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Keep up with our real-time fantasy reactions for the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 2025 NFL Draft is finally upon us, and prospects are now rookies with NFL cities to call home. Follow along for real-time analysis of the opening round’s impact on fantasy football plans for the upcoming season and beyond.
Fantasy draft season may not be close to hitting its crescendo, but hardcore gamers have been selecting players prior to the conclusion of the collegiate bowl season. It’s time to let the real fun begin!
Be sure to check out our latest NFL mock draft!
Here’s my latest 2025 NFL mock draft. Be sure to check our NFL Draft Central page for the rest of our mocks, player scouting reports, and post-draft analysis of every key pick relevant to fantasy football.
Don’t miss our latest 2025 mock draft release!
Sound off on social media and let us know what you think about our latest mock draft.
We’ll be unveiling more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2025 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
*projected trade
Be sure to check out our latest NFL mock draft!
Here’s my latest 2025 NFL mock draft. Be sure to check our NFL Draft Central page for the rest of our mocks, player scouting reports, and post-draft analysis of every key pick relevant to fantasy football.
Where will one of the most unique players in draft history land?
The nation’s top-ranked prospect of his high school recruiting class, Travis Hunter passed on playing at Florida State to link up with Deion Sanders at Jackson State for a year before following the coach to Colorado, where the Georgia native would shine as both a wide receiver and cornerback.
Hunter also was a two-way prep player and still managed to set the state record for receiving touchdowns, finding the end zone 48 times as a wideout before stepping foot onto an NCAA field. His role as a true freshmen in 2022 was a mixed bag, highlighted by four TDs over a mere 18 grabs.
The 2023 campaign saw Hunter start to mold closer to the phenom we’ve become accustomed to watching. It was still good enough to earn First-team Associated Press All-Purpose and First-team All-Pac-12 (defense) honors.
He wasn’t done there. Hunter’s pinnacle season of 2024 resulted in winning the Heisman Trophy. The list of his 2024 accolades is thoroughly impressive: Biletnikoff Award (best WR), Bednarik Award (top defender), Associated Press Player of the Year, Lott IMPACT Trophy (top defensive player who exhibits Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity), Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player), Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, First-team All-Big 12 wide receiver and cornerback, First-team Associated Press All-American All-Purpose and cornerback, AP second-team wide receiver.
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 188 pounds
40 time: 4.39 seconds (estimated)
Table: CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado (2022-24)
*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from ESPN & Sports Reference)
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So, after all of that, how does he translate to fantasy football? Hunter stated he won’t play for a team that doesn’t permit his two-way role, also noting none of the teams he has met with thus far have expressed an issue with fulfilling said desire. Barring a surprise of him going No. 1 overall, Cleveland at No. 2 is the earliest we should expect him to come off the board. Next in line is the New York Giants, followed by the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively. No one should bank on Hunter falling outside of the top five.
None of those situations are ideal for him maximizing Year 1 fantasy worth, given the suspect quarterback situations for the first two, a bona fide WR1 in New York, and an underwhelming offensive system for aerial success in New England. Should he somehow make it to the Jaguars, there’s potential for a consistently useful fantasy season, but there’s also a legit No. 1 receiver here, too.
In casual fantasy circles, Hunter probably will be overvalued on draft day. He’s more of a backend fantasy option to begin his pro career, although we want to see where he winds up before assigning a more concrete valuation. Hunter’s two-way nature will make him inherently risky for fantasy gamers, which is a gamble you’ll have to accept if he’s in your sights.
Jeanty trades a record-setting 2024 performance to become the most coveted fantasy NFL rookie
This is the much-coveted running back in the NFL and in every fantasy draft this summer. In a running back class that is considered to be very strong and deep this year, Ashton Jeanty remains the top back and a lock to be the first selected. He is an unquestioned first-rounder, potentially Top-10 and even a Top-5 if the New England Patriots want him at No. 4, which is not out of the question.
Jeanty shared the backfield at Boise State as a freshman with George Holani, but took over the next year as the pair flipped their respective roles, and Jeanty cemented his importance to the Broncos offense.
With Holani gone in 2024, Jeanty shouldered a monster workload with 374 carries. His final season proved to be epic, breaking all school records, including rushing for 267 yards in a single game. His 2,601 yards and 29 rushing touchdowns led the nation, and he swept the awards by winning the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, and was No. 2 in Heisman voting.
Even more amazing, he enters the NFL with a chip on his shoulder from not winning the Heisman like Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram, Reggie Bush, Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne.
His 2024 performance adjusted for a 17 game season would have been 450 carries for 3,100 yards. It was a very busy year. His 374 rushes rank No. 12 all-time in college and Jeanty fell just 27 yards short of Barry Sanders’ all-time single-season rushing record.
Height: 5-9
Weight: 211 pounds
40 time: 4.45 seconds (estimated)
He attended the NFL Combine but did not run a 40-yard dash nor at his Pro Day. The assumption is that he had nothing to gain by running it and there is plenty of tape to watch that confirms what sort of player he is and how his speed matches up against defenses.
Ashton Jeanty stats (2022-24)
While this is a strong class of rushers, Ashton Jeanty is considered in a tier of his own. He’s looked at as a generational runner that carries not only all the physical characteristics to be successful, but is an intelligent and dedicated player who loves to run the ball.
He is slightly smaller than a prototypical back, but he is also the same size as LaDainian Tomlinson and Alvin Kamara, with whom he has both been compared.
This player is who all fantasy teams will want to see on their roster. Depending on where he ends up, Jeanty could very well end up as a Top-10 fantasy draft selection. There’s no need to further describe his potential in the NFL. He’s been linked to the New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys as potential landing spots.
Few receivers offer the dangerous blend of talents found in this explosive slot receiver.
A St. Louis native, wide receiver Luther Burden III chose to stay in Missouri to play for the Tigers, despite receiving over a dozen offers from the who’s who of FBS programs after earning a five-star prep grade.
A top-10 prospect in the nation, Burden made 10 starts as a true freshman, accounting for nine total touchdowns in what proved to be a foreshadowing of his breakthrough sophomore campaign. The Tigers standout was good for 1,212 receiving yards and nine more combined scores in 2023, earning Second-team Associated Press All-American and First-team All-SEC honors.
Despite a dramatic statistical drop-off in 2024, Burden managed to once again garner First-team All-SEC recognition. He sat out of the Music City Bowl knowing the NFL awaited his explosive skill set, and he’s often forecasted to be chosen in the opening stanza of the upcoming draft.
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 206 pounds
40 time: 4.41 seconds
Table: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri (2022-24)
*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from Sports Reference)
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Burden doesn’t have a great NFL comparison, but a blend between Jeremy Maclin and Deebo Samuel is a fair way to view what he can do.
It will be surprising if he manages to slide too far out of Round 1, so we’ll focus on what is most likely rather than … burdening … you with low-probability speculation. The teams with a need and in reasonable position to choose Burden include Seattle (18th), Tampa Bay (19th), Denver (20th), Green Bay (23rd), Houston (25th), and Buffalo (30th).
Seattle, Denver and Houston should be the best bets if he goes in Round 1 with a trade up. Should he make it into Round 2, Burden is poised to go early to Cleveland, Tennessee, Las Vegas, New England, Chicago, or New Orleans — owner of the 41st pick, which is about as far as he’ll fall.
In fantasy, Burden will be at his best in a creative West Coast system. Sean McVay would be an ideal coach for his talents, although that seems like a long shot in Round 1. Burden’s rookie outlook ranges from WR4 depth to low-end No. 2 upside, but he has long-term WR1 potential written all over him.
Don’t miss our latest 2025 mock draft release!
David Dorey’s latest mock draft of 2025 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2025 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
Cam Ward steps up as the best quarterback in the NFL Draft
Cam Ward is the consensus first pick of the 2025 NFL draft, but he spun through three colleges. His first start was at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, which was the only scholarship that he was offered. After two seasons in the Southland Conference, he transferred to Washington State where he became an immediate starter.
Ward played two seasons for the Cougars and peaked in 2023 with 3,736 yards and 25 touchdowns, plus ran in eight more scores. He graduated from Washington State and declared for the NFL draft, but changed his mind and entered the NCAA transfer portal thanks to the extra year allowed from the COVID rules.
The return to college was prompted by a desire to improve his draft stock and take advantage if the NIL rules in college football that allowed payments to players. He led the Hurricanes to a 10-2 record but they missed out on the College Football Playoffs, settling for the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Ward was the ACC Player of the Year, and was the Davey O’Brien and the Manning Award winner as the best college quarterback for 2024.
Ward finished fourth in the Heisman voting. He set the Miami single-season record with 4,313 passing yards and 39 passing touchdowns led the nation.
Height: 6-2
Weight: 219 pounds
40 time: 4.64 seconds
He declined to workout at the NFL Combine and instead attended the Miami Pro Day. He demonstrated his elite arm and mechanics with only a few errant throws. He helped cement his place as the top college quarterback in this draft.
Cam Ward stats (2022-24)
This is the one player with no need for much conjecture. He is expected by all to be the first pick in the NFL draft, the only question is whether the Titans hold onto that pick or trade it away. This is not considered to be a strong class of quarterbacks and had Ward declared last year, he would not have been the first selected and likely taken deeper in the draft behind several others.
But – he is as good as it gets for 2025 and any team needing a franchise quarterback would love to land him. It has become more certain that the Titans will hold that No. 1 pick and will start 2025 with a new rookie quarterback in Ward.
HC Brian Callahan will start his second season in Tennessee with the franchise quarterback that his scheme needs. His Year 1 fantasy value is likely only marginal as he learns the position, but that Titans may use the draft to also boster their receiving corps that currently is little more than Calvin Ridley. Ward has obvious dynasty value, but pending any major upgrades to the receivers, the rookie will likely remain as just fantasy depth.
Despite being a polarizing prospect, Sanders is poised to be one of the top picks in the draft.
Where to begin … Shedeur Sanders enters the 2025 NFL Draft as a four-year starter in high school and college and son of NFL great Deion Sanders, who served as his head coach at both NCAA stops.
A four-star prep recruit, Sanders the Younger came out of high school committed to play for Florida Atlantic but declined to join his father at Jackson State, where he’d start two seasons prior to following Deion to Colorado and immediate assume the starting gig there. Over the next two seasons, Sanders’ pedigree and natural talent were put under the national microscope, and he emerged from it as one of the premier players in the draft class, regardless of position.
For all of his efforts, Sanders was honored with the following accolades:
2021: Won Jerry Rice Award (top FCS freshman), Second-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference, SWAC Freshman of the Year
2022: SWAC Player of the Year, First-team All-SWAC, HBCU First-team All-American
2023: Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 Conference
2024: Second-team Associated Press All-American, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, First-team All-Big 12
Height: 6-foot-1 1/2
Weight: 212 pounds
40 time: 4.75 seconds (estimated)
Table: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (2022-24)
*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from ESPN & Sports Reference)
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Sanders’ long-term potential is high but needs to come with the caveat of system fit matters more with him than most quarterbacks. Another issue at play here is fantasy quarterbacking skews heavily toward mobility these days, and Sanders’ ground game offers little more than a short-range TD plunge.
Purely from a passing standpoint, Sanders has QB1 fantasy upside. He figures to be a Day 1 real-life starter in most plausible draft scenarios. Tennessee, Cleveland, and the New York Giants all need quarterbacks atop the NFL draft, but none of those teams reportedly are where Sanders himself wants to play. There appears to be mutual interest from New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Las Vegas, all teams that need a positional solution.
For immediate results, Pittsburgh would be the best place for Sanders’ fantasy worth — provided the team doesn’t add another veteran (ahem, Aaron Rodgers). Even if Sanders were to start Week 1, he’s still little more than a late-round QB2 in 2025.
