6 2025 NFL Draft Picks That Feel Inevitable with 2 Weeks to Go

Just a fortnight remains between now and the 2025 NFL draft.

Ahead of the event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the pre-draft speculation has kicked into hyperdrive. Rumors are flying around like crazy, and mock drafts are raining down like an April thunderstorm.

Fun fact: Most of those drafts will be, um, wrong. It's not that the writers who pen them haven't studied both the Class of 2025 and the needs of the NFL's 32 teams. It's just that the way we believe things will play out and how the draft actually does rarely mesh well.

Those sneaky general managers are just filled with surprises.

Every year, though, there are a handful of first-round picks that appear almost fated. Selections where the majority of pundits are convinced a player will land with a certain team.

And in 2025 these picks are just waiting for the card to be turned in on April 24.

Cam Ward to Tennessee Titans at No. 1

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By this point in the pre-draft process, we usually have a pretty good idea who will be the first overall pick.

There was some debate earlier on as to what the Tennessee Titans might do with the No. 1 pick this year. But with two weeks to go, just about everyone expects them to select Miami quarterback Cam Ward first overall.

Miami held its Pro Day on March 24, and Ward told reporters at the event he was using it to erase any doubt as to who should be the first pick.

"[I told them] 'I'm solidifying it today,'" he said. "They finally got to see me throw in person. That should be all they need to see. But at the end of the day ... I'm going to be happy whatever team I go to. I'm just trying to play football."

Ward added: "I think Coach (Brian) Callahan's one of the best head coaches out there. The things he did with Joe Burrow when he first got into the league made him be real successful. I just think the playbooks match up not only for there, but Cleveland and New York. A lot of those three teams did the same things that we did in Miami. So, I think it'll be plug and play."

It's not difficult to connect the dots here. The Titans badly need a quarterback, and Ward is considered the top prospect at the game's most important position by a sizable margin.

At this point, it would be a massive shock if anyone but Ward was the first overall pick.

Travis Hunter to Cleveland Browns at No. 2

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It doesn't take long for the waters to muddy in this year's draft.

The draftnik community is almost unanimous in its belief Cam Ward will go first overall, but opinions begin to vary once you get to Cleveland and the second overall pick.

There are those who believe the Browns will draft Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter to pair with Myles Garrett. Others still think they will attempt to procure a quarterback of the future in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.

However, as Jeff Howe noted for The Athletic, many around the NFL expect Cleveland to select two-way star Travis Hunter:

"There's a growing belief around the league that Hunter is the favorite to go to the Cleveland Browns with the No. 2 pick, according to high-ranking executives and coaches.

"The Browns have been high on Hunter throughout the process, according to sources. And as he went through his route tree Friday during warmups, Browns general manager Andrew Berry watched intently from 10 yards away.

"The Browns sent a heavy contingent to Colorado to meet with both Hunter and [Shedeur] Sanders, including a Thursday dinner with the pair. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and head coach Kevin Stefanski were also present for the visit. But the Browns have also hosted Hunter, Sanders and Miami quarterback Cam Ward on official visits in Cleveland, so they're very familiar with the draft's top prospects. Berry also spoke with Colorado coach Deion Sanders on Friday after the pro day."

The Browns have already stated they view Hunter primarily as a wide receiver. But while there’s some question about the role he would play in Cleveland, there's no doubt he is one of the most talented prospects in the Class of 2025.

Abdul Carter to the New York Giants at No. 3

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The closer we get to the draft, the more speculation grows that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders could slide in Round 1 this year.

And with the New York Giants adding Russell Wilson to a QB room that already included Jameis Winston, the G-Men aren't as desperate for a signal-caller as they were when the offseason began.

There's also the matter of the tenuous job security of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. If the team has another bad season, they are likely gone. New York needs players who can help the team win now.

In the opinion of ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., that player is Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter:

"In his first season as a full-time edge-rusher (after playing primarily off-ball linebacker in past years), Carter had 12 sacks and 23.5 total tackles for loss. I see elite traits on the tape. And considering the Giants have holes all over their roster, they might opt for the best player on the board. They'd have something with Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence II up front."

Yes, the Giants have already invested significant financial resources and a top-five pick on the edge in Burns and Thibodeaux. But as the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have shown in recent years, there's no such thing as too many quality edge-rushers.

And if Schoen decides to go with the best player available, that player is Carter.

It's also a pick that would leave New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel apoplectic. But that's a story for another day.

Ashton Jeanty to Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6

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There's a viable debate as to whether the Las Vegas Raiders should take Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall.

The Raiders have myriad needs and this is a deep and talented class in the backfield, as Nick Baumgardner noted for The Athletic:

"The tricky part about this for a team like the Raiders is whether or not they want to simply grab the best player in one of the deepest prospect groups we've seen in years, or play the board and walk away with a very good starter who can help immediately on Day 2. This group is deep enough that I think there'll be players who can be real contributors in two-back combinations as late as the fifth round. We saw 20 running backs drafted last year. I think we could see 30 (maybe more) drafted in 2025, the most since 2017."

However, former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew believes Jeanty is such a can't-miss prospect that the Raiders should just do it:

"Jeanty is the best prospect I have seen in the last 10 years, with special contact balance and vision. He can beat you inside or outside, and he can catch...

"The Raiders should definitely just take him. You know Pete Carroll wants to run the ball, and this guy is a great fit and can come right in and be a workhorse, and help him and Geno (Smith) get some wins right away."

The drumbeat for Jeanty to Las Vegas has been as consistent as it has been loud. It's a move that will likely make the fanbase happy, too.

The question is whether it's the best move for the languishing franchise.

Shedeur Sanders to New Orleans Saints at No. 9

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The fate of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is quickly becoming the most dramatic potential storyline of Round 1 of the 2025 draft.

For every analyst who believes the 23-year-old won't make it out of the top five, there's another who thinks Sanders could fall into the 20s.

Per Jordan Ranaan of ESPN, Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur believes the teams who pass on Sanders will come to regret it:

"I think the 31 teams that don't pick him are going to find out that those two things [lack of arm strength and athleticism] aren't correct really. I mean, I think he's got a really good arm and when you talk about arm talent, you talk about being able to make all the throws, being able to throw the ball accurately and being able to throw the ball with touch. And I think he can do all those things. I think of all the throws that you can make in college, and they're pretty similar to what you would make in the NFL, I don't know of any throw he can't make. So, I think that would dispel that myth."

However, Kiper (who has Sanders ranked ahead of Ward) believes the Colorado product's draft-day dip will stop at No. 9 overall:

"Sanders is my top-ranked quarterback, and his accuracy jumps off the tape. He completed 74% of his throws last season despite being under constant pressure. Playing in the NFC South with good weather and a few indoor stadiums would ease any arm strength concerns. And he wouldn't be forced to play right away. Derek Carr, 34, will be with the Saints for at least another season; Sanders could learn behind him before taking over."

It's a pick that makes a lot of sense for the Saints. Carr isn't any kind of long-term option in New Orleans, and taking Sanders ninth overall isn't reaching.

There will be a bit of a slip. But a full-blown slide? It stops in the Big Easy.

Jaxson Dart to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21

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Trying to nail down picks outside the top 20 in the draft is like throwing darts—blindfolded. There will be numerous surprises on April 24 that few folks expect.

But are we going to let something like that stop us from calling Pittsburgh's first-round pick inevitable? Heck, no.

While Shedeur Sanders has been dropping on many boards, the draft stock of Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart has been headed in the opposite direction.

There's a growing feeling among some in the draftnik community that up to four quarterbacks could go in Round 1: Ward, Sanders, Dart and Alabama's Jalen Milroe.

For his part, Dart told CBS Sports at the NFL combine that he is as capable under center as any signal-caller in the Class of 2025:

"I think it comes down to the intangibles for me. I think my leadership, being able to change a culture. Then on the field, I feel like I'm the toughest guy out there. I'm the guy that sets the tempo for the offense and I feel like I can make every throw. I feel like I can do anything the team needs me to do to win a game. I'm the ultimate competitor. I think everything's tied into that separates me. But there's a lot of great guys out here and it's been a lot of fun meeting them, get to know them. But yeah, I'm the ultimate competitor."

Even if Aaron Rodgers does eventually decide to sign with Pittsburgh (something that appears to be becoming less certain by the day), it still needs a long-term solution under center. And if the veteran spurns the Steelers, the team has (with all due respect to Mason Rudolph) a gaping hole at quarterback.

Taking Dart at No. 21 may give some Pittsburgh fans Kenny Pickett flashbacks. But the Ole Miss product is a better arm talent—taking him in the back half of Round 1 isn't a reach given the Steelers' need at the position.