17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - James Pearce Jr, EDGE, Tennessee
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers now all of a sudden find themselves with an uphill battle to make the playoffs this year. They and the Atlanta Falcons have gone back and forth at the top of the NFC South. Right now, the Bucs and Falcons sit at 8-7. With the Falcons having won both contests earlier this year, Tampa will need to finish with a better record to leap them in the division.
And while QB Baker Mayfield has played some insane football this year, the Buccaneers do need more help on the defense. I mocked James Pearce Jr to them, a talented pass-rusher from Tennessee. The Bucs may truly have a high-end franchise QB with Mayfield, so I would assume that this coming offseason is going to be all about building the defense as stoutly as possible.
Wide receiver Chris Godwin is also a free agent, so Tampa adding some offensive help is not out of the question, either.
18. Seattle Seahawks - Cameron Williams, OT, Texas
At pick 18 in this 2025 NFL Mock Draft, the Seattle Seahawks take OT Cameron Williams from Texas. The team lost former starting center Connor Williams to retirement earlier this year and just do not have a very good offensive line. It also does not help that Seahawks’ QB Geno Smith is not as good as people seem to think he is.
If the Seahawks want to be a contender once again, they will need to put a plan in place to move on from Smith, but with them picking this far down in the first round, they do not have that opportunity just yet. Seattle opts for the next-best thing and take someone in Williams who they hope can be a foundational piece along their offensive line for years to come.
The Seahawks also have an uphill battle to make the NFL playoffs this year.