- It's time for a splashy Cowboys draft pick: After four years of trench selections, Dallas should look to pair CeeDee Lamb with Tetairoa McMillan if the opportunity arises.
- If Mason Graham falls, the Jets should pounce: Graham led all interior defenders in college football with a 91.1 PFF overall grade in 2024 and would form a fearsome tandem with Quinnen Williams.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
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Draft Position Rankings
With just a few days until the 2025 NFL Draft, we're finalizing our thoughts on this year's class. Here are eight of our favorite team-prospect fits — ones we feel could earn high post-draft grades if they come to fruition.
NEW YORK JETS: DI MASON GRAHAM, MICHIGAN
In most mock drafts over the past few weeks, Graham has never been an option for the Jets. He is often gone at No. 5 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as that was the consensus pick for the better part of a month. But the recent speculation is that Graham might not be an easy home-run pick for them; Jacksonville could be more intrigued by an offensive selection.
If that happens, and say the Raiders take running back Ashton Jeanty or offensive tackle Armand Membou, that leaves the Jets with Graham right in their lap to pair with Quinnen Williams. Graham led all interior defenders in college football with a 91.1 PFF overall grade in 2024.
CHICAGO BEARS: RB ASHTON JEANTY, BOISE STATE
I believe Jeanty’s ceiling is the Patriots at No. 4 overall and his floor is the Bears at No. 10. As the days go by, it feels less and less likely that Jeanty will make it to pick No. 10, but I honestly couldn’t think of a better spot.
The Bears have the offensive-minded head coach, the revamped offensive interior, the quarterback, the passing weapons and even the defense. How they have built their roster gives them the freedom to make a pick like this. If Jeanty — who earned a perfect 99.9 PFF rushing grade over the past three seasons — ends up in Chicago, it may be the missing piece that puts the team over the top into the playoffs, even in the toughest division in football.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: DI WALTER NOLEN, OLE MISS
The 49ers' roster isn’t what it used to be. The once-dominant team, top to bottom, that made the Super Bowl and conference title runs over the past six years has seen its offensive and defensive lines dwindle by the year.
Nolen is a young, strong, high-potential 3-technique who would be perfect in Robert Saleh’s scheme. Right now, their defensive line plan leans far too heavily on Nick Bosa. Nolen would at least raise the floor of their run defense significantly — which was a major issue last season — after posting the second-highest PFF run-defense grade (91.6) among Power Four interior defenders in 2024.
DALLAS COWBOYS: WR TETAIROA McMILLAN, ARIZONA
As much as the Cowboys should be investing in the trenches, it feels like Jerry Jones wants to make a flashy pick in this draft. He has gone four straight years of trench picks in the first round — two offensive linemen (Tyler Guyton and Tyler Smith) and two defensive linemen (Mazi Smith and Micah Parsons).
If McMillan makes it to Dallas at No. 12, he’s the perfect complement to CeeDee Lamb. Lamb does great work as a flanker receiver and in the slot, whereas McMillan could be a mainstay on the outside as a true X. The Arizona product dominated at all levels of the field, ranking in the top five among Power Four 2025 NFL Draft prospects in PFF grade on short, intermediate and deep targets.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: S MALAKI STARKS, GEORGIA
The Vikings don’t have many selections in the 2025 NFL Draft — four, to be exact. They pick in the first round at No. 24 and then not again until No. 97 at the backend of Round 3. It would take a special player for them not to trade back, and Malaki Starks could be that.
He was excellent at Georgia in his first and second seasons, starting as an underclassman. His grades weren’t as high this past season, but such is the up-and-down nature of secondary players. Minnesota doesn’t have a long-term plan at safety right now, and Starks could be the unit's centerpiece for years to come.
LOS ANGELES RAMS: CB JAHDAE BARRON, TEXAS
The Rams played off-zone coverage 60.3% of the time last season. That plays perfectly into what Barron does best. As an off-zone cornerback, Barron is excellent at spacing and anticipation to make plays on the ball, evidenced by his 90.8 PFF coverage grade as a wide cornerback this season (despite it being just his first year at the position after spending the previous two as a safety/slot).
He’s an ideal fit for Los Angeles' defense, and great value if the front office can get him at the backend of the first round.
NEW YORK GIANTS: DI OMARR NORMAN-LOTT, TENNESSEE (DAY 2)
The Giants need someone to help Dexter Lawrence in the middle. They’ve brought in plenty of edge rushers over the past few years but lack an impact interior presence beyond Lawrence, especially in pass rushing.
Norman-Lott might be one-dimensional right now as just a pass rusher, but that is exactly what the Giants should be looking for on Day 2. He earned an elite PFF pass-rush grade against true pass sets and recorded an 18.7% pass-rush win rate in 2024.
CINCINNATI BENGALS: S XAVIER WATTS (DAY 2)
I can see the responses now: “Watts doesn’t play OL or DL!” Yes, but he would be a perfect fit for the Bengals' secondary.
Al Golden, Starks' defensive coordinator at Notre Dame — the one he played for over the past two years when he recorded 13 interceptions and was the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner — is now the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati. The Bengals simply need more speed in the secondary, especially on the backend. If they can fix the trenches around where they pick Watts, likely in the second round, I would love this pick.
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