The NFL Combine is officially in the books!
Who were some of the biggest risers and fallers from last weekend’s showcase in Indianapolis? Will Abdul Carter’s foot injury cause him to fall down the board a bit?
Let’s run through our latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft with the Combine now behind us.
What Tennessee will do with this pick remains the biggest story of the draft thus far. Will they take a quarterback? Will they trade back? Will they take a “generational” talent like Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter? Carter’s revealed foot injury at the Combine caused a brief worry, but with doctors saying he won’t need surgery, I don’t think he’ll fall down the board just yet. If he has a poor showing at his pro day, then maybe he does. But right now I still think he’s the best player in this draft.
With Deshaun Watson suffering another Achilles tear, Cleveland will likely take a shot on a quarterback here. I wouldn’t be stunned if, at some point in the process, another QB starts climbing draft boards, but as of now, it seems like the clear top two are Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. Whichever remains on the board at No. 2 is probably the pick for the Browns.
While the Giants didn’t land their quarterback in a trade at the Combine, it does sound like they’re looking for a veteran starter as opposed to rolling the dice on a QB in the draft. If that’s the case, I don’t think they let Travis Hunter get by them in this spot.
The Pats most certainly need to add some help for Drake Maye, but they also need to protect him. While Travis Hunter is still on the board and has some insane talent, Mike Vrabel feels like the type of coach who knows that building a football team has to start in the trenches. Could they opt for Hunter here? Absolutely. But investing in protection for their second-year quarterback feels like a very realistic, if not likely option.
I was hopeful that Mason Graham might fall to the Bears earlier in this process, but I think the closer we get to draft day, the more he will climb boards and probably not fall out of the top 5-7 picks. He’s an elite interior DL prospect, and Jacksonville needs a lot of help in that area.
Vegas needs a quarterback, and while I still wouldn’t be stunned if they added a veteran as well, I think they take a shot on Shedeur Sanders here. The Raiders have a few other needs and are far from a complete roster, but if given the opportunity to take one of the top two quarterbacks in this draft I think they would jump at it.
Membou had been rising up draft boards leading up to the NFL Combine, but after a very good performance over the weekend, I think that he’s going to continue to climb. The Jets can use another tackle, and picking Membou would set them up with two young anchors on either side. There are a few different routes they can take, but I would think they keep building in the trenches.
I feel like we might get a better sense of where Carolina will go with this pick after the combine this weekend. I do think it will ultimately end up being whichever edge rusher they like best. Could it be the high-ceiling and elite traits of James Pearce Jr? That’s certainly possible. Jalon Walker also feels like a very realistic selection here. He can get after the quarterback, but also line up in several different spots in the front seven and give the Panthers some options.
I thought James Pearce Jr. would be the EDGE that stood out most in Indy, but Shemar Stewart turned heads with his performance and I think he’s going to make his way up draft boards in a hurry. Stewart has all the measurable and is a freak athlete, but he recorded only 1.5 sacks in each of his three years with Texas A&M. Personally, the lack of production would be a red flag, but the traits are off the charts and teams fall in love with traits every year.
This pick is still a tough one to project. Obviously, we know the Bears need quite a bit of help on the offensive line, and honestly I wouldn’t rule out Tyler Booker here just yet. However, I also think they’ll be very aggressive there in free agency. If they add two or three potential starters, they could easily opt for an edge rusher here. James Pearce Jr.’s high ceiling playing opposite Montez Sweat could be a very tempting combination for Chicago to explore.
With the top two offensive linemen off the board and the depth at EDGE being what it is in this Draft, I could see the Niners grabbing McMillan if he falls here. Deebo Samuel is now in Washington. Brandon Aiyuk is coming off a brutal knee injury. Christian McCaffrey couldn’t stay healthy. The 49ers need weapons on offense, and McMillan could end up being the best one in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Dallas has more significant needs than a running back, but as we’ve seen this year, the right one can make a huge difference. Jeanty is an excellent running back, and he’s probably the best player available at this point. It seems like most mock drafts are making this connection, but that’s for a good reason. Dallas has a ton of holes in their roster that need filling. Having said that, the Cowboys’ ground attack has been brutal this year, and Jeanty can help.
Miami needs to fill out both sides of its line of scrimmage. They need to get meanier, nastier, and tougher in the trenches. Kenneth Grant exudes all of those characteristics and can instantly upgrade a Dolphins defensive line that needs help, especially on the interior.
The Colts have a big need in the secondary, and they could go that route with Malaki Starks or Benjamin Morrison here. However, they need to surround Anthony Richardson with as much help as possible and Tyler Warren can be just that. He can be a Swiss Army Knife for the Colts offense and help out in so many different ways. He’s an incredible playmaker and could be exactly the type of player Anthony Richardson needs.
After Green’s dominant Senior Bowl performance and career at Marshall, I think he’s going to skyrocket up draft boards. Drafting a player this high from a Group of 5 school can be a risk, but Green did exactly what you’d want a player to do against lesser competition — dominate. He had 17 sacks last year as a redshirt sophomore and had 4.5 as a freshman. Atlanta needs help getting to the quarterback, and Green did that in a big way last year.
The Cardinals will undoubtedly be looking to boost their defense, and Campbell can play on the edge or off the ball and be incredibly productive. He’s insanely explosive and has some freak-athlete traits, and I think he’ll be a quick riser as we get closer to April. The NFL Combine this weekend could be a jump-start to that rise.
The Bengals defense was a s**t show this season, and that’s putting it kindly. They got an MVP-type effort from Joe Burrow but still missed the playoffs. They need to address that side of the ball in a big way. They could go multiple routes here, both along the defensive line or in the secondary, but Will Johnson falling to them here would be a huge steal.
Seattle needs help along the O-Line and if Banks fell here, he could end up being a steal for them. Kelvin Banks Jr. is an interesting prospect to track in this year’s draft, and it seems like he has a very wide range of where he could end up. Some see him as the top offensive lineman in the draft, while others have 3-4 players ahead of him at his position. If he were a top-five pick I wouldn’t be stunned, and if he fell to the Seahawks at 18 that wouldn’t shock me either.
The Bucs have a few different routes they can take with this draft pick, including a potential trade-back. They could certainly stand to add a cornerback, but they also need help getting to the quarterback. Mykel Williams can help bolster the Bucs’ front seven, and his strong play against the run helps bump up his floor quite a bit.
While I certainly think Sean Payton could draft a tight end or receiver here to help out Bo Nix, if a player as skilled as Malaki Starks were to fall here I think Payton grabs him. He knows how valuable a playmaking safety can be for a defense, and this would be great value for Denver in the back half of the first round.
This would be a little out-of-character pick for Pittsburgh, which usually likes to build from the inside out. However, Luther Burden III had an outstanding career at Missouri and is a big play waiting to happen. He can come in on day one, significantly impact the Steelers’ offense, and be a weapon for whoever is playing QB in the Steel City next season.
The Chargers could use help along the edge, but they also need to add a few more weapons for their quarterback. Jim Harbaugh loves having a go-to tight end option, and Loveland is one he knows well from their days at Michigan. If he’s on the board here, this feels like a perfect match.
Barron had a phenomenal performance at the NFL Combine, and quite honestly if he’s climbing up the draft board even further than this spot come April I wouldn’t be surprised. The Packers have a need in the secondary, and Barron is a bit of a Swiss Army Knife in terms of how he can be deployed.
I’m sure the Vikings would have loved to have gotten their hands on Jahdae Barron, but with him off the board I wouldn’t be shocked to see them pivot for a DL like Walter Nolen. To win in the NFC North you have to be stout up the middle, and Nolen can help them bolster that part of their defense.
Houston’s interior offensive line was one of their biggest issues this season, and that issue came back to bite them against the Chiefs in the Divisional Round. If Tyler Booker is here at 25th Overall, he feels like a perfect fit in Houston.
The Rams need to add to their offensive line this offseason, and Simmons is an option that can pay off in a big way. He was seen as the top tackle in this draft by some before the season, but a season-ending knee injury cost him the campaign. If he’s healthy, he can be a home run selection late in the first round.
The Ravens are likely to let veteran tackle Ronnie Stanley walk in free agency, which creates a void for them on their offensive line. They could go the EDGE route as well, but with this being a pretty deep draft at that position I could certainly see them grabbing their favorite tackle remaining at 27th overall.
This pick feels like it will be used on whichever edge rusher Detroit has at the top of their board. I mentioned Nic Scourton earlier, and while he might not possess the elite traits some of the edge rushers in this draft have, he’s incredibly solid and has a high motor and effort level to go around with an all-around skill set. His ability to play both the run and the pass would go well on the opposite side of Aidan Hutchinson in Detroit.
With Jonathan Allen rumored to be on the trading block, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Commanders try to beef up their defensive line. Harmon has all the measurables you could want in a defensive tackle, and after a strong Combine performance I think we’ll see him go in the first round.
The Bills were one of the most fun teams in the NFL this season, however, if there’s a spot to get them it’s their run defense and ability in the defensive trenches. Their losses this season have highlighted some needs on defense, namely up the middle. Alexander is quickly rising up draft boards, and his Combine performance will only expedite that process. He can come in and provide some help there right away in a spot Buffalo needs it.
While the Chiefs don’t have many holes, adding a tackle would be one of the few to address. Their tackles were dominated by Philly’s defensive line in the Super Bowl. They will need to do a little bit better job protecting Patrick Mahomes. Ersery might need a little development, but there’s no better place to develop than Kansas City.
This pick likely will depend on which players the Eagles re-sign and who they lose to free agency. As it stands now, offensive lineman Mekhi Becton could be one of those players who hits it big as a free agent, so drafting his replacement here with a versatile rookie would seem pretty logical. Zabel played tackle in college and got reps as a center at the Senior Bowl. He can play any position along the OL and does it with a very physical and aggressive style.
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