Shedeur Sanders goes top 5 but isn’t QB1

Team needs: OT, WR, EDGE, CB, S

This isn’t a trade-down draft, which is why both the Jaguars and New England Patriots stand pat at the top-2 picks despite a massive incentive to trade back and amass assets. If Jacksonville stands pat, it could do worse than adding college football’s most electric playmaker in an effort to rebuild Trevor Lawrence’s value.

The franchise quarterback has underwhelmed (to put it lightly) after his breakthrough 2022. Pairing Hunter with Brian Thomas Jr. would give him a game-breaking 1-2 punch at wideout to carry him through even the roughest stretches. Or a playmaking corner who can swing the game with his coverage. Either/or.

Team needs: OT, WR, EDGE, CB, OG

Like the Jags, the Patriots would likely trade down from a draft slot this high. Sliding anywhere a blue-chip wideout or offensive tackle may land would be ideal.

In this case, that’s McMillan, a 6-foot-5 condor of a target who does a lot of Drake London stuff at Arizona. He’s got solid straight line speed, but his strength lies in the separation he creates with clean routes and the burst that gets him to the ball before defenders can close in on it.

Team needs: QB, EDGE, OT, S, LB

There’s still a long way to go before we know how this year’s quarterback class will shake out. The success of last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels could convince Tennessee to replace Will Levis with 2024’s early frontrunner for the award.

Ward has thrown for 300-plus yards and at least three touchdowns in all five of the Hurricanes games this season while adding 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. He’s a dynamic playmaker who could thrive like Daniels under the right leadership.

Team needs: QB, OL, EDGE, LB, WR, ETC

There may be pressure to take a safe pick here. Or Carolina may be given the green light to pick the most volatile elite quarterback in this year’s class.

Sanders is capable of great things but also launches himself into negative plays while allowing good to be the enemy of great. But no passer arguably has the ceiling Deion’s son has, and the Panthers badly need a spark to wash away the early memories of the David Tepper era in Charlotte.

Team needs: QB, OL, CB, TE, RB, LB

Beck’s stock is at an uneven place after a loss to Alabama. Even so, he still led a comeback from an early 28-0 deficit to take a late lead in a hostile environment.

He’s a stable presence who may not dazzle you with highlight reel throws but makes solid decisions and puts the ball where it needs to be. That stability would make him more enticing than other high-ceiling quarterbacks for a Giants team working its way through the end of the Daniel Jones era.

Team needs: QB, OL, WR, RB, DT

There’s nothing the Browns can do about Deshaun Watson thanks to the massive salary cap implications of releasing him. But they can try to make his lack of playmaking less of an issue by creating more time in the pocket.

Jack Conklin has played only 22 snaps since 2022. Jedrick Wills is nearing free agency after a trying 2024. Banks could be an immediate starter who could clear space and protect pockets for a flawed offense — though don’t count out a wideout if Cleveland’s stuck picking in the top 10 next spring, either.

Team needs: QB, OG, CB, DT, S

Let’s assume, for now, Tua Tagovailoa will return from his latest head injury. That may not keep Miami from drafting a quarterback, but it would certainly prevent it from doing so on Day 1.

Instead, the Dolphins can draft 2025’s first pure defensive prospect by landing Johnson, a full-stop stud who can be the team’s analog to Christian Gonzalez in New England. The 6-foot-2 cornerback has the size and athleticism to be trusted on an island with any NFL wideout. He’d be an asset alongside Jalen Ramsey against the AFC’s elite quarterbacks.

Team needs: QB, EDGE, CB, RB, S

Aidan O’Connell has lived up to his fourth-round status and Gardner Minshew remains Gardner Minshew. Las Vegas needs a quarterback, and Ewers has the flash and excitement to stand out in a Davis-owned franchise.

Ewers has the arm strength to fit in with the AFC West’s top passers and has shown the willingness to step up in the pocket to deliver crisp deep balls while getting walloped. He still needs to fine-tune his game and is prone to excited sloppiness, but the talent is there. Plus, he finessed $1 million of NIL money from Ohio State, a program for whom he threw zero passes. Sounds like a Mark Davis guy to me.

Team needs: WR, EDGE, DL, OT

Bo Nix is struggling alongside a lineup light on playmakers. Burden can fix that.

The Missouri stud has gotten off to a comparatively slow start this fall, but at his peak he’s a man-beating menace who can thrive in the slot or split wide. Notably, for Nix, he’s also a run-after-catch machine capable of making iffy quarterbacks look awesome on the final stat sheet.

Team needs: WR, EDGE, OG, LB, S

Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. would be tempting here, but he’s never played for Jim Harbaugh. Graham has, and he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection for Michigan’s 2023 national championship team. The 320-pound tackle already has three sacks this season, proving his value as a pocket-shrinking presence as well as a nigh-immovable object in the middle of the line.

Team needs: OT, CB, WR, LB, S

This is high for a safety, and it isn’t L.A.’s biggest need. Still, Starks is a special talent; a 6-foot-1 missile with incredible closing speed, whether he’s tracking a deep ball or launching himself toward a running back at the line of scrimmage.

He’s an asset in every facet of the game; a Kyle Hamilton type with quicker feet and the ability to disrupt plays across the field. Starks makes everyone around him better, period.

Team needs: OL, RB, OL, S, EDGE

Chicago only has two players headed toward free agency who’ve played 100 percent of the team’s snaps so far. Both are members of an underwhelming offensive line. But tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright are solid enough for the Bears to skip over Will Campbell and 12th overall is too high to take an interior lineman.

Instead, here comes Pearce, who entered the season with No. 1 overall pick hype but has underwhelmed with just half a sack in four games to start the season. If that continues he may return to the Volunteers this offseason; for now, he’s the Bears’ pick

Team needs: EDGE, DT, CB, LB, S

This may be a bit high for Nolen, but he brings a blue chip pedigree and a versatile fit at either tackle or end in Arizona’s 3-4 front. He’s a densely packed 300-plus-pounder with an explosive burst that seals off running lanes and prevents quarterbacks from stepping up in the pocket. Occasionally, by throwing a guard into it.

There’s still pieces of his game that need to be cleaned up. Still, his pure talent and ability to wreak havoc even when he fails to get leverage at the snap makes him a high-ceiling project for a team in need of impact defenders.

Team needs: IOL, CB, EDGE, S

At six feet, Morrison has the size to be effective in press coverage. With 4.3-second 40 speed, he has the ability to break back to the ball if he gets beat off the line.

An Indianapolis offensive line that could lose two inside starters to free agency may be a priority. Even so, Morrison would be a balm to a secondary that’s allowed a 100.9 passer rating in coverage this season despite a dearth of high-level quarterbacks on the early season schedule.

Team needs: EDGE, LB, S, OT, WR, RB

Jerry Jones loves his home-run hitters. No back in the draft has more Aaron Judge upside than Jeanty, who creates misses out of thin air and has the burst to turn a sliver of daylight into a full-blown sunburn.

Team needs: EDGE, S, CB OT, LB

Carter is the kind of elite athlete general manager Howie Roseman covets. Look no further than his pursuit of former Georgia five-star recruits in recent years for evidence.

After shifting from linebacker to a purer edge rushing role, he’s racked up seven tackles for loss and three sacks in four games for the Nittany Lions so far. Now he gets to be the kind of presence Philadelphia thought it was getting in Haason Reddick.

Team needs: EDGE, RB, IOL, DB

After four games, only one Bengal has more than a single sack. Only two have more than one quarterback hit. While Trey Hendrickson remains a stud, he’s in dire need of backup.

Scourton, at 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds, is the kind of beefy defensive end who can win with power or slice around the edge with deceptive quickness. He’s also difficult to move in the run game, holding his position and rerouting handoffs to the outside.

Team needs: WR, EDGE, TE, S, QB

Creating a Williams-Williams combination in the middle of the Jets’ line by adding Tyleik to a team that already has Quinnen (and his brother Quincy at linebacker) seems unfair. The Buckeye stud is massive at 330 pounds but explosive, using video game acceleration to shoot gaps and sew chaos behind the line of scrimmage — see 10.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in 40 college appearances to date. Few prospect in this year’s draft weave power and speed like Williams does.

Team needs: OT, WR, S, EDGE, TE

The Saints need to distance themselves from a world in which Trevor Penning is a starter. A healthy Ryan Ramczyk would fix that problem, but his injury concerns may force New Orleans to return to the draft to bolster its line.

Fortunately, Campbell is tremendous value at No. 19. He’s a 6-foot-6, 330-pound road-grader with nimble feet that allow him to mirror edge rushers or get out in space and mash linebackers on running plays.

Team needs: WR, RB, LB, CB, DL

This wouldn’t be a bad spot for LSU star Harold Perkins — we’ll see how Pittsburgh feels about rookie linebacker Peyton Wilson after the season. What we do know, however, is that George Pickens is a lonely man at the top of the Steelers’ wide receiver depth chart.

Egbuka is the next link in a chain of great Buckeye wideouts. He returned to Columbus after a relatively disappointing 2023 and has responded by averaging more than 17 yards per catch while showcasing a robust route tree. He and Pickens would unlock new pages of the playbook for whomever is throwing passes in western Pennsylvania next fall.

Team needs: OL, CB, EDGE, RB, S

Washington could opt for some extra blocking help for Jayden Daniels here. Instead, they stop Williams’ slide down the draft board in an effort to revamp the defense the team dismantled at last year’s trade deadline.

The Georgia edge rusher is much more potential than production with only nine sacks in two-plus college seasons to date. But he’s got prototypical size (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) and elite quickness. He’s got a low floor, but his ceiling may be higher than any other defensive prospect in 2025.

Team needs: OT, EDGE, DT, IOL, CB

Green Bay may stick with Rasheed Walker at left tackle — he’s only 24 years old after all. But Jones could have too much upside to pass on, particularly for an offensive line that’s committed 14 holding or false start penalties in four weeks. He’s an excellent pass blocker who channels his aggression into well-timed punches that keep edge rushers off balance and create space for his quarterbacks to thrive.

Team needs: TE, LB, S, IOL

Savaiinaea brings versatility to the Seattle line — he’s capable of thriving at guard or tackle. That gives him the advantage over a pure interior lineman like Tyler Booker.

He’s an explosive blocker who can move laterally to mirror pass rushers or burst forward to create space in key short yardage situations. Now he gets to pair with Charles Cross and Abe Lucas as the foundation for Mike Macdonald’s offense, clearing lanes for Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.

Team needs: OT, DT, LB, CB

Perkins is light at 225 pounds. He’s also athletic and instinctive enough to be a force in every facet of the game.

He crashes to the ball like a vengeful tornado, useful as an edge rusher (13 sacks in 2022 and 2023) and a magnet to the ball (seven passes defensed, two interceptions and seven forced fumbles in that span). He’s still got a lot to prove as an undersized monster, but if he can continue to thrive he should cement his place as a Day 1 talent.

Team needs: EDGE, IOL, CB, LB… WR?

Powell-Ryland is moving up draft boards after a 9.5-sack debut for the Hokies in 2023 followed by seven sacks in his first five games of 2024. Granted, four of those game against Old Dominion, but it still showed off his explosive speed rush around the corner. His run defense is still a work in progress, but he can make an immediate impact as a rotational pocket-cruncher for a Tampa team with a top-3 blitz rate but only a top-10 pressure rate this fall.

Team needs: IOL, RB, DT, EDGE

An impact defensive tackle like Deone Walker would be tempting here, but relying on Kenyon Green and Shaq Mason in 2025 is a dangerous proposition. As a result, the Texans opt for the kind of high floor guard they hoped they were getting in Green three years earlier.

Booker is huge (6-foot-5, 335 pounds), quick and, importantly, mean. He relishes in finishing blocks, which should help create a dangerous run game cantilever to C.J. Stroud’s passing attack.

Team needs: OT, S, WR, EDGE

Both Baltimore’s starting tackles are pending free agents, and while Roger Rosengarten is being groomed to take over one spot there’s still room for improvement. Carmona may not be the highest rated tackle on the board here, but he’s one who’d fit with the Ravens’ style of bully ball.

He’s a ferocious blocker with quick feet who revels in getting out in space and flattening defenders. The former tight end would be an asset in the run game or as an improviser when Lamar Jackson phases through the pocket like a scrambling ghost.

Team needs: OT, CB, EDGE, DT, CB

The Niners need someone to anchor the sideline opposite Charvarius Ward. Burke, a four-year no-fly zone in Columbus, can be that guy. The 6-foot-1 cornerback isn’t an elite athlete, but his smooth stride and ability to instinctually suss out routes makes him sticky in coverage and quick to the ball.

Team needs: CB, LB, WR, EDGE, S

Deone Walker is still on the board, and Buffalo could use a replacement for a soon-to-be 33-year-old Daquan Jones. But while the Bills’ secondary has punched above its weight class early in 2024, it still needs reinforcements, particularly with Rasul Douglas a pending free agent.

Revel Jr. fits that bill. Though he’ll be rehabbing a torn ACL and unlikely to do too much in the pre-draft process, his game tape at ECU speaks for itself. He has the speed to run with deep threats and the length (6-foot-3) to be a major red-zone deterrent. He has 15 passes defensed and three interceptions in his last 15 college games.

Team needs: WR, LB, EDGE, DL, IOL

Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike and Kyle Peko are all pending free agents, and DJ Reader is 30 years old with an iffy injury history. That makes No. 30 the perfect place to stop Walker’s slide.

Kentucky’s 6-foot-6, 345-pound goblin is off to a slow start in 2024 but had 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 2023. He’s powerful, quick and can be a menace in run and pass situations.

Team needs: DT, CB, S, RB

Walker would have been outstanding in purple. Davis is a great consolation prize. The Wildcat corner is a ball magnet, having knocked down 20 passes in his last 17 games.

At 6-foot-4 he’s a long, physical corner who uses his reach to jam opponents at the line or high-point throws that come his way. Though he lacks elite speed, his instincts make up for it — making him a corner you can trust on an island when Brian Flores decides to send the house on a cover-0 blitz.

Team needs: CB, LB, RB, WR

Regardless of whether or not Travis Kelce is washed — I don’t believe he is — Kansas City should start planning for a future without him. But a 2025 with a bunch of tight end pairs, including college football’s top player at the position, would be a ton of fun as well.

Loveland has battled injury this fall, but he’s still caught 23-of-30 targets to emerge as the only Wolverine with more than 69 receiving yards. He’s a useful run blocker and his strength lies as a receiving threat over the middle, where his size and strong hands allow him to haul in catches through traffic and rumble upfield for big gains.