NFL 2025 draft predictions: the stars, the needs and the lower-round gems

The Guardian

24-04-2025

Travis Hunter, CB/WR. Any team picking No 1 overall needs a quarterback. And Cam Ward is the top quarterback prospect in the class. But the No 1 pick should be Hunter, the electrifying hybrid corner/receiver. Whether he can play both ways in the league is an open question, but wherever he lines up, Hunter will be a gamechanger at a premium position. OC
Travis Hunter. I am not entirely sold on any of the quarterbacks in this class, so that's that out the window. Instead, I would easily and happily turn the card in on football's version of Babe Ruth or Shohei Ohtani: a guy who can play two crucial positions – cornerback and wide receiver – at an insanely high level. My comp for Hunter as a receiver is DeAndre Hopkins; my comp for him as a cornerback is Darius Slay. Think about how unprecedented that is in football history, and make the move. DF
Cam Ward, QB. This is the NFL draft, people. You get the top pick, you draft the best quarterback on the board – and this year they don't come better than 6ft 2in, 219lb University of Miami senior, a Davey O'Brien award winner (for the nation's top college QB) and Heisman Trophy finalist. It's not just about stats with him; it's the utter nonchalance with which he piles them up. AL
Abdul Carter, Edge. The chance to add an edge defender who draws comparisons to Micah Parsons is a phenomenal opportunity to transform Tennessee's defense. The Titans should rethink their strategy at quarterback, and possibly wait to pick a new offensive cornerstone from next year's richer talent pool while they have the chance to give their limp pass rush a huge boost. GS
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado. There is draft fatigue with Sanders. Jaxson Dart is bigger and stronger. Tyler Shough played in a more pro-ready system. Jalen Milroe is an athletic phenom, albeit one with serious accuracy issues. Sanders, by contrast, is a slight, point-guard-like QB who played in a wonky offense at Colorado. There is more Brock Purdy to his game than those who typically top the league's MVP charts; Sanders will have to rely on smarts and timing to distribute the ball to playmakers rather than taking over games on his own. Still, Sanders has the makeup to be a solid starter in the right system. OC
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss. Much like Oregon's Bo Nix last year, Dart is being unfairly maligned for not succeeding in a pro-conversant system (untrue), but the route concepts are there. Dart led the FBS in touchdown passes of 20 or more air yards with 17, he's efficient under pressure, he's a very good runner, and he sees the field estimably at his best. With a few mechanical fixes, Dart has NFL starting potential. DF
Shedeur Sanders. As I wrote, the scouts have the wrong idea about him. Set his luxury accessories aside, and what you're left with is a QB who was privy to some of the game's best tutors – not least the hall of fame cornerback he calls Dad – and made the grade while turning around two stagnant programs. With Sanders falling down draft boards as the big day approaches, someone's in for a bargain. AL
Jaxson Dart. Reliability, accuracy at all levels and unflappability are key traits in the Ole Miss quarterback's back pocket. Handily for certain head coaches, Dart's processing of the field stood out among his rivals in the past two seasons. He gets the ball where it needs to be regardless of the defensive look. GS
He should try! Hunter is a once-in-a-franchise type player who can be the cornerstone of an offense or defense. Playing both ways in the league, physically and mentally, may be too big an ask. But he's done it his entire career, and should be given a shot to see if he can break the mold. If he's forced to play one side, receiver is probably where he will land. OC
It depends on your definition of 'two-way.' Richard Sherman and Dick LeBeau, both of whom know a great deal more about football than I do, have told me independently that they see Hunter's ideal NFL path as a primary cornerback with secondary receiver reps. That's similar to what Deion Sanders, his college coach, did with the Dallas Cowboys in 1996. But Hunter will be more valuable to his team as a defender. DF
Why not? The NFL grind is a whole lot tougher than college. Even aside from the physical aspect, the prospect of having to attend twice the number of daily meetings would do anyone's head in, regardless of the industry. But if Hunter has the patience to sit through all that and stamina left for double the practice snaps, why deny him his Sunday rewards? AL
Definitely. The NFL needs a shot in the arm to shut down the asinine narrative that the sport is scripted by the higher ups. Hunter showing up on both sides of the ball would be a very welcome distraction from the whining. GS
Pass rushers. Whether you're looking for edge defenders or interior, upfield rushers, the draft is flooded. There are roughly 50 pass rushers, inside and on the edge, who should be drafted this year, an uncommon amount of depth at a pair of essential positions. If the Eagles' Super Bowl victory reminded teams of anything, it was that the smoothest path to contention is an overwhelming four-man pass rush. This year, those players will fly off the board early and often. OC
Anyone needing an interior defensive lineman. It's not just the quantity and the quality of this interior defensive line class – which is the best I've seen in a very long time. It's also the variety of talent, which perfectly matches what NFL defensive coaches want to do with their defensive fronts. Multi-gap disruption is the way to go, and you can get everything from twitchy athletic movers to 340-pound brick buildings capable of not only soaking up double teams, but also jumping a gap or two with shocking agility. DF
The O-line. Teams looking to fix or bolster their protection have plenty of solid options to choose from. At offensive tackle alone, you've got LSU's Will Campbell (a fierce run blocker), Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr (an agile pass protector who can play guard as well) and Ohio State's Josh Simmons (an extraordinarily effective obstacle who anchored the Buckeyes' national title-winning team). AL
The draft as spectacle. The decision to take the show to Lambeau Field will bring a welcome grounding in history for the megachurch of hype. Green Bay's charm will be front and centre with the town revelling in its moment in the spotlight. It's a huge long shot, but maybe it's a warmup for eventually hosting a Super Bowl? GS
The New York Giants. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are walking into draft night on the hot seat, and desperation forces teams to do strange things. The duo must come up with a viable long-term answer at quarterback, and they have plenty of holes to plug elsewhere too. Fortunately, they are in an ideal spot to move around the board to shore up concerns along their offensive and defensive lines and take a swing at a project quarterback. But if they can't unearth a handful of starters, they will be looking for new jobs by the new year. OC
The San Francisco 49ers. For the second time in the John Lynch/Kyle Shanahan era (which began in 2017), the 49ers have cleaned out the cupboards in a personnel sense with a refit in mind. The last time they did so was 2021, and they managed to rebuild pretty impressively. Now, it's time to replace all the guys they've cast aside, and the good news is that they have 11 picks in the 2025 draft (including four in the top 100) with which to do so. The bad news is that if a high rate of those picks don't hit, it could be a tough season for a franchise that has Super Bowl expectations as the default. DF
The New England Patriots. They know they've got a franchise quarterback in Drake Maye and now they've got Mike Vrabel back to reinstitute the Patriot Way. The young Patriots showed flashes of potential last year and are poised for a big leap in 2025 if they can just add on a few more playmakers. (They'll get nine cracks to try in this year's draft.) AL
The New Orleans Saints. They have to draft well to give their new head coach, Kellen Moore, a shot at success. A fresh running back to eventually replace Alvin Kamara, now in his ninth season, a receiver and an offensive lineman are all spots needing attention. Failure to provide Moore with the right tools would be very disappointing for an already frustrated fanbase. GS
Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota. In a weak cornerback class, Walley could be the steal of the draft. He is currently No 224 on the consensus board, but will make a team happy if he lasts until day three. Whalley is a tough, physical, experienced cornerback who is as smart and aggressive as any of the top corners this season. He is a high-IQ player who has thrived in every form of technique and coverage, a level of versatility lacking elsewhere in this class. Walley lacks prototypical size, but he does the little things that teams covet in starting corners. OC
Willie Lampkin, center, North Carolina. I have no idea what NFL teams think of Lampkin, and it may be that those same teams aren't so sure, either. What I do know is that at 5ft 11in and 279lb, Lampkin was a stellar right guard for North Carolina last season – he'll be a center in the NFL, because his lack of size is less of an issue. Lampkin is light on his feet when pass-protecting, and of all the offensive line prospects I've studied this year, nobody else physically displaced more opponents than Lampkin did. Someone will really have to bet on the tape over the measurables here. In Lampkin's case, the tape reveals a player who is worth the risk. DF
Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville. Pronounced shuck (like corn), Shough is 25, recently married and started his college career at Oregon backing up Justin Herbert – the Los Angeles Chargers' sixth-year starter. The major red flag with him is his injury history: he's broken his left leg and his collarbone twice. (A minor red flag is this air-mailed pass attempt he made at the combine that has unfortunately gone viral.) Throughout, he's shown an uncanny knack for bouncing back with strong performances. In the right system and fitness regimen, Shough could be a star. Coming out of high school, he was a sought-after recruit behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. AL
Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State. He thrilled for the Sun Devils to such an extent he entered the Heisman conversation last season when he racked up 1,711 rushing yards and 605 receiving from 13 games, yet he's projected to land somewhere in the fourth round. He is only 5ft 9in and his 40-yard dash time of 4.65 seconds from a private workout is dead last when compared to other rushers at the combine. However, the tape shows a faster 'game speed' for Skattebo. His low center of gravity allows him to stay balanced when hit to help churn for heaps of extra yardage after contact. GS
The Los Angeles Rams completely remade their defense with last season's haul. They doubled down on their defensive front by grabbing Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. They also added plenty of supplementary pieces, too. Safety Kam Kinchens and linebacker Omar Speights helped solidify the spine of a young group. The Rams squeezed out 7,649 snaps from their rookies, by far the fattest mark in the league. They landed an impact piece (Verse), three solid starters (Fiske, Kinchens and Speights) and complementary depth pieces. For a team that has consistently bailed on the draft, it's hard to do better than that. OC
The Washington Commanders. Yes, it helps when you lead with the second overall pick in a draft with Jayden Daniels, who may have had the greatest rookie quarterback season ever. But Daniels wasn't the only rookie who helped the Commanders move from 4-13 in 2023 to 12-5 and an NFC Championship game berth in 2024. Michigan's Mike Sainristil was a slot-only cornerback at Michigan, but the second-rounder became by far the team's best outside cornerback when the need arose. There's a lot of depth as well, especially second-round interior defensive lineman Jer'Zhan 'Johnny' Newton, who started to come on late in the season when healthy. DF
The Arizona Cardinals certainly made the most of their draft-leading 12 picks last year. Marvin Harrison Jr immediately boosted the Cardinals' receiving corps and became Kyler Murray's go-to guy. Darius Robinson was a solid addition to the defensive line. Max Melton, the fourth player ever to be drafted from Rutgers, had a quietly good first year in the Cardinals defensive secondary. And Dadrion Taylor-Demerson turned out to be an impressive playmaker at safety after Arizona scooped him up in the fourth round from Texas Tech. It all came together in a year that saw the Cardinals go from four wins in 2023 to doubling that and playing teams close all season – especially those in their division. AL
The Los Angeles Rams. Teams can spend years in the wilderness trying to fill the hole left by a retired legend. The Rams just needed a month by the pool to find the right answers in Verse and Fiske. The former claimed defensive rookie of the year honours and the latter led the team in sacks with 8.5. Succession planning par excellence. GS
1) Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2) Cleveland Browns, Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
3) New York Giants, Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
4) New England Patriots, Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
5) Jacksonville Jaguars, Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
6) Las Vegas Raiders, Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
7) New York Jets, Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
8) Carolina Panthers, Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia
9) New Orleans Saints, Will Campbell, OT, LSU
10) Chicago Bears, Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan OC
----
1) Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2) Cleveland Browns, Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
3) New York Giants, Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
4) New England Patriots, Will Campbell, OT, LSU
5) Jacksonville Jaguars, Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
6) Las Vegas Raiders, Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
7) New York Jets, Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
8) Carolina Panthers, Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
9) New Orleans Saints, Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
10) Chicago Bears, Mike Green, Edge, Marshall DF
----
1) Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2) Cleveland Browns, Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
3) New York Giants, Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
4) New England Patriots, Will Campbell, OT, LSU
5) Las Vegas Raiders, Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
6) Carolina Panthers, Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
7) Jacksonville Jaguars, Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
8) New York Jets, Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas
9) Chicago Bears, Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
10) New Orleans Saints, Mike Green, Edge, Marshall AL
----
1) Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2) Cleveland Browns, Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
3) New York Giants, Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
4) New England Patriots, Abdul Carter, edge, Penn State
5) Jacksonville Jaguars, Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
6) Las Vegas Raiders, Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
7) New York Jets, Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
8) Carolina Panthers, Jalon Walker, Edge, Georgia
9) New Orleans Saints, Will Campbell, offensive tackle, LSU
10) Chicago Bears, Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina GS
----
* This is what our writers think the order will be, rather than what they think it should be.