2025 NFL mock draft: Four QBs come off the board in first round, including Jalen Milroe to NFC contender

We’re not going to get cute here. This has been set in stone for weeks, and Tennessee will soon bring in Ward, who they hope will turn the franchise around.

Are there more sure things on the board? Yup. But as I noted in the intro, I just can’t imagine the Browns passing up on bringing in a player like Sanders, especially with Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco as the only other quarterbacks on the roster. Given his history with more traditional pocket passers, Sanders should mesh well within Kevin Stefanski’s offense.

The Giants don’t even have the opportunity to discuss taking Sanders with Cleveland taking him off the board and opt for his Heisman Trophy-winning teammate, Travis Hunter. Head coach Brian Daboll raved about Hunter at the Annual Meeting earlier this offseason and he instantly becomes the most fascinating player in the league with his two-way ability. New York could use help in the secondary, but Hunter will also make a lethal receiving duo with Malik Nabers.

Addressing the offensive line is the more obvious and dire need for the Patriots, but with the board falling in such a way that Carter is looking at them in the face, they pivot to bring in what could be a top-five pass rusher in the league once he enters his prime.

If you were to ask me which pick I’m most confident in through this mock draft (outside of Ward to Tennessee) this would be it. The Jaguars love Graham and the Michigan defensive tackle fills a major need along the line.

The Raiders were dead last in rushing last season, which Jeanty an obvious choice here. Currently, Las Vegas has 33-year-old Raheem Mostert atop their depth chart, so Jeanty should come in and command a heavy workload within Pete Carroll’s offense.

First-year head coach Aaron Glenn knows how important a sturdy offensive line is to team success coming from Detroit. With the Jets losing Morgan Moses in free agency, they fill that void with Membou, who is a set-and-forget type of talent on the right side. Now, New York is armed with bookend tackles in Membou and 2024 first-rounder Olu Fashanu for the foreseeable future.

Walker checks off a lot boxes that should be appealing to the Panthers. First and foremost, he fills a need as an outside linebacker for a team that was tied for the third-fewest sacks last season. Walker is also a homegrown talent as a South Carolina native, which is a nice touch.

Quarterback could be an option for the Saints in this spot if Sanders is still on the board next Thursday. If not, New Orleans continues to build around the signal caller position by adding McMillan, who has drawn comparisons to NFC South rival Drake London.

Chicago should be doing backflips if Campbell falls to them in this spot. Does he have shorter arms than you’d typically want in your blindside tackle? Yes. You know what I put more stock in? The fact that Campbell dominated at left tackle at LSU in the SEC. He slots in as Caleb Williams’ blindside protector and Chicago’s remodel of its offensive line is complete.

Kelvin Banks has been CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson’s top-ranked tackle prospect throughout the pre-draft process, so this could be quite the coup for the Niners to scoop him up as the heir apparent to Trent Williams.

Dallas has been starved of a complementary receiver opposite of CeeDee Lamb for years, and finally address it with the Longhorns star.

With the top offensive tackles coming off the board, Miami pivots to another growing need in the secondary. Johnson could come in and help cushion the blow of the Dolphins likely moving on from Jalen Ramsey, who they’ve allowed to seek a trade.

This has been a popular pick in most mock drafts. Sportsbooks also think that Warren will find himself in Indy as the Colts are the betting favorite to select him at +165. Last season, Kylen Granson led the Colts tight end group with 14 catches. That needs to improve and will with the arrival of Warren, who has drawn comparisons to franchise legend Dallas Clark.

Stewart really came on with an impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, and has the tools to be a dominant pass rusher. Pressuring the quarterback was an Achilles heel for the Falcons last season, registering the second lowest sack total (31) in the league.

Booker may end up dropping due to a lackluster showing at the combine, but this is an interesting spot for him if he were to remain in the first round conversation. The 6-foot-5, 321 pounder logged back-to-back first-team All-SEC nods at Alabama and would provide solid protection for Kyler Murray on the interior.

Trey Hendrickson’s future is still in doubt with the Bengals, but regardless of whether they trade or extend him, they need to begin improving on the defensive side of the ball. They managed to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins with extensions, but fixing the defense is what will help avoid them missing the playoffs like they did a season ago. Green gives them another top-tier presence off the edge.

The Seahawks swapped Geno Smith for Sam Darnold this offseason, and priority No. 1 in this draft should be providing as much protection up front as humanly possible. As we saw down the stretch with the Vikings last season, if Darnold starts to feel pressure, he looks more like the quarterback we saw during the early portions of his career. Zabel can come in and give them versatility along the line.

Lavonte David is entering his 14th season in the NFL and will be playing in his age-35 season. With that in mind, the Bucs are proactive and bring in his successor in Campbell while he can still learn from one of the best to do it in franchise history.

There was some serious debate to go with UNC running back Omarion Hampton, who is a popular selection at this spot. Instead, I have the Broncos doubling down at the tight end position after signing Evan Engram as a free agent. After all, Engram inked a short-term deal and Loveland could give them stability at the position for the long-haul, while being a go-to target for Bo Nix.

We’re on Day 10,000 of Aaron Rodgers watch as the veteran quarterback has still not decided on what his next step will be. If you’re the Steelers, you have to give yourself some security at the position not just for 2025, but for the years to come. Right now, Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are the two quarterbacks on the roster. Sorry, but does that get anyone excited? Dart can come in as either a developmental piece behind Rodgers (if he signs) or can be thrown into the fire as the next man up in the Steel City.

L.A. could go in a few directions here, and I probably would’ve pegged them to land a tight end if one of the top two players fell to them. Here, they address the defensive line by bringing in Harmon, who was a menace for the Ducks last season with five sacks.

Green Bay needs to bolster its secondary with Jaire Alexander’s future with the organization up in the air and 2021 first-rounder Eric Stokes not exactly picking up the baton. Barron is coming off a first-team All-SEC season last year where he won the Jim Thorpe Ward as college football top defensive back.

The Vikings lost Cam Bynum in free agency and Harrison Smith is entering his age-36 season, so they need some new life on the back end of the secondary. Starks is a smart player who should mesh well with what Brian Flores wants to do defensively.

The Texans completely overhauled their offensive line this offseason, moving on from the likes of Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green and Shaq Mason. As part of this new-look line, Houston opts for Josh Simmons, who is coming off an injury but provides tantalizing upside at this point in the draft.

My antenna was raised when I saw that Jalen Milroe was invited to Green Bay for Day 1 of the draft. They don’t do that unless they have it on pretty good authority that there’s a possibility he comes off the board, right? Given that he’s more of a project, I think that makes him a fascinating prospect for the Rams to target as Matthew Stafford continues to go year-to-year with the organization. Sean McVay could have his cake by contending with Stafford in the immediate and eat it too by developing Milroe as a dual threat star in the shadows.

The Baltimore Ravens draft and develop defensive players into stars, and I expect Williams to be the latest if he falls to them. The Georgia product has the size — 6-foot-5, 267 pounds — and demeanor that fits the DNA of classic Ravens defenses that opposing offenses have come to know and fear.

Even with Aidan Hutchinson coming back from injury, the Lions need to add another pass-rushing piece opposite of him. Ezeiruaku is coming off a final collegiate season at Boston College where he tallied 16.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Washington was one of the top stories from last season, advancing all the way to the NFC Championship in Year 1 with Jayden Daniels. While they could stand to build even more of the offense out around their young QB, Adam Peters gives Dan Quinn a versatile safety in Ezeiruaku to improve the defensive side of the ball.

I hope the Bills were paying attention during Super Bowl LIX because the Eagles gave them a blueprint of how to take down the Chiefs. Buffalo should look to build up its defensive line and be impeccable at applying pressure up the middle. Nolen — who had 6.5 sacks at Ole Miss last season — paired with Ed Oliver should give Patrick Mahomes fits as they look to finally get over their AFC rival in the playoffs.

Speaking of the Chiefs, they certainly saw that their offensive line needs some touching up after Mahomes was mauled in the Super Bowl. To do that, they bring in Conerly, who fared well as Oregon’s left tackle, allowing just two sacks over his final two collegiate seasons.

After losing Josh Sweat in free agency, the Eagles help fill that hole of his departure with Pearce, who was an explosive pass rusher for the Vols throughout his tenure.