Consensus 2025 NFL mock draft takeaways: How the experts see the first round playing out

We’re mere hours away from the 2025 NFL Draft, and the only thing we know for sure is that nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen. We have a pretty decent idea of how things will start out, as we always do. But we also know that things always get interesting pretty quickly, because somebody is going to do something unexpected. 

Luckily, we have a whole lot of prognosticators out there who try to forecast exactly what will happen. That can at least give us some insight into what should be expected, so that when the unexpected does happen, we can identify it. There are, of course, varying opinions on with the expectation should be, but even within that wide range of opinions, sometimes consensus emerges.

That’s what we’re here to identify. Incorporating draft-day mock drafts from our own Pete Prisco and Ryan Wilson, as well as ESPN’s Field Yates and Peter Schrager, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah, we came up with some takeaways that have seemingly emerged as the consensus. 

Without further ado…

1. Ward, 2. Hunter, 3. Carter, 4. Campbell

The draft seemingly starts at the No. 5 overall pick. Every expert but one has the draft starting exactly this way: Cam Ward to the Tennessee Titans, Travis Hunter to the Cleveland Browns, Abdul Carter to the New York Giants and Will Campbell to the New England Patriots. The one who doesn’t have that exact order still has Ward-Hunter-Carter going 1-2-3, but just has a trade with the No. 4 overall pick. Once we get to the Jaguars at No. 5, though, things start to go haywire.

Ashton Jeanty: Top-6 pick

Nobody has Boise State star Ashton Jeanty making it past the Raiders with the No. 6 overall pick. Some experts have one team or another trading up for him inside the top five, but nobody expects him to be on the board for all that long. 

Panthers and Niners address defensive line

In seven of the eight mock drafts we’re including here the Panthers pick one of Jalon Walker, Mason Graham or James Pearce Jr. In seven of the eight mock drafts, the 49ers pick one of Graham, Walter Nolen or Mykel Williams. One even has San Francisco moving up the board for Graham in a trade with the Jets. 

Tetairoa McMillan as the first WR

There was some smoke last week about McMillan potentially sliding into the back half of the first round, but it doesn’t seem like that’s expected anymore. All eight experts have McMillan being the first receiver selected, with his floor seeming to be the Cowboys at No. 12 overall. Only one of the eight has him being drafted after that (the Buccaneers at No. 19), and three of the eight actually have him coming off the board before Dallas gets a chance to pick him. 

Both tight ends go early

Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are considered among the best prospects and safest players in the class, and it seems everybody expects them to come off the board pretty quickly. Warren goes inside the top 10 in seven of the eight mock drafts and doesn’t last longer than 14 in any of them. Loveland’s floor is seemingly the Broncos at No. 20. After tight ends like Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers have been immediate stars in recent years, it seems like teams may now be more willing to draft them early on.

Defensive line to Cincinnati

Eight experts, seven defensive line draft picks for the Bengals. The candidates are apparently Mykel Williams, Derrick Harmon, Shemar Stewart, Walter Nolen, Mike Green and Donovan Ezeiruaku. Cincinnati had one of the worst defenses in recent memory last season and needs help both on the edge and on the interior, so this is a path that makes a lot of sense.

Shedeur Sanders to Pittsburgh

One of the biggest storylines heading into the draft is where the presumed No. 2 quarterback in the class will land. The late consensus is that it’ll be the Steelers, with six of eight experts having him land there with the No. 21 overall pick. One expert has the Browns trading up for him later in the first round and the other has him falling out of the first round entirely. The earliest any expert has the second quarterback coming off the board is No. 18, with the Giants trading up for Jaxson Dart.

The Steelers are the favorite to draft Sanders at DraftKings Sportsbook at +190 odds, while the Browns (+200) are second, followed by the Giants (+215) and then the Saints (+550). 

Offensive line to Houston

Most people expect the Texans to address the calamity they put in front of C.J. Stroud last year. The Texans have already made significant changes to their group up front, but the widespread expectation here is that they add even more, with the popular picks being Josh Simmons, Tyler Booker, Josh Conerly and Donovan Jackson. Only one of the eight experts has them taking a player other than an offensive lineman.

Defensive back to Buffalo

All eight experts have the Bills taking a cornerback or safety. The only question is apparently whether it will be Malaki Starks, Maxwell Hairston or Trey Amos. Buffalo definitely needs help in the secondary after all the turnover it’s experienced on the back end over the last two offseasons, so this is one that makes a good degree of sense.