2025 NFL Mock Draft: Colorado shines in early projections

The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books, with seven rounds and 257 picks officially complete, and the countdown to the 2025 event in Green Bay is on.

Unlike this year's edition, there's no clear prize at the top of next year's draft. However, there are plenty of intriguing prospects to target.

The order for theScore's way-too-early 2025 mock draft was set using Super Bowl odds from theScore Bet while balancing the number of clubs from each conference picking 19th to 32nd - the 14 spots reserved for playoff teams.

1. Carolina Panthers - Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

Despite another dismal season in Carolina, the Panthers give Bryce Young another shot at quarterback in 2025. That means they need to bring some excitement to Charlotte to get the fan base fired up again. Look no further than Colorado's two-way standout to do just that. Hunter is a legit star at both corner and wide receiver and has played over 100 snaps seven times.

2. Tennessee Titans - Carson Beck, QB, Georgia

The Will Levis experiment comes to a crashing halt with the Titans grabbing Beck at No. 2 to take over the offense. Beck finished with over 3,900 yards passing and 24 touchdowns in his first season as a starter, and he's poised for a big jump with wideouts Dominic Lovett and RaRa Thomas back in the fold.

3. Washington Commanders - James Pearce, EDGE, Tennessee

The Commanders picked their quarterback in 2024 with Jayden Daniels. That turns their attention to the 6-foot-5, 242-pound Pearce with the third pick in 2025. Pearce recorded an SEC-leading 9.5 sacks, a whopping 53 pressures, and two forced fumbles last season.

4. New York Giants - Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Sanders wants a big market in the NFL, and it doesn't get any bigger than New York City. The Colorado passer was the most-covered quarterback in the nation last September. Unfortunately, Sanders wore down significantly, taking 52 sacks behind an atrocious offensive line. However, he still shined with 27 touchdowns against just three interceptions.

5. New England Patriots - Luther Burden, WR, Missouri

New England will likely sit Drake Maye behind Jacoby Brissett for a year after taking the former North Carolina signal-caller at No. 3 on Thursday. The Patriots will ease the young quarterback's transition to starter in 2025 by grabbing Burden from Missouri. The former five-star recruit lived up to the hype in a big way as a sophomore with 86 grabs for over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns.

6. Denver Broncos - Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas

One key reason for Texas' offensive success under Steve Sarkisian is Banks' performance at left tackle. The 6-foot-4, 325-pounder moves with great agility and packs huge power to stop any edge rusher with bad intentions.

7. New Orleans Saints - Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

Hunter might garner more headlines, but Johnson projects to be just as dominant in the NFL. The Michigan standout showed his talent in press and zone coverages and played exceptionally well in numerous battles with Marvin Harrison Jr. over the past two years.

8. Minnesota Vikings - Harold Perkins, LB, LSU

The Vikings grab one of the draft's most versatile players in Perkins at No. 8. The LSU star burst onto the scene as a freakish edge rusher in 2022 and played more of an interior role last year. Through two seasons, Perkins has 13 sacks and seven forced fumbles.

9. Arizona Cardinals - Will Campbell, OT, LSU

The Cardinals continue to build around Kyler Murray by adding the talented Campbell to the line. Campbell looked like a different player in Year 2 at LSU, allowing zero sacks after giving up five in his freshman season.

10. Las Vegas Raiders - J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State

Tuimoloau surprised a number of people by opting to return to Ohio State for another season instead of entering the draft. That pays off in the form of a top-10 pick, with the standout edge landing in Las Vegas. While his overall stats might still leave something to be desired, his insane performance against Penn State in 2022 shows what he's capable of.

11. Seattle Seahawks - Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

Williams has flashed solid potential in two years at Georgia but is set to pop off the screen following the usual exodus to the draft by Bulldogs defenders. Paired with coach Mike Macdonald in Seattle, Williams' potential could be a perfect fit for the Seahawks.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

Ewers has flashed the talent of a franchise quarterback numerous times, but he's also shown a pattern of lazy footwork and a lack of consistency. Here's betting that coach Steve Sarkisian can clean that up at Texas this season and drive Ewers' draft stock up.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers - Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

Egbuka clearly played through injuries last season and failed to reach the same levels he achieved in 2022. With Harrison in the pros, the elite route-runner will shine as the Ohio State receiving core leader.

14. Indianapolis Colts - Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

The latest athletic freak from Penn State to hit the draft comes in the form of the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Carter. After posting 11 sacks in his first two seasons, expect a breakthrough for Carter with Chop Robinson in the NFL.

15. Los Angeles Chargers - Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

Graham's numbers from last season don't jump off the page, but much of that can be attributed to Michigan rotating players on the defensive line. Expect that to change in 2024 with new coordinator Wink Martindale in Ann Arbor. His former coach, Jim Harbaugh, will jump at this chance if Graham is available at No. 15

16. Chicago Bears - Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State

The Bears turn their attention to the defensive side of the ball in 2025 after taking Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze in the opening round Thursday. Burke is a very physical corner who returned to school to win a championship and be drafted inside the top 10.

17. Cleveland Browns - Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

A massive target at 6-foot-5, McMillan was virtually unstoppable in 2023 with 90 catches for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns. He thrives down the field and uses precise route-running to beat people in short-yardage situations.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars - Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama

While the 2024 draft was heavy on high-end offensive tackles, the class at that spot is light in 2025. However, the interior line features several solid prospects, with Booker the best of the bunch. The 6-foot-5, 352-pounder is an absolute mauler in the run game, something that'll appeal to Travis Etienne.

19. New York Jets - Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State

Jackson comes in smaller than Booker at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, but the Ohio State standout is an excellent athlete at that size. His selection by the Jets is the latest move to squeeze every last drop out of Aaron Rodgers' career in hopes of securing a Super Bowl for New York.

20. Los Angeles Rams - Cameron Ward, QB, Miami

Ward probably could have been a Day 2 pick in this year's draft but opted to remain in college and transfer to Miami. His increased visibility should help his draft stock and convince Sean McVay that he could be Matthew Stafford's replacement.

21. Miami Dolphins - Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

The Dolphins added Chop Robinson on Thursday to get after the passer and now put Morrison in the secondary to further shore up the defense. Morrison is an absolute ball hawk with nine interceptions over the past two seasons.

22. Atlanta Falcons - Princely Umanmielen, LB, Ole Miss

The 6-foot-5, 255-pounder is an outrageous athlete with a lightning first step that was often misused in Florida's atrocious defense last season. Umanmielen transferred to Ole Miss in the offseason to find a better fit. Should that happen, he'll fly up draft boards based on his freakish potential.

23. Houston Texans - Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon

Players who transferred to boost their draft stock go back-to-back off the board, with the Texans landing Stewart at No. 23. He's an absolute burner with solid hands and should thrive in Oregon's offense after underwhelming at Texas A&M.

24. Green Bay Packers - Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State

Williams is another Ohio State defender who could have entered the 2024 draft but opted to return for a shot at a title. The 6-foot-2, 290-pounder shows excellent athleticism on the interior and can single-handedly disrupt the offense in the running and passing attacks.

25. Buffalo Bills - Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas

Bond flashed for Alabama this season before transferring to Texas and joining Sarkisian's high-powered offense. He'll instantly fill the role vacated by Xavier Worthy as a sophisticated route-runner who can stretch the field vertically.

26. Dallas Cowboys - Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss

The second Ole Miss defender picked in the opening round also transferred to boost his draft stock. Nolen came to Texas A&M as the nation's top recruit but struggled with consistency in the Aggies' system. If that changes at Ole Miss, he likely won't be around near the end of Round 1.

27. Cincinnati Bengals - Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

The top tight end in the draft finds a home in Cincinnati when the Bengals grab Loveland at No. 27. The Michigan standout thrives at finding holes in zone coverage and is a mismatch for most defenders with his combination of speed and size.

28. Philadelphia Eagles - Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson

Carter's versatility plays a big role in moving him up toward the end of the opening round. The Clemson standout is among the more athletic linebackers in the draft, but he can also offer a strong cover option on a number of pass-catchers.

29. Baltimore Ravens - Emery Jones, OT, LSU

Jones is an absolute beast in the run game, using his incredible power to move defenders off the spot. He's also much improved in pass protection and could move into the top 20 with a strong season at LSU.

30. Detroit Lions - Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M

Turner started to show last year why he was such a highly touted prospect coming out of high school. The Texas A&M product produced six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss while playing in various spots on the defensive line.

31. Kansas City Chiefs - Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma

This is a bet that Burks will have a monster season at Oklahoma following his transfer from Purdue. If the spring game is any indication, that'll be the case after Burks caught five passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.

32. San Francisco 49ers - Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

Starks offers great flexibility in the back end thanks to strong man-to-man coverage skills. It might not be the biggest area of need for the 49ers, but they opt for the best available talent on the board and nab the Georgia defender.