2025 NFL mock draft: Complete two-round mock draft predictions

5. New England Patriots: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

The New England Patriots are not messing around as we get to the start of the 2024 season. And when I say the Patriots aren’t messing around, I mean that Jerod Mayo isn’t messing around. Mayo is building the roster with a ruthlessness that you love to see from a head coach trying to build culture. He clearly wants players who want to be in New England, and veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and Matthew Judon have been released and traded within the last couple of weeks. 

Especially after the trade of Judon, the Patriots are going to need another big-time presence off the edge and that’s exactly what James Pearce Jr. is going to provide. He’s also a Tennessee player, so that might appeal to Jerod Mayo as well. 

6. Seattle Seahawks: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan

Yes, I know the Seattle Seahawks just used a first-round pick on Byron Murphy in the 2024 NFL Draft. They also spent some big-time money the last couple of years on guys like Dre’Mont Jones and Leonard Williams. But the appeal of adding one of the best defensive players out of Michigan could be too tempting for new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald to pass on.

Graham didn’t play for Macdonald when he was the defensive coordinator at Michigan – they missed each other by a year – but playing in that scheme at Michigan will help a player like Graham transition seamlessly to the NFL level and a defense like Macdonald’s. The Seahawks have struggled on the defensive line and while they might be more interested in an EDGE type here, Graham is someone who could give them another presence up front.