2025 NFL mock draft: Shedeur Sanders falls to Saints, Steelers fill need at quarterback

Things have been pointing this way for a long time. The Titans get their quarterback of the future for Brian Callahan’s offense.

Hunter is the best player in the draft, and the Browns are fortunate enough to land him at No. 2 because the team with the top overall pick desperately needs a quarterback.

Do the Giants already have a good edge rush duo? Yep. Is that enough of a reason to pass on Carter? Nope. He should step in and immediately upgrade an already-strong defensive line.

New England needs a left tackle as badly as any team in the league needs any specific slot to be filled. There are questions about Campbell’s length but he checks every other box.

Graham is an excellent fit for the interior of Jacksonville’s defensive line. The Jags need a disruptor between Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, and he can be that guy.

There’s a lot of buzz about Ashton Jeanty here, but the Raiders are in no position to be taking a running back this early — especially given the paucity of pass-catching talent on hand. T-Mac can be their No. 1 perimeter threat and form a strong duo with Brock Bowers over the middle.

After landing a left tackle in last year’s draft, the Jets find their bookend here. They still need to figure out the quarterback position, obviously, but whomever they land on — whether it’s Justin Fields or somebody else in the future — will at least be well-protected for a change.

Green is an elite pass rusher and the Panthers are in desperate need of someone, anyone who can get to the quarterback.

We had this penciled in even before the news about Derek Carr, who was not the long-term answer at the position anyway. The Saints aren’t a quarterback away from competing and Sanders might not have the upside to get them where they want to go, but they always operate as though they’re one move away and this could be that move (in their eyes).

With the Bears having fortified their offensive line to make sure Caleb Williams was well protected, and with the team already having a strong pass-catching trio (or quartet, if you include Cole Kmet), it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ben Johnson try to replicate what he had with the Lions by sliding Jeanty into a Jahmyr Gibbs-style role.

Not too far removed from NFC title game and Super Bowl appearances, the Niners have a surprising amount of needs. Walker fits one as a guy who can play both on the ball and off it, getting after the quarterback and even making plays in space on the second level.

With McMillan off the board, the Cowboys opt for a speed-and-separation type of receiver. They desperately need someone next to CeeDee Lamb that can actually draw some defensive attention on his own, as well as capitalize on the attention thrown Lamb’s way.

Miami has a big need at the cornerback slot opposite Jalen Ramsey. You could make an argument for going offensive line here, but the temptation to take the top (non-Travis Hunter) cornerback on the board might be too much to pass up.

The Colts have seemingly been looking forever for a target like Warren at tight end. His versatility and the ability to take advantage of designed touches should be a good fit in the offense.

Atlanta has needed pass rush help for at least a decade at this point. Stewart is not the most productive player at his position coming into the draft, but he is just about as prototype a defensive end as you will find from a traits standpoint, and if he hits, he will hit in a massive way.

Williams should be able to help stop the run, at minimum. And if you put him in more situations where he can align on the edge and get upfield, he might show some surprising upside as a pass rusher, given the relative lack of production in that area in college.

Zabel should be able to kick inside to guard and help the Bengals fill one of their few remaining holes on offense. And then they can spend the rest of their picks on the opposite side of the ball. (Hopefully.)

Seattle still needs help on the interior offensive line. Banks played tackle at Texas and could stick there in college but profiles better as a guard. He should be able to step in right away.

Campbell is an outrageous athlete who checked in with a 9.85 Relative Athletic Score, via MathBomb. He can make plays at every level of the defense and the Bucs could really use a replenishment of talent up front.

The Broncos allowed one former Tar Heel running back to leave in free agency this offseason, and here they replace him with another. Hampton is the next-best back in this class after Jeanty, and Sean Payton will put him in position to be successful early.

The Steelers once again look to the quarterback position in the mid-to-late first round. It didn’t work out with Kenny Pickett, but Dart has better physical traits and therefore might have higher upside.

Pairing Egbuka with Ladd McConkey would be really fun. Just two guys who really know how to get open with short-area quickness and whom Justin Herbert can find for intermediate gains in Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s play-action passing game.

Barron is probably at his best in the slot because of his shorter arms but he showed in college that he can hang outside, too. And the Packers could use a high-level corner, especially if they end up parting ways with Jaire Alexander.

With Cam Bynum having left in free agency and Harrison Smith getting up there in age, figuring out the safety spot is about to be very important. Starks can hang in Brian Flores’ defense.

The Texans remade their offensive line this offseason, but not in a way that is super encouraging for the future. Simmons has a knee injury that needs to heal, but as long as the medicals check out, you could get a steal later in the first round.

Sean McVay wanted to move up for Brock Bowers last year. This year, he gets Loveland falling into his lap and utilizes him the same way he would have last year’s star tight end.

The Ravens are always building from the inside out, and the massive, talented Nolen helps on that front. Let him learn from and play alongside Nnamdi Madubuike and have some fun.

Detroit slots Booker into the spot vacated by Kevin Zeitler. He is a *very* Dan Campbell-esque player given his willingness to ramp up the level of physicality and should be a great fit here.

The Commies still need to find a way to get some pressure on opposing quarterbacks and Ezeiruaku should help there. He was one of the best pass rushers in the country in 2024.

Buffalo’s safety play took a significant step backward last season, and there hasn’t been much done yet to address the issue. Emmanwori is an outrageous athlete and Sean McDermott should be able to coach him up and get the best out of him.

Kansas City could use some help for Chris Jones on the defensive interior. The depth chart is pretty barren beyond him. Enter Harmon, who can help wreck things on the inside.

The Eagles elected to use their early picks on the secondary a year ago, but they typically build through the trenches. Pearce is someone who was thought to be a top prospect but has seemingly been falling down draft boards, and that’s exactly the type of guy Philly likes to nab at the end of the first round.