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 four teams in the NFC South.
2025 NFL Mock Draft: NFC South 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.
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.
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.
GET DRAFTING: Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
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.
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.