Early 1st Round 2025 NFL Mock Draft Part 2; So Many Sleepers

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 1 of the mock draft under Ayden Apicella’s author page.

17. Los Angeles Rams: Will Campbell, OT, LSU.

The Rams just barely fall short of the wildcard following the loss of Aaron Donald. Replacing a first ballot Hall of Fame player is impossible though so they aren’t going with IDL, they go left tackle to help secure the offense. Campbell has impressive size at 6’6 320 and appears to be a blue chip prospect on the offensive line. He has strong hands and absorbs contact from opposing edge rushers with fantastic bend. Campbell would be a day 1 starter to keep Stafford upright as they fight to get back in the playoffs.

18. Los Angeles Chargers: Tacario Davis, CB, Arizona.

The Chargers somehow still are unable to fight for a championship with Herbert, so they look to improve the defense by adding Tacario Davis for the secondary. Davis has superb length for the position at 6’5 making for an exceptional option to develop as an outside corner. His fluidity for his size makes for a fantastic prospect Jim Harbaugh is certain to get the most out of.

19. Chicago Bears: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State.

The Bears manage to make the playoffs in their very first year with Caleb Williams. The offense clearly was built perfect for the rookie quarterback, so they address the defense instead, bringing in Abdul Carter to play opposite of Montez Sweat. Carter is the same prototype of edge rusher we’ve seen come out of Penn State just about every year, and the Bears believe they can develop him into a fantastic pass rusher.

20. Atlanta Falcons: Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington.

The Falcons find their way back into the playoffs with Kirk Cousins, but the defense struggles to get them past the wildcard. To help out with that they go out and get the extremely long 6’4 corner Ephesians Prysock. The Falcons go get the high upside outside DB with the hopes that he will develop into a lockdown guy that can be trusted on an island, something the Falcons clearly are lacking at the moment.

21. Miami Dolphins: Mason Graham, IDL, Michigan.

Following the loss of Christian Wilkins, the Dolphins look to add a star to the interior of their defensive line. So they bring in Mason Graham, a dominant run defender with great quickness for his size. His blend of size and athleticism make for a rare type of prospect on the interior which McDaniels would love to utilize on his defense.

22. Green Bay Packers: Emery Jones Jr., OT, LSU.

After the departure of David Bakhtiari, the Packers are in search of a new starting left tackle to protect Jordan Love. To address this they go get Emery Jones Jr., the second offensive tackle out of LSU this draft. Even though Will plays right tackle, the Packers have been historically amazing at developing offensive line talent and Will has all of the natural ability to swap to the left side. The 6’6 322 tower has fantastic balance with rare strength Green Bay is sure to love.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas.

The offensive line has been a struggle for Jacksonville and the Jaguars finally have decided that Cam Robinson won’t cut it at left tackle. To replace Cam they go and get Kelvin Banks Jr., an extremely reliable tackle who’s playing in and started all 27 games of his career so far at left tackle. He’s a dominant force and a guy you certainly trust to protect your quarterback every single snap. The only reason he’s below the LSU OTs is because of their ridiculous frames. Make no mistake that Kelvin will be a 1st round selection come next year, and could be OT1.

24. Houston Texans: Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU.

The Houston Texans have brought in tons of talent the last couple years and it has turned out tremendously, however the quarterbacks of their defense have been lackluster, that being their linebackers. The most recent draft classes have actually been lacking in star linebackers, but this upcoming draft seems to have many strong prospects. Harold Perkins Jr. has the makings of an elite versatile linebacker and I hope he keeps up the trend. Perkins is a do it all guy and simply a playmaker. He can get sideline to sideline, is a strong tackler, smart and developing in coverage, and has great ability as a blitzer or edge threat. Perkins is a football player and he’s sure to help Houston’s defense.

25. Dallas Cowboys: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon.

I expect the Cowboys to bring back Dak on a massive extension, but that isn’t going to get them far when his only offensive weapon is CeeDee Lamb. Dallas brings in Tez Johnson who was extremely productive last season at Oregon with over a thousand yards and 10 touchdowns. Tez lacks some size, but makes up for it with his fundamentals, route running, and burst off of the line. Tez is a reliable weapon Dak would be sure to get involved on the offense heavily.

26. Philadelphia Eagles: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson.

The Eagles have a perfectly built roster, but the one position they could look to improve upon is middle linebacker. Here they get the extraordinary athlete, Barrett Carter. Barrett would have been my top linebacker last draft season, but decided to come back another year. His speed is off the charts and Philadelphia has proven to value athleticism in prospects above all else. Carter would be a dream fit in Philly as they continue chasing a ring with Jalen Hurts.

27. Cincinnati Bengals: Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford.

The Bengals fall short of a championship yet again. With Chase and Tee Higgins both needing contracts it’s likely that Cincinatti will lose one of them. Here they fill that need with Elic Ayomanor, a high IQ receiver with great production as a sophomore. Elic is a quick player with great length and physicality that would feed off of Joe Burrow and grow to the scale of the guys around him, Cinci would be a perfect spot to get the most out of Ayomanor’s talents. 

28. Buffalo Bills: Isaiah Bond, WR, Alabama.

The Bills disappoint in the playoffs yet again, and many look towards the losses of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis as to why they couldn’t execute. While they brought in Keon Coleman it still wasn’t enough, so they draft wide receiver Isaiah Bond who’s looking towards having a breakout season as Quinn Ewers’ WR1. With Coleman at the X and Bond, a fantastic intermediate threat, at the Z the Bills offense will look to propel into the Super Bowl next year.

29. Detroit Lions: Landon Jackson, Edge, Arkansas.

The Lions lose in the NFC Championship Game once again, and look to add a star edge rusher opposite of Aidan Hutchinson to help get them over the hump. They certainly believe they’ve found that in 6’7 283 edge rusher, Landon Jackson. Landon has put on 40 pounds in the offseason and is ready to shoot up draft boards. Landon displays an extremely rare physique with good bend and hand usage while adding a lot of strength. He’s a great leader who I expect to be a fantastic addition for an NFL team come May.

30. Baltimore Ravens: Nic Anderson, WR, Oklahoma.

The Ravens can’t make it to the Super Bowl once again, and they look to add to their receiver room some more as the only competent name at the position is Zay Flowers. They bring in Nic Anderson who in his first year starting for Oklahoma had nearly 800 yards and 10 touchdowns at 6’4 220. Nic is betting on himself to have a breakout season and slingshot into the first round of the NFL draft next year.

31. Kansas City Chiefs: Oronde Gadsden II, TE/WR, Syracuse.

The Chiefs fall to the 49ers in a repeat of last year’s Super Bowl and as Kelce is regressing, the Chiefs want to go find a successor. There’s none better to learn behind Kelce than converted wide receiver to tight end, Oronde Gadsden II. Oronde was electric his first year as a tight end putting up nearly a thousand yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022. In 2023 however he suffered a lisfranc fracture taking him out for the season. This year Oronde is ready to get back to work and prove he’s still the same playmaker from the year before. The athletic 6’5 240 tight end runs a 4.5 40 time and to me could play receiver but I believe would be better off in an Evan Engram type of role, he would be a nightmare learning from Kelce on the Chiefs offense.

32. San Francisco 49ers: Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona.

The 49ers win the Super Bowl in this scenario and go out to draft Jonah Savaiinaea hoping to repeat. The right tackle situation is questionable for the 49ers, and Trent Williams is close to retirement despite playing at a mint level. To make those problems easier they go get the big and versatile 6’5 330 lineman. Jonah is capable of playing either side at tackle or guard, but has primarily been a right tackle in college, which he’d slot in as the day one starter over Colton McKivitz who allowed 9 sacks last season. Bringing in the big physical lineman from Tafuna would certainly help San Francisco pursue another ring.