Dart to Rams, Shough to Browns, Milroe to Giants in Mel Kiper's 2025 NFL Mock Draft

Even though there's not likely to be much quarterback activity early in the 2025 NFL draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. is anticipating a windfall will start near the end of the first round.

In his two-round mock released on Tuesday, Kiper projected three quarterbacks to come off the board in the span of nine picks starting at No. 26 with the Los Angeles Rams taking Jaxson Dart.

Kiper starts the second round by having the Cleveland Browns take Tyler Shough at No. 33, followed by Jalen Milroe going to the New York Giants at 34.

Here are the top 10 picks in Kiper's latest mock draft:

1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2. Cleveland Browns: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
3. New York Giants: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
4. New England Patriots: Will Campbell, OT, LSU
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
7. New York Jets: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
8. Carolina Panthers: Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
9. New Orleans Saints: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
10. Chicago Bears: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

The Rams would seem to be in the market after an offseason in which they allowed Matthew Stafford, who turned 37 in February, to seek a trade before the two sides eventually worked things out to bring him back.

It also seems notable that the Rams didn't add any additional years to Stafford's contract, putting them in a situation where they could have to revisit the situation again next offseason.

Head coach Sean McVay did say at the NFL owners meetings it's "unlikely" the Rams would pursue a quarterback early in the draft because he feels good about their current group and hasn't "done a whole lot of work" on the draft prospects.

While that could be dismissed as a coach posturing to throw other teams off the scent, usually a head coach will say we evaluate every option and take the best player available.

The Giants taking a developmental quarterback early in the second round would make sense given where they are at right now.

B/R NFL scout Dame Parson noted in his report for Milroe that the Alabama standout "projects as a quarterback prospect that should sit instead of being a Day 1 starter in the NFL."

Russell Wilson's presence on the Giants' roster would give them the ability to develop Milroe during his rookie year before letting him take over as a starter in 2026.

Cleveland is a team that needs a quarterback who can step in right away. The only signal-callers currently under contract to the Browns are Deshaun Watson, whose status for 2025 is in doubt after suffering a second Achilles injury in January, and Kenny Pickett.

There have been rumblings that Kirk Cousins could end up on the Browns in a potential trade with Atlanta Falcons.

Even if the Browns work out a deal for Cousins, that would be more of a stop-gap plan than a long-term solution. Shough, an older prospect who turns 26 on Sept. 28, has received high marks throughout the pre-draft process.

Shough's arm talent could prove to be too tantalizing for a quarterback-needy team that bypasses the position in the first round to bet on him early in the second round.

The Browns, who are being heavily linked to Travis Hunter right now, would fit that bill.