Sean Payton, Browns, too many RBs: Predictions for the 2025 NFL Draft

All the mock drafts fit to publish and many thousands that weren’t will be put to bed Thursday night when the pundits step aside and the 2025 NFL Draft is overtaken by the professional general managers and owners with actual money.

Ahead of the opening round of the draft kicking off in Green Bay, we’re taking one last swing at a few predictions.

–Bold moves, and trades, define first round

Phones are ringing, and if there’s a deal to be had, the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are our picks to pounce.

Consider Sean Payton’s history: Who has ever loved an electric “special package” player more than this guy? The Broncos head coach already stands enamored with Travis Hunter’s football wiring, and no doubt they’ve spent time trying to engineer a way to get him the ball in the open field as a receiver and use him as a No. 2 cover man to All-Pro Patrick Surtain II.

Payton lives for a matchups advantage — he’s chess more than checkers — and that pursuit would span beyond trying to keep Colorado product Hunter in the state for his pro career. A dynamic running back (Ashton Jeanty), versatile tight end (Tyler Warren) or exceptionally athletic offensive lineman (Missouri’s Armand Membou) all seem to be fits for Payton’s aggressive draft-day thinking and in-season play-calling approach.

The Eagles are constantly in pursuit of playmakers and have never met a Georgia product they don’t like. Safety Malaki Starks and edge Jalon Walker are potential targets for Philly.

Some suspect Jerry Jones is set to swap picks in Dallas for 30-year-old cornerback Jalen Ramsey (Dolphins). And who can blame the Dolphins for targeting the front office with a serious history of overpaying in trades? Jeanty, an elite offensive tackle or a number of front four options would make more sense for the Cowboys.

–Four first-round running backs

Boise State’s Jeanty won’t last long, and the consensus opinion on who might be the next player drafted at the position splits North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and TreVeyon Henderson of Ohio State.

Opinions vary on whether running backs are, in fact, back in vogue following Saquon Barkley’s wrecking-ball season for the Super Bowl champion Eagles. But a season after Christian McCaffrey cleared 2,000 yards from scrimmage, the evidence is pretty clear what a Grade A bell-cow can do for you. Isn’t that right, Baltimore Ravens (Derrick Henry)?

The 2018 draft flirted with four first-round RBs. Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns) was fourth off the board at No. 35. Rashaad Penny (27, Seattle Seahawks) and Sony Michel (31, New England Patriots) were picked after Barkley went No. 2 in the first round. And the fourth back picked in 2010 (Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs) went No. 36.

For the 2025 class to get a four-pack RB, a needy team prioritizing power might push for Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State) or roll the dice on Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson.

–Michigan defenders fall out of top 10

Michigan DT Mason Graham was projected as high as No. 3 overall in prime mock draft season. His performance as a hyperactive three-technique interior defensive lineman isn’t a question, but there are teams not entirely convinced he’ll replicate his All-America-level billing in the NFL because of fluctuating weight and shorter-than-ideal arm length. There are plenty of prospects who went on to All-Pro careers after shaking the too-small label — Aaron Donald, anyone? — but his draft slot — No. 13 in 2014 — is a more accurate measure of where Graham could go.

Cornerback Will Johnson could easily be gone before Graham in a scenario not surfaced by many draft pundits.

He’s a target of the 49ers at No. 11, but if a premium pass rusher is surprisingly around at this spot, GM John Lynch has shown he values line play over all else.

–Cleveland Browns get their quarterback. And he turns 37 in August.

If you don’t remember the 2012 NFL Draft, let us share some history about the Browns. When it became clear 2007 first-round pick Brady Quinn couldn’t hold his water, Cleveland spent a first-round pick on the oldest player ever drafted, 28-year-old Oklahoma State redhead quarterback Brandon Weeden. That came just a couple of years before the Browns invested a first-round pick on Johnny Football (No. 22 overall, 2014), which preceded the time they gave up on 2018 No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield to forever change the franchise fortunes at the position. But instead they acquired Deshaun Watson and parted with a Honda Civic full of first-round picks in a trade with the Houston Texans.

So as Tim Couch (Browns’ No. 1 overall pick, 1999) approaches his 48th birthday, we’re rejecting the idea of a reviving the old-man QB draft thoughts the Browns might have about trading into the 20-26 draft-pick range for Louisville QB Tyler Shough — he turns 26 in September — for something in the next aisle.

Kirk Cousins surprised the Falcons by showing up for voluntary workouts this week, but he won’t be around for a full season as a backup in Atlanta. Yes, Cousins is richly compensated. Yes, he has a history of bowing out of the playoffs. And, of course, he’s 36 and less than two years removed from Achilles surgery.

This is a no-cost reminder the alternatives already on the roster are Joe Flacco (40) and Kenny Pickett (third team in 13 months and the QB-less Steelers punted him).

Unwilling to risk waiving his no-trade clause only to have another team promise him the future then draft his heir apparent, Cousins can sign off on a trade to Cleveland by Friday night. He is familiar with head coach Kevin Stefanski from their overlap with the Minnesota Vikings. With any luck, he’ll still have the Browns in contention on Weeden’s 42nd birthday (Oct. 14).

–Field Level Media