There’s been plenty enough football played so far in the 2024 season to have an idea which players are working their way into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) has compiled a complete first-round mock draft based on the production of players so far and how they’ve graded on film, as well as team needs in the NFL. The result is an excellent assessment of what the first round might look like.
Today, On3 breaks down the PFF first-round mock draft. We begin below.
Ward is coming off his quietest game of the season, the first game all year in which he hasn’t accounted for a touchdown. Still, he’s been remarkably consistent all year long for the Hurricanes, who are unbeaten and pushing for a College Football Playoff spot.
The gunslinger quarterback makes the occasional mistake trying to do too much but is otherwise an excellent playmaker. It’s his leadership traits that could help him go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, as Ward sometimes single-handedly wills his team to victory.
The Colorado quarterback has helped elevate a team that was atrocious just two years ago, and it’s hard to understate just how impressive that is. Or how important it is for an NFL franchise hoping to do the same.
Sanders has thrown for 2,591 yards and 21 touchdowns, against just six interceptions this season. He’s also rushed for three touchdowns. And while his rushing numbers aren’t crazy, they also don’t quite do justice to how good Sanders is at eluding pressure in the pocket and extending plays. He’s elite in that regard.
The Arizona receiver has pretty consistently chunked out yardage, and he’s coming off his best game since an absolutely monster 304-yard, four-touchdown performance in the season opener. This week he logged 10 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown.
McMillan possesses great size at 6 foot 5, 212 pounds. But he’s also quite adept at making the explosive play with that size, a rare combination that vaults him to the top of the board at receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft.
PFF notes that one of the big needs for the New York Jets is shoring up the interior of the defensive line next to Quinnen Williams. Graham could certainly fill that role.
The powerful interior presence has been a major difference-maker for Michigan this fall. Through seven games, Graham has recorded 30 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a blocked kick.
A shoulder injury briefly impacted the best two-way player in the game, but Hunter put it behind him in a hurry this week in arguably his best game yet. He logged nine catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while breaking up four passes and recording two tackles on defense.
That kind of ability is what has NFL scouts drooling over his potential. Even if he doesn’t play both ways at the next level, Hunter’s knowledge of how to do so should give him a significant leg up from an Xs and Os standpoint. And he certainly has the skill and athleticism to be elite on either side.
PFF notes that New Orleans’ chief problem is not having a healthy Derek Carr. But right next to that is not getting enough production along the defensive line. Scourton could help with that.
The former Purdue standout has proven a jump up to the SEC has been no issue, as his productivity has only continued. Scourton has 23 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, 5.0 sacks, four quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a forced fumble through eight games this season.
One of the most dynamic athletes in the country regardless of position, Milroe’s potential might simply be too good to pass up in the early stages of the 2025 NFL Draft. He still needs polishing as a passer, but the ability to extend plays and hurt defenses with his legs is killer.
Milroe has thrown for 1,937 yards and 13 touchdowns, against six interceptions so far this year. He’s also run for 380 yards and 12 touchdowns, displaying that ability that makes him very unique.
After McMillan comes off the board in the top five, teams will be looking for the next quality pick in the 2025 NFL Draft at receiver. Burden is bound to be the guy, as PFF sees it.
He has proven he can be used in multiple creative ways, evidenced this season by his 105 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just seven attempts. He also has 40 catches for 450 yards and four touchdowns to boot.
There are a number of quality candidates to be the first offensive tackle taken in this year’s draft, but Banks might just be the best. He’s playing on a Texas line that has blocked as well as anyone in the country.
Going into the season, Banks had played and started in 34 games already. So by the end of this season he’s going to have some of the most starting experience in the country. That matters, particularly when you’re going to be asked to slide in right away as a first-round pick.
The fourth quarterback projected off the board in the top 10 of the 2025 NFL Draft by PFF, Nussmeier has proven his mettle this season for LSU. He hasn’t been perfect — he’s coming off a three-interception game — but he’s been able to stand in there when the going gets tough and still deliver strikes.
Nussmeier has accounted for 2,627 yards passing and 20 touchdowns this season, albeit against nine interceptions. He’s also run for three scores, though running is definitely not his strength.
11. Cincinnati Bengals: EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
12. Dallas Cowboys: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
13. Los Angeles Rams: CB Will Johnson, Michigan
14. Indianapolis Colts: S Malaki Starks, Georgia
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: EDGE James Pearce, Tennessee
16. Seattle Seahawks: OT Will Campbell, LSU
17. San Francisco 49ers: OT Cameron Williams, Texas
18. Chicago Bears: OT Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
19. Arizona Cardinals: DL Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee
20. Los Angeles Chargers: DL Kenneth Grant, Michigan
21. Denver Broncos: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
22. Atlanta Falcons: EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia
23. Baltimore Ravens: CB Shavon Revel, East Carolina
24. Philadelphia Eagles: EDGE Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
25. Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Isaiah Bond, Texas
26. Minnesota Vikings: CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
27. Buffalo Bills: DL Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
28. Green Bay Packers: DL Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
29. Washington Commanders: OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
30. Houston Texans: OG Tate Ratledge, Georgia
31. Detroit Lions: EDGE LT Overton, Alabama
32. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
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