. They’ve already got DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet. Now, protect your QB. You can play Banks at left tackle, Darnell Wright at right tackle and the three veterans they picked up in the interior. Chicago should be a lot better soon. 

General manager John Lynch can go in a lot of different directions with this pick, as the 49ers’ roster from their Super Bowl team in 2023 has been decimated. I like Barron a ton, and he fits what San Francisco wants to do defensively. He’s physical, has elite ability and athleticism and is a true competitor. That’s exactly what Lynch is going to want. 

The Cowboys got nothing from their run game a year ago. They need to put someone in the backfield to help Dak Prescott out. Now, some people have Jeanty going a lot higher than this. The only reason I don’t have him going in the top 10 is due to the depth at the running back position in this draft class. There isn’t an urgency to take the No. 1 running back when you can get that help in the second round. Jeanty is excellent, displaying great vision and balance. He can catch as well, but he got a ton of carries last season because Boise State wanted to help boost his numbers in the chase for the record and to get him to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Rest assured; he’s got good hands.

Ashton Jeanty 2024 Boise State Broncos Full Season Highlights

It looks like 2024 second-round pick Patrick Paul will shift from guard to tackle this season, but when you’ve got Tua Tagovailoa, you still need offensive line help. I’m a fan of Booker, and I think he can solidify Miami’s interior while holding the potential to play for a long time. 

I’m not sure if Warren’s going to slide this far, but if he does, this would be a great fit. The Colts are still trying to figure out what’s going on at quarterback. Warren can help either Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson, who has proven to be a big-time target and versatile. He was Penn State’s best offensive weapon last season. 

Ashton Jeanty & Tyler Warren in Joel Klatt’s Mock Draft 2.0

The Falcons need some pass-rushing help. I like Stewart more than most, as the production wasn’t there in college. The traits are there, though. When you watch him, you get the sense he’s going to be excellent. He’s an athletic specimen. Only 4.5 sacks in his college career, but you can draft him off potential. I think he’s going to be one of the best pass rushers in the league in a couple of years, which is a take that could age poorly. 

Grant might have a lower floor than Graham and some other defensive tackle prospects, but he has also got tremendous upside. The Cardinals made a huge splash by signing edge rusher Josh Sweat, so drafting Grant would further strengthen their defensive front. This is a copycat league, and the Cardinals should know that players who can disrupt from the interior are valuable. Grant is that player, and he could fix their run defense issues overnight.

It looks like Trey Hendrickson is on his way out, so the Bengals need some pass-rushing help; they only had one more sack as a team (18.5) than Hendrickson did by himself (17.5) in 2024. I covered Green’s game against Ohio State this past season and I came away impressed. He played well against OSU offensive tackle Josh Simmons, who might be a first-round pick. 

Seattle got rid of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but it brought in Cooper Kupp. It still needs a big outside target, though. McMillan is a true outside threat who is a big and a solid receiver that can win one-on-one situations. If you add him next to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kupp, quarterback Sam Darnold will have someone to target on the outside. 

The Bucs had one of the best offenses last year, so I think they can focus on defense here. I really like Campbell’s potential. He’s an excellent player and would be a natural plug and play type player for a team looking to compete. 

Denver has been an interesting team to follow in free agency. I initially thought Colston Loveland would be the pick for the Broncos here, but they signed Evan Engram, negating their need for a tight end. They’ve added a bunch of guys defensively, too. I know Sean Payton wants a running back, and his great offenses almost always have great dual-threat RBs, but I don’t think there’s a great one here to pick, with several options looming in Round 2. So, Golden’s the pick. He was Texas’ No. 1 receiver by the season’s end and the focal point of its passing game down the stretch. 

Membou had a great performance at the combine. The Steelers would be banking on the upside here, adding a player who I think could play tackle or guard on the offensive line; they lost offensive tackle Dan Moore in free agency. You can play 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones from right tackle to left tackle and 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu can kick out to right guard in this scenario. 

If any of these Michigan players that are first-rounders fall to Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers will take them. Harbaugh traveled to a town of 3,000 people just to recruit Loveland, and he’s very good. He’s more of a prototypical tight end than Warren, being more of George Kittle to Warren’s Travis Kelce. But Loveland can flex outside, showing terrific route running skills at Michigan. He’s got great hands and can run after the catch. 

Early in the process, some players might get glossed over due to a season-ending injury from the year prior. But as teams start to hear more about a certain player’s health status, meet with them and see their medicals, you get a better idea of where their stock is. From what I’ve been hearing, the reports are good surrounding Simmons’ knee injury. I think his stock is rising now.

The Vikings bolstered their interior on both sides of the ball in free agency, allowing them to draft Starks here. You’ve got to strengthen a pass defense that gave up the fifth-most passing yards last season. Starks can help there, showing great instincts. 

Houston traded away Laremy Tunsil, causing a big hole on the offensive line. You’ve got to project quarterback C.J. Stroud, who’s more of a typical pocket passer. Conerly is a perfect fit considering the need.

The Rams let Kupp go but brought in Davante Adams. However, Adams is 32 and just thinking about potential player and team fits, Sean McVay getting an intelligent, talented receiver who’s a great route runner would really work. Egbuka can occupy the slot next to Adams and Puka Nacua. He’s a strong leader and Ohio State doesn’t win the national championship without him. If you can add someone like Egbuka, that’s a major plus for your locker room.

Baltimore was able to keep left tackle Ronnie Stanley but lost guard Patrick Mekari. What Jackson did last year, moving from left guard to left tackle for Ohio State, was impressive — and he played left tackle very well. He was an All-American-caliber guard, too. Jackson would help build an offensive line that gives Lamar Jackson a chance.

I don’t think the Lions need a ton, making this a luxury selection, but the window to win titles in the NFL is small and the blueprint is specific. You need to be able to get to the QB. Pearce would help Aidan Hutchinson in a big way. 

Quarterback Jayden Daniels got some help by way of the Tunsil and Deebo Samuel trades, adding to an already impressive offense, but the Commanders didn’t stop the run well last year. Emmanwori, who has played linebacker in the past, can help Washington have a more physically imposing defense. He can play at the line of scrimmage and back, showing tremendous athleticism at his size during the combine. 

Buffalo is still looking to take down Kansas City, who lost two Super Bowls with Mahomes in the same way: struggling to contain the opponent’s interior. The Bills already have Ed Oliver, but they can continue to build around him in the middle. Harmon’s a physical and active rusher. 

Left tackle was a problem for the Chiefs last season, and they’ve already played musical chairs at the position this offseason. They traded away Joe Thuney, who temporarily started at the position, and signed Jalen Moore to likely play the position. But Moore has never been a full-time starter there. Ersery was an All-American at Minnesota and is experienced (38 starts), which would help the Chiefs replenish their talent at a rare position of need.

The Eagles lost a couple of key players on their defensive line in free agency, letting Milton Williams and Josh Sweat walk. General manager Howie Roseman has shown over the years that he values talent over everything in the draft. That method helped them win a Super Bowl, so I think Nolen would be the pick here. It’s possible he doesn’t fall this far in the actual draft. If he does, we’ll all be wondering, “How did we let the Eagles get Walter Nolen?”

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

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