Tag: 2025 NFL Draft

2025 NFL Draft: Texans land do-it-all LB in way-too-early mock

A Houston product could be playing for the Texans in 2025 according to one NFL mock draft.

It’s never too early to start thinking about next year. At least that’s how the folks over at Draft Wire treat life since everyday teams are on the clock.

The Houston Texans are hoping to land with the No. 32 overall pick in the first round after shoring up holes following a loss in the divisional round to Baltimore. Should they accomplish the feat, that would mean the AFC South would also be hoising their first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

That, unfortunately, isn’t the case in Draft Wire’s latest mock. Despite picking 25th, Houston at least walks away with a promising prospect to build around on defense in LSU linebacker Harold Perkins.

A Houston native and freshman All-American, Perkins made his presence felt the second he arrived in Baton Rouge. As a freshman, he racked up 72 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, four forced fumbles, three deflections and an interception.

A year later, Perkins moved from the edge position to inside linebacker and didn’t find the same amount of success. Eventually, Brian Kelly elected to let him play back on the edge and saw him flourish once more.

Perkins finished with 75 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, six pass breakups and an interception while earning second-team All-SEC recognition.

Perhaps the biggest mystery surrounding the Tigers in 2024 is where Perkins will play this fall. Is he an edge rusher? How about a pure outside linebacker? Will new defensive coordinator Blake Baker try to help him shine at middle linebacker?

“He is an every-down linebacker that can play inside and out and has the ability to run, can obviously rush the passer, and also tackle from sideline to sideline,” Kelly said Monday at SEC Media Days.

How does Perkins view himself?

“I’m a ballplayer,” the 6-foot linebacker said.

Perkins’ height likely means he’ll transition inside to middle linebacker at the next level. That’s a positive since DeMeco Ryans has been a teacher of countless Pro Bowl-caliber talent, including San Franciso’s Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and newly acquired Azeez Al-Shaair.

Houston will elect to move off Christian Harris once he becomes a free agent in 2025. Last season, the third-round pick out of Alabama totaled a career-high 101 tackles and two sacks in his first season under Ryans.

Ryans, however, could be targeting players who better fit his system. With Al-Shaair locked up through 2026, perhaps the Texans envision Perkins as the Greenlaw to the former’s Warner in the AFC South.

The Texans return to training camp on Thursday.

Saints spend top-10 pick on Penn State DE Abdul Carter in 2025 mock draft

It’s still too soon to accurately project the 2025 NFL draft, but Abdul Carter could be a good match for the Saints if they’re picking early again next year:

It’s still too soon to accurately project the 2025 NFL draft, but Penn State star Abdul Carter could be a good match for the New Orleans Saints if they’re picking early again next year. That was the case in this projection from Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy, which had the Saints picking at No. 8 overall.

Carter has the size the Saints covet at a listed 6-foot-3 and 259 pounds, and he comes from a program that’s sent several great pass rushers to the NFL. Defensive ends Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac were both top-100 picks this spring, which opened the door for Carter to move outside after initially playing off-ball linebacker. That was also the case for Micah Parsons, who was picked at No. 12 back in 2021.

And like Parsons, Carter is seen as a versatile defender who can make plays in coverage or rush the quarterback from a two-point stance. He needs experience playing on the line of scrimmage with his hand down but he has Pro Bowl potential if he can keep learning and developing.

He could make sense for the Saints. They haven’t gotten enough production out of high draft picks like Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey or old pros like Cameron Jordan. The hope is Chase Young can transform the group this year but he’s working his way back from neck surgery and is only signed to a one-year deal.

But if the Saints are bad enough this fall to be picking at No. 8, it’s because Derek Carr bombed in Klint Kubiak’s offense. The ramifications for that could be big — how could Mickey Loomis sell fans on a fourth year with Dennis Allen at head coach if the Saints go 7-10 (like last year’s team picking at No. 8, the Atlanta Falcons), giving Allen a 23-28 record with New Orleans? If you include his Las Vegas Raiders run, as you should, Allen’s career record would be 31-56. That’s a win percentage of .356, which would be sixth-worst out of the 128 head coaches who have worked 87 or more games in NFL history.

Neither Allen nor Carr should be in the Saints’ plans if this is where they end up, and letting a new head coach draft a new quarterback should be their priority. It would be great if Jake Haener or Spencer Rattler is ready to compete for the job by this point but there’s no guarantee that either of them will be ready for it. Hopefully the Saints are so successful in 2024 that we aren’t worrying about things like this in the 2025 draft.

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Lions build up interior defensive line in Draft Wire’s pre-training camp mock draft

Lions build up interior defensive line in Draft Wire’s pre-training camp mock draft

NFL teams are just about ready to head to training camp to prepare for the 2024 season. That means it’s another good time to look ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s what Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire recently did, putting together a mock draft ahead of training camp. In this case, the Lions address the interior defensive line and stay in-state by selecting Michigan’s Kenneth Grant.

The six-foot-three, 339-pound junior was named Second Team All-Big Ten by coaches and Third Team by the media in 2023 following a sophomore season in which he appeared in all 15 games for the national champions with five starts. Grant recorded 29 tackles, five tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks in 2023. He also added five pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery.

Back in June, Popejoy ranked his top five interior defensive tackles and Grant came in at No. 3, behind Deone Walker of Kentucky at No. 1 and fellow Wolverine Mason Graham at No. 2.

The Lions will have some decisions to make on the interior next offseason as John Cominsky, Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill are all set to become free agents in 2025. The Lions drafted LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round back in April.

As far as the rest of the NFC North goes, the Minnesota Vikings selected Michigan cornerback Will Johnson at No. 10, the Chicago Bears took Texas A&M Edge Nic Scourton at No. 19 and the Green Bay Packers, at No. 22, went with Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.

Will the wide receiver position need to be addressed next offseason?

The wide receiver position has been a strong area for the Vikings on offense in recent years but is it beginnng to unravel?

The Vikings’ offense has been strong at the wide receiver position in recent years, but is it beginning to unravel? Several aspects of this offseason suggest that it will need to be addressed during the 2025 offseason.

Looking at the current state of affairs within the Vikings franchise, they have yet to find a true number three wide receiver. K.J. Osborn left in free agency to go to the New England Patriots. Jalen Nailor was expected to fill that open position. Nailor, however, has not been healthy this offseason and has yet to earn that role that so many expected him to have.

Could they look to make a signing during training camp? Perhaps. There have been rumors of them being tied to several veteran wide receivers, such as Hunter Renfrow. Ultimately, it could prove to be too late in the offseason for an impactful signing.

Fast forward to the next offseason, and in the coming weeks, there may be time for a decision with Jordan Addison. At this point, he needs to have a serious meeting with the former USC and Pittsburgh receiver. In back to back offseasons, Addison has had significant traffic violations, the latest coming in the form of a DUI arrest not even seven days after his teammate died due to someone drunk driving.

If they decide to move on from Addison, or at the very least get a contingency plan in place, the NFL draft or free agency could provide that.

Spottrac projects the team to have over $63 million in cap space to spend next offseason. Robert Woods, Mike Williams, Brandin Cooks, and Darius Slayton are notable wide receivers playing on expiring contracts who could serve well alongside Justin Jefferson.

Tetairoa McMillan from Arizona, Luther Burden III from Missouri, Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State, and Tez Johnson from Oregon could be options in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jordan Addison could right the ship for himself, we hope he does. What he needs to realize that may help his mental processing of this all is the NFL is a business first and foremost. There are always plenty of options for a team to replace any problems on the team, and despite his immense talent and draft capital, he is no different.

2025 NFL mock draft: Vikings get help along defensive line

Pro Football Network writer Owain Jones gives the Minnesota Vikings some help at defensive tackle in his latest 2025 mock NFL Draft.

The Minnesota Vikings defense was much improved last season under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Brian Flores. One area where the defense can still get much better, though, is along the defensive line, specifically at defensive tackle. The Vikings’ defense could be markedly improved by applying consistent pressure on the inside.

Luckily for the Vikings, they land the help they need for the future in the latest 2025 mock NFL draft from PFN. Of course, this is all hypothetical at this stage, but if things were to play out as writer Owain Jones has laid out, winding up with Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker could help the team’s defensive front immensely. According to Jones:

Deone Walker is a physical specimen at 6’6” and 348 pounds, and he has the production to match, with 7.5 sacks in 2023. The Kentucky DT combines his size with otherworldly athleticism, and his explosive first set is difficult for offensive linemen to handle.

If Walker can consistently play with a lower pad level he will be considered a unique prospect with his physical abilities.

Walker is an absolute beast on the inside at Kentucky, and he would serve the Vikings well, likely in a rotational role, to begin his career. Later, he could serve as the next Vikings stalwart defensive tackle after Harrison Phillips calls it a career.

Giants select QB Quinn Ewers in way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft

In another way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft, the New York Giants pass on QB Carson Beck in favor of QB Quinn Ewers.

After missing out on their quarterback targets in the 2024 NFL draft, Seth Trachtman of Yardbarker predicts the New York Giants won’t miss out in his way-too-early 2025 NFL mock draft.

Trachtman has the Giants selecting fifth overall, which means he doesn’t think much of their chances this season. Selecting fifth means Big Blue won’t be so big in 2024 with a win total of around five games.

With that pick, though, they make it count and finally draft Daniel Jones’ successor in Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.

The Giants bypassed the opportunity to replace Daniel Jones in the draft this year, but another poor season from the former first-round pick could leave them no choice. Ewers took a huge step forward last season as he continues to hold off Arch Manning in the Texas offense, completing 69% of his passes for nearly 3,500 yards in 12 games.

Trachtman has the Giants passing on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, considered by many to be the top quarterback in next year’s draft class.

Not sure if that will be the case come next April. Ewers will go largely uncontested again as the Longhorns’ quarterback this coming season with just young Arch Manning as his primary backup, but he will be without his top five weapons from last season.

Wide receivers Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, and Jordan Whittington were all selected in this year’s NFL draft as were tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and running back Jonathan Brooks.

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2025 NFL mock draft: Bucs make strange pick in latest 1st-round projection

This early projection for the 2025 NFL draft has a head-scratcher for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round

We have another 2025 NFL mock draft to break down, and this early first-round projection comes from Pro Football Network, and it’s got the Tampa Bay Buccaneers making a head-scratching selection with their top pick.

This mock has the Bucs picking at No. 11 overall, and spending that pick on offensive tackle Emery Jones Jr. out of LSU.

Here’s what PFN’s Owain Jones had to say about the selection:

(Jones) is a strong, balanced, intelligent offensive tackle who operates all aspects of offensive line play at a high level. With an evident power profile, elite size at 6’6” and 322 pounds, and exceptional hand technique, he is in contention to be one of the top tackles taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, a noticeable lack of burst, athleticism, and flexibility may lower Jones’ ceiling.

While the LSU right tackle may not have the athletic upside of his teammate, he can claim to be more polished and refined in their current evaluations.

There’s no arguing with the assessment of Jones, who is indeed one of the top tackle prospects in next year’s class, with all the physical tools to be a quality starter at the next level.

The odd thing about this pick is believing the Bucs would spend such a high selection at a position that’s a relative strength at the moment.

Obviously, the Bucs have one of the NFL’s best offensive tackles on the left side in All-Pro Tristan Wirfs, but Luke Goedeke also made huge strides last season as a full-time starter, and was quietly one of the best right tackles in the league.

It may not be common knowledge across every outlet, but unless Goedeke has some serious regression in 2024, it’s highly doubtful that Tampa Bay would be spending their top pick in next year’s draft on his replacement.

You can see Jones’ full first-round mock draft at Pro Football Network here.

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NFL analyst calls Steelers QB need in 2025 an overreaction

The Steelers could be in the position to draft a quarterback very high in 2025.

As we start to look forward for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the short term and the long term, it’s not that difficult to see some potential roster issues or decisions that must be made.

For example, if the Steelers don’t find a viable starting wide receiver this year, they will need to pursue one in 2025, either via free agency or the NFL draft.

Another is the Steelers quarterback problem. As of right now, none of the Steelers’ three quarterbacks are under contract in 2025. This could mean back to the drawing board next offseason.

But ESPN reporter Dan Graziano, this is just one of the big overreactions of the offseason. Here’s what Graziano said about the Steelers quarterback situation:

The expectation is that the combination of Wilson and Fields will be an upgrade over what the Steelers had at quarterback last season, and the hope is that at least one of them plays well enough to merit a look as the long-term starter in Pittsburgh.

Graziano takes the side of the argument that one of them will get a new contract. But there is another scenario. Let’s say Wilson plays well enough to get a one-year extension but the team doesn’t see enough of Fields to even bother.

Now you have Wilson in 2025 with no viable alternative for the future. This is just one of many permutations of how this could turn out that would warrant Pittsburgh going after a quarterback early in the 2025 NFL draft.

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Packers add to the DL in ESPN’s Mock Draft

Who did the Packers get in a 2025 mock draft?

The 2025 NFL Draft is 287 days away. The city of Green Bay will soon be the epicenter of the NFL universe. 

From now until Thursday, April 24, 2025, many mock drafts will be released. Matt Miller of ESPN recently released his first mock draft for the 2025 cycle and he has the Green Bay Packers adding to the interior of their defensive line with the mock pick of Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams with the 24th overall pick.

From Miller:

Green Bay has a solid group of outside pass-rushers, but the interior could be up for a reset with Kenny Clark potentially hitting free agency next spring. Second-year player Devonte Wyatt showed promise last season, but there’s room for Williams here beside him if Clark leaves. Williams’ burst off the snap pops at 6-2 and 290 pounds. He had just three sacks last season but has flashed impressive pass-rush moves and Round 1 upside throughout his career.

As Miller mentioned, Clark is set to be a free agent following the upcoming season along with TJ Slaton.

It would be somewhat surprising if the Packers don’t make it a priority to get Clark re-signed. He’s been around the block, yet is still only 28 years old. He’s a pillar for the team, not just the defense. 

 If the Packers are unable to lock Clark into an extension, the interior of the defensive line becomes a massive need. Clark’s potential departure would leave the Packers with Wyatt, Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden in the middle of Green Bay’s defensive line.

Enter Tyleik Williams. 

Williams has a nice blend of size, movement skills and strength. The Ohio State defensive tackle has a powerful upper body with the strong hands to jolt linemen backward and collapse the pocket. If he doesn’t get to the quarterback he has shown a knack for getting his hands up to knock down passes. Williams finished this past season with 22 pressures and three sacks.

The former four-star recruit has the strength to hold up at the point of attack and shut down running alleys. With a radar for the football, Williams has the lateral athleticism to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage and finished last season with 33 run stops. 

Regardless of what happens with Clark, the Packers would be wise to add another potential impact player in the trenches and Williams checks the boxes.

Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts named third-best safety in college football

Time for him to go out and prove it.

Notre Dame figures to rely on its defense once again to win football games in 2024. It’s hard to dispute that given that there’s some future NFL talent on that side of the ball. Among that talent is safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag], who many currently project to be taken as high as the third round in the 2025 draft.

Big Game Boomer, college football’s list aficionado on social media, has released his list of the top 50 safeties in college football entering the upcoming season. Let’s just say Watts will be the best safety on either side of the ball at least during every regular-season game for the Irish this year:

Big Game Boomer already had reserved spots on his respective position lists for [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag], [autotag]Jack Kiser[/autotag], [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Mills[/autotag] and [autotag]RJ Oben[/autotag]. Most recently, he has put transfer Jordan Clark on his nickel/slot corners list:

So yeah, this defense is gonna be good. Let’s hope the offense can support it.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89