Ok, this is pretty interesting. It’s a mock draft if every college football player were eligible.
The Titans take a swing on Arch Manning with the first pick. Obviously, he garners a ton of attention due to his last name, but he earned an 88.0 PFF overall grade in limited action last season and should be set up very well for success at Texas after two years as an understudy. If he proves himself consistently against SEC competition, he very well could be the first pick whenever he decides to leave school.
Lagway oozes potential. The true freshman showed why he was the top quarterback recruit in the 2024 cycle by leading the Power Four with an 8.8% big-time throw rate. His 95.6 PFF passing grade on deep throws this past season ranked third in the country.
The Florida quarterback may have more arm talent than anyone else in college football. He just needs to fine-tune his footwork and accuracy to potentially become a prospect whom teams like the Browns trip over themselves to select in a couple of years.
It’s no secret that the Giants would select Cam Ward in this year’s draft if he is still on the
board. They get that chance in this exercise. Ward was the highest-graded quarterback in college football in 2024. His combination of decisive downfield passing and improvisational skills make him the perfect candidate to run New York’s offense. Ward throwing to
Malik Nabers would be thrilling to watch.
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The Patriots nab the best player in this year’s class. This past year’s Heisman Trophy winner is a superstar on both sides of the ball, tying for third among FBS cornerbacks in PFF coverage grade (90.3) while tying for the most receiving touchdowns in the Power Four (15). If that two-way stardom continues into the NFL, Hunter will immediately become one of the most valuable non-quarterbacks in the league.
The Jaguars had the lowest-graded safety unit in the NFL last season and lost the best player in that group,
Andre Cisco. Caleb Downs is a truly generational prospect at the position who earned PFF grades above 85.0 as a true freshman and a true sophomore. His ability to morph himself to fit into any role in any defense would completely change the outlook of Jacksonville’s secondary.
Smith already has a couple of connections to the Raiders' organization. He would catch passes from his cousin, Geno Smith, and reunite with Las Vegas’ new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who coached Smith during his freshman season last year as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator.
Even without those ties, the Raiders would still sprint this card in. Smith was the most valuable receiver in the nation as just a true freshman, according to
PFF’s Wins Above Average metric. He also tied for the Power Four lead in receiving touchdowns (15) while his 1,311 receiving yards trailed only
Tetairoa McMillan in that same group.
Smith is an athletic freak at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with an incredibly refined skill set for someone who turned 19 years old in November. He has all the makings of a generational prospect in a couple of years and is already the best active player in college football.
The Jets took a major step back in run defense in 2024, due in large part to the lack of interior production aside from
Quinnen Williams. Mason Graham was the best defensive tackle in the FBS over the past two seasons. He led the FBS with a 91.1 PFF overall grade and a 92.6 PFF run-defense grade in 2024. He and Williams would immediately create one of the NFL’s most dynamic interior duos.
The Panthers desperately need help at edge defender, and they’re lucky enough to have their pick here. Carter was the most valuable edge defender in the nation this past season, according to
PFF’s Wins Above Average metric, while his 92.4 PFF pass-rush grade ranked second. He will likely go
within the first three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, but Carolina is lucky to grab him here in this mock.
Between the short trip down from Baton Rouge and Doug Nussmeier, Garrett’s father, recently being installed as the Saints’ offensive coordinator, we’re connecting some dots when projecting this pick. That’s not to say Garrett Nussmeier isn’t a first-round talent, though. In his first season as LSU’s starter, he ranked 19th in the nation with an 81.3 PFF passing grade and tied for seventh with 26 big-time throws.
In a selection that
could very well happen in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Bears select Jeanty. His 99.9 career PFF rushing grade is the best in PFF college history, and he also earned an 81.7 career PFF receiving grade. Jeanty is up there with
Bijan Robinson and
Saquon Barkley as the best running back prospects in recent memory.
Continued...
If all college football players could enter the 2025 NFL Draft, here's what a first round could look like.
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