#1 Tennessee — Cam Ward (QB, Miami)
The consensus top pick for some time but I know one talent evaluator in the league who only gave him a third round grade.
#2 Cleveland — Travis Hunter (WR/CB, Colorado)
All the talk in the last 24 hours has been about a team (maybe Dallas?) trying to trade up for a shot at Hunter. I doubt anything happens.
#3 NY Giants — Abdul Carter (EDGE, Penn State)
The Giants don’t take a quarterback here and will need a plan for their second pick to address the need.
#4 New England — Will Campbell (T, LSU)
I don’t like this pick. Campbell’s tape wasn’t very good in 2024 and he will struggle at tackle in the NFL. But this is where the buzz is.
#5 Jacksonville — Ashton Jeanty (RB, Boise State)
In my stream on Sunday I put Jeanty with the Jaguars and it has now become the betting favourite pairing. It makes sense, he’s the pound-for-pound best player in the draft.
#6 Las Vegas — Jalon Walker (LB, Georgia)
The Raiders need a culture-setter. That’s Jalon Walker. He’ll come in, contribute to the pass-rush, play linebacker and set the tone for Pete Carroll.
#7 NY Jets — Mason Graham (DT, Michigan)
There’s plenty of chatter that the Jets plan to give their defensive-minded Head Coach the opportunity to add a top defender here. Graham had dinner with the Jets, an official visit and they’ve shown a lot of interest.
#8 Carolina — Mykel Williams (DE, Georgia)
With Walker unavailable, the Panthers pivot to his Georgia team-mate to fill a need.
#9 New Orleans — Armand Membou (T, Missouri)
Ryan Ramczyk is retiring and they’re not taking up the fifth-year option on Trevor Penning.
#10 Chicago — Tyler Warren (TE, Penn State)
Warren or Colston Loveland will be tremendous in Ben Johnson’s offense.
#11 San Francisco — Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss)
I know a talent evaluator who loves Nolen. Without the character concerns he would’ve been a top-10 pick.
#12 Dallas — Tetairoa McMillan (WR, Arizona)
I’m not a McMillan fan but I was told by a good source he’ll be the first receiver taken and I’m sticking with it.
#13 Miami — Kelvin Banks Jr (T/G, Texas)
Jahdae Barron makes a lot of sense but there’s a lot of smoke around the Dolphins wanting Banks Jr.
#14 Indianapolis — Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan)
One of the legit top-10 players in the draft, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Loveland goes higher than this — leaving the Colts to go O-line instead.
#15 Atlanta — Mike Green (EDGE, Marshall)
They need sacks and Green had 17 last season.
#16 Arizona — Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas)
It feels like O-line and cornerback are the likely options here.
#17 Cincinnati — James Pearce Jr (EDGE, Tennessee)
The Bengals rarely worry about character concerns. If they make this pick, could they trade Trey Hendrickson shortly after?
#18 Seattle — Grey Zabel (G, North Dakota State)
The Seahawks have a gaping void at left guard and need to fill it. Zabel’s testing profile being comparable to Creed Humphrey, Frank Ragnow and Zach Tom makes him a justifiable top-20 pick. The key question is — will someone else take him before #18?
#19 Tampa Bay — Donovan Ezeiruaku (EDGE, Boston College)
They like to add pass rushers and Ezeiruaku can provide real burst and agility off the edge.
#20 Denver — TreVeyon Henderson (RB, Ohio State)
Sean Payton apparently wants a ‘joker’ weapon on offense and he showed last year he’ll take the guys he wants and isn’t bothered what anyone thinks.
#21 Pittsburgh — Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado)
It’s difficult to work out whether Pittsburgh’s interest is legit but at the moment they only have Mason Rudolph on the roster and Aaron Rodgers seems to be waiting for the Vikings.
#22 LA Chargers — Kenneth Grant (DT, Michigan)
The Michigan coaches and staff seem to have a real belief in Grant, so expect him to land in Seattle, LA or Baltimore.
#23 Green Bay — Matthew Golden (WR, Texas)
The Packers finally draft a receiver in the first round.
#24 Minnesota — Donovan Jackson (G, Ohio State)
He has explosive traits, strong character and he feels like a needed plug-in starter at left guard.
#25 Houston — Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State)
‘The guy’ at Ohio State will go earlier than people realise. Character, production, athleticism, reliability and talent. He has it all. He’d reunite with CJ Stroud here.
#26 LA Rams — Omarion Hampton (RB, North Carolina)
The talk is they’ll go O-line (most of the options are gone) or an offensive skill player (the receivers are gone). Hampton could be a demon in this offense.
#27 Baltimore — Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)
I’m a huge fan of Starks and this could be an ideal home.
#28 Detroit — Tyler Booker (G, Alabama)
They replace Kevin Zeitler with a player who fits the Lions like a glove.
#29 Washington — Shemar Stewart (DE, Texas A&M)
Aside from the lack of production, there’s talk he could fall due to poor representation and the way he’s handled the draft process — including a shoddy and quite unprofessional exit from the Senior Bowl, which included telling Field Yates (so he can tweet it out) and not Jim Nagy, who reportedly had no idea until he saw it on social media.
#30 Buffalo — Will Johnson (CB, Michigan)
The injury flags are supposedly legit so we’ll see if this sinks Johnson down the board. His testing results won’t help.
#31 Kansas City — Josh Simmons (T, Ohio State)
He’s incredibly talented but lasts this far due to the patellar tendon injury and some maturity concerns. The Chiefs can take their time with him.
#32 Philadelphia — Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky)
Hairston’s tape shows a fluid, exciting talent. He might go earlier than this.
Players not included
Nick Emmanwori (S, South Carolina
Todd McShay reported yesterday: “Reports about his football character and locker room personality are concerning, as are his inconsistent focus on the field and aggressiveness versus the run.” This is the second report about character concerns, following Bob McGinn’s scouting sources who among other things called him “Naturally contrarian to most everything” adding “Just be sure you know, he can probably fray some things. You’ve got to have somebody to deal with the personality. They say this guy is so strong-willed, if you get him onto your side he’ll save the world. If he is opposed to your views he’ll burn the world down.”
Jihaad Campbell (LB, Alabama)
I think Campbell is one of the best players in the class. However, labrum surgery meaning he starts the year on the PUP list is a concern. His team pushing a video of him running on a treadmill to the media this week hinted at some concern about what they’re hearing. For a potential non-contributor in year one, I think that impacts his stock.
Derrick Harmon (DT, Oregon)
There have been some late reports about medical issues with Harmon that could mean he lasts into day two.
What happens if Grey Zabel isn’t available?
This is the scenario to consider. If Kelvin Banks Jr comes off the board before Miami picks at #13 — it’ll be interesting to see whether they pivot to Zabel or go with a different position. The Colts at #14 and Cardinals at #16 could also take him.
Yesterday Adam Schefter said the Dolphins had to improve their O-line with their top pick. He might be assuming in that scenario that Banks Jr is available. A few people have touted Zabel to Miami, including Mike Mayock. Albert Breer and Todd McShay have talked about #18 being Zabel’s floor. It’s a reality that he might not last to Seattle.
If this happens — I can see why they might be keen to trade down. The 18th pick would be a tricky place to sit. They’d probably rather get more stock and put themselves in a range where they can let the board come to them, given the players at #18 might have the same grade as the players at #32.
A deal might be incredibly difficult to execute. If so — I think they’d pivot to the next best available O-liner (that could be Donovan Jackson, Tyler Booker or Josh Conerly Jr) or go with another position — bringing Emeka Egbuka, Kenneth Grant, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malaki Starks, Matthew Golden and some others into play.
If either of the top-two tight ends come into range, they also need to be monitored. I still think Warren, Loveland, Arroyo and Taylor could all be on their radar.
Seahawks thoughts for day two
Given Adam Schefter’s significant hints recently, I’m going to assume there’s a decent chance the Seahawks will select a quarterback in round two. There’s no smoke without fire and all that. A few people have suggested this is merely one big ruse to try and convince teams to trade into Seattle’s #18 spot. I’m not buying that. For starters, a rumour about the Seahawks eyeing quarterbacks would probably just make it easier for Atlanta (#15) and Arizona (#16) to trade down. You don’t wait until Seattle’s on the clock and deal directly with them if you really want a player at the most important position in the sport, knowing the Seahawks would have all of the leverage if you fear they’ll take your guy.
It’s much more likely Schefter knows something, just as Chris Mortensen did when he famously told Russell Wilson before the 2012 draft that he was going to be a Seahawk. It’s also possible the player Seattle is eyeing goes off the board before they get into range and this ends up leading to nothing. That might be why Schefter is being cagey with any further details. He is, however, dropping seriously big hints that the Seahawks are eyeing an early-round signal caller and my guess is he knows which one.
As we talked about yesterday, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they copied the Baltimore Ravens and traded up for Jalen Milroe — or took him in the late second. There are mixed views on his range. Some think he’s a fringe first rounder having been invited to the draft. Others think rounds 2/3. With so much ammunition, the Seahawks can make sure they get Milroe (or anyone else) if they really want him.
It’s also worth noting that Mike Mayock also tentatively brought up the idea that the Seahawks might move up in round two recently. It’s something to prepare yourself for.
Here’s another thing to keep in mind. The Seahawks aren’t going to copy the Ravens just because Mike Macdonald happens to be the Head Coach. However, this is what Baltimore did in the 2018 draft:
— Traded down from #22 to #25, gaining a fourth rounder for a sixth
— Took a tight end — Hayden Hurst — at #25
— Traded up from #52 to #32 to draft Lamar Jackson
Is it preposterous to think the Seahawks might trade down from #18, then move up to draft Jalen Milroe — effectively copying the Ravens’ strategy from seven years ago?
Of course they might not be eyeing Milroe. It could be another quarterback. We’ve been saying for a long time that Schneider could have interest in Quinn Ewers. We’ll see if there was ever anything in that.
If they go O-line at #18, aside from quarterback their second rounders could be reserved for a weapon (receiver/tight end) or it could be the best defender available. Or even another O-liner.
So there we go. Another mock sent off to the Huddle Report for scoring. Thank you to everyone who has followed along with our coverage of the 2025 draft, which began last summer. This is a long process and has become a second full-time job, rather than a hobby. I wouldn’t change anything about it though.
The blog started in 2008 and I appreciate the community we’ve built, particularly everyone who helps with the running costs through Patreon and YouTube.
Tomorrow I might do a pre-draft live stream with some final thoughts. We will have an open thread to discuss the first round and I’ll do an instant reaction video on Seattle’s first pick. At the end of round one Robbie and I will do an immediate live stream and then I’ll have a full article on the blog.
Stick with us over the next few days — we’ll have loads of content. Here’s to a great draft for the Seahawks. ✌️
