With preseason games well underway, we’re inching closer and closer to the 2024 NFL season, and our latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft looks at some needs that must be addressed. As summer scouting boards get set, which prospects have shown the potential to be first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Using reverse Super Bowl odds for the order and a little help from the updated PFN Mock Draft Simulator for the selections, we attempt to predict who will hear their name called at Lambeau Field next April. In this installment, we look at picks for each of the 16 teams in the NFC.
2025 NFL Mock Draft: NFC Edition
1) Carolina Panthers: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
Since the turn of the century, the only positions to be selected with the number one overall picks have been QB, EDGE, and OT. While the QB class isn’t shaping up to be the most exciting, there doesn’t appear to be any reason to deviate from that trend in this 2025 NFL Mock Draft.
With Brian Burns now with the New York Giants, Carolina’s pass rush is a pressing concern for 2025. James Pearce Jr. emerges as a potential solution, given his exceptional athletic traits, agility, and acceleration. While he needs to enhance his strength profile at 6’5” and 243 pounds, the Volunteers pass rusher’s existing production and athletic attributes position him as a top pick come April.
6) New York Giants: Conner Weigman, QB, Texas A&M
Conner Weigman flashed in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury four weeks into the season. The Texas A&M quarterback has above-average arm strength to layer the football and has the vision and accuracy to hit receivers on time in any area of the field. With an entire healthy season, Weigman has the creativity, pocket presence, and anticipation to challenge to be QB1.
7) Arizona Cardinals: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Will Johnson is ranked second on PFN’s top 100 prospects and is a true lockdown corner for the Wolverines. With fluid movement, reactive quickness, and sharp ball skills combined with intelligence, refined technique, and awareness, the pathway is set for Johnson to take the NFL by storm.
8) Washington Commanders: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Jayden Daniels thrived at LSU with receivers who could stretch the field, and the addition of Luther Burden III in Washington would give the new Commanders’ quarterback another go-to target.
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Burden has the elite athleticism to take over games. His change of direction, ball skills, and agility make him difficult for defenders to track while his twitchy, crisp route running makes him an every-level threat — including after the catch. A unique separator with great vision, Burden is a modern-day WR that can win in many different ways.
9) New Orleans Saints: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
Abdul Carter is a freak athlete who will spend his first season exclusively on the edge in 2024 after playing off-ball linebacker for the last two seasons. The dominant Penn State defender has incredible playmaking instincts, length, and a snappy first step to overwhelm opponents. At 6’3” and 250 pounds, he is still developing.
10) Minnesota Vikings: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
Malaki Starks is a rare, blue-chip safety prospect. The former five-star recruit has the production, athleticism, and potential to be taken in the top 10.
At 6’1” and 205 pounds, the Georgia DB boasts elite proportional length, twitched-up explosive movement, and tenacious physicality combined with full-field range, versatility, and awareness to transition instantly to the next level.
11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
With Mike Evans aging and Chris Godwin needing an extension, the Buccaneers will have to consider adding top-tier talent to the receiver room.
Tetairoa McMillan is a rangy, dominant WR—listed at 6’5” and 210 pounds—whose physicality and flexible body control create space and conquer at the catch point. The Arizona WR’s smooth route running, acceleration, and agility allow him to win vertically and with the ball in his hands.
12) Seattle Seahawks: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
Mykel Williams is a long edge rusher who holds up against the run on Georgia’s defensive front. Further, he offers immense potential as a pass rusher. With 27 pressures and six sacks in 2023, Williams showcases explosive athleticism, unwavering power, and agile flexibility.
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The Georgia defender is still a projection due to his developing pass-rush plan. Nevertheless, he grades out as an early selection because of his physical traits and elite athleticism.
17) Los Angeles Rams: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
Sean McVay and the Rams must start planning for life after Matthew Stafford. While he may not be ready to start immediately, Quinn Ewers has an exciting combination of arm strength, functional athleticism, and pocket movement that fits well in McVay’s scheme.
While the Texas quarterback still needs to work on the consistency of his mechanics, Los Angeles would be an excellent environment for Ewers to continue his development.
19) Chicago Bears: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Kenneth Grant is an absurd athlete. Feldman reports that the Michigan DT clocked 18.75 mph on the GPS, ran a sub-5-second 40-yard dash, had a 29-inch vertical jump, and had the strength to press a 115-pound dumbbell 34 times.
That elite athleticism translates to the film where Grant controls the line of scrimmage with his unrelenting power profile and unnatural bend to burst through gaps and close rushing lanes.
20) Atlanta Falcons: Tacario Davis, CB, Arizona
Tacario Davis has unique physical tools and can combine great length with fluid mobility. His rare range and catch radius give the Arizona CB a high ceiling at the next level. At 6’4” and 195 pounds, Davis overwhelms opponents with his size, where his long strides and snappy change of direction excel against larger receivers on the outside.
22) Green Bay Packers: Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
Tyleik Williams enters the season with high expectations after surprisingly returning to school. The Ohio State defender is a polished prospect who plays with a high football IQ and gap control. Williams’ hand usage to stack and shed blockers makes him strong against the run, where he showcases his physicality, reactive burst, and consistency.
25) Dallas Cowboys: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Emeka Egbuka is flying under the radar in 2024 after having an injury-plagued season in 2023. However, his 2022 tape showcases what an exciting option the Ohio State receiver can be from the slot.
A refined technician, Egbuka has an advanced skillset, where his vision and understanding of how to manipulate space showcase his nuance. With fantastic ball tracking, short-area quickness, and fluid route running, the Buckeyes receiver will enter the next level with a high floor to kickstart his NFL career.
26) Philadelphia Eagles: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
Aireontae Ersery is a physical specimen. At 6’6” and 330 pounds, the Minnesota LT has special movement skills and is one of the strongest prospects eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Combining elite athleticism, striking power, and above-average size, Ersery is extremely difficult to get around and would be the heir apparent to Lane Johnson in Philadelphia.
29) Detroit Lions: Aston Gillotte, EDGE, Louisville
The Lions are searching for a consistent defensive end opposite Aidan Hutchinson, and Ashton Gillotte has the floor and physical profile to complement Detroit’s star pass rusher.
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At 6’3” and 270 pounds, the senior Louisville defensive end has an explosive first step and plays with immense power and strength. With 11 sacks in 2023, Gillotte has already displayed the production. If he can improve his counter moves and maintain leverage by disengaging blocks quicker, the star Cardinals prospect can solidify himself as a late-first-round talent.
31) San Francisco 49ers: J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
J.T. Tuimoloau is an active, heavy-handed pass rusher who has flashed in Columbus. While the Ohio State product has shown good awareness and vision, he lacks some bend, flexibility, and inventive pass-rush moves. Paired with other inconsistencies, he struggles to challenge the elite atop the edge class.
However, Tuimoloau has the foundational floor to compete against both phases and has some high-level play that can be further unlocked at the next level.