5 bold predictions for the 2025 NFL Draft, plus best bets for the first round and a final mock draft

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

It’s finally here! The 90th annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting is upon us. Sure, most people call it the NFL Draft, but I’m a purist, so I’m going to call it by its formal name. 

Actually, I just realized that writing out “National Football League Player Selection Meeting” for the entirety of today’s newsletter will add roughly three extra hours of work for me, so let’s just go with NFL Draft. 

With the draft just hours away, we’re going all draft in the newsletter: We’ve got our final mock draft, we’ve got some bold predictions and we’re going to give you some best bets. 

By the way, if your first question about the draft is, “How do I watch?” We went ahead and answered that question here. (It kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network). Also, if you’re hosting a draft party, remember to serve at least four difference kinds of cheese as a nod to the fact that the draft is in Green Bay. 

If you’re feeling slightly OCD today and want to keep track of the entire draft order from pick 1 to pick 257, you can do that by heading to our draft tracker here. If you want to check out all the draft coverage we’ve produced this offseason at CBS Sports, feel free to click here. We’ve also got Jonathan Jones‘ final insider notebook with the latest news rumors about the draft, which you can see here. 

As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. 

1. Ryan Wilson’s final mock draft

Ryan Wilson has done so many mock drafts this offseason that I’ve completely lost count of how many he’s done. If he told me the number was 700, I would believe it. I mean, I’m 90% sure Wilson hasn’t seen his family in three months. 

The good news for Wilson (and his family) is that they might actually get to hang out some point soon and that’s because Ryan just completed his final 2025 mock draft. 

With that in mind, let’s check out the top-15 picks in Wilson’s final mock: 

1. Titans: QB Cam Ward (Miami)
2. Browns: WR/CB Travis Hunter (Colorado) 
3. Giants: EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State) 
4. Patriots: OT Will Campbell (LSU)
5. Jaguars: WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona)
6. Raiders: OL Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas)
7. Jets: TE Tyler Warren (Penn State)
8. Panthers: EDGE Jalon Walker (Georgia)
9. Saints: EDGE Mykel Williams (Georgia)
10. Bears: RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
11. 49ers: DL Mason Graham (Michigan) 
12. Cowboys: WR Matthew Golden (Texas)
13. Dolphins: DL Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)
14. Colts: TE Colston Loveland (Michigan) 
15. Falcons: EDGE Mike Green (Marshall)

If you want to see how the rest of the first-round plays out and, trust me, you do, then you’re going to want to click here. If you feel like Ryan Wilson hates your favorite team and you’d rather read someone else’s mock draft, then you can click here to check out Pete Prisco’s final mock. We also have Mike Renner’s final mock draft, which includes the COWBOYS trading into the top five, and you can see his full mock here. 

For full draft coverage over the next three days, be sure to listen to Wilson on “With the First Pick,” our year-round NFL Draft podcast here at CBS Sports.

2. Bold predictions for the NFL Draft

During the NFL season, we make bold predictions every week, so we’re bringing those back for the draft. CBS Sports NFL Draft guru Chris Trapasso has five bold predictions for the draft and we’re going to check out three of them below. 

1. Bears trade up for Ashton Jeanty. “Ben Johnson apparently loves running backs. Or, I guess, he loved designing plays that featured a young, freaky-explosive runner in Detroit — Jahmyr Gibbs. … The Bears have four top-72 selections. The stars are aligned for general manager Ryan Poles — who’s reasonably on the hot seat — to make an ascension into the Top 7, or Top 5 to pick this explosive runner with the best contact balance I’ve ever scouted.”

2. Cowboys draft Matthew Golden. “This is somewhat of a match made in heaven through the lens of Jerry Jones’ mind. … The first round is all about traits and that 40-yard dash time is the ultimate selling point to fans and coaches at the receiver position. Golden didn’t have first-round production until late in his final season at Texas but did average over four catches and nearly 82 yards per game in his last eight games for the Longhorns.”

3. Omarion Hampton falls out of the first round. “This is probably my boldest prediction given how much buzz there is for the North Carolina running back to be a first-round pick. Could he go to Denver at No. 20 overall? Sure. Is he that good of a prospect for Sean Payton and Co. to trade up in Round 1 — all for the second running back off the board in potentially the most loaded running back class since 2017? I can’t see it happening.”

We’ve got a few more bold predictions that you can check out here. 

3. Best bets for the NFL Draft

The only thing more exciting than watching the NFL Draft is making money while watching the NFL Draft, and you can actually do that this year if you live in a state that allows you to gamble on draft props. If you don’t live in a state that allows you to gamble on draft props, you have until 8 p.m. ET to drive to one so that you can bet on the draft.

Jordan Dajani has several bets that he likes and we’re going to check out three of them: 

• Quarterbacks selected in the first round: OVER 2.5 (-130). “The reason I like this bet is because three quarterback-needy teams are currently slated to select in the first five picks in Round 2: The Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. If they are interested in someone like Dart — or Milroe for that matter — sitting on your hands and hoping they fall to you is not the correct strategy. I believe one of these teams will trade back into the first round for a quarterback.”
• Position of first Steelers player drafted: QB (+160). “Some believe Aaron Rodgers is headed to Pittsburgh, but how long is Mike Tomlin going to wait around? The NFL draft begins TODAY, and the Steelers will be looking at quarterbacks. Pittsburgh has been linked to Shedeur Sanders at No. 21 overall, and it’s even possible the Steelers could trade down and then select Jaxson Dart.”
• Second cornerback selected: Jahdae Barron (-110). “This one is pretty simple. After Travis Hunter, either Jahdae Barron or Will Johnson will be drafted. I love Johnson, but Albert Breer of SI.com reported that Johnson has a knee issue that’s been flagged. Barron is a talented player that won the Jim Thorpe Award last season, and registered the second-bet PFF coverage grade by an FBS cornerback in 2024 (91.3). I have him jumping Johnson.”

If you want to check out Jordan’s full list of best bets, you can do that here. 

4. Five trades that could shake up the draft

If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to happen in the NFL Draft this year, it’s the fact that there will be plenty of trades. Although things have been pretty quiet so far — not a single first-round pick has been traded this year — let’s just go ahead and assume that’s just the calm before the storm. 

With that in mind, I decided to try and predict five trades that could possibly happen between now and the end of the draft on Saturday. Let’s take a look at three of my predictions: 

• Falcons QB Kirk Cousins to the Browns. Cousins does have a no-trade clause, but you have to think that he’d be willing to waive that to reunite with Kevin Stefanski. The Browns head coach was Cousins’ offensive coordinator in Minnesota, so Cousins wouldn’t have to learn a completely new offense.
• Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey to the 49ers. The 49ers are going into the draft with 11 picks, which is tied for the most in the NFL, so they definitely have some draft capital that they could use in any potential trade. One reason San Francisco might be interested is because the 49ers coaching staff is familiar with Ramsey: The cornerback was drafted by the Jaguars in 2016 and Jacksonville’s head coach at the time was Gus Bradley, who’s now the assistant head coach in San Francisco. Also, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was Jacksonville’s linebackers coach in 2016, so he also has some familiarity with Ramsey.
• Ravens TE Mark Andrews to the Rams. During a pre-draft press conference last week, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was asked if Andrews might get traded during the draft and he definitely didn’t shoot down the speculation. The Rams could look to use their first-round pick (26th overall) on one of the draft’s top tight ends in Colston Loveland or Tyler Warren, but if those two both get taken before the Rams are on the clock, then making a trade for Andrews might be their best bet to add a talented tight end. 

If you want to see all five of my predictions along with the proposed compensation for each trade, you can do that here. 

5. Five players most likely to fall in the draft

The NFL Draft is unpredictable and because of that, there are always a few players who end up falling down the draft board every year. This year, all eyes will be on Shedeur Sanders: At one point, the Colorado QB was projected to be a top-five pick, but with just hours to go until the start of the draft, there’s suddenly been some speculation that he could fall all the way out of the first round. 

With that in mind, Jordan Dajani decided to take a look at a few players who might have to wait longer than expected to hear their names called:  

1. QB Shedeur Sanders (Colorado). “It’s a bit unfair to other prospects, but Shedeur Sanders is the main storyline of the 2025 NFL Draft. Not only is he the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders and a great college quarterback, but he is also a prospect that has been mocked as high as No. 1 overall, to being projected to fall out of the first round entirely! It’s a unique situation in more ways than one.”

2. CB Will Johnson (Michigan). “He missed time due to shoulder and toe injuries last season, then a hamstring injury held him out of Michigan’s pro day. Now, Albert Breer of SI.com reports Johnson has a knee issue that’s been flagged. This knee issue is not supposed to affect him in the short term, but his “longevity” is in question.”

3. DL Mason Graham (Michigan). “Graham is a stud on the defensive interior, and he has long been mocked to the Jaguars at No. 5 overall. However, that narrative shifted this week when ESPN reported Jacksonville could be a ‘wild card’ in the top five.”

4. LB Jihaad Campbell (Alabama). “Campbell had shoulder surgery after the combine, and he could start the 2025 NFL season on the PUP list. Campbell was a first-team All-SEC player who recorded 117 tackles last season.”

5. DL Derrick Harmon (Oregon). “Not expecting a major slide here, which is why he comes in at No. 5, but Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon has reportedly been flagged with a shoulder injury, per NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.”

Dajani also covered five players who could shoot up the draft board and we’ve got those here. 

6. Extra points: Hall of Famer Steve McMichael passes away

It’s a busy time in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that’s happening, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael dies at 67. The Pro Football Hall of Famer, who played a key part on the 1985 Bears defense, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 67. McMichael had been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2021. The Super Bowl winning defensive tackle had at least seven seven sacks in seven straight seasons during his time in Chicago. We’ve got more on the life and death of the Bears’ legend here. 
• Titans add Tyler Lockett. The Titans beefed up their receiving room on Wednesday night by adding Tyler Lockett. The former Seahawks receiver has agreed to terms on a one-year, $4 million deal that could be worth up to $6 million. We’ve got the details on his signing here.   
• Kerby Joseph gets record-setting contract from Lions. Joseph is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history after agreeing to a four-year, $86 million extension on Wednesday. The $21.5 million per year salary moves him just ahead of Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield Jr., who is making $21.025 million per year. No other safety in the NFL makes more than $19 million per season. You can read more about Joseph’s record-setting deal here. 
• Zach Wilson will wear zero in Miami. The Dolphins quarterback has decided to switch to zero for the 2025 season, so please get all your jokes out now.