Mock Draft: QB's Drastically Slide

This mock draft features what we would do if we ran each NFL team.

Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) warms up prior to the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

We’re back for another addition of Mock Draft Monday! Instead of giving you another white bread mock to read we're doing something a little different…

I am assembling a 2025 NFL draft mock based off of what I would do if I was leaving the team as their general manager. A scary thought right? Don’t worry, I’m sticking to team needs for the most part… no click bait here!

The only thing I want known is, I am not making any trades in this mock. Because this is a “what I would do“ mock, I make the most of each selection without feeling the need to move up or down. For the most part, I’d say most teams got what they needed without a move.

That’s all the explaining I need to do for this. Now then, let’s get this thing started!

The Tennessee Titans are on the clock, and GM Richie Bradshaw is ready to make the side of the park…

1. Tennessee Titans

The pick: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

I’m not here to reinvent the wheel; take the best player available and get the franchise. With the number one over you should go one of the directions quarterback, rusher, or offensive tackle of those three spots, Carter is the best compared to the top players at the other positions.

2. Cleveland Browns

The pick: Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado

Staying chalk here with my previous marks. Cleveland needs to get fan someone to be excited for and buy into. The reigning Heisman trophy winner and two way superstar is exactly the guy to do it.

3. New York Giants

The pick: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

Our first curveball of this mock and it’s as big as it could be. New York’s decision to sign James Winston doesn’t fix the problem by any stretch, but it’s a Band-Aid that can get them through what will likely be a miserable 2025 season. Membou isn’t someone I have not nearly this high previously, but this could be the next trend. Big blue lines him up on the right side across from Andrew Thomas to give them a legitimately elite offensive tackle duo.

4. New England Patriots

The pick: Will Campbell, OT, LSU

Another chalk pic here, but this is one of the Patriots shouldn’t overthink. They’ve made more than enough investments to the defensive side of the football through free agency, but their offensive line is still disastrous. Will Campbell can be the blindside protector Drake Maye needs and can move to guard in a doomsday scenario.

Either way, he’s their best offensive lineman from day one.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

The pick: Mason Graham, IDL, Michigan

I hope you like shock! But I promise things will change up a little bit eventually; eventually is not now. BPA for the Jaguars in this year‘s draft and arguably the class top player is on the board. The interior of the defensive line is a huge weakness for Jacksonville, but adding Mason Graham is near fix-all for the spot.

6. Las Vegas Raiders

The pick: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

OK, let’s shake things up just a little bit. McMillan stock is all over the place right now, but he’s still WR1 in my book until further notice. The trade for Geno Smith pushes the need for quarterback to next year. T-Mac along with Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers gives the Raiders enough to be watchable in 2025.

7. New York Jets

The pick: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

I’m in favor of the Jets, kicking the tires on Justin Fields, this season and not forcing a reach at quarterback. Instead, let’s add a superstar to the secondary to help replace DJ Reed. Barron is a special player who can lineup outside and has safety experience. Across from Sauce Gardner, Baron could become an elite cover man at the gate.

8. Carolina Panthers

The pick: James Pearce, EDGE, Tennessee

The Panthers added to their defense a little bit, but they’re nowhere near finished. They need a top flight pass rusher to get back to being respectable. Pearce is a two time All-SEC First-Team selection and amongst the best players in the class. Plug and play him off the edge and let’s get this defense back on track.

9. New Orleans Saints

The pick: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

Another team that should prioritize adding the best player available, the Saints grabbed themselves in elite pass catcher from the tight end spot. Warren was historic for the Nittany Lions last season and looks like he’s just getting started.

I’m a fan of New Orleans' decision to resign Juwan Johnson, But he’s not as good as Tyler Warren. Having those two play next to each other will drastically improve an unapologetically bad offense.

10. Chicago Bears

The pick: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

For the umpteenth consecutive season, The Bears are your offseason champions. The offensive line looks night and day better so let’s add another playmaker for this offense. Jeanty will be an instant boost across the board as a runner and pass catcher — the latter of which people seem to have forgotten is a huge strength for him.

Vegas will likely make him an Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite in terms of odds.

11. San Francisco 49ers

The pick: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

And already bad offensive line got worse, following free agency and the 49ers cannot leave the first round of the draft without adding someone. Simmons has played inside and outside on both the right and left of the offensive line.

He can start it right tackle right away and becoming the eventual successor for Trent Williams on the blind side once he retires.

12. Dallas Cowboys

The pick: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

CeeDee Lamb simply is not enough for this offense in Dallas needs to find him a running mate. Golden has made himself a household name on day one of mock drafts and I’ve said before I would take him with the top-20 pick without hesitation.

I’m not hesitating with the 12 pick either, and pairing him opposite Lamb gives me Dez Bryant/Miles Austin vibes.

13. Miami Dolphins

The pick: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

Some are becoming a bit more bullish on Starks, but I’m not one of them. He’s still the top safety in this class for me until further notice, and Miami has to replace Jevon Holland on the backend. Stark slides into that hole as in your seamless replacement.

14. Indianapolis Colts

The pick: Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State

Indianapolis lost their starting center and guard the season, and a team that relies on running the football can’t afford not to address it. Zabel has played nearly every position on the offensive line, but many want him to move inside to Center.

We will comply with that request, where he replaces Ryan Kelly to help make sure the run game stays potent.

15. Atlanta Falcons

The pick: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall

Honestly, I don’t know that Atlanta will ever be able to make enough investments to their past rush to satisfy me considering what we’ve seen since the return of the century. Green led the country in sacks this season, and as long as a team is willing to move past his off-field problems he should be trusted to be an immediate sack artist.

For a team desperate to have a player like that, Green is a no-brainer

16. Arizona Cardinals

The pick: Derrick Harmon, IDL, Oregon

I stand for the Cardinals need an address or more than it offensive line, but I simply don’t like what’s currently on the board for the former as much as ladder. Harmon is a game-changer and provides some much needed attitude to the interior of the line.

Harmon, Dalvin Tomlinson, Dante Stills, and Darius Robinson is a very nice looking defensive line.

17. Cincinnati Bengals

The pick: Walter Nolen, EDGE, Ole Miss

The Bengals are committed to their identity as an offensive powerhouse, which means they should spend all of their draft ammunition improving what might be on track to be the worst defense in football.

Nolen is unquestionably the best defender on the board and should quickly find his way onto the field and become a huge difference maker for Cincy.

18. Seattle Seahawks

The pick: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M

The Seahawks are transitioning into a new quarterback with Sam Darnold while also committing to reform his defense to its former glory. Donald will get the greenlight for at least this season, so the Seahawks should continue investing on the defense. Turner is the definition of a boom-or-bust prospect, but the upside is undeniable.

Mike Macdonald proved he can develop guys like him when he was in Baltimore and worked with Odafe Oweh. Stewart is a similar challenge that Macdonald is more than up to the task of developing.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The pick: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

I love that Lavonte David is back for one more year, but the Bucs must get his heir apparent. Campbell appears to be the next in line of a long line of elite Alabama linebackers. He’ll start his career learning from one of the best to do it over the last decade, and one day we become his parent and lead a terrific defense to the next step in their storied history.

20. Denver Broncos

The pick: Luther Burden, WR, Missouri

I very nearly slotted a Omarion Hampton here, but adding Burden was too difficult to pass up. The Broncos have a lot of fun options at wide receiver, but Burden combines the best feature from each of those players into one. Burden can become Bo Nix’s, best friend and future of the offense for years to come.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers

The pick: Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Did you I think I forgot to have a quarterback selected in the first round of this mock? Don’t worry, I didn’t: it just so happens that I trust the teams ahead of this pick to kick the tires on their quarterback for at least one season. The team I don’t trust is the Steelers… who have no clear answer even if they were to sign Aaron Rodgers.

Pittsburgh should celebrate the number one quarterback in this class sliding to them at 21, as ward can start day one and get the most out of weapons like D, Metcalf and George Pickens.

22. Los Angeles Chargers

The pick: Kenneth Grant, IDL, Michigan

I was tempted to put an edge rusher here with the chargers set to move on from Joey Bosa, but I’m sticking with addressing the main problem of trying to fix the interior of this defensive line. This is a plug-in play type of defender for a Chargers defensive line desperate for big men.

23. Green Bay Packers

The pick: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

A player once considered to be the classes top cover man slides to the twins, and the Packers can’t run to the podium fast enough to submit the pic. Johnson’s draft process has been unusual with the peaks and valleys. His stock has seen volatility, but he’s a damn good player who starts immediately for Green Bay. He can potentially become the future of the position for life after Jaire Alexander.

24. Minnesota Vikings

The pick: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

Aaron Jones may be back, but Minnesota will happily take Hampton here to keep one of the league’s best offenses potent. Jones and Hampton make a terrifying one-two punch out of the backfield. His addition along with a receiving corps led by Justin Jefferson will give quarterback J.J. McCarthy plenty to work with after missing his rookie season.

25. Houston Texans

The pick: Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas

I’m not saying the Texans hate CJ Stroud… But I am saying that they seem to have no problem making his job increasingly difficult after trading away their All-Pro left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Now, Houston is hoping to play addition by subtraction and getting a new, young stud to be Stroud’s bodyguard. Banks is the man, and I trust him to do such. If he makes it to the back end of the first round, the Texans can’t risk not getting him even if it means trading up.

26. Los Angeles Rams

The pick: Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss

I so badly wanted to add a pass rusher here, but the Rams need a top cover man. Amos found himself in Oxford last season and there’s plenty of reason to believe he’s just getting started. Even if he has an anticipated struggles out the gate, the disgustingly great pass rush in front of him will help make his job even slightly easier.

27. Baltimore Ravens

The pick: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

Few teams develop rushers as well as the Ravens, so they should have no problem taking on another project with Williams. Recent athletic testing showed us Williams is not as athletically gifted as players he was previously compared to, but his potential remains as high as anyone in this class.

Baltimore can safely add Williams to their pass rush and stash them away. His return on investment may not come in year one, but there’s no doubt this team can get the superstar potential lying beneath the surface for Williams.

28. Detroit Lions

The pick: Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College

Detroit beefed up their secondary and free agency, but that didn’t fix a pass rush that disappeared when Aiden Hutchinson got injured. Luckily for them one of the drafts top producers find himself on the board at 28.

Ezeiruaku had wild success during his time with Boston College and went out on top with a 16.5 sack season. The Eagles' stand out could be in line for another huge season in the sack department with a healthy Hutchinson taking all the attention off of him.

29. Washington Commanders

The pick: Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia

The Commanders are all in on their window to win a Super Bowl with quarterback Jayden Daniels on a rookie deal. They need help with their pass rush, and Walker can help right away.

I continue to go back-and-forth with labeling Walker as an edge rusher or linebacker, but Washington would likely make him a full-time pass rusher; a move there could see him unlock his best potential.

30. Buffalo Bills

The pick: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

The Bills have still not done enough to assure me they’re doing everything they can at wide receiver for Josh Allen. Let’s add a crafty receiver who makes plays after the catch. Egbuka knows how to get open and create yards, which is perfect for Allen as he can confidently give him the ball at any level of the field and know a big play is the fold.

Egbuka is the player that puts the fear in opposing defenses.

31. Kansas City Chiefs

The pick: Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama

The Chiefs are trying their hand with free agent additions at offensive tackle, but they’ve yet to get their replacement for Joe Thuney at guard. Booker might be the best interior offensive lineman in the class and easily slides in at left guard for Kansas City.

No need to overthink it here, take the best offensive lineman on the board who can play immediately.

32. Philadelphia Eagles

The pick: Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas

The Eagles need to make sure their pass rush doesn’t slow down after losing Josh Sweat. The best way they can do that is by adding someone early in the draft, and Jackson is a great fit at the end of day one.

Jackson put together a solid career during his time at Fayetteville and should have a smooth transition to the next level. His transition should be easier that gets sacks with ease.