5. New York Jets: Arch Manning, QB, Texas
The Jets hired Darren Mougey to be their GM this year, and Mougey had a front row seat in Denver to the impact of Peyton Manning. While Arch Manning isn’t Peyton Manning, this is a legacy player NFL teams are going to fall in love with rather easily. Unlike Peyton and Eli, Arch has outstanding dual-threat capabilities. He’s a competitor and it feels like NFL Draft folks are overthinking him right now. He’s going to have a huge year in 2025 for Texas and would be a perfect long-term option for the Jets.
6. Carolina Panthers: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
The Carolina Panthers are one of those teams that needs to finish somewhere lower than this on next year’s draft order for the sake of quarterback Bryce Young. The last thing this team needs is another reason (or two) to draft someone to take Young’s place. The Panthers have so many interesting pieces in place offensively, including an underrated offensive line, but they lack pieces defensively. Caleb Downs is widely considered to be one of the top two or three overall defensive players in the class.
7. Indianapolis Colts: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
While Arch Manning is perhaps getting a bit underrated by the NFL Draft community, Fernando Mendoza is the guy they arguably love the most. Mendoza is a transfer from Cal who is set up perfectly to come in and increase his NFL Draft stock in the 2025 season. Folks are already seeing his outstanding arm talent on tape, and if the Colts finish somewhere in the top 10 overall picks, they’re definitely going to be in the QB market. The good news for Mendoza is, he has a chance to win over this fan base before he even gets to the pros.
8. Las Vegas Raiders: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
The Raiders made a pretty significant investment in Geno Smith this offseason, and while they would absolutely be in the quarterback market here, I don’t know that Pete Carroll is going to be overly interested in overseeing the development of a young quarterback while he is with the Raiders. He’s still got a youthful way about him, but how much patience does he have? Father Time rests for no one. Instead of a QB here, the Raiders go with a playmaking defensive lineman to boost a defense that looks like one of the worst in the league on paper.