"The Big Dog" Mitch Vosburg

I’m going to be real honest with y’all — I have no clue how the 2025 NFL Draft is going to go. But that doesn’t mean I can’t state a hypothesis or two, right?

The 2025 NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 24th. I’m making the trip down to Green Bay. Look for my coverage from Title Town throughout the week, and look for my Mock Draft 3.0 on the morning of the draft.

OK, the hypothesis or two I was talking about? Yeah, let’s do that thing now.

1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL) — The Titans have to get the quarterback correct, bottom line. Will Levis ain’t it, and while I believe Cam Ward won’t be in the same tier as the likes of Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, he still has the chance to be a highly productive quarterback in the NFL thanks to his lightning-fast release. The Titans get their quarterback of the future, who has a resemblance to franchise legend Steve McNair, while Ward finished a wild ride of a football journey.

2. Cleveland Browns: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State — Getting after the quarterback, especially in the AFC, is a big deal. The Browns have Myles Garrett extended for the foreseeable future, so why not get a freak to put opposite of him. While Carter does have some injury concerns with his foot he still is a menace to deal with on the perimeter. Which one do you double between Carter and Garrett? We will soon find out.

3. New York Giants: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado — The Giants opted to put a slab of duct tape on their quarterback situation by signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston which is, well, it works? This allows the G-men to add the best available player, and that so happens to be Hunter, who can immediately make a much-needed impact in the secondary while working in as a slot receiver to go with Malik Nabers. Watch for the Giants to either sneak back into the first round ro wait until the beginning of Day 2 to secure a quarterback.

4. New England Patriots: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan — To say the Patriots have a lot of needs is like saying water is wet. There are a lot of ways this could go, and in this mock I’m opting for the Patriots to beef up the middle with a furious defensive tackle in Mason Graham, the player who head coach Mike Vrabel deems as the best available player at this point.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State — With Graham off the board the Jaguars are left without their top option. So what can they feasibly do? Well, veteran receiver Chrstian Kirk has been dealt, and tight end Evan Engram is gone. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence needs a receiver. And a blocker. And maybe even another ball carrier.

Enter Warren, who can do all three at an incredibly high level while giving Lawrence another receiving weapon to go along Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis.

6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State — Pete Carroll is spending the twilight of his career establishing the culture he established with the Seattle Seahawks. He has Geno Smith at quarterback, now he gets his bell cow at running back in a division where you must play physical football. While I like three running backs better than Jeanty (his Penn State film made me pump the brakes on the hype) there’s no doubt that he can be a consistent 1,000 yard rusher for the next decade. It’s not a knock on him, it’s acknowledging that this will be the greatest running back class of my lifetime so far.

7. New York Jets: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona — Man, trying to figure out what the Jets next move is like finding famed chess player Bobby Fisher. Where is he? I don’t know, and it’s the exact same way I feel about the Jets. With Justin Fields now on board and no other viable receiving options outside of Garrett Wilson, why not add a 6-foot-4 receiving option who reminds me so much of the late, great Vincent Jackson. But for all I care this could be spent on a long snapper.

8. TRADE Pittsburgh Steelers (from) Carolina Panthers: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado — Pittsburgh leaps into the top-10 by trading pick No. 21, a 2026 second-rounder and George Pickens in exchange for this selection and a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick which turns into a 2027 third-round selection if Pickens signs a new contract with Carolina. Look, New Orleans is sitting at No. 9 dead set on a quarterback. Pittsburgh desperately needs a quarterback. Carolina, a NFC South division rival of the Saints, needs a No. 1 receiver and draft capital. Steelers get their quarterback of the future in Sanders. Head coach Mike Tomlin, who last playoff win came when Barrack Obama was still in office as president, can handle Sanders. Speaking of Sanders, he can play a similar style of game to Russell Wilson, which fits their offensive scheme ideally while keeping the tradition of mobile (by the era’s standards) signal callers.

9. New Orleans Saints: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss — We officially have our first shock of the night. The Saints still need a quarterback, and historically they’ve had luck with Ole Miss quarterbacks. Dart reminds a lot of Matthew Stafford. He won’t get a lot of love early on from the casual NFL fan base, but like Stafford he’s a quarterback that can cut it loose like a gunslinger should in 2025. If the Saints continue to add the right pieces he can be a quarterback that can get you to the NFC Divisional Round at the least. Also, he has a brother named Diesel Dart. It’s not relevant, but a fun fact to help you become the smartest guy at the water cooler.

10. Chicago Bears: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia — I’m not budging off this. Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard and Starks would be an incredibly nasty safety trio in 2025. Brisker and Starks together is going to be scary effective in the future. While Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is a realistic possibility here, the Bears opt with Starks, the top safety in a decent class while this year’s running back class may go down as one of the best and deepest the NFL has ever had. So, taking the top safety over the top running back with all these facts makes sense, right?

11. San Francisco 49ers: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

12. Dallas Cowboys: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

13. Miami Dolphins: Will Campbell, OT, LSU

14. Indianapolis Colts: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

15. Atlanta Falcons: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

16. Arizona Cardinals: Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama

17. Cincinnati Bengals: Mykell Williams, EDGE, Georgia

18. Seattle Seahawks: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

20. TRADE Washington Commanders (from Denver Broncos): TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

21. Carolina Panthers (from Pittsburgh Steelers): Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

23. Green Bay Packers: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri — Yeah, I had this in Mock Draft 1.0, and I refuse to budge off this. The athletes I cover weren’t even born the last time the Packers took a receiver in the first round (yikes do I feel old). Burden can do everything out of the wide receiver spot, serving as a perfect mesh with Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed.

24. Minnesota Vikings: Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State

25. Houston Texans: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas

26. Los Angeles Rams: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

27. Baltimore Ravens: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

28. Detroit Lions: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina — I still believe edge rusher will be addressed, but let’s talk about the secondary for a second. The Lions are about to extend safety Kerby Joseph to a massive deal (and rightfully so). But what’s the plan at the other safety spot? How about a 6-foot-3, 220-pound safety with 4.38 speed that can hawk quarterbacks in the backfield and be a sound tackler in the box to help defend the run. Does that sound like a piece the Lions could use? I say yes, 1,000 times yes.

29. Denver Broncos (from Washington Commanders): Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

30. TRADE Las Vegas Raiders (from Buffalo Bills): Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama — The Raiders walk away from Day 1 of the NFL draft with arguably the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson and their quarterback of the future in Jalen Milroe. The stage is set for Milroe to grab the keys to the Raiders offense in the 2027 season once Geno Smith’s contract expires and Jeanty has a chance to establish himself. Milroe, Jeanty and Brock Bowers on the same offense. Good luck.

31. Kansas City Chiefs: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

32. Philadelphia Eagles: T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina

“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg is a multi-time award-winning sports writer and photographer who proudly serves as sports editor for The Daily Press (Escanaba). He can be reached at mvosburg@dailypress.net. Follow him on Instagram (@themantheycallmitch) and on X (@realmitchvburg).