2025 NFL mock draft: Full first-round mock draft with surprises at the top
13. Arizona Cardinals: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn St ate
Abdul Carter is the latest in a long line of Penn State pass rush prospects coming out in recent years. Here's what Pro Football Focus had to say about him earlier this season:
"Penn State’s Abdul Carter is an interesting player who may or may not be available at Atlanta's pick, depending on how high his draft stock goes. He’s an incredible athlete who made the switch from linebacker to edge defender this season. His 20.4% pass-rush win rate is in the same vicinity as former teammate Chop Robinson, who was selected in the first round in 2024."
- Pro Football Focus
Someone who wins off the edge at that high of a rate is exactly what Arizona Cardinals head coach and defensive guru Jonathan Gannon needs to take his defense to the next level. Adding a premium edge rusher with their 1st-round pick should be top priority for the Cardinals alongside the cornerback position.
14. San Francisco 49ers: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the league’s most interesting teams so far this season. They are obviously incredibly talented and the roster depth is good, but the depth is being severely tested as this team deals with seemingly one devastating injury after another.
The 49ers have drafted well for the most part, and they know how to find free agent fits, but the one area of this team where they have really struggled to find anyone through the draft is on the edge opposite Nick Bosa. Veteran Leonard Floyd has been a fine addition, but the 49ers have struggled to draft and develop (and then keep) anyone else off the edge.
That could all change in the 2025 NFL Draft, especially if they are within range of someone as talented as James Pearce Jr. Pearce had been going routinely in the top 10 picks of our 2025 NFL mock draft projections, but his stock has “fallen” a little bit as of late.
Which is odd because Pearce has turned things up in terms of the heat he’s bringing off the edge in the month of October. He’s been getting after the quarterback and proving to be one of the better non-QB prospects in next year’s class.