2025 NFL mock draft: Full first-round mock draft with surprises at the top
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Well…Monday night was rather disastrous for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, now wasn’t it? The Bucs lost star receiver Mike Evans early in the game with a hamstring injury, and even with Evans expected to return later this season, his streak of 1,000-yard seasons is in jeopardy and the future of the wide receiver position is at least a slight question mark.
It was given a violent shove into the definite question mark category later in that game when Chris Godwin – a pending 2025 free agent – suffered a season-ending injury.
The loss of Godwin for the Buccaneers looms incredibly large over this team not only just at the present moment but beyond this year as well. Godwin was having a great year for the Bucs but given all they’ve invested elsewhere, it might be time for a fresh start.
The Bucs getting Luther Burden III after potentially losing someone like Chris Godwin would be a gift from the football gods. Burden is not exactly the same, but very reminiscent of Godwin in a lot of ways when he was coming out of Penn State with his body type and after-the-catch abilities.
18. Philadelphia Eagles: Mykel Williams, DL/EDGE, Georgia
The Philadelphia Eagles took on a lot more change than anyone really noticed over the course of the 2024 offseason, especially on the defensive front. They not only replaced Sean Desai with Vic Fangio as the team’s defensive coordinator, but they lost a number of key players on that defensive front who helped the team put together an absolutely dominant pass rush back in the 2022 season.
Fletcher Cox’s retirement was huge for this team. The loss of Haason Reddick was a bigger deal than many expected. The decision to go after free agent Bryce Huff has not paid off as expected. Former 1st-round pick Nolan Smith has been a little bit slower to develop than expected.
The Eagles love their Georgia Bulldogs under general manager Howie Roseman, and here they would have a shot at another one with Mykel Williams dropping to the middle portion of the first round. Williams could give a boost to the defensive front both against the run and in the pass rush department. And he’s capable of lining up at multiple positions.