2025 NFL Mock Draft: Mel Kiper's First-Round Picks

Just a few hours out from the 2025 NFL Draft and we’re getting some more hints as to where college football’s top stars could end up as teams scramble to get their draft boards in order as festivities get underway from Lambeau Field.

We have just enough time to get some more draft mockery in, as mock drafter extraordinaire Mel Kiper, Jr. reveals his opening round predictions.

Tennessee is up first with the coveted No. 1 overall pick, and the latest rumblings indicate that the Titans could be in line to take a quarterback.

Coach Prime could see two of his stars at Colorado hear their names in the first round, including the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and the coach’s own son, one of this year’s top quarterbacks.

How does Kiper see the first round of the draft going?

1. Titans: Cam Ward

Miami’s quarterback led college football’s top scoring offense and set a few school records in the process, parlaying that success into a potential No. 1 overall draft selection.

Kiper warns the Titans “don’t have a franchise quarterback, and they have a chance to get one” with this pick at a time when Will Levis doesn’t look like the answer.

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2. Browns: Travis Hunter

College football’s reigning Heisman Trophy winner and noted two-way player gets the nod over Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter in Kiper’s projection.

Hunter “could use his speed, ball skills, instincts, and elusiveness to become an impact player right out of the gate,” but likely as a receiver more than a defensive back in Kiper’s view.

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3. Giants: Abdul Carter

Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston will hold down the quarterback position for the short term, allowing the Giants to make a generational investment in their pass rushing rotation.

“Considering the Giants have holes all over their roster, they might opt for the best player on the board,” according to Kiper, and if Hunter is taken, that leaves Carter as the best remaining.

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4. Patriots: Will Campbell

Offensive tackles are always a hot commodity, especially one of Campbell’s stature after he allowed just two total sacks last season for LSU.

Given the dismal state of New England’s pass protection when calculating total pressures allowed a year ago, they need to give Drake Maye a cleaner pocket, and Campbell would be an ideal Day 1 fit at right tackle in that project.

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5. Jaguars: Mason Graham

Kiper has stuck with the Jags taking the Michigan defensive tackle in all of his mocks thus far and hasn’t budged on thinking this is an ideal acquisition for a team that was second-worst in football in yards allowed per play.

“With great power and quickness, Graham can get into the backfield to create interior pressure on quarterbacks and drop running backs behind the line of scrimmage,” Kiper notes.

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6. Raiders: Ashton Jeanty

Scouts may consider the running back position to be overvalued as offenses open up, but the Raiders’ meager rushing output a year ago could make Jeanty a worthwhile investment.

Pete Carroll still likes to run the ball, and the former Boise State product was good enough to put his school in the College Football Playoff after totaling more than 2,600 rushing yards last fall.

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7. Jets: Armand Membou

Scouts have been very high on the Missouri offensive blocker all offseason, and Kiper suggests slotting him at right tackle would be a perfect counter with Olu Fashanu on the blind side.

Justin Fields has a tendency to get sacked, and flanking his pocket with two quality blockers is of paramount importance for the Jets going forward.

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8. Panthers: Jalon Walker

“He’s an explosive defender with bend and versatility,” Kiper says of the Georgia linebacker who has routinely featured near the top of most mock drafts.

Carolina was the NFL’s worst defense in five crucial categories, including scoring, and badly needs a cornerstone to build around.

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9. Saints: Shedeur Sanders

Coach Prime’s son has been the subject of almost-constant pre-draft chatter, and plenty of criticism, from the usual coterie of anonymous scouts and sources, but there’s little denying he was the engine of Colorado’s offense the last two years.

Sanders still hit nearly three-quarters of his throws last year despite the virtual absence of a rushing threat and working behind some shoddy protection, and Kiper believes working alongside Derek Carr for a year would be a valuable learning experience.

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10. Bears: Tyler Warren

Chicago has made some investments in the offensive line to give quarterback Caleb Williams more breathing room, and now Kiper thinks the team needs to give him another quality target.

The Bears “could line Warren up anywhere, get him the ball, and let him roll to first downs after the catch,” boosting a tight end rotation that wasn’t very productive a year ago.

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Let’s compare: SI’s Albert Breer presents his 2025 NFL Mock Draft

You can see Kiper’s full mock draft here.

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