Abdul Carter and Mel Kiper’s Picks from ESPN’s 2025 NFL Mega Mock Draft

Mel Kiper Jr. came away with Abdul Carter as his top selection in a draft simulation with some of his fellow ESPN analysts.

In the ESPN mega mock draft that dropped on Thursday, Kiper used his first-round selection on Carter (starts at 7:35 mark).

Here is the full 10-man class Kiper was able to draft (results start at 1:17:40 mark):

1. Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State (No. 4 overall pick)
2. Mason Graham, DT, Michigan (No. 5)
3. Armand Membou, OT, Missouri (No. 12)
4. Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina (No. 13)
5. Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan (No. 20)
6. Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi (No. 21)
7. Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State (No. 28)
8. Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky (No. 29)
9. Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami (No. 36)
10. Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame (No. 37)

There were rules in place that meant each analyst couldn't simply take the best player on their board. They had to fill out a roster with one quarterback, one running back, one offensive tackle, one interior offensive lineman, two pass-catchers (wide receiver or tight end), two defensive linemen or linebackers and two defensive backs (cornerback or safety).

Kiper, who picked No. 4 overall in the first round, said Carter is the type of player who is going to give his team between 12-15 sacks in a season.

The ESPN draft guru has Carter ranked as the second-best player in the 2025 class on his big board. He also came away with his third-best player, Mason Graham, with the top pick in the second round in the snake-draft mock.

"Up the gut pressure bothers a quarterback. Mason Graham provides that," Kiper said of the Michigan standout.

In the back half of the draft, Jaxson Dart was Kiper's quarterback selection in round six after Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders were off the board early.

The Ole Miss standout is one of the more divisive prospects in the 2025 class in part because of the offense he played in under Lane Kiffin, but Kiper called him "underrated" with an "above-average" arm and good mobility.

Overall, Kiper's approach really seemed to mirror what is believed to be the strength of this year's draft class: the trenches. He grabbed defensive linemen and an offensive tackle with his first three picks, then got running back Omarion Hampton in round four to provide a spark on the ground.