29. Detroit Lions - Kenneth Grant - DT Michigan
The Detroit Lions are going to be an extremely lethal football team this season, but one area that needs to show more stability is on defense. GM Brad Holmes did do a respectable job re-tooling the defense once again, but it’s still largely an unproven unit outside of a few players. The Lions can truly fortify their defensive line by taking Kenneth Grant from Michigan.
So if you think about it, Grant won’t have far to travel to find his NFL home. The Lions have established a rugged and hard-nosed culture under head coach Dan Campbell, and more beef in the trenches can help continue that.
30. Baltimore Ravens - Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
The Ravens love inside linebackers from Clemson, don’t they? Already having a Clemson LB in Trenton Simpson on the team, they take another one from Clemson and grab Barrett Carter. With former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald now the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, the Ravens may find more reason to add to their defense, as Macdonald was arguably the best DC in the NFL last year.
Barrett Carter is the choice here for Baltimore.
31. San Francisco 49ers - Patrick Payton, EDGE, Florida State
The 49ers just know how to build a winning NFL roster, and a huge reason why they have been able to sustain success is because they frequently win the battles in the trenches. This remains true when they take EDGE Patrick Payton in the first round of this mock draft. The Niners, at some point, will have to make it over the hump and win a Super Bowl in the Kyle Shanahan era, right?
32. Kansas City Chiefs - Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
The Kansas City Chiefs have won three Super Bowls over the last five seasons, and could become the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row. Some of their key players are beginning to get old, so that is something to watch out for, but I don’t believe the Chiefs are panicking. They’ll take Dani Dennis-Sutton from Penn State at the bottom of the first round in this 2025 mock draft.
There you have it; another first-round mock draft. Did your favorite team get who you want them to get?