The 2024 NFL and college football seasons are nearly upon us. Soon, fans will be hitting the sticks and playing the brand-new College Football video game title, dreaming of College Football Gameday on Saturday followed by Red Zone on Sunday. We’re closing the gap, folks. For now, we have 2025 NFL mock draft predictions to satisfy our football appetites as we look through some of the best prospects in the country, some of the top needs for every NFL team, and just generally have fun with the rare instance of all 32 teams still having their first-round picks.
For this 2025 NFL mock draft, we're using the latest Pro Football Focus roster rankings as the overall NFL Draft order. So if you hate where your favorite team is picking, you can't blame us this time. We also pulled from PFF's top roster needs to make some of these selections and fill some roster gaps. With all of that in mind, let's take a look at the latest entire first-round 2025 NFL mock draft predictions as the football season closes in.
2025 NFL mock draft: Panthers, Raiders land new franchise QBs
1. Denver Broncos: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
The Denver Broncos are considered to have the worst roster in the NFL right now according to Pro Football Focus, which I don't know if I would agree with. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but did the Broncos really get this much worse from the team that won eight games last season?
At any rate, unless Bo Nix is an absolute catastrophe, I don’t know that we’ll see the Broncos move on after just one season. The former Oregon star has been receiving rave reviews so far this offseason. One area that could get some attention from the Broncos next offseason is the edge position, which features two key starters entering contract years in 2024: Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper.
The Broncos go after arguably the best overall player on the board in Tennessee’s James Pearce, who could be a foundation piece on the defensive side of the ball. As of right now, this doesn’t look like the best draft to have the #1 overall pick if you’re not taking a QB, but we could see the Broncos go for a defensive star like this or even an offensive tackle with Garett Bolles slated to hit free agency in 2025 as well.
2. New York Giants: Carson Beck, QB, Georgia
I wouldn’t be shocked if we see some major, wholesale changes with the New York Giants after this season. Some of the stuff we’ve seen in the offseason edition of Hard Knocks leads me to believe that Joe Schoen might be in over his head as the GM of this team, but we’ll see what the season brings.
The Giants have one of the most questionable starting QB situations in the entire league right now with Daniel Jones as the presumptive starter and Drew Lock there in case of emergency. Those two guys both came into the league in 2019 and both have shown some signs of promise, though Jones is the one with the hefty contract.
If the Giants are picking 2nd overall next year, they’re going to be in the QB market, plain and simple.
3. Carolina Panthers: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
If the Carolina Panthers are in this position yet again in the 2025 offseason, it’s going to be time to start wondering if Bryce Young is a viable option. And if they have a shot to go and get Shedeur Sanders, the discussion could intensify.
Although it’s not exactly the best possible comparison you can receive, some view Sanders as comparable to the likes of Geno Smith. The more recent version of Smith, of course. And there are a lot of elements to Sanders’ game that you can’t help but like. He didn’t make a ton of mistakes last year at Colorado, his first year playing at a high level of D1 football after spending two years with the Jackson State program.
In this 2025 NFL mock draft scenario, Dave Canales – who helped Geno Smith resurrect his career with the Seahawks – gets the chance to work with a potentially comparable player and build around him.
4. New England Patriots: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
The New England Patriots could go after an offensive tackle here, although they do have some options on the roster to work with as potential future starters to protect Drake Maye’s blind side. No matter what, they’re in range to get a high-impact player from next year’s class and Will Johnson is exactly that.
Johnson would give the Patriots another young cornerback to pair up with Christian Gonzalez on the outside and boost a cornerback group that didn’t have a single player with more than one interception last season. Johnson has seven interceptions in his first two years at Michigan and has drawn some comparisons to Pat Surtain II as an overall prospect.
5. Arizona Cardinals: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t considered to have one of the best rosters in the league right now, but general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon are clearly building something there. We saw this team really overachieve last season despite finishing with one of the worst records in the league. Jonathan Gannon did a great job coaching this team and keeping them in the thick of games despite the weekly discrepancy in talent.
And when Kyler Murray came back, you started to see some things coming together. Adding a playmaker to the secondary like Benjamin Morrison would be huge for this roster overall and it wouldn’t be shocking if we saw the Cardinals really start contending for a Wild Card spot as early as 2025. They’ve got a lot of fun pieces in place and a playmaker like Marvin Harrison Jr. being added in 2024 could expedite their reload.
6. Washington Commanders: Will Campbell, OT, LSU
The Washington Commanders have a new GM in Adam Peters coming over from the San Francisco 49ers, and Peters knows that this Commanders situation is a longer-term rebuilding project. The Commanders added a ton of players in NFL free agency and they went out and brought in a huge 2024 NFL Draft class. Despite those additions, this roster still has a ton of pressing needs.
Notably, the offensive line needs to be addressed, and the Commanders have to be hoping that group in front of rookie QB Jayden Daniels can really overachieve this coming season. Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, is a great runner and playmaker at the position, but he could use the help of his old pal Will Campbell, who comes to Washington to join him in this 2025 NFL mock draft projection.
7. Los Angeles Chargers: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
After bypassing some top-tier wide receiver prospects to take Joe Alt in the 2024 NFL Draft, you’ve got to expect that Jim Harbaugh would stay on brand here and take someone for the trenches. This time, the Chargers go to the defensive side of the ball, where Harbaugh is able to add one of his most talented defensive linemen from the Michigan program – Mason Graham.
The former four-star prospect got into the mix immediately upon arriving in Ann Arbor and is coming off of a very productive year with 7.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2023. He’s one of the most exciting interior defensive line prospects in the country and does a great job of playing with effort, discipline, and overall violence. At 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, Graham is extremely well-built and would be an obvious target of his former college head coach in this range.
8. Tennessee Titans: Harold Perkins, EDGE, LSU
Pro Football Focus is calling for the Titans to upgrade their defensive front somehow. What are the Titans currently working with off the edge?
"Arden Key and Harold Landry have never really been more than average pass rushers. Landry has been consistent in his five-year career, never earning a season-long PFF grade higher than 65.4 or lower than 63.3."PFF
It’s obviously not an ideal situation defensively right now for the Titans, who spent a good majority of their primary assets in 2024 on the offensive side of the ball. Understandably so. The Titans are still hopeful that Will Levis can develop into a potential franchise QB, as it seems this is the only franchise in the AFC South without a clear direction at that position right now.
If Levis can emerge, it will make a selection like this even more possible. Harold Perkins only played five games this past season at LSU but will transition back to EDGE in 2024 and put his pass rush skills on display. He had 13.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks – along with four forced fumbles – back in his freshman season.
He’s also not going to turn 21 years old until September 2025. The sky is the limit for this player.
9. New Orleans Saints: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
Even after taking Oregon State tackle Taliese Fuaga in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, we could see the New Orleans Saints dip into that position group once again in the 2025 class. The Saints have some huge question marks on the offensive line going into this season.
What does the future hold for Ryan Ramczyk? Is he even going to play in the NFL again? He suffered a setback in recovery from knee surgery and it doesn’t sound like he’s expected back anytime soon. The future is also in question for former first-round pick Trevor Penning, who is trending toward being a bust. Another former first-round pick and starter – Andrus Peat – departed this offseason.
Being able to get one of Will Campbell or Kelvin Banks could be huge for the Saints in the 2025 NFL Draft, or another tackle if one emerges in that range.
10. Las Vegas Raiders: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
We’ve been floating back and forth between the idea of Quinn Ewers being in the 1st round of the 2025 NFL Draft or falling out of it altogether. What’s the rumor of the day, right?
Ewers has 1st-round potential, especially as we saw guys like JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr. emerge this past year. Not to mention Jayden Daniels, who wasn’t always considered a sure-fire first-round type of guy.
Quinn Ewers is in a similar boat as some of those guys a year ago at this time. He’s got a chance to shed the “great college QB only” label and prove that he’s capable of starting at the NFL level. He showed off that potential last year when he completed 69 percent of his passes with 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions, adding five rushing touchdowns on top of it.
The Las Vegas Raiders might not be able to afford being super picky as they missed out on quarterbacks in the 2024 class and we have no idea what they’re going to get in year two with Aidan O’Connell.
11. Indianapolis Colts: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
This would have to be considered the biggest steal of this particular 2025 NFL mock draft as Travis Hunter is pretty routinely selected in the top five of our projections. And certainly his talent would warrant that. The question it seems a lot of people are having right now is where NFL teams will project him going forward.
It truly feels like he could be a top-10 pick at multiple positions, which speaks to his incredible overall talent, and I wouldn’t be shocked if we actually see him play a little offense and defense at the NFL level. In the Colts’ context, you would have to think the primary position for Hunter would be cornerback. The top options for the Colts right now at outside corner are a couple of young guys looking to take a step forward this season in JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones.
12. Minnesota Vikings: Nic Scourton, DL/EDGE, Texas A&M
The Minnesota Vikings are a fun roster on either side of the ball, but there is potential for them to really load up the defensive front in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Vikings lost Danielle Hunter and DJ Wonnum (among others) in 2024 NFL free agency, but they were able to bring in Jonathan Greenard from the Texans and steal Dallas Turner in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
They’ve already begun reloading that defensive front and a player like Nic Scourton could be another weapon for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The former Purdue star transferred to Texas A&M this year after racking up 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks last year.
At 280 pounds, he’s not the same type of “EDGE” player as either Dallas Turner or Jonathan Greenard. Scourton can play inside and give you a versatile weapon in the pass rush department.
13. Chicago Bears: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
The job being done right now by general manager Ryan Poles with the Chicago Bears has certainly been fun to watch, even if the Bears got a lucky mulligan with the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Bears held the #1 overall pick in 2023 when CJ Stroud was available, but traded down to get DJ Moore and Darnell Wright, among other picks. One of the “other” picks ended up being the #1 overall selection in 2024, but time will tell if having Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, and Darnell Wright as opposed to CJ Stroud will be worth it.
Bears fans are banking on it.
And in the 2025 NFL Draft, Poles can shift his attention to the defensive side of the ball, where the Bears have actually been drafting well in recent years. They need a pass rusher to pair with Montez Sweat off the edge, and a player like Penn State’s Abdul Carter could very well end up being the next in a long line of guys coming from that program to be top-flight NFL prospects.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars: Deone Walker, DL, Kentucky
The Jaguars missing out on the playoffs and picking in the early teens of the 2025 NFL Draft would likely raise some major questions about Doug Pederson’s future with the team, especially given what the Jaguars invested in Trevor Lawrence and his weapons for the 2024 season. The Jaguars gave Lawrence a massive $275 million extension after bringing in receivers Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. to upgrade that position group.
Defensively, the Jaguars struggled badly enough to make a change at defensive coordinator this offseason. They hired Ryan Nielsen, the former Saints and Falcons assistant who is considered to be ascending in the coaching world. Nielsen would probably love to get his hands on the massive Deone Walker, a near-350 pound defensive lineman with loads of athleticism.
How often do you see 6-foot-6, 348-pound defensive linemen racking up 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks?
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
In the 2024 NFL Draft, the wide receiver position was arguably the best in the draft, at least in terms of the top-end prospects. The 2025 draft class doesn’t have Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze – top 10 overall prospects – but a guy like Luther Burden is going to come in and make an immediate impact at the NFL level.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed veteran Mike Evans to a long-term deal this offseason, but Chris Godwin will be a free agent after the 2024 season and Burden could end up being the ideal replacement. Pro Football Network's scouting notes on Burden make him seem like a carbon copy of Godwin coming out of Penn State.
"With his combined speed, explosiveness, agility and twitch, play strength, and contact balance, Burden is a devastating RAC threat. He also has the sturdy hands and body control to corral high-difficulty attempts and convert on chances time and time again."Pro Football Network
16. Seattle Seahawks: Emery Jones Jr., OT, LSU
According to Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks need to upgrade their pass protection ASAP:
"Geno Smith had another solid season in 2023, but the Seahawks couldn’t protect him often enough. They finished 28th in pass-blocking grade while dealing with a rash of injuries up front. Only one of their starters, left tackle Charles Cross, earned a 65.0-plus grade in pass protection."PFF
In the first 16 picks of this 2025 NFL mock draft, we’ve got two LSU offensive tackles coming off the board. Jones has the potential to become the top overall offensive tackle in this class and certainly would be a great fit for the Seahawks on the opposite side of former top-10 pick Charles Cross. He allowed just one QB hit last year in over 400 pass-protecting snaps.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
This season will be an interesting one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. You have to think that their coaching and defense will prevent them from bottoming out, but what are they going to get from either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields – or both – at the quarterback position?
Wilson was simply not good enough last year as the starter of the Denver Broncos even though he threw 26 touchdown passes. The Broncos forced a boatload of turnovers (setting them up with a lot of short fields) during a mid-season winning streak, and Russ was consistently struggling all year between the 20s. For the Steelers, it’s impossible to think Wilson could be any worse than what we saw last year from Kenny Pickett.
If Wilson can prove worthy of at least a second season in Pittsburgh, maybe they go out and get him some more help at receiver. The Steelers traded away Diontae Johnson (Panthers) this offseason and here they get Arizona star Tetairoa McMillan, who has been a consistent big-play threat the last couple of seasons.
18. Atlanta Falcons: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
After two straight seasons with exactly 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, Georgia’s Mykel Williams is expected to have a huge breakout year in 2024. And the projections are not unwarranted.
This is one of the most talented prospects in the country and someone who could be in or around the top five when the actual 2025 NFL Draft comes around. At 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, there’s really no spot along the defensive front that Williams can’t play and have success.
The Atlanta Falcons probably wish they could add a player like this to the roster yesterday. The Falcons have invested so much in the offense in recent years that it’s not unwarranted to say the defense has been a bit neglected. That side of the ball is going to need attention early and often in the 2025 NFL Draft and a player like Williams would be perfect. And he wouldn’t have to move far, either.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Conner Weigman, QB, Texas A&M
All throughout the 2025 offseason, we’ve been speculating about the possibility that the Los Angeles Rams could go after a franchise QB of the future early in the 2025 NFL Draft. This mock draft scenario has another new name joining Sean McVay’s crew – Texas A&M star Conner Weigman.
This idea came about recently from ESPN’s Matt Miller, and I like it a lot. We've looked at scenarios with the Rams taking Penn State's Drew Allar in the first round, Texas QB Quinn Ewers, and now Weigman joins the fun.
Even though he was injured for a good majority of last season, the talent has never been in question with Wiegman. He’s a former 5-star prospect and one of the most coveted quarterback recruits in recent years. He completed nearly 69 percent of his throws last year with eight touchdowns, matching what he threw as a freshman in just five games.
We need a bigger sample from Weigman, but he could ride a big year into the 1st round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
20. Green Bay Packers: Tacario Davis, CB, Arizona
The Green Bay Packers have one of the most exciting young rosters in the NFL, but the biggest question mark for them in 2024 is at the cornerback position. And even that position group includes some big-time talent with former first-round pick Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes.
But how much can the Packers really rely on either of those guys going forward? Stokes, in particular, has only appeared in 12 games the last two seasons. The fact that the Packers didn’t do anything to upgrade cornerback in the 2024 offseason is still one of the bigger shocks of the offseason.
But they get another 1st-round player at the position here in Tacario Davis, a rare 6-foot-4 cornerback prospect who won’t turn 21 until his first NFL preseason. He’s got the type of length you covet at the position and the ball skills to go with it. The Packers would be going back-to-back Wildcats if this scenario plays out after taking offensive lineman Jordan Morgan out of Arizona in 2024.
21. Cleveland Browns: Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
Running backs are back in the first round! Finding running backs worth a first-round investment has been difficult to do these days, but it’s not impossible either. One of the teams that might be willing to do it is the Cleveland Browns, who have one of the better overall rosters in the NFL and a situation that could reasonably justify a first-round running back.
If the Browns are picking in the 20s next year, it means they made the playoffs again. But Deshaun Watson’s performance this season looms large over the future of the franchise.
In order for the Browns to justify a first-round running back, a lot will have to happen. Watson needs to play well. Nick Chubb will probably be gone. The Browns are going to be a team that runs the ball a lot and someone like Ollie Gordon can be a game-changer. He had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage last year at Oklahoma State with a whopping 21 touchdowns on the ground.
22. Miami Dolphins: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
The Miami Dolphins don’t lack much offensively, but getting a stud tight end in the mix would be the final “infinity stone” of Mike McDaniels’ offensive gauntlet. There are big questions looming over the Dolphins long-term involving the contract status of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but this is a team that could make a lot of noise deep into the playoffs if they could stay healthy.
There were some big losses for the Dolphins this offseason defensively that are going to be worth monitoring, but adding someone like Colston Loveland at tight end would make the offense even more explosive and unstoppable. Loveland is a big-play threat at the tight end position who would get a ton of favorable matchups in Miami.
23. Buffalo Bills: Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon
It’s not going to be a seamless transition this year at wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are moving on from both Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs at wide receiver, so quarterback Josh Allen is going to have to do his part to raise the tide for everyone else so it doesn’t feel like the Bills are taking such a step back.
Even though Buffalo added Keon Coleman in the 2024 NFL Draft, we could see them go right back to the wide receiver well in 2025 and pick up someone like Oregon’s Evan Stewart. Stewart is transferring to Oregon after spending the last two seasons at Texas A&M where Conner Weigman obviously dealt with injuries. Now, he is hoping to take over the role vacated by recently departed Troy Franklin and prove his separation skills are WR1 worthy in the 2025 NFL Draft class.
Adding a player like Stewart to go with Keon Coleman could be outstanding for Buffalo’s offense.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
This is a pick I had in my last 2025 NFL mock draft and I still like it quite a bit. There are obviously a lot of other directions the Dallas Cowboys could go here but getting a big-time running back prospect wouldn’t be the worst idea for them. The Cowboys brought back Ezekiel Elliott this year but nobody should be expecting that to last beyond the 2024 season.
Dallas lands a three-down stud in Quinshon Judkins here who is transferring to Ohio State from Ole Miss, where he racked up over 3,000 yards from scrimmage the last two years. He’s going to be splitting time in that backfield at Ohio State, but that could actually end up being a good thing for his professional projections since he’s already had nearly 600 touches in the last two seasons.
25. Cincinnati Bengals: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
The wide receiver position is going to be an area to watch for the Cincinnati Bengals this year. The team has already said goodbye to Tyler Boyd, who left in free agency to go reunite with Brian Callahan in Tennessee. The clock is ticking with Tee Higgins as well, so who else is going to step up for Cincinnati at this position group along with Ja’Marr Chase?
Although there are some options on the roster in Trenton Irwin, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones, and third-round pick Jermaine Burton, the Bengals could reset here a little bit in 2025 and add a player like Emeka Egbuka, the latest in a long line of Ohio State receivers with 1st-round NFL ability.
Egbuka isn’t the same type of player as someone like Marvin Harrison Jr., but he’s going to be able to come in and contribute right away at the NFL level. The Bengals need to keep this position group fully stocked.
26. Houston Texans: Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona
For a team like the Houston Texans, the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is going to feel like such a luxury. This is a team that has really done a great job of loading up through the draft and free agency in recent years, and the progression of everyone on the roster is going to give them ultimate flexibility in next year’s 1st round just like they had in 2023.
One way the Texans can’t really go wrong is by supporting CJ Stroud any way they possibly can. They’ve loaded up at wide receiver recently, and while there is always the chance of resetting at the skill positions offensively, keeping the offensive line loaded up is not a bad idea at all.
The Arizona Wildcats had a 1st-rond player on their offensive line this year in Jordan Morgan, who was taken right around this range by the Green Bay Packers. Here, the Texans get Jonah Savaiinaea, a starting right tackle who could project to either guard or tackle at the NFL level. He didn’t allow a single sack last year at Arizona and was one of the team’s top-graded run blockers.
27. Detroit Lions: Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
You want to see what the type of guy the Detroit Lions love says to the media? Check out this quote from Jack Sawyer about why he spurned the 2024 NFL Draft and returned to Ohio State in 2024:
"After the year, I sat there and thought, ‘Hey, I’m from Columbus. I love Columbus. I love the fans. I love Coach (Ryan) Day, Coach (Larry) Johnson, Coach Mick (Marotti) and everybody that’s a part of Ohio State. We fell short of reaching the goals that we promised these guys when we signed our letters of intent to come here. That didn’t sit right with me. I knew I wasn’t gonna walk out of here on those terms — not when we have another shot to beat ‘The Team Up North,’ win a Big Ten title and win a national championship. I know for a fact that we have the team to do it this year."Jack Sawyer
Even though he’s not a Michigan guy, Sawyer has the type of competitive spirit the Lions covet in their prospects, and he has the productivity to go along with it. Getting a guy like this to come off the edge opposite Aidan Hutchinson could help take this Lions defense to the next level.
28. Baltimore Ravens: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
The Baltimore Ravens are always a unique team to try and project from far out when it comes to the NFL Draft. They almost always find a way to get one of the best values no matter where they are picking in the draft, and that’s no exception in mock draft scenarios. Here, they come away with one of the best values of this 2025 first-round projection in safety Malaki Starks.
Starks is a ball-hawking safety for the Bulldogs defense and an All-American who has 14 passes defended in his first two seasons in Athens as well as five interceptions. He’s expected to improve even more in 2024 for that Georgia defense and should be a coveted player by any NFL team in need of safety help. The Ravens are replacing a lot of snaps at safety this year with Geno Stone bolting in free agency for the Cincinnati Bengals.
29. New York Jets: Kevin Winston Jr., S, Penn State
The safety position didn’t have a bunch of coveted first-round players in the 2024 NFL Draft class, but here we’ve got a couple of safeties going back-to-back in the later portion of the first round. The New York Jets have one of the best overall secondaries in the NFL but they are going to have players getting poached year after year at that position group, including in 2024 when Jordan Whitehead left to return to the Buccaneers.
Ashtyn Davis and Chuck Clark are unrestricted free agents in 2025 for the Jets so this position group could be an area of emphasis in 2025, and it could be an area where the Jets look to go a cheaper route thanks to so many other areas of the roster commanding significant attention.
By the way, what’s this team’s QB situation going to be beyond this season?
Kevin Winston is an ascending player at Penn State with all the tools to be a first-round pick in the right situation.
30. Philadelphia Eagles: Xavier Nwankpa, S, Iowa
Three safeties back-to-back-to-back?
Now we’re just talking crazy.
The Philadelphia Eagles make Iowa’s Xavier Nwankpa the third straight safety off the board as they continue to revamp the secondary for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The Eagles’ secondary was an abomination last year and that’s why we saw them go out and get Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean with their first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Now, the revamping of the defensive backfield continues with a highly intriguing player who has yet to appear in one of my offseason mock drafts, but someone who is a former big-time recruit with outstanding range, athleticism, and playmaking skills.
Vic Fangio likes players coming from that Iowa defense coached by Phil Parker and Nwankpa is someone who could be a great value for the Eagles at this stage of round one.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State
The rich get richer.
There’s not much the Kansas City Chiefs lack on their roster right now, but the interior defensive line getting better would open things up for their tremendous talent off the edge, including two recent first-round picks (George Karlaftis, Felix Anudike-Uzomah). The Chiefs have the biggest star on the interior defensive line in the league right now in Chris Jones, and the presence of Jones could make life a lot easier on a young player like Tyleik Williams trying to come in and make his way.
Not only can Williams break through the line of scrimmage and disrupt plays that way (10 tackles for loss last year) but he knows how to get his hands up in throwing lanes. He has nine career passes batted including five last year.
32. San Francisco 49ers: JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
The San Francisco 49ers close out the first round of this 2025 NFL mock draft with a pretty big steal if he ends up falling this far. At least for where JT Tuimoloau’s stock is right now, this might be a bit of a shocker. Listed at 6-foot-5, 269 pounds, Tuimoloau is one of a wide variety of Ohio State defensive players who looks like he’s going to be a stud at the NFL level.
He’s got 22.0 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks in his first three years with the Buckeyes, and despite the fact that he’s been productive, it still feels like we’re waiting for his true “breakout” moment. Regardless of what he does statistically this year, it feels like we can bank on Tuimoloau being a coveted player by NFL teams and the 49ers would probably be glad to scoop him up late in the 1st round.