2025 NFL Mock Draft: Big trade shakes up Top 10; surprise teams land Ewers, Milroe

The 2025 NFL Draft is months away, but it is already looking like there will be a few teams on the market for a quarterback.  Although this year’s draft class is not as exciting as the 2024 NFL quarterback class, there are still some intriguing arms some NFL teams will look towards as potentially franchise QBs.

With the play of Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Bo Nix so far in their rookie season, some teams like the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans may use high picks to move on from their current quarterbacks while a team like the Las Vegas Raiders will be looking to finally get their guy.

In a deep draft at many positions, the prize options will still be at quarterback as the destinations of top QB’s like Shedeur Sanders, Carson Beck, Cam Ward, Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe will be the fascination of the draft.

Blockbuster trade shakes up the 2025 NFL Draft

A team who selected one of the top QB’s in the 2024 NFL Draft will trade the No. 1 overall pick to get a guy they are targeting and gain another high round draft pick.  The New England Patriots trade the No. 1 overall pick to the Tennessee Titans who set the stage for a drama filled first round.

Will Levis has not looked like the quarterback of the future in Tennessee.  To fine tune their offense and spark some competition for Levis, the Titans make a bold move to trade up to the No. 1 spot for Georgia QB Carson Beck. 

As the top ranked QB prior to the 2024 college football season, Beck has fallen down a few spots given the hot starts of Miami’s Cam Ward and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, but ultimately a team like the Titans will see Beck as most NFL ready prospect entering the draft.

The versatility of Mason Graham makes him a perfect selection for the Bengals who will need an interior defender and edge rusher in this draft.  Graham can take care of both of those needs.  As a powerful defender with a high motor, the Michigan defensive lineman would add depth to the interior next to Kris Jenkins who was drafted out of Michigan in 2024.

Deion Sanders won’t be a fan of the weather, but that won’t stop the Browns selecting Shedeur Sanders with the No. 3 overall pick.  In moving on from Deshaun Watson, the Browns bring in another dual threat quarterback with extreme confidence and arm talent that has created some of the most memorable highlights in college football over the last two seasons.

The Rams will consider a tackle here, but when a player like Will Johnson is available and you need a cornerback, you must pounce on it.  With Tre’Davious White on just a one-year deal, the Rams will be scouting this deep cornerback deeply.  Johnson is at the top of the heap given his press coverage skills and ballhawk mantra. Colorado’s Travis Hunter will be highly intriguing given his two-way stardom and how Sean McVay could use him in the passing game.

2025 NFL Draft: Two Way star hypes up Jaguars nation, Duval county

Thank you, Rams.  Jaguars Nation will be hyped when the Jags select Hunter with the No. 5 overall pick.  The Heisman Trophy frontrunner will solve Jacksonville’s need for a top cornerback and give Trevor Lawrence another explosive playmaker on offense.  In all, Hunter has the talent and confidence to unite Duval County in the same way Jalen Ramsay did when he was leading the Jaguars’ secondary.

The Panthers move on from Bryce Young and take their chances with another man named Cam.  After transferring to the University of Miami, Cam Ward has been tearing up college football with 2,219 yards passing and 20 touchdowns through the first six weeks of the season. 

Ward displayed raw talent prior to the 2024 season but is really exhibiting his dual-threat talent in leading the Hurricanes to a 6-0 record. With the right weapons around him in Carolina, he will remind fans of the days of Cam Newton.

The Patriots top need is obviously at the left tackle position.  They protect Drake Maye’s blind side by trading back in the first round to select LSU’s Will Campbell.  His combination of size and athleticism will make him a no-brainer for a Patriots team who has had O-line issues for the last few seasons. In adding Campbell at LT, the Patriots could move Mike Onwenu to right guard.  With a healthy Cole Strange, Caedan Wallace and David Andrews returning, the Pats suddenly will have a solid O-line to protect Maye.

Even with Tua Tagoviloa returning, the Dolphins must start thinking about a replacement and this could be the perfect situation of Quinn Ewers.  The Texas QB was raising his NFL draft stock prior to his injury early in the season.  With natural arm talent and a quick release, Ewers could flourish under Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.  The benefit here is that Ewers can learn behind Tua and be ready if he suffers another concussion that forces him out of the game.

The Jets would’ve pounced on Ewers if he was available but will use the No. 9 overall pick on Georgia safety Malaki Starks.  The assumption here is that the Jets will take care of cornerback D.J. Reed who is approaching free agency.  With Reed and Sauce Gardner in place, the Jets selecting Starks help them add a top-level player at the safety position.

After taking care of the offensive side of the ball in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Cardinals will take care of their defense with their top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.  With the No. 10 overall pick, the Cardinals take Penn State’s Abdul Carter who is a defensive end with the athleticism to play off-ball linebacker in 3-4 or bend the edge in the 4-3 scheme. 

2025 NFL Draft: Colts land talented TE, 49ers get top wide receiver

In predicting No.11 through No. 20 in the 2025 NFL Draft, some big playmakers land in interesting spots.  The Colts won’t pass up on taking Colston Loveland with the No. 13 overall pick, while the flurry of QB’s taken in the top 10 will lead to the top receivers in the draft slipping down to the middle of the draft.  Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Texas wide receiver Isiah Bond lead the slew of wride receivers who will start to come off the board. Here's a look at 11-20:

No. 11: Las Vegas Raiders – Emery Jones Jr., OT LSU

No. 12: New Orleans Saints– Kelvin Banks, OT Texas

No. 13: Indianapolis Colts – Colston Loveland, TE Michigan

No. 14: San Francisco 49ers – Tetairoa McMillan, WR Arizona

No. 15: New York Giants – Aireontaie Ersery, OT Minnesota

No. 16: Philadelphia Eagles – Isaiah Bond, WR Texas

No. 17: Chicago Bears – Mykel Williams, EDGE Georgia

No. 18: Green Bay Packers – Harold Perkins, LB LSU

No. 19: Los Angeles Chargers – Jack Sawyer, EDGE Ohio State

No. 20: Seattle Seahawks – James Pearce Jr., EDGE Tennessee

2025 NFL Draft: Steelers move on from both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson

In another surprise, the Pittsburgh Steelers will make Alabama’s Jalen Milroe the fifth QB taken in the first round.  The real surprise here will be Milroe slipping past the Raiders.  The Steelers won’t pass up the chance to get another young, talented quarterback in the mix as they will move on from Wilson and add competition for Fields.  Elsewhere the Broncos and Cowboys get explosive playmakers while somehow, someway, the Chiefs will land the most dominant running back in the 2025 NFL Draft.  Here’s a look at 21-32:

No. 21: Pittsburgh Steelers – Jalen Milroe, QB Alabama

No. 22: Denver Broncos – Emeka Egbuka, WR Ohio State

No. 23: Dallas Cowboys – Luther Burden III, WR Missouri

No. 24: Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Landon Jackson, EDGE Arkansas

No. 25: Buffalo Bills – Benjamin Morrison, CB Notre Dame

No. 26: Baltimore Ravens – Deone Walker, DL Kentucky

No. 27: Atlanta Falcons– Jalon Walker, LB Georgia

No. 28: Detroit Lions– Jonah Savaiinaea, IOL Arizona

No. 29: Washington Commanders– Nic Scourton, EDGE Texas A&M

No. 30: Houston Texans – Tyleik Williams, DL Ohio State

No. 31: Kansas City Chiefs – Ashton Jeanty, RB Boise Sate

No. 32: Minnesota Vikings – Kenneth Grant, DL Michigan