Early 1st Round 2025 NFL Mock Draft Part 1; 5 QBs in the top 16!

Summer football is on! The Hall of Fame Game, which is set to kick off the start of the NFL season is right around the corner, on August 1st. And as I always say, every season is draft season. I’ve done all of my scouting on prospects based off of last year and here is my first way too early 2025 NFL mock draft! These projections are slated to change of course as not only the college football season develops and the prospects grow, but this mock is my attempt to predict those changes on who is going to propel themselves up the draft. You can find part 2 of the mock draft under Ayden Apicella’s author page.

1. Carolina Panthers: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee. 

The Carolina Panthers land themselves at the top of the draft yet again in this series of events, largely due to a miserable defense following the departure of Brian Burns. To address the hole Burns left, Carolina goes out and gets the best overall prospect in the draft, James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee. James has INSANE athleticism and dominant strength with an ideal frame at 6’5 243. Pearce Jr. looks like a certain superstar sure to dominate wherever he lands in the draft, he would be the cornerstone of Carolina’s hopes to turn around the franchise.

2. New England Patriots: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri.

The Patriots have yet another disappointing season after starting the year off with Jacoby Brissett as the starter with Drake Maye riding the bench. They do their best to build around Maye bringing in easily the best receiver of the class, Luther Burden III. Luther is a good athlete but doesn’t exactly stand out in that department. Where he shines is his work ethic, mentality, and fundamentals. Luther has exceedingly great route running capabilities, able to effortlessly shake anyone with his clean and quick footwork, and once he’s open no way is he dropping the ball, his run after catch ability is also the best in the class. Luther is a player I just about guarantee is going to be a top selection come May next year, and he will prove to be worth that selection once in the NFL.

3. Tennessee Titans: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan.

The Titans end up last in the division once again as they simply can’t compete in a division consisting of the Texans, Jaguars, and even Colts led by Anthony Richardson. In a class without a clear top option at quarterback, they stick to Will Levis for another season and pursue other needs. They take corner Will Johnson out of Michigan, a blue chip prospect with the prototype attributes you look for across the board. Johnson has pristine fundamentals and is as good of a corner prospect you could hope for at the top of the draft. 

4. Denver Broncos: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona.

A Broncos offense led by Bo Nix and Zach Wilson certainly doesn’t have too high of hopes for the season, but the defense manages to win a few games for them. The Broncos still want to build around Nix, so they follow the same formula as the Patriots did and go get receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Tetairoa has insane size at 6’5 210 and has had ridiculous production having over 1.4 thousand yards and 10 TDs for Arizona looking to have an even greater season this year. He’s a great kid with fantastic game knowledge ready to jump into the pros and make a difference as the best physical and outside receiver in the class.

5. Las Vegas Raiders: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas.

The Raiders struggle to find success with QBs Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell at the helm so they go out and find their new franchise guy. Quinn Ewers in his sophomore campaign led a Bijan-less Texas to the college football playoffs and lost a one score game to Washington. Ewers has a cannon of an arm with great accuracy anywhere on the field, I expect Ewers to cement himself as a top quarterback in college this year, well earning himself an early selection in the draft. 

6. New York Giants: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss.

The Giants have built up a nice roster with star WR Malik Nabers, two young star OTs, and many stars on defense such as Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns. The quarterback situation has held them back significantly though as Daniel Jones has been given too many chances. The Giants finally reset and go get the gunslinger Dart who has the ability to be the hero of an offense. Great arm talent and scrambling ability make him an ideal prospect for a team to develop into a star signal caller. Dart is the leader you want and is always willing to do whatever it takes to win.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado.

The Cardinals get better with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. but still can’t get over the hump. A top corner in the nation and great receiving threat, Hunter has certainly put in the work to be a top selection. The Cardinals select the ball player out of Colorado hoping he can spark a change in Arizona and move the needle towards playoff contention, primarily on defense, but maybe he can run some routes as well.

8. Washington Commanders: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame.

Washington’s offense improves with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but the defense struggles with the departures of Montez Sweat and Kendall Fuller. To improve upon that they bring in shutdown corner Benjamin Morrison. He’s an athletic corner with the ability to close the gap on a receiver in an instant. Washington hopes a young corner duo of Morrison and Emmanuel Forbes will take their defense to the next level.

9. New Orleans Saints: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State.

Clearly Derek Carr has not been living up to what the Saints had hoped for after another disappointing season. So, the Saints turn a new page bringing in the electric quarterback Drew Allar. Drew I believe is the most slept on quarterback in college football and I project to take a massive jump this year. In the first year as a starter he had 29 total touchdowns to only 2 interceptions. He has a quick throwing technique able to rifle the ball in on a whip anywhere on the field as well as the ability to roll out and make plays. I think Allar has the ability to even propel himself to being the 1st pick of the draft, but I’ll be more tame here as the Saints take him at 9.

10. Minnesota Vikings: Deone Walker, IDL, Kentucky.

The Vikings struggle in arguably the most competitive division in the league with a rookie quarterback under the helm. They address a hole in their defense hoping that will give them the best opportunity to succeed against a division full of star quarterbacks. Deone has massive size at 6’6 345 with enough strength to dominate any interior offensive line. Walker I expect to develop into an every down disruptor pressuring the quarterback and stopping the running game in its tracks.

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Emeka Egbuka, WR, OSU.

The Buccaneers fall short of the playoffs, losing the division to Kirk Cousins’ Falcons. Hoping to bounce back next year with an aging Mike Evans, they bring in Emeka Egbuka to rejuvenate the offense. Emeka had a fantastic year in 2022 with over a thousand yards and 10 touchdowns, but disappointed last year after getting hurt. This year he’s looking to have the best season of his career so that he can propel to the top of the draft.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M.

Seattle yet again fails to make the playoffs but still avoids a top pick in the draft. Having a starting edge in Nwosu who only had 2 sacks in 2023 is not going to cut it so they bring in Nic Scourton. Nic is perfect for their 3-4 defense at 6’4 280 with plenty of athleticism and fantastic pass rush ability. He has a diverse move pool led by his go to, maybe the best spin move I’ve ever seen, with strong hands and great bend aiding him to have 10 sacks last season as a sophomore.

13. Indianapolis Colts: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan.

The Colts miss out on the playoffs in Anthony Richardson’s first year fully healthy so they look to give AR a reliable safety valve. They take Colston Loveland, the 6’5 245 tight end who had over 600 yards and 4 TDs for the Wolverines in his sophomore season. Loveland is looking to skyrocket this year and improve his draft stock, he would make for a remarkable addition to the offense helping Richardson take the next leap.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers: Malaki Starks, Safety, Georgia.

The defense fails to propel a lackluster offense to the playoffs, but all of the top receivers are off of the board so they look for a difference maker. They bring in Malaki Starks, who certainly falls under that criteria. I’m not a big fan of taking safety in the first round, much less as high as 13, but Starks is an exception and has positional diversity. He’s a blue chip prospect and a certain superstar who’s going to make a major impact from the get go. When you believe you have a generational talent at the cusps of your hands you take it.

15. Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado.

The Browns suffer the fate of a failure of a season yet again with DeShaun Watson leading the helm, so Cleveland turns to a new chapter bringing in a quarterback with a similar play style in Shedeur Sanders. Sanders is a highlight machine with his ridiculous scrambling ability and tenacity to push the ball down field. The failure to lead Colorado to a winning season and his struggle progressing through reads is why the other quarterbacks are above him, but Cleveland believes they will get the most out of the high upside signal caller.

16. New York Jets: Carson Beck, QB, Georgia.

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets yield under pressure to make the playoffs, so the Jets go looking elsewhere for someone else to run the offense. With a good offensive line, stars at skill positions, and an elite defense they bring in Carson Beck. The Jets in win now mode decide a top end game manager is the right option. I’m not as high on Beck as other analysts clearly, but he certainly will get the ball to his playmakers and so far projects to be a 1st round player.