The 2025 NFL Draft is upon us, and no surprises that a full mock draft is on the way here at Niner Noise. Join us for this mock, complete with explanations and information.
The 2025 NFL Draft is not exactly the most talented in NFL history. Still, the sheer unpredictability outside of the first few weeks means that this promises to be one of the most unpredictable ones in recent memory.
The San Francisco 49ers will be on the clock at No. 11, pending any trades, and are in that interesting place where a very talented player can be pushed down towards them and force a big decision. Sure, tight end isn't the biggest need, but could the Niners pass down a chance to add one of the best talents in the league to provide a weapon for the future?
Who knows?
Read More: 49ers could be gifted a perfect blue-chip prospect if he slips in NFL Draft
We don't need to waste much more time; let's get right into this full first-round mock draft!
It seems the Titans are happy to go with a quarterback, falling in love with Cam Ward and shutting the door on the rare possibility of a wide receiver/cornerback going No. 1 overall.
The league is in love with dual-threat QBs like Ward, who's been pretty settled as this pick since at least the NFL Combine.
In 2024, Ward completed 67 percent of his passes for 4,313 yards with 39 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had four rushing touchdowns as well. He's a bit of a polarising prospect who's certainly not someone with the hype of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye last year, given he can be inconsistent and doesn't have the greatest arm. That being said, he's still a winner who can make some huge plays when things go wrong.
Two-way players simply don't exist in the NFL anymore, but that's going to change in less than a week when Travis Hunter is drafted in the NFL.
The phenom who looks equally at home as a receiver or a cornerback is an interesting case, as exactly what his primary position will be is unknown. He has to take a rest eventually, right?
In 2024, Hunter had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards with 15 touchdowns receiving and one rushing. He had 35 tackles with four interceptions, 11 passes broken up, and a forced fumble on defense. He's an impressive playmaker with good size (6-foot-0, 181 pounds), on either side of the ball, and it sounds like the Browns will favor him over Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter to help kickstart their roster.
Whoever the Browns don't take out of Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter, you have to think the Giants will be desperate to sprint up to the podium to take. A safe bet to be a double-digit sack artist throughout his career, Carter would help the Giants create a truly scary defensive line to help them get after some pretty athletic quarterbacks in their division in Daniels and Jalen Hurts.
The one question mark on Carter is his size. He's relatively undersized to be a true 4-3 defensive end at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, but Carter's proponents will prefer to focus on his 68 tackles with 12 sacks, 17.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, and four passes broken up for the Nittany Lions this season. He's simply an amazing player with his speed and array of pass-rushing moves that can beat just about any tackle.
For all of the hysteria by some 49ers fans that the team must pick an offensive lineman with the No. 11 pick, the sheer reality of the situation is this is not a very good offensive line class at the top of the draft, and there's better value to be had later on. Every top lineman has some question mark on them, and for Will Campbell, it's his arm length.
That said, the Patriots seem set to make him their pick. It makes sense given they need to protect quarterback Drake Maye, and their O-line is their biggest need. This isn't to say Campbell is horrible by any means; he's a good size at 6-foot-5 and 319 pounds, and he does have the excellent technique that prospects with short arms need to be tackles at the next level.
But back to the pick, this is the final of most people's top four picks for this year. The Patriots simply have to make this pick.
This is the pick where the draft opens up.
The Jaguars could go several different ways with this pick, with the O-line and tight end certainly positions they could address. Mason Graham gets the nod here, however, as arguably the best defensive line prospect in the entire draft outside of Abdul Carter.
In 2024, Graham had 46 tackles and 3.5 sacks for Michigan. The 6-foot-3, 318-pound defensive tackle is a powerful bull with underappreciated quickness to get to the next level and be a disruptive force in the Jags' interior.
The Raiders are another team that could go multiple ways in the draft. They need help all over the roster, but their recent actions -- aggressively pursuing new head coach Pete Carroll and trading for quarterback Geno Smith -- suggest they feel like they can win now.
With that in mind, here's an instant impact player for Carroll and Smith.
Ashton Jeanty was a stud in college football last year, and a lot of people thought he should have won the Heisman Trophy in 2024, averaging 7 yards per carry for 2,601 yards with 29 touchdowns and 23 receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown for Boise State. He's a true impact player who should be able to produce big from Week 1.
One thing you'll hear a lot about when it comes to offensive tackles in this draft is length. Quite a lot of the big offensive tackle names in this class have issues with arm length, but the Jets are a team that needs to invest in their O-line in the post-Aaron Rodgers era.
Armand Membou is similar to Will Campbell in that he's a player who has good fundamentals but a lack of length that some people believe disqualifies him from playing tackle. That'll depend on which team takes him, but Membou can at least kick inside to guard. He's a bit undersized at 6-foot-3 but a good weight at 325 pounds. He could stand to finish defenders off more ruthlessly, but he has a good skill set for the next level.
Jalon Walker is one of the more exciting players in this draft, and someone who might be considered even higher if he wasn't more of a hybrid player than a true 4-3 base defensive end. He unfortunately doesn't have that size at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, but he can play as a 3-4 pass-rusher or as a 4-3 linebacker who moves to EDGE on passing downs.
Walker had 61 tackles with 6.5 sacks and two passes broken up for Georgia last season, demonstrating some dangerous speed to get after the quarterback.
As mentioned above, he's probably not someone who plays exclusively as an EDGE, but he can still help replace Brian Burns for Carolina.
The injury news to Derek Carr has prompted quite a few people to suggest the Saints are almost forced into picking a quarterback here, but it doesn't feel like a natural conclusion to make, given the Saints have not looked into the likes of a Shedeur Sanders that closely. You're almost always married to a quarterback when picking this high, and it's more likely NOLA will look to add some more talent to the offense.
Tyler Warren is one of the more talented players in this draft and looks like he could be a mismatch for the NFL with his 6-foot-6, 257-pound build.
Warren had 104 catches for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns for Penn State in 2024 and looks like a monster. While he isn't the best blocker, he's more than willing to do that job and just needs to develop that part of his game.
Graham gets all the plaudits, but don't underestimate how high Kenneth Grant could be picked when the draft kicks around. Chicago could go several different ways in this draft, and one way could certainly be to beef up the interior.
Grant's stats don't leap off the screen, admittedly. He had 32 tackles, three sacks, and five passes defended in his lone season as a proper starter at Michigan. But the 6-foot-3, 339-pound defender has an excellent mix of speed, power and athleticism.
He seems like one of those players who could have a much more impressive pro career than collegiate.
So this is the pick, of course, that you're all looking to. Who do the 49ers pick and why?
Truthfully, this pick came down to four at this stage, with Will Johnson narrowly edging out Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen here. Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and Alabama guard Tyler Booker for the nod. The 49ers need to replace the departed Charvarius Ward, and the corner depth in this class isn't as great as the D-line talent on Day 2.
As for Johnson himself, he's the best cornerback in this class not named Travis Hunter (unless you're on the Jahdae Barron bandwagon) and could easily go as high as the No. 5 pick. In 2024, Johnson recorded 14 tackles, two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns) and three passes defended for Michigan this year. Johnson can play on the boundary with his 6-foot-2, 202-pound size and is a high-upside pick.
It seems a safe bet the Cowboys will add a receiver sooner rather than later during this draft process. They have Ceedee Lamb but not a lot else out there, and they desperately need to keep pace with a packed division that features the two NFC title-game participants.
In 2024, Golden had 58 catches for 987 yards with nine touchdowns for Texas. The 6-foot, 195-pounder has good size but also the speed to be a downfield threat.
This wide receiver class is a bit of a "pick your poison" situation. Some might prefer the rangier Tetaroia McMillan, some might like the speedier Golden and others might prefer someone like Emeka Egbuka.
The Dolphins are pretty similar to the 49ers in the sense can easily go with a defensive back or address the trenches. Here, they address the former and the departure of Jalen Ramsey with Jahdae Barron, the other contender to be the second cornerback off the board in this draft, albeit someone that might be more suited to be a slot corner than on the outside at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds.
Some teams don't mind playing someone this short outside; however, if they're good enough, and you can certainly make the argument that Barron is that.
Barron had 67 tackles with five interceptions and 11 passes defended for Texas this season and has shown the ability to make some big plays on the ball.
Picking a guard isn't the sexiest pick in the world, but the Colts need to beef up their blocking if they're going to develop Anthony Richardson into a prolific quarterback. I've seen Booker in the second round of a lot of mocks, which is drastically too low for me. I think he's going to be a Thursday night selection, and his ceiling is so high that I even considered him as a shock pick to the 49ers at No. 11.
Booker is an excellent size for a guard at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds and was a dominant performer for Alabama this season. Equally adept at defending the pass and blasting open running lanes, he looks a very safe bet to be a starter for a decade who can start from Week 1.
The Falcons are slowly building a good team but are desperate to find someone to tee off on the quarterback. Mike Green comes from a small school, but he was a monster pass-rusher in college football last year and fits the mold of someone who can fill that role for Atlanta.
Green had 17 sacks with three forced fumbles, 81 tackles, and two passes defended playing for the Thundering Herd in 2024. He is slightly undersized at 6-foot-4 and 248 pounds, so he might not be able to play three downs at EDGE unless he bulks up, and that could push him down a bit.
But he might be the best pure pass-rusher, and that's the one thing Atlanta needs the most.
The Cardinals find a blocker to help beef up the O-line. Kelvin Banks Jr. fits the theme of tackles in this class in that he may be a better candidate for guard than tackle, depending on how you view arm length.
Banks is a decent enough size at 6-foot-4 and 324 pounds, though, so teams that do view him as playing tackle do have someone who can play four positions on the O-line in Banks.
One of the things that helps Banks is his technique, which is what a short-armed tackle needs to remain at tackle. He's athletic and strong, and at the very least, the Cardinals can always kick him inside to guard for the long term if tackle doesn't work out.
The Bengals have an incredible offense but such a horrible defense to the point that I wouldn't be shocked if they went entirely with defensive picks for their draft class. This extends to safety as well, so they can take the best one in the class to help them with their rather hampered pass defense.
Malaki Starks had 77 tackles, three passes defended, and an interception for Georgia in 2024. He's well-sized at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, and possesses excellent coverage skills as well as the ability to move and be a slot corner if needed, which would help with the Bengals rather porous secondary.
The Seahawks will probably look to address receiver with their receiver stocks depleted from last season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is good, but he won't be enough if Seattle harbors true ambitions of winning the division behind new quarterback Sam Darnold.
Luckily for them, Emeka Egbuka can join his former Ohio State teammate Smith-Njigba once again as a potent tandem.
Egbuka had 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and eight touchdowns for Ohio State this season. Egbuka is a polished route runner with good speed and hands, and the ability to generate yards after the catch. There are some concerns about his durability, but if he can overcome that, it wouldn't shock me if he became the best receiver from this class.
The Buccaneers could use some help at linebacker, given Lavonte David has to eventually retire at some point, and they can also use some help getting to the quarterback.
Jihaad Campbell is a player who can help with both of these problems.
Campbell had 108 tackles with five sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, and two passes broken up for Alabama this season. While too small at 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds to be an EDGE in the NFL, he can be a linebacker who plays closer to the defensive line on obvious passing downs to tee off on the quarterback and be a true three-down player in the pros.
Tetairoa McMillan is a true love-or-hate prospect in this draft class. Some people have him as by far the best receiver in the class, while some wouldn't pick him in the first round. The truth is probably going to be somewhere in the middle, as McMillan's stock might be declining a bit, but he should still be a Thursday-night pick. Here, he'll give young quarterback Bo Nix a big target and an added weapon for his development.
Of the "pick your poison" receivers, McMillan is the big and rangy guy. He stands at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, a real mismatch in size in the NFL. He had 84 receptions for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns for Arizona in college football last season.
And here is where the Shedeur Sanders slide finally ends.
There have been some reports that meetings between the Steelers and Sanders haven't gone well, but this could be a smokescreen. While the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers have had discussions, that shouldn't preclude the Steelers from drafting their quarterback of the future.
Sanders completed 74 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Colorado in 2024. He doesn't have a huge arm, but he's good enough in that area and blessed with exceptional accuracy and processing abilities.
It shouldn't take him long to start for the Steelers if he does get drafted.
As mentioned in the 49ers pick, Nolen was very nearly the pick at No. 11, and it was only due to the lack of a proper fit that he slid to here.
Nolen had 48 tackles with 6.5 sacks and two passes defended for Ole Miss this season, cementing himself as one of the top pass-rushing defensive tackles in the draft.
Nolen is also a good size at 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, but teams might still be concerned with some off-the-field concerns stemming from his past along with some bad tape at Texas A&M. But his high upside, combined with the Chargers' need to bolster the interior, makes this a good place for him if he does get past the Niners' selection at No. 11.
The Packers need more receiving help to assist Jordan Love as they look to cement themselves back among the leaders of the NFC. Here, the Packers can grab Luther Burden III, a playmaker who did some nice things for Missouri last season.
Burden III had 61 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns for Missouri in 2024, backing up a breakout 2023 season where he became one of the most exciting receivers in college football with his speed, moves and ability to create separation. The 5-foot-11, 208-pound receiver could very well be picked a lot earlier than this, depending on the team.
The Vikings are going into the J.J. McCarthy era, and the team is lacking a true running back to run the offense alongside him. Omarion Hampton is someone who has quite a lot of fans and could go quite a bit higher than this, with some mocks having him go as high as No. 12 to Dallas and putting him on a similar pedestal to Ashton Jeanty.
In 2024, Hampton averaged 5.9 yards per carry for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns with 38 receptions for 373 yards and two touchdowns.
The UNC running back is 6-foot-0 and 220 pounds, looking like a true three-down starter in the NFL. He would serve as an excellent weapon for McCarthy.
The Texans moved on from Laremy Tunsil, so they'll need to address the trenches and protect their quarterback. Grey Zabel has quite a lot of fans and could go much higher than this, given his versatility and the weak O-line draft class.
Zabel played both tackle and guard for North Dakota State and is a good candidate for both at 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds. Zabel moved up draft boards, thanks to his performance at the Senior Bowl and he might even have the ability to play at center if he needs to.
There's no love lost between the 49ers and the Rams, and the war of words might just be beginning between thw two given Puka Nacua has been very vocal on what the Niners should be doing with their contracts.
If the Rams want to remain on top of the NFC West and be a Super Bowl contender for the rest of quarterback Matt Stafford's tenure, however, they need some help on offense.
Colston Loveland has been lost in the shuffle a bit, given the hype around Tyler Warren, but the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder is very talented in his own right. He had had 56 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns, and could produce even more than that in the right offense.
The Ravens have a very simple draft philosophy in that they tend to just let talented players fall to them and take them regardless of need. Being a general manager of an NFL team cannot be easy, but that seems like the easiest job of all of them.
In this mock, they get another such faller in Mykel Williams.
Williams had 67 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and five sacks for Georgia last season. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder has a lot of upside and has been somewhat of a riser in the draft process.
Could he be a surprise candidate for the 49ers at No. 11 as well?
EDGE doesn't seem like the biggest need for the Detroit Lions, but it should be considered that Marcus Davenport and Josh Paschal will be in the last year of their contracts and both have durability issues. They're not irreplaceable, and the Lions can find their bookend across from Aidan Hutchinson here.
Shemar Stewart is a raw talent, but the Lions can take the time to develop him. The 6-foot-5, 267-pound EDGE only had 31 tackles with 1.5 sacks and two passes defended in 2024, but blew up the NFL Combine.
He's very raw, but the high upside is there for a team willing to wait and develop it.
The Commanders showed that they're one of the top young teams in the NFL in 2024, but they do need some cornerback help to take them to the next level.
It wouldn't be surprising to see them address the position more than once in the draft.
Trey Amos had 50 tackles with three interceptions and 13 passes broken up for Ole Miss. Amos (6-foot-1, 190) has good size, speed, and athleticism, along with the ability to play out on the boundary where the Commanders need some help.
The Bills could easily go for another EDGE in the first round or try to bolster the secondary. Here they take a gamble on James Pearce Jr., who has the talent to be a potential top-10 pick but who comes with some red flags off the field that will probably see him slide quite a bit in the draft and maybe out of the first round entirely.
Pearce Jr. had 38 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass defended for Tennessee in 2024. He's a phenom off the EDGE and, as mentioned, has the talent to go so much higher than this. Unfortunately he also doesn't quite have the character that will turn teams off, but he's worth the risk here as Buffalo continues to try to get past Kansas City.
The Chiefs fell short in their quest to be the first team to threepeat in the Super Bowl era, and one of the main reasons was some simply abysmal blocking by their tackles. The Chiefs simply cannot allow that to go unignored if they wish to go back to the top of the NFL.
Josh Conerly Jr. has been an excellent blindside protector during his time at Oregon, but he suffers from a common theme in this draft as someone that teams think should move to guard.
But Patrick Mahomes' excellent ability and the great technique of Conerly Jr. shouldn't make this too much of an issue for the Chiefs, who simply need to upgrade the position.
We finish the first round with one of the most intriguing players in the draft.
If Josh Simmons didn't tear his patella tendon, he would most likely be the top left tackle in this draft class. Unfortunately, he did, but doctors seem to think he will be ready for 2025. But can an athlete come back from an injury like this? The recent history doesn't think so, but the value would be intriguing for a team like Philadelphia that can play Simmons at tackle or guard down the line.
As a player, Simmons is an athletic left tackle with quickness and strength. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder projects to be a proper left tackle, so it wouldn't shock if a team came back into the first round to get the extra year put into that contract.
It's a risky pick, but weaker drafts like this are where you make those selections.