2025 NFL Mock Draft: Full first-round mock draft predictions with new playmakers

27. Pittsburgh Steelers: Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford

The Pittsburgh Steelers have tried desperately to add just about every available receiver this year, haven’t they? They tried and failed all the way until they finally struck a deal to bring in veteran Mike Williams in a trade with the New York Jets.

We’ll all be watching with great intrigue what the Steelers do at quarterback in 2025, but it seems to be a decent bet that Russell Wilson could return if only for another short-term contract. What we don’t know is who will be back with Russ. It feels like the Steelers might be starting to boil over behind the scenes with George Pickens, who continually pops up in the headlines for the wrong reasons and might be a little too much of a wild card for them.

With the unpredictability of Pickens’ situation as well as the Steelers’ desire to add playmakers even with Pickens on the roster, a player like Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor could be perfect at this juncture of the 2025 NFL Draft.

28. Minnesota Vikings: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa

The Minnesota Vikings have gotten a huge boost this year from free agent acquisition Aaron Jones who came over from the division rival Green Bay Packers, but you can’t help but wonder if he’s going to be back after this season.

If the Vikings decide not to re-sign Jones – and even if they bring him back – they are going to have to be at least somewhat mindful of the future at that position.

Making his debut in a 2025 NFL mock draft (first round, anyway) is Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, one of the top breakout players in all of college football this season. Johnson has averaged over 7 yards per carry this season and has a whopping 21 total touchdowns for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He’s caught the attention of NFL teams in a big way and could be exactly the type of runner young JJ McCarthy is able to lean on early in his career.