NFL Draft: A 2025 NFL Mock Draft With Too Many Trades
By Julian Cordova
Hello. Today I bring you, as titled, a 2025 mock with way too many trades. This mock draft is to talk about some of the top prospects halfway through the CFB season–as well as to have fun. Let’s get into it.
1. Carolina Panthers
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
Especially after trading Diontae Johnson, the Panther’s offense has a glaring hole at receiver because, besides Xavier Legette, there is nothing there. T-Mac is pretty much immune to any generational taglines because we just had Marvin Harrison Jr. However, McMillan is a big, decently athletic receiver. While he isn’t the most technically sound or the best route runner, sometimes it doesn’t matter if he comes down with the ball every time.
2. Tennessee Titans
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
Tennessee takes a football player; that’s what he’s best labelled as. In the NFL, he almost certainly will be a WR who moonlights as a corner. That works just fine for the Titans, who could use a receiver of his ability and a corner with his athleticism.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (Trade with Las Vegas Raiders)
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
The Raiders trade down to pick No.8 hoping to take a top talent there while also gaining some draft capital. The Jaguars, presumably under a new coach, take a “win now” leap up to get arguably the best player in the class. Johnson shows extreme upside at the position. Whether it’s his ball skills, reaction time, or technical mastery of CB, Will Johnson should be a lockdown corner for years.
4. New York Giants (Trade with New England Patriots)
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
Joe Schoen and New York pull the trigger this time; last year, they had discussions about the selection of Drake Maye with New England about trading up to No.3. In this mock, they hopped over Cleveland to take their future quarterback. Brian Daboll once took an incredibly raw QB prospect with a world of upside and helped him fulfil his potential. Can he do the same with Milroe? Jalen has struggled recently, but NY would take him knowing he’s a long-term project. Josh Allen took until year 3 before he delivered on his draft promise.
5. Cleveland Browns
Cam Ward, QB, Miami
Cleveland takes the only other signal caller worth a top pick this year, in my opinion. With the Deshaun Watson contract looming like a stormy cloud–wait, no, it’s already been raining in Cleveland for the past quarter-decade–taking a cheap upside option at QB makes the most sense for a Browns team that’s still technically built to win now. We saw them beat an excellent Ravens team the second Watson left. Will it hold up? Probably not, which is why you take the biggest riser of the CFB season.
6. New England Patriots (from New York Giants)
Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas
New England hops down a couple of spots and still gets their pick of offensive linemen. They take the left tackle from Texas, who, with a combination of size and power, should be the first OL off the board. New England would love to lock up their LT position to protect Maye, and a guy with the athletic upside of Banks would give you a good chance to do that.
7. New Orleans Saints
Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn St
New Orleans claims the first pass rusher off the board. Carter has started to piece his game together and looks like a scary prospect. He could end up going higher than this. Carter brings your typical Penn St EDGE traits, but he also brings some great length, great knowledge of the game, and some versatility. You could use him at 5-tech or as a coverage LB; that’s where he originates.
8. Las Vegas Raiders (from Jacksonville Jaguars)
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise St
I knew when I traded down with Vegas who I was going after. Jeanty is the definition of special. He’s the Heisman favourite because he’s single-handedly destroying defenses every week. Jeanty is the whole package. Speed, balance, burst, IQ, he’s not even playing behind that good of an OL. Of course, he’s not playing against all-star competition, but it doesn’t matter, to be honest. He’s a dream of an RB prospect. Adding Milroe or Ward seems much more unlikely than waiting until 2026 with a new HC to pick your guy for Vegas.
9. Miami Dolphins
Mason Graham, IDL, Michigan
The Miami defense has almost been as disappointing as the offense this year. One of the biggest reasons for that is the departure of Christian Wilkins. Mason Graham can be even better than Wilkins, although they aren’t similar players. Graham would bring a legit pass rush threat from that DE/3-tech position for Miami. Though I praise his pass rush, he’s still a solid run defender who continues to improve.
10. Seattle Seahawks (Trade with Indianapolis Colts)
James Pearce Jr, EDGE, Tennessee
The Hawks jump above Arizona and Dallas to select Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr. The Vol has a unique build that limits his destinations. Some teams may not care, but Pearce has a noticeably skinny frame. He desperately needs to gain around 15 pounds (preferably in muscle, obviously) because he will struggle with stronger athletic tackles in the NFL. Besides that, Pearce has good instincts and an excellent first step. There’s a lot to like there, and Pearce could be a future problem off the EDGE.
11. Dallas Cowboys
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Dallas’ offense needs an injection of something new and flashy; most importantly, he’s on a cheap rookie deal at an expensive position. Burden is an after-the-catch artist. Dallas could find extreme use in having a reliable but explosive threat on short, quick, and simple throws for Dak–especially come playoff time.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Trade with Arizona Cardinals
Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Ben Morrison would be a blast to watch in a Todd Bowles defense. Or any defense. That’s why I have Tampa trading up, mainly above Indianapolis, to land a guy with some nice length who plays like a veteran already. Morrison could help out a pretty bare unit that only has Zyon McCollum right now. He’s out for the year with a hip injury, so there’s a chance he may slip–but had he not gotten hurt, he was likely going to be a top 10 pick.
13.Indianapolis Colts (from Seattle Seahawks)
Malaki Starks, SAF, Georgia
Indianapolis would have liked to have added Morrison, but I traded down because I knew if I didn’t get him, I could still take this beast of a safety prospect. His biggest question is if he can hold up in the NFL because of his size and prior injuries. When focusing on Starks as a safety, he is an intelligent, athletic, shut-down DB. I know this is high praise but he is that good! The NFL, unfortunately, doesn’t value safety even though the elite ones are game-changers. Kyle Hamilton went a pick later than this; Kyle Hamilton was also my #1 player in 2022 so maybe I know my good safeties when I see them.
14. New York Jets
Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
The New York Rodgers will have no choice but to remain competitive over the next couple of years. They have committed to deals with Rodgers and Adams as well as others. The best direction I see to go is to add to a defense that has underperformed this year with another EDGE prospect. Scourton may be a third elite EDGE in this class, that could go much higher than this. He fits very well into the defense the Jets currently run, but who knows what it will look like next year. As a draft prospect, I like Scourton because he has the bull-in-a-china shop mentality. Combined with his violent nature, he has some pretty good athleticism. It isn’t on Carter or Pearce’s level, but it’s good enough to be a scary combination.
15. Arizona Cardinals (from Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
The Cardinals trade down and end up with a player they’re plenty happy to select. Walker fits like a glove with Jonathan Gannon and his defense. The Cardinals have elected to pass on previous fits with Gannon at the hybrid pass rush LB position, except Hasson Reddick and–well–Jalon Walker. Walker is listed at LB for many people. However, I believe if he doesn’t end up with Arizona (in this perfect role) he transitions to a full-time EDGE role with occasional dropbacks.
16. Minnesota Vikings (Trade with Los Angeles Rams)
I have a crazy proposal. Every other mock trade in this mock draft involves draft capital. Maybe a depth player in one or two. In this trade, I propose with the Rams and Minnesota-
Vikings Receive:
#16 Overall (2024)
Second Round (2025)
Rams Receive:
#24 Overall (2024)
JJ McCarthy, QB
Kenneth Grant, IDL, Michigan
Some of you may straight deny this idea and that’s ok. But the basic thought process is that the Vikings have potentially found their QB in Sam Darnold. This is a decision you would make after the season is over–and if by that point, Darnold has unravelled and you missed the playoffs, then no, you don’t trade JJ. However, based on how the Vikings have been so far this season, they seem to have found a quarterback with whom they can win games. Why risk moving away from that if it wins you a playoff game or two? (This could look very stupid even in a month or two.)
Anyway, let’s go to the actual selection itself of Kenneth Grant. The Michigan DT is a freak athlete despite his massive size. It’s just a classic case of a guy in the trenches who has every trait you could ask for in someone at his position–but he will heavily depend on the staff he goes to. In a place like Minnesota, with Brian Flores as his DC, it’s far from the worst environment to get the best out of a very promising draft pick.
17. Los Angeles Chargers (Trade with Denver Broncos)
Walter Nolen, DL, Texas A&M
Divisional trades; we’re seeing them more and more nowadays. The Chargers see Grant go off the board and look at the upcoming teams picking. So they trade up and select Walter Nolen, a former 5-star DL who was the #2 recruit in his class behind Travis Hunter. Nolen is a raw untapped project oozing potential. There’s a legit chance Jesse Minter isn’t even in LA next year because he’s a HC somewhere, but with or without Minter, Nolan is a quick but powerful piece to add to a barren IDL group for the Chargers.
18. Chicago Bears
Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
Chicago would like to add someone legit across from Sweat. Austin Booker is a nice project but is better off as a rotational 3rd EDGE, in my opinion. Mykel Williams boasts a much higher upside than the Jayhawk 4th rounder. Williams was hurt for a good chunk of the first half of the year, so he hasn’t had the games to stack on top of each other. Yet a team will 100% take the Bulldog in the first round. I love the thought of Mykel as a hand in the dirt EDGE with Sweat working the other side every week. Williams is (I know I sound like a broken record) a large athletic player with a ton of upside. What I want to see from Williams in the remainder of his college career here with Georgia is to start to attack linemen with more thought and care instead of just throwing himself at them.
19. Green Bay Packers (Trade with Cincinnati Bengals)
Shavon Revel, CB, ECU
Like Benjamin Morrison, the Eastern Carolina corner would be going earlier than this if not for his unfortunate season-ending ACL injury. It says something that I’m trading up for him despite it. Revel had a genuine chance to be ranked with the likes of Johnson and Morrison rather than being first up after them. Shavon is an aggressive tackler who is even better in coverage. Simply shut down in most phases; the injury is just incredibly unfortunate. If he can fully recover–he should make for an excellent CB.
20. Denver Broncos (from Los Angeles Chargers)
Will Campbell, OL, LSU
The Broncos gain some excess draft capital, something they haven’t had since 2021. In doing this, they also select LSU left tackle Will Campbell. There’s much discussion about whether he’s a tackle or a guard. I say, if his arms are too short to make it at tackle, find solace in him, probably being a pretty good guard, which is getting more and more valuable in today’s NFL. Ben Powers has struggled relative to expectations in Denver, so if Campbell can’t make it at tackle, he can swap 3 feet over.
21. Atlanta Falcons
LT Overton, EDGE, Alabama
The Falcons have been desperately in need of a premier EDGE talent for a while now, and to be honest, I have no idea why they’ve never addressed it. Overton is a versatile chess piece with a nice build. Raheem Morris would enjoy a fierce, aggressive pass rusher who could potentially give the Falcons an above-average front seven for the first time in a while.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
I see two opinions on Shedeur in most mock drafts. Either he’s a top-10 pick, or he’s not a first-rounder. I’m very room temperature on Sanders. He’s a solid QB prospect with a decently high floor and a modest ceiling. Mix that with the fact that Sanders is still immature from both a person and a leader-of-a-team perspective–he’s a fine middle to late first-round pick. Shedeur possesses a modest arm, developing accuracy, and some intriguing outside-the-pocket skills. I would love to see Sanders in Pittsburgh with Arthur Smith, George Pickens, and Mike Tomlin.
23. Washington Commanders
Aireontae Ersery, T, Minnesota
Washington takes a large human being from up north with Ersery. The Golden Gopher excels in the run game, and you’d love to see him out there on the run with Daniels. There’s no denying the potential behind Aireontae. He still has a decent way to go with his technique and pass protection. I also think he’s still figuring out how to use his size and power–which he does have a lot of–to his fullest advantage.
24. Los Angeles Rams (from Minnesota Vikings)
Cameron Williams, T, Texas
From the JJ McCarthy trade earlier, the Rams exit the night with their hopeful QB and a tackle of the future. Williams is another big riser from this college football season that is also just–big. Standing at 6’5, 335, Williams could be the future LT for a Rams team with many questions at both LT and RT. The Longhorn has a lot of good traits to start with as a rookie tackle, his main practice as of right now should focus on athletic training. If this guy were a bit more of a natural-born athlete–we’d be talking about him in the top 15. We may still end up doing so.
25. Houston Texans
Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
Tyler Booker is the top pure guard prospect in this class for me. Will Campbell may switch over, and he’d be a better guard than Booker. However, Booker is a raw piece of clay that would not have an immediate impact for Houston, but he could be a future superstar guard. Some label Booker as a potential switch-to-tackle target but I believe he’s purely a guard prospect. Booker has a solid starting skill set from a run-game perspective. He’s strong and aggressive with a very nice anchor. So, the skills to be a great pass protector are also there. He’s just still extremely raw and has to have better reaction time if he wants to make it at the next level. Also, just about anybody would be better than Kenyon Green, who’s just not panned out.
26. Cincinnati Bengals (from Green Bay Packers)
Omarion Hampton, RB, UNC
The Bengals follow suit with the Raiders in trading down for their RB1. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have been trying their best to keep an elite offense going despite their lowly running game. Omarion Hampton is my RB2 in this class right now; he is worth a first-rounder in my opinion. The UNC back is a scary man to tackle, not just because he’s a little speeding bullet, but because he has already learned how to really hit a gap. His hip and lower body control is incredible; he also reads gaps very well. Barring injury, this could be a gem of a pick for whoever takes him; he could also go much higher than this.
27. Buffalo Bills (Trade with Philadelphia Eagles)
Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
In this mock, I attempted to show off a variety of trades we see in the NFL draft. One of those weird trades we see almost every year is when two teams decide to just swap picks, even though they’re picking right next to each other. I imagine the way those trade calls go is essentially:
“Hey, we’re about to take Player A. We heard you liked him.”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll let you have him for a 6th this year and a 5th next year.”
[Natural GM arguing ensues for 30 seconds]
“Sounds good.”
(Most likely, Howie just wanted a couple of picks in this scenario and always was going to take someone else)
Of course, that’s very simplified, but that’s the offer Philadelphia gives Buffalo, which will allow them to land a recent big riser who shows some legitimate promise. I like his role in a Sean McDermott defense. He can rush the passer and drop back when needed; Donovan can defend the run decently despite his smaller frame. There’s something there that the Bills would feel fine taking a shot at with some ageing and subpar DEs.
28. Philadelphia Eagles (from Buffalo Bills)
Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas
Philadelphia gains a couple of picks and also selects an EDGE. They instead go with the 6’7, 280-pound Razorback EDGE. Jackson is a naturally gifted athlete with a very nice frame. Yet that frame has actually been his biggest downfall so far. His pad level is still too high, which was an issue last year. He’s also still raw from a technique perspective. Regardless, this won’t stop some team in the first round from taking a swing at Jackson; he’s still a versatile, big, high-intensity, interesting dart throw. The Eagles love to keep their DL stacked, so this makes sense.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (Trade with San Francisco 49ers)
Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
Last trade, I swear; this one displays a team saying to themselves, we could have a cheap WR for 4–hopefully 5–years. Isaiah Bond is a speedy boy who has some legit route-running skills. They’re nothing special, but they’re present and developing. He’s also electric to watch after the catch at times but could take his game to the next level by reaching for the ball sometimes. Could this be attributed to Quinn Ewers? You could debate it–Bond could still provide the Raiders with their new WR1. Tre Tucker, being your WR4, isn’t the worst place to be whatsoever. You don’t exit this draft with a QB. But you are creating an excellent surrounding situation for a 2026 QB. Arch Manning? Nico Iamaleava?
30. Baltimore Ravens
Wyatt Milum, T, West Virginia
I like this pick a lot. You address the tackle issue in Baltimore with a guy who’s perfect blocking for the run and on the move; the Ravens may have to trade up come April to land him. Milum is an athletic, aggressive hog with some technique and smaller details to fix before he should be a pretty solid RT for Baltimore. With Lamar Jackson playing so well, you’d figure the most important thing on the Ravens’ itinerary is to protect him. Milum is another player who could rise much higher come draft time, as he seems to be starting to take those next steps.
31. Detroit Lions
Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio St
The Aidan Hutchinson injury was crushing–plus the rest of the DE room, which is far from great. Jack Sawyer fits nicely here. A good build at 6’5 260 and has certainly received some good training and advice from Ohio St coaches. More often than not, they produce some pretty solid to elite players, so the Lions take the 9th EDGE off the board, which means more than ¼ of this mock’s picks were pass rushers–interesting. Sawyer has been ok in his time with the Buckeyes, I’m just hesitant with both Jack and JT Tuimoloau because both have yet to figure it out, to put it simply. Sawyer is my preferred of the two because I think he’s got a much more likely chance to be a legitimate starter in the NFL. His football intellect shines through because he does have the athletic ability to make plays; Detroit could hit a good player.
32. Kansas City Chiefs
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio St
Our last pick, the projected Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (eye-roll), takes WR in the first back-to-back years. Emeka is a gadget player, but there’s a safe floor with him. At the very worst, he’s a good slot option for a team that sorely needs more competent WRs; at best, he’s a genuine WR2, and the Chiefs are very happy with their receiving core. That’s–frightening. Emeka will never be a #1 because he doesn’t have the explosiveness nor the receiving skills to just will his way to receptions. Emeka is a fantastic route runner, though (as per Ohio St rules), and with a quarterback like Mahomes, who can wreak havoc in the short game, KC will take it.
Julian Cordova
NFL Draft Contributor
You can read more of Julian’s work over at his twitter handle @JayinCee05 and his youtube channel youtube.com/scuproductions.
