There’s too many quarterback-needy teams and not enough passers to go around in the 2025 NFL draft.
For now, the consensus seems to be that Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are the clear-cut top tier of quarterbacks. There may not be another worth a first-round pick, though.
That could be good news for the Miami Dolphins. With teams like the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and New Orleans Saints all in the market for a quarterback, there’s a good chance two of the 12 selections ahead of the Dolphins’ No. 13 overall pick will be spent on a position Miami has no intention of pursuing that early.
With just under three months until draft day, here’s a projection of the first round of the 2025 NFL draft:
1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL)
There’s a lot to fix in Nashville, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that there’s “building sentiment” that Ward will be the No. 1 pick. It’s possible that the Titans will decide to trade the selection to one of the handful of quarterback-desperate teams, but Tennessee is no less needy in that area.
2. Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
The Browns’ Deshaun Watson problem is still very much on their hands, but there’s building momentum for Sanders to be the long-term answer in Cleveland. It’s a nightmare scenario for the other teams in the market for a quarterback — like the Giants, Raiders, and Saints — but the top two passers are off the board right away.
3. New York Giants: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
With the quarterbacks gone, the Giants settle for one of the more remarkable college athletes in recent memory. Hunter’s top priority will probably be filling the massive void at cornerback on the defensive side of the ball where Deonte Banks has struggled to live up to his 2023 first-round billing. Hunter’s help on offense won’t hurt either.
4. New England Patriots: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
No player on the Patriots defense finished with more than five sacks in 2024. The team collectively finished with 28 sacks, the lowest total in the NFL. Giving Drake Maye help will be a priority in the offseason, but adding a premier pass rusher is the better way to use a top five draft pick.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
There’s no shortage of logical directions for the Jaguars after the bottom fell out in 2024. In Johnson, Jacksonville can get a top-flight cornerback to pair with the oft-injured Tyson Campbell after Ronald Darby struggled last season.
6. Las Vegas Raiders: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
Adding offensive playmakers feels like a waste of time if the Raiders don’t add a quarterback, but options are pretty slim once Wards and Sanders are off the board. Either way, Las Vegas has to get things right on offense and McMillan is an exciting threat to get the ball rolling.
7. New York Jets: Will Campbell, OT, LSU
The Jets made plenty of moves at offensive tackle last year, adding Olu Fashanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, Tyron Smith in free agency, and Morgan Moses in a trade. But with the latter pair of aging veterans slated to hit the market in March, New York can get its right tackle of the future in Campbell.
8. Carolina Panthers: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
After trading away Brian Burns last year, pass rushing mercenary Jadeveon Clowney was the Panthers’ top edge rusher in 2024. Williams is a 6’5, 265-pound destroyer who would immediately revitalize the Carolina defensive front.
9. New Orleans Saints: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
The assumption seems to be that Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who has ridden Saquon Barkley to Super Bowl LIX, is set to take over in New Orleans. With quarterback options slim, why not try to replicate that formula by adding the draft’s most exciting running back to the Saints offense?
10. Chicago Bears: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
The Dolphins would’ve loved to see Campbell and/or Banks on the board after the top 12, but there’s too many teams in need of offensive line help for that to feel realistic. The Bears are no exception, with only Darnell Wright standing out as a long-term fixture in place.
11. San Francisco 49ers: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
The 49ers struggled to win in the trenches in big moments in 2024, which was a big departure for the team from its dominant few years prior. Graham could help San Francisco get back to controlling the line of scrimmage on the defensive side.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Luther Burden III, WR, Colorado
The Cowboys have a star in CeeDee Lamb, but they’re lacking offensive weapons, in general. There’s homegrown talent in Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin, but the trade to acquire Jonathan Mingo underlined just how silly desperate Dallas is to find explosiveness.
13. Miami Dolphins: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
Anything other than offensive line at No. 13 would bother plenty of Dolphins fans, but it’s tough to justify an interior lineman — or any other lineman, really — this early with Campbell and Banks off the board.
Safety might be the even bigger hole, though. If Jevón Holland exits in free agency, the back end of the secondary may be left with only 2024 sixth-round pick Patrick McMorris to build around. Starks would address that issue in an emphatic and exciting way.
Picks 14-32
14. Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
15. Atlanta Falcons: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
16. Arizona Cardinals: Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
18. Seattle Seahawks: Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
20. Denver Broncos: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
23. Green Bay Packers: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
24. Minnesota Vikings: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
25. Houston Texans: Grey Zabel, G, North Dakota State
26. Los Angeles Rams: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
27. Baltimore Ravens: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
28. Detroit Lions: Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan
29. Washington Commanders: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
30. Buffalo Bills: Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Ole Miss
31. Philadelphia Eagles: James Pearce: EDGE, Tennessee
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Josh Conerly Jr, OT, Oregon
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: NFL mock draft 2025: QBs go 1-2, Dolphins address defense in Round 1
