• Abdul Carter would be perfect for the New York Jets: Carter would be a great edge defender to pair with Will McDonald IV.
• Dallas Cowboys find a running mate for CeeDee Lamb: Luther Burden III would be a great option to pair with the veteran star receiver.
• Draft and trade for yourself: Try PFF's mock draft simulator. Trade picks and players and mock for your favorite NFL team!
Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
Only 14 teams advanced to the NFL playoffs, but all 32 will participate in the 2025 NFL Draft. As things currently stand, every team still owns a first-round pick, so expectations heading into April will be high for everyone.
Let’s take an early look at some of the best potential picks for each team in the first round. While many teams will covet similar players and be looking to jockey for position to make sure they “get their guy,” for this exercise, we’ll highlight one unique player for each team.
While we take relative value into account, this is not a mock draft. You can find PFF's latest mock draft here, and we'll have plenty more to come over the next three months.
AFC EAST
New England Patriots: T Will Campbell, LSU
The Patriots were hesitant to start rookie QB Drake Maye immediately this season due in some part to concerns about the offensive line. While they eventually handed the keys over to Maye anyway, the offensive line did indeed struggle significantly throughout the year. Left tackle was a major issue, as the Patriot collective at the position amassed 54 total pressures allowed. Will Campbell is the clear top tackle prospect in this draft, as he posted a solid 80.9 pass-blocking grade in 2024 while in the last two seasons combined he surrendered just two total sacks at LSU.
New York Jets: Edge Abdul Carter, Penn State
Will McDonald took a big step in pass-rush production in 2024 but with Haason Reddick’s desire to remain a Jet, a lingering question that remains is whether the team could use another young, productive pass-rusher to pair with McDonald.
Abdul Carter has a 92.2 PFF pass-rushing grade so far in the 2024 season to go along with 12 sacks, nine hits, 37 hurries, 22.9% pass-rush win rate. Abdul Carter can play both inside linebacker and outside linebacker and he can pass-rush effectively from the ILB spot, standing up on the edge or with his hand in the ground. He has good bend to rush around the outside and an effective spin move to add to it. Additionally, Carter’s lateral agility is also a plus on outside zone runs (the preferred run concepts of the Bills, Dolphins and Patriots), so he can easily jump back a gap and disrupt the run.
Miami Dolphins: T Josh Simmons, Ohio State
The Miami Dolphins need to add talent to their offensive line. The Dolphins' 55.5 team run-blocking grade ranked No. 28 in the 2024 NFL season. Their 66.1 team pass-blocking grade ranked No. 21, meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa’s average time to throw of 2.30 seconds was the quickest in the NFL in 2024.
While Simmons' 2024 season was cut short by injury, he earned an 82.0 pass-blocking grade and allowed only one pressure on his 158 pass-blocking snaps. Simmons played both left and right tackle in college but could also possibly be moved inside to guard. Adding Josh Simmons to the Dolphins offensive line means the Dolphins offense won't have to rely so heavily on a quick time to throw in order to move the ball down the field.
Buffalo Bills: Edge Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
Greg Rousseau led the Bills in pressures in 2024 and before the season, the team picked up his fifth-year option. However, with Von Miller likely moving on and Rousseau becoming more expensive, the Bills could use another young edge-rusher with an affordable cap hit.
Shemar Stewart is 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds and at this point in his development, he is a stellar run defender with a 88.2 run-defense grade and an improving pass-rusher who generated 39 pressures in 2024. Pairing Shemar Stewart with Rousseau not only aids the youth movement up front but possibly gives the Bills the flexibility to deal with Rousseau’s upcoming contract extension demands.
NFC EAST
New York Giants: CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
While the Giants are retaining both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, owner Paul Mara on Monday expressed a lack of patience with the club's current trajectory. This could lead to the Giants being big players in the QB free agent market, with designs on looking elsewhere at pick No. 3. The Giants defense loves deploying Cover 1 (28.8% of pass snaps in Cover-1 ranks sixth-highest in the league). However, opposing QBs consistently exploited New York cornerbacks, registering a 113.3 passer rating without tossing a single interception when the Giants utilized the coverage.
Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter makes all the sense in the world at No. 3 overall. Hunter is the top cornerback in the draft after picking off five balls and posting an impressive 21.3% forced incompletion percentage. His double life as a receiver at Colorado will not only help him on defense but will likely result in him making contributions on offense as well at the next level.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
The Cowboys definitively have needs along their defensive roster, but Jerry Jones is as concerned with the Cowboys brand as much as he is winning and wants that brand to be exciting and on our television screens as much as possible, so adding an explosive offensive weapon to pair with CeeDee Lamb would do just that.
While CeeDee Lamb played about half of his snaps out wide and half in the slot, Burden has played over 80% of his snaps out of the slot over the past two seasons. Burden is dangerous with the ball in his hands. He can be used on jet sweeps and screens to quickly get the ball to him and allow him to use his incredible acceleration to generate big plays. Burden has 25 touchdowns over the last three seasons, including four rushing touchdowns. Burden would be an excellent playmaking compliment to CeeDee Lamb, making the Cowboys offense more effective and exciting.
Washington Commanders: TE Tyler Warren, Penn State
The ageless Zach Ertz has been a useful weapon for Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels this year, as he has contributed 70 catches and seven scores, but Washington would do well to start stockpiling youthful weaponry for its new franchise signal caller.
Tyler Warren has proved to be one of the best physical mismatches in college football this season, amassing 100 receptions for 1,178 yards and eight scores with 63 first downs (before Penn State‘s semifinal matchup against Notre Dame). Warren has also been excellent on contested balls, hauling in 13 of 21 such targets this season.
Philadelphia Eagles: Edge Josaiah Stewart, Michigan
In two seasons as an Eagle (2022 and 2023), Haason Reddick tallied 34 sacks and 160 total pressures while earning 24 run stops and giving up just 161 yards on 114 coverage snaps. While the Eagles have tried to use a number of players to replicate the production, the defense currently lacks an edge player with the ability to make that level of all-around impact.
Josaiah Stewart had a breakout campaign for the Wolverines in 2024 and has the all-around skillset the Eagles will covet. He displayed a full arsenal of pass-rush moves on his way to a ridiculous 40.2% win rate on true pass sets and the highest pass-rush grade of the 2025 edge class (92.2). He was also outstanding versus the run, grading positively on 18.4% of run reps compared to just 3.6% negatives.
AFC WEST
Las Vegas Raiders: CB Will Johnson, Michigan
Las Vegas' top cornerback Jack Jones surrendered a league-high 10 touchdowns into his coverage this past season while posting a below-average 52.9 coverage grade. With little else to get excited about behind him, the Raiders would do well to lock in a top talent at the position via the draft.
A nagging toe injury caused Will Johnson to miss much of his final season at Michigan, but evaluators have been fixated on his skillset since getting to Ann Arbor in 2022. Over the past two seasons, he allowed just 35 receptions on 71 targets with six interceptions (returning three of them for scores) and nine forced incompletions. Listed at 6-2 and 202 pounds and expected to run in the low 4.4s, he even looks like a classic Al Davis selection.
Denver Broncos: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Javonte Williams just doesn't seem to have the same juice he had pre-injury, thus the backfield duties in Denver are being split up between Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. Neither of those players, however, approaches the level of dynamism that Ashton Jeanty showed during his phenomenal 2024 season at Boise State.
Jeanty broke an unprecedented 157 tackles on runs this past season, eclipsing double digits in nine different games. He also added 23 receptions, forcing another 12 missed tackles. His elusiveness could be the missing piece to push the Broncos offense to elite status in 2025.
Los Angeles Chargers: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
Considering Jim Harbaugh's affinity for tight ends, it was a major surprise to many that Seattle was quicker on the trigger in last year's draft for former Michigan TE AJ Barner (30 catches for 245 yards and four TDs in 2024). Luckily for the Chargers' head coach, he can set his sights on another Michigan man in this draft, one with the athletic profile that warrants a first-round selection.
Despite a 2024 campaign limited by spotty QB play and multiple injuries, Loveland still managed a 90.2 receiving grade. Over the past two seasons for the Maize and Blue, he amassed 103 catches for 649 yards, nine scores and 62 first downs.
Kansas City Chiefs: DI T.J. Sanders, South Carolina
The Chiefs could have used a top tight end here to begin preparing for Travis Kelce’s eventual departure but with the top guys already taken, the Chiefs turn to their defensive front in this scenario.
T.J. Sanders‘ size and quickness would provide the Chiefs with another flexible player who they can line up at multiple places and ask to rush the passer. Sanders is a highly effective interior pass-rusher who showed the ability to line up at nose tackle, defensive tackle and defensive end as he generated 33 pressures including five sacks and nine QB hits in 2024. Sanders' ability to line up in so many different spots will allow Chris Jones to continue moving all over the line to find advantageous match-ups for the Chiefs.
NFC WEST
San Francisco 49ers: Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
The 49ers' outstanding left tackle Trent Williams finished the season on injured reserve after missing the last seven games. Williams will be back in 2025, but he will be 37 years old and playing his 15th season. Even if Williams returns to form the 49ers need to start planning on bringing in a replacement at that key position.
Aireontae Ersey is a tall (6-foot-6 and 330 pounds) left tackle, but he is quick enough laterally to excel at outside zone runs. The 49ers’ preferred run concept is outside zone as 50% of the team’s runs in 2024 were outside zone. Ersey’s PFF run-blocking grade on outside zone runs was 89.2 in 2024, so he fits what the 49ers want to do in the run game. Additionally, Ersey only surrendered one sack on 419 pass block snaps in 2024 and that was partially caused by getting his feet tangled up with the left guard.
Arizona Cardinals: Edge James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Quick, how many Arizona Cardinals defensive starters can you name other than Budda Baker? The Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis deserves an award for the production he was able to get out of the players on their roster in 2024, but he needs more weapons to work with in 2025. The Arizona Cardinals defense generated a pressure on just 201 plays in 2024 which ranked them No. 26 in the NFL. Even if 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson pans out as an effective player, the Cardinals will still need more talent on their front seven and especially someone who can bring some consistent pass-rushing ability to the edge of their defense.
Pearce has had over 50 pressures in his last two seasons of play against SEC offensive lines. Pearce has a burst around the edge and his 22.7% pass-rush win rate shows he has the ability to beat the man across from him that the Cardinals desperately need for their defense so they don’t have to heavily rely on scheme to get pressure.
Seattle Seahawks: LB Jalon Walker, Georgia
The 2024 Seahawks had a major need for a playmaker in the middle of their defense, so much so that they went out and traded for Ernest Jones in October. Jones started immediately upon arrival, played in their last 10 games and led all Seahawks linebackers in snaps played.
In 2024, Jalon Walker played 249 snaps on the line of scrimmage, 311 as a second-level box defender and 61 as a second-level overhang defender. Jalon Walker is an athletic and versatile linebacker who can play a traditional off-the-ball inside linebacker role as well as outside linebacker/edge rusher that can give the Seahawks not only the piece they need in the middle of their defense but also giving them scheme flexibility with the ability to either walk him down to the edge or line him up there intentionally.
Los Angeles Rams: T Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
The Rams' preferred run concepts have changed over the years. Outside zone was the Rams' preferred run concept during the Sean McVay years until 2022 when they started to use more man/gap runs.
In 2024, Wyatt Milum’s run-blocking grade on Man runs was 83.2, and his run-blocking grade on outside zone runs was 82.7, so Milum will be able to help the Rams offense, whether the Rams return to their outside zone-heavy ways next season or continue to lean into their increase usage of Man runs. Wyatt Milum has also proven to be an elite pass protector, and he hasn’t allowed a sack in three straight seasons at West Virginia.
AFC NORTH
Cleveland Browns: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Everyone in Cleveland would prefer to just sweep the whole Deshaun Watson experiment under the rug and move on. The Sheduer Sanders selection allows the team, the fans and the city to move on toward the future. Sanders is a highly accurate quarterback, as his 81.6 adjusted completion percentage ranked No.1 among FBS quarterbacks with an 8.0-yard average depth of target. Sanders is a multiple-year starter who should be able to start from the beginning of his career if Watson starts the season on the physically unable to perform list.
Cincinnati Bengals: DI Kenneth Grant, Michigan
With BJ Hill‘s contract expiring at the end of the season, the Bengals don't have a defensive interior player on the roster with a positive WAR. While they'll certainly look for more production from 2023 second-round pick Kris Jenkins, Cincinnati would do well to add Jenkins' former Michigan teammate, Kenneth Grant.
A two-time member of Bruce Feldman's Freaks List, the 6-foot-3, 339-pound Grant offers impressive pass-rushing chops to go along with his elite run-stopping ability. He recorded 26 total pressures in 2024, including five against Ohio State in November, with a huge 23.1% win rate.
Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Shavon Revel, East Carolina
Joey Porter Jr. had a bit of a down season, giving up 52 receptions and 653 yards receiving on 84 throws into his coverage in 2024, but making matters worse for the Steelers was the lack of production elsewhere at the position.
East Carolina CB Shavon Revel had his own disappointment in 2024 due to tearing his ACL during Week 2. With that said, his ridiculous 2023 campaign, paired with his 6-foot-3, 193-pound frame should still warrant a first-round selection, and the Steelers have historically been willing to look past injury concerns in favor of premium talent. In 2023, he was targeted 49 in coverage and allowed just 20 catches with one interception and 12 forced incompletions.
Baltimore Ravens: CB Trey Amos, Mississippi
The Ravens addressed cornerback twice in last year's draft by selecting Nate Wiggins in the first round and TJ Tampa in the fourth. While Tampa has seen only 18 snaps thus far, Wiggins has put together an encouraging rookie campaign, culminating in a pick-six against the Browns in Week 18. With this being said, star Marlon Humphrey‘s cap number next season is north of 25 million, and Brandon Stephens (66 catches, 822 yards and four TDs allowed in 2024) will enter free agency in March.
Ole Miss CB Trey Amos would be a fine addition to the Ravens secondary. Baltimore loves height and length in their corners, and at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Amos checks those boxes. He was challenged 68 times in 2024 but allowed just 33 receptions for 289 yards while notching three interceptions and an impressive 15 forced incompletions.
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears: T Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
While some of Chicago‘s pass protection issues in 2024 were certainly on rookie QB Caleb Williams (he led all QBs with 17 charged sacks and was third with 38 total pressures owned), the offensive line as a whole was clearly one of the weakest units in the entire league.
Banks, therefore, makes perfect sense, as he was the best player on the best offensive line in college football this season. In two seasons as the Longhorns' starting left tackle, he allowed just two sacks and three QB hits on 1,040 pass pro reps.
Green Bay Packers: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
Jaire Alexander will be recovering this offseason after surgery on a torn PCL, and three other Packers CBs will have expiring contracts come the league new year. Luckily for Green Bay, the top 50 is rich with talent at the position.
Jahdae Barron was one of the top CBs in all of college football in 2024. He was tested 66 times in coverage, allowing just 35 receptions and 272 with no touchdowns. He picked off three balls and broke up another 10 passes. Opposing QBs had a dismal 31.9 passer rating when throwing at Barron.
Minnesota Vikings: DI Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
The Vikings need youth and improved all-around play from the defensive interior this offseason, as the unit's play consistently graded below average against the run in 2024, and no one in the position group achieves a pass rush win rate over 10%.
Tyleik Williams‘ lack of pass rush will likely push him down to Minnesota‘s range in the first round, but his elite play against the run would make him well worth the selection. He graded positively on an impressive 29.1% of all run plays in 2024 at Ohio State which ranked fifth among all defensive interiors in the country.
Detroit Lions: Edge Princely Umanmielen, Mississippi
Detroit's struggles on the edge once both Marcus Davenport and Aidan Hutchinson went down for the season have been well-documented. While getting Hutchinson back in the fall will obviously be massive for the unit, the Lions would still do well to add some more youth to the group, particularly youth specializing in rushing the passer.
Princely Umanmielen looks like a strong fit for the Lions. Combining his 2023 season with Florida and 2024 year with Ole Miss, Umanmielen racked up 20 sacks, 30 hits and 108 total pressures with an impressive 23.9% win rate.
AFC SOUTH
Tennessee Titans: QB Cam Ward, Miami
The Titans were seemingly the only non-playoff team to understand the assignment over the two weeks, “winning” the opportunity to pick first overall. Current QB Will Levis has done little to inspire confidence going forward, as his 54.5 passing grade was the lowest mark in the league for the 2024 season.
Cam Ward made huge strides at Miami this season, posting 39 TDs to just seven interceptions with an impressive 28 big-time throws. He is currently the top QB on the PFF big board and makes perfect sense for the Titans as they continue to rebuild.
Jacksonville Jaguars: DI Mason Graham, Michigan
Rookie defensive interior player Jordan Jefferson offered some support inside when healthy and on the field (his run defense grade in eight games played was 63.3), but the Jaguars lack a true difference-maker up front.
While Michigan‘s Mason Graham isn't likely to have the elite heigh/weight/speed measurables Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke traditionally craves, his consistent, high-end production is unmatched. His 92.4 run-defense grade led all defensive interior players in college football this past season, as did his 32.4% positively graded play rate on runs. Additionally, he saved his best for last against rival Ohio State, as he posted an impressive five run stops with a positive grade on a ridiculous 50% of run plays with zero downgrades.
Indianapolis Colts: S Malaki Starks, Georgia
The Colts need help everywhere on defense, as evidenced by six starters missing at least 15 tackles in 2024. Malaki Starks lined up all over Georgia‘s defense, allowing just 53 completed balls on 90 throws into his coverage the past two seasons with four picks and 12 forced incompletions. His play against the run is even more impressive, as he totaled 22 stops while missing just three tackles since the start of 2023.
Houston Texans: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Guard is the No. 1 position of need for the Texans, but the way this draft class is shaping up there isn’t a guard around that spot on the PFF big board, so instead of addressing their top need with their first pick the Texans go with a player that can make the biggest impact on their team.
With the long-term uncertainty around Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, the best thing the Texans could do is give their talented young quarterback a reliable and effective second wide receiver to compliment Nico Collins. Selecting Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka gives the Texans a dangerous WR2 who not only makes the Texans offense harder to defend but also aids in C.J. Stroud‘s development. In their last season playing together at Ohio State, Egbuka posted a 74-catch, 1,151-yard and 10-touchdown season. The pre-existing chemistry and history of production between Stroud and Egbuka would make a valued addition to the Texans offense and provide C.J. Stroud with a pass-catching weapon for the intermediate level (between 10-19 yards downfield), where the bulk of their yards and touchdowns came together.
NFC SOUTH
Carolina Panthers: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
The Panthers had the worst pass-rush in the NFL in 2024 and drafting an edge player would make a ton of sense. However, the Panthers should continue to put playmaking wide receivers around their QB Bryce Young as he enters his third season after showing tremendous progress in the back half of 2024.
Selecting McMillan will allow the Panthers offense to be more diverse and effective and assist the continued development of their young quarterback.
McMillan’s combination of talent and size (listed at 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds) will allow him to be the Panthers' No. 1 wide receiver outside, additionally over 20% of McMillan’s snaps over the past two years came in the slot, so he could also play a number of reps as a “big slot” weapon for Bryce Young.
New Orleans Saints: Edge Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
The Saints team pass-rush grade was 65.5 in 2024, which ranked 23rd. Chase Young led the team with 47 pressures on the year, followed by Carl Granderson and then the talented but aging star Cam Jordan.
While there is only one Cam Jordan, Nic Scourton could be an important piece in trying to replace Jordan in the aggregate. Jordan only played 564 snaps in 2024, but that was following 13 straight seasons of at least 770 snaps per year. Nic Scourton is a heavy-handed, big, strong defensive lineman who, at 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, is almost the identical size as Jordan. While Jordan played predominantly on the left side during his career, Scourton has played over 500 snaps on both the left and right side of the Aggies defense over the last two years.
Atlanta Falcons: Edge Mykel Williams, Georgia
The Falcons generated pressure on only 28.9% of their defensive plays in 2024, which ranked No. 31 in the league. The defender that generated the most pressures for the Falcons in 2024 was Kaden Elliss, who is more of a true off-the-ball linebacker than an edge defender, so they could use some more pressures from their defensive line moving forward.
Mykel Williams is a tall 6-foot-5 defender who is so athletic that he can play multiple positions along the line and rush standing up or down in a stance. Williams is already a stout run defender who posted run defense grades over 80.0 in the last two seasons. Williams is still developing as a pass-rusher and in 2024, Williams recorded five sacks, six QB hits and 15 hurries.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
The Buccaneers' 63.9 team coverage grade ranked No. 18 in the 2024 regular season. Jamel Dean has been consistently good in coverage but will be heading into his seventh season in 2025. The freakishly athletic Zyon McCollum showed improvement in his third season, but you can never have enough talented cornerbacks.
Benjamin Morrison played both out wide and in the slot at Notre Dame and had 84.6 and 82.2 coverage grades in his last two fully healthy seasons. Morrison was primarily in a man coverage role in college and that man coverage experience will help him as he transitions to the NFL. The Buccaneers won’t ask Morrison to play man coverage as much as he did at Notre Dame, as the Buccaneers used man coverage on 18.8% of snaps in the 2024 regular season. After man coverage, Morrison played the deep-third more than he did any other coverage role at Notre Dame, and the Buccaneers ran Cover 3 on 43.5% of pass plays in 2024. Morrison’s proven ability to play the deep-third in Cover 3 as well as sticky man coverage makes him a great match for the Buccaneers schematically and adds to their secondary depth.
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