Tag: mock draft

Saints linked to a polarizing quarterback prospect in latest 2025 mock draft

The New Orleans Saints would be lucky to walk out of the 2025 NFL draft with this class, including a polarizing quarterback talent.

The New Orleans Saints are seemingly finally approaching rebuild mode following the 2024 season, which has many fans already preparing for the NFL draft with a couple of games left on the schedule.

There are plenty of different directions that the Saints could go and their decision may be solely based around how the board falls. Pro Football Focus‘ Gordon McGuinness recently took a look at a great scenario for New Orleans in his latest 2025 three-round mock draft.

With the No. 10 overall selection, he gave the Saints star Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Securing Sanders at any spot of the draft would be a massive win. He could fight for the starting spot from the first day and obviously has a higher ceiling in the future.

Navigating the next few years of the salary cap would be a lot easier playing a quarterback on a rookie deal after Derek Carr leaves.

After securing Sanders in the first round, New Orleans took Tennessee Volunteers defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round of this mock.

Norman-Lott is a balanced defensive line prospect with a high ceiling both against the run and the pass. With Bryan Bresee coming into his own, now may be the time to bring in another young athlete with a high ceiling.

This mock draft closed with the Saints taking Alabama Crimson Tide offensive guard Tyler Booker in the third round. New Orleans needs all of the offensive line help they can get right now. Adding another strong run blocker on the inside would be icing on the cake for a very solid draft class.

Browns beef up defensive interior with elite Michigan man in new mock draft

Mason Graham would be a slam dunk pick for the Browns

The Cleveland Browns may turn to another defensive tackle to pair with Mike Hall Jr. early in the 2025 NFL draft, and Michigan’s Mason Graham has been commonly right in their crosshairs in mock draft exercises.

He and Missouri’s Luther Burden III tend to be the most common pairings with Cleveland early on.

That was no different in a new mock draft done at Daft on Draft. In their latest full first round mock draft, the Browns landed Graham to bulk up their defensive interior that consists mostly of aging veterans outside of Hall Jr. Here is what Daft on Draft had to say on the selection with pick No. 7:

“The Cleveland Browns could not have imagined a worse season for having the highest-paid roster in the NFL. Sitting with a top-10 pick with their first first round pick in three years, they somehow get a blue-chip player to fall in their laps.”

Sitting in the top-10, the Browns should not focus on a particular position but rather take a blue chip player if he falls in their laps. Graham is one of perhaps four blue chip players who could get knocked down the board by quarterback-needy teams.

It would be a home run pick if Graham found his way to Northeast Ohio.

Get to know an explosive WR the Browns are constantly linked to in mock draft

Browns fans might want to familiarize themselves with Missouri WR Luther Burden III

The Cleveland Browns and Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III tend to be a consistent pairing in mock drafts as the season winds down and we inch closer to the 2025 NFL Draft.

That’s something to keep an eye on as the Browns have just three wide receivers under contract after this season with a minimum of 15 career catches to their name in 2025 (Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, David Bell). Sitting with a top 10 pick currently in the draft, a name like Burden III is firmly on the table.

Daft on Draft wrote a thorough breakdown of the Missouri wide receiver, what he does well, and how he translates to the NFL level. Speaking of his fit with the Browns specifically here, drafting the YAC-monster Burden would give the Browns relief in their run game as he is a playmaker who can stretch the field sideline-to-sideline as well.

Not only that, but Burden III is a lethal playmaker down the field and along the boundary with elite body control as well. So what did Daft on Draft have to say about the potential of Burden? Browns fans might want to pay attention to this one:

“Watch how Burden III is used at Missouri, watch his explosiveness, play strength, and fluidity, and imagine more for him at the NFL level. That is a superstar-caliber playmaker who possesses lightning in a bottle every time he touches the football.”

You can find Daft on Draft’s full breakdown of Burden III, including film room clips, in the link above.

49ers fill biggest offensive need in 2025 NFL mock draft

OL help is the 49ers top priority in this mock draft:

Finding help for quarterback Brock Purdy needs to be a priority for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2025 NFL draft.

However, that help doesn’t necessarily need to come in the form of weapons. Running back Christian McCaffrey figures to return at full strength. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk should return at some point next season. Tight end George Kittle is still an excellent player, wide receiver Jauan Jennings is having a breakout season and rookie WRs Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing will have another year to get acclimated to the offense.

The offensive line is a different story, and that’s where the 49ers get to work in the first round of a mock draft from Owain Jones at Pro Football Network. San Francisco at No. 17 overall selects Kelvin Banks Jr., a seasoned starting tackle from the University of Texas.

Via PFN:

Kelvin Banks Jr., a three-year starter at the University of Texas, is entering the NFL Draft with valuable experience and potential to secure the starting right tackle position in the Bay Area. As a talented athlete, he demonstrates fluid movement, effectively preventing agile pass rushers from getting around the edge.

However, to improve his draft stock and be considered a top-10 selection, he must refine his hand technique, enhance his footwork, and strengthen his lower body.

Finding a long-term answer at right tackle needs to be a priority for the 49ers in the offseason, and preferably that player would be one who could eventually swap over to the left side when Trent Williams decides to hang up his pads.

Banks has played left tackle his entire tenure with the Longhorns so moving to the right side would be an adjustment, but he has the physical tools to conceivably make the swap temporarily before moving back to his natural position in the post-Williams era.

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Saints add talented pass-rusher in latest ESPN mock draft

The New Orleans Saints were linked to an elite athlete at defensive end from an SEC powerhouse in the latest ESPN mock draft:

The New Orleans Saints have plenty of holes that need to be filled this offseason, but the defensive line stands out as one of the biggest.

Despite the Saints pouring countless assets into the defensive line, they are still among the weakest teams in the NFL at getting to the quarterback.

To help fill this void, ESPN analyst Field Yates had New Orleans select Georgia Bulldogs defensive end Mykel Williams with the No. 10 overall selection in his latest mock draft.

Here is what Yates had to say about the selection:

“The SEC championship game was a great chance to see why Williams is such a tantalizing prospect. He notched two sacks in an overtime win against Texas, giving him five on the season. Williams is as impressive physically as any player in the class, as he has rare length and fluidity for the edge position. His ability to bend the edge and generate pressure makes him a potential Pro Bowl-level pass rusher in the NFL, particularly when he is asked to pin his ears back and rush more than he has for a deep Georgia front.

The Saints need the help, ranking 28th in pass rush win rate (35.0%). Cameron Jordan will be 36 next season, and Chase Young is signed for only this season.”

Williams is the quintessential early draft Saints pass rusher. He is very large and athletic, but has not been very productive in his college career.

The junior has 14 sacks over three seasons with 23 total tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles.

While it makes sense for New Orleans to draft a pass-rusher, and Williams is an exciting athlete, it would hurt to see them fall back into this trap once again. They clearly have not been able to develop this type of player in the past, so it may be time to try something new.

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Seahawks address IOL in ESPN’s latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft

Seahawks address IOL in ESPN’s latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft

The interior of the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line has undoubtedly been their weakness this season. Poor play, injuries, and unexpected retirements have led to constant lineup shakeups. Veteran center Connor Williams surprisingly retired in the middle of the season and was replaced by sophomore blocker Olu Oluwatimi. Right guard Anthony Bradford has struggled mightily and is currently on IR. He’s being replaced by sixth-round rookie Sataoa Laumea, who beat-out third-round rookie Christian Haynes for an opportunity.

NFL draft analyst Field Yates recently completed his latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft for ESPN. Yates has the Seahawks addressing their interior offensive line by selecting University of Alabama guard Tyler Booker with the No. 23 overall pick.

“The Seahawks have had to shuffle the interior of the offensive line this season, and I expect them to address guard and center in the offseason,” Yates wrote. (There isn’t a surefire first-round center.) “Booker is a tone-setter with excellent size and power. He holds up well in pass protection, surrendering two pressures and zero sacks all season. Those pass-blocking traits would help Seattle, which has given up 40 sacks (ninth most) and has Laken Tomlinson potentially hitting free agency.”

Yates is spot on with his analysis. Veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson is slated to reach unrestricted free agency and hasn’t played particularly well in Seattle this season. Pro Football Focus currently has assigned him an overall grade of 63.9. General manager John Schneider still has issues to sort through at center and right guard. Are Oluwatami and Laumea/Haynes long-term answers?

Adding Booker to the mix would improve Seattle’s biggest weakness on offense.

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Lions attack interior offensive line in Draft Wire’s latest mock draft

Lions attack interior offensive line in Draft Wire’s latest mock draft with West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum

The Lions have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, a key reason quarterback Jared Goff has been able to do the things he’s done this season and why the Lions are 12-1. But it’s never a bad idea to always try and keep improving the unit and building for the future.

That’s the direction Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire went in for the Lions in his latest mock draft. At pick No. 32 — the spot Lions fans hope the pick actually ends up — the Lions go with Wyatt Milum, guard, West Virginia.

Milum (6-6, 317) has played left and right tackle for the Mountaineers but is being best viewed as an interior option at the next level. The good news is that he can move between center and guard, giving teams flexibility, particularly a team like the Lions that will be looking at guard options with Kevin Zeitler set to be a free agent after the season.

Milum is a strong run blocker, something the Lions will certainly love with their duo of Sonic and Knuckles, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. He has room to grow in pass protection, but the Mountaineers have been a run-heavy team. If he chooses to play in the bowl game, West Virginia is facing Memphis in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on December 17.

Mock draft watch: Lions address middle of defense in Dane Brugler’s 1st 2025 projections

Mock draft watch: Lions address middle of defense in Dane Brugler’s first 2025 NFL Draft projection

The college football regular season is in the books, which means bowls and All-Star games are right around the corner. That also means draft season is in full swing. With draft season in full swing, one of the greats in the business, Dane Brugler of The Athletic, is back on the prowl after releasing his first mock draft of the season.

This draft is going to be one of the more intriguing drafts in some time. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter looks to be the favorite to be the first pick, or at least easily be considered the best player on the board. The quarterback class will fascinating to follow, as there is no clear-cut QB1 at the moment.

The Lions certainly don’t need a quarterback and obviously won’t get Hunter. But they’ll have their pick of some good talent at the back end of round one — Lions fans are hoping their pick lands at No. 32. So, which way did Brugler take the Lions in his first mock?

That would Jihaad Campbell, linebacker, Alabama.

With his do-everything skill set, Campbell’s effectiveness will be limited only by a defensive play caller’s lack of imagination. The Lions likely will have greater needs this offseason, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Dan Campbell bangs the table for this type of talent — if the Alabama product is still on the board this late in Round 1.

Campbell has 106 tackles this season along with five sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss. The six-foot-three, 244-pounder is viewed as having excellent size and speed for an off-ball linebacker and, as Brugler notes, has the talent where Dan Campbell can figure out how to utilize that talent. Draft good players is the name of the game.

It remains to be seen if Campbell will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan after Alabama was knocked out of the College Football Playoffs thanks to Clemson winning the ACC championship and SMU getting the last at-large bid. Even if he does, Campbell has posted a solid resume and has made his case for the end of the first day of the draft.

49ers add massive, national champion, ‘freak’ defensive tackle in mock draft

The San Francisco 49ers list of needs in the 2025 draft is long, but it would make sense if they prioritized their defensive line.

Assessing exactly how the San Francisco 49ers will utilize their first-round pick in the 2025 draft is tough given some of the sweeping changes we may see to their roster in the offseason.

The trenches jump out as a priority no matter how the offseason goes given some of their struggles on both the offensive and defensive lines. A mock draft from the 33rd Team makes a safe assumption that the 49ers will look to retool a defensive front that was once the backbone of a great San Francisco defense.

At the No. 14 overall pick in that mock the 49ers walk out with Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.

Grant is a ludicrous athlete at 6-3, 339 pounds, and over his three seasons at Michigan he’s racked up 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and 10 (!) pass breakups. The pass breakups are a Michigan record for defensive linemen per the Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.

Feldman included Grant at No. 3 on his annual ‘Freaks List’ thanks to Grant’s rare combination of size and athleticism.

Here’s what Feldman wrote about Grant in the Athletic:

As a sophomore, he helped anchor the nation’s No. 1 defense for the national champion Wolverines, making 29 tackles, 5.0 for loss, with 3.5 sacks; six quarterback hurries, five pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery. When Grant arrived in Ann Arbor as a three-star recruit from Indiana, Jim Harbaugh raved about the then-360-pounder running a sub-5.0 40. Anyone doubting Grant’s speed (a max of 18.75 mph on the GPS) only needed to see him run down Penn State running back Kaytron Allen in the open field last year. His ability to fly up Michigan’s reactive plyo stairs test, a series of seven 26-inch-high stairs that players attempt to jump up as fast as possible, is truly freakish.

San Francisco’s defense needs disruptive players up front, and Grant has all the tools to be a force on the interior of an NFL defensive line. If he falls to wherever the 49ers wind up picking in next year’s draft it wouldn’t be a surprise if they viewed Grant as a future centerpiece of a reconstructed defensive line.

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Tyler Warren would be a dream pick for Broncos in 2025 NFL draft

We’re dreaming about the 2025 NFL draft during the Broncos’ bye week and tight end Tyler Warren would be a perfect pick.

It’s never too early to look ahead to the NFL draft, right?

The Denver Broncos still have four games remaining this season, but the 2025 offseason is now just a few months away. Next spring, tight end will be one of Denver’s biggest positions of need.

Through 13 games this fall, Lucas Krull is the team’s leading tight end in receptions with a whopping 13 catches for 120 yards and no touchdowns. Up next is Adam Trautman (nine catches for 158 yards and one score) and Nate Adkins (seven catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns).

If you combine all three, that’s 29 catches for 328 yards. That’s terrible production from the tight end room.

Tyler Warren could be the solution in 2025.

The Penn State tight end is a former quarterback who now serves as a do-everything player for the Nittany Lions. Sound familiar? Warren could be much more than a Taysom Hill in Sean Payton’s offense, though.

Warren (6-6, 260 pounds) is a better blocker than Hill, a more dynamic receiver and just as productive as a runner. Through 12 games at PSU this fall, Warren has hauled in 81 receptions for 978 yards and six scores.

Warren has also rushed 21 times for 189 yards — averaging 9.0 yards per carry — and he’s completed three of five passes for 35 yards and a score.

Right now, the tight end is projected to be picked late in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. With the Broncos on pace to make the NFL playoffs, they could go on the clock right around the time Warren is projected to go off the board. If he’s available, Warren would be a dream pick for Denver in 2025.

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