Jeanty to Patriots, Sanders to Raiders, Dart to Saints in Chad Reuter's NFL Mock Draft

Speaking to the unique nature of the 2025 NFL draft class and finding perfect player-team pairings, NFL.com's Chad Reuter offered some interesting takes in his latest mock posted on Friday.

The two big curveballs Reuter projected in his top 10 are Ashton Jeanty to the New England Patriots at No. 4, followed two picks later with Shedeur Sanders going to the Las Vegas Raiders.

With both Cam Ward (No. 1 overall) and Sanders off the board, Reuter gave Jaxson Dart to the New Orleans Saints at No. 9 amid all of their instability at quarterback.

In explaining the Jeanty pick, Reuter wrote it's simply a matter of giving the Patriots "the best player on the board" before addressing their needs along the offensive line in later rounds:

"New head coach Mike Vrabel knows the value that a premier back can bring, having watched Derrick Henry carry his previous Titans teams to the playoffs. While Jeanty's not as big as Henry, he has considerable power through contact and the burst to create explosive plays in the run game."

Jeanty is the top-ranked offensive player and No. 6 overall prospect in the 2025 class on B/R's top 250 big board.

The Patriots do need to address their offensive line, but they also badly need high-level skill-position talent around Drake Maye as they look to get back into contention in the AFC East.

Sanders to the Raiders was a popular draft pairing early in the offseason, but their acquisition of Geno Smith quieted down a lot of that chatter. It has started to come up again less than one week away from the start of the draft.

The MMQB's Albert Breer reported the Raiders has a top-30 visit with Sanders scheduled for April 16.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Raiders "could be in play" for Sanders if he falls out of the top three picks.

B/R's NFL scouting department actually has Sanders coming off the board at No. 6 overall in its latest mock draft, but it's to the Saints in a projected trade with the Raiders.

Reuter's explanation of giving Sanders to Las Vegas is built around Smith's contract doesn't include any guaranteed money after the 2026 season, so they could get out of it within two years at minimal financial impact to their cap.

Sanders has also been open about his close relationship with Tom Brady and the impact the future Hall of Famer has had on helping him develop his skills in college.

Brady reportedly played a significant role in the Raiders' decision to hire Pete Carroll as head coach, so his influence in the draft room shouldn't be underestimated if he thinks Sanders can be their long-term answer at quarterback.

The addition of Smith has opened up several options for the Raiders in the first round, but there's an argument for Sanders as their pick if they view him as the best player.

Dart might be the preferred quarterback for the Saints, regardless of who else is on the board when their turn comes up. Breer noted they have done a "ton of homework" on the Ole Miss star leading up to the draft.

The reported shoulder injury for Derek Carr would strongly indicate the Saints will target a quarterback fairly early in the draft, whether it's at nine or when their turn comes up again in the second at No. 40 overall.

New Orleans owns nine picks in the draft, including four of the top 93 selections. General manager Mickey Loomis has never been shy about trading up in the draft for a player he wants.

Dart may not be a player the Saints have to move up for, but the growing chatter about him landing with them won't make it a surprise if his name is called at No. 9 overall.