Breaking Down Fantasy Football 2025 Mock Draft and Cheat Sheet

Kristopher KnoxAug 1, 2025

With the 2025 NFL preseason officially underway, it's time for fantasy managers to ramp up their draft prep. While exhibition games don't count, they do help decide depth charts and determine roles for the regular season.

Studying preseason developments and training camp reports are both tried-and-true tactics used by experienced fantasy footballers. Engaging in mock drafting is also often part of the equation.

Like the preseason, mock drafts don't count. However, they can help uncover trends and help managers set goals for the real thing.

Here, we'll run through the first four rounds of a mock draft conducted with FantasyPros' Mock Draft Simulator. We'll break down some of the more interesting selections from that mock before diving into positional point-per-reception (PPR) rankings.

12-Team, PPR Mock Draft

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AP Photo/Rusty Jones

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase

Round 1

Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

Round 2

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Round 3

Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Round 4

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
D.J. Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Notable Mock Selections

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AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley at No. 4 Overall

Based on last year's production, nothing about Saquon Barkley at No. 4 should be surprising. The Philadelphia Eagles star racked up 33 receptions, 2,283 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns during the regular season.

However, Barkley also logged a whopping 378 touches in the regular season, plus 104 touches in the playoffs. That's a substantial workload that should at least raise concern about Barkley's durability in 2025.

Fantasy managers haven't forgotten that Christian McCaffrey logged 39 touches in 2023 and spent most of last season on the sideline.

This doesn't mean that Barkley won't deliver in fantasy or that he isn't worth an early first-round pick. However, I've run across several other mocks with him lasting until the second half of Round 1. In other words, it'll be entirely up to managers to determine whether Barkley is worth taking early, late or at all in Round 1.

Brock Bowers at No. 15 Overall

While there's some risk involved in targeting Barkley after a high-volume season, there shouldn't be much risk involved with targeting Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.

As a rookie last season, Bowers racked up an astonishing 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. This year, he should be in a more potent offense with a steadier quarterback in Geno Smith.

Yet, seeing any tight end go this early in the draft is a bit surprising. Bowers is undoubtedly a PPR star, but he's still a tight end who doesn't quite have the ceiling of a true No. 1 receiver or every-down running back.

There's also a very real chance that Bowers will see a reduced role with rookie first-round pick Ashton Jeanty coming in as the new centerpiece of the offense. A year ago, Las Vegas ranked 30th in rushing attempts and 32nd in rushing yards.

Quarterbacks Going Early Round 3

It's surprising to see tight ends going in the early second round in a post-elite Travis Kelce era. However, it's not at all surprising to see top-tier dual-threat quarterbacks going early in the third round.

This is simply the range in which QBs like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen tend to go in modern fantasy. We're highlighting this fact for a couple of reasons. For one, managers should know that if they want a prolific scrambler like Jackson, Allen, Jayden Daniels or Jalen Hurts, they may have to make their move before Round 4—especially if they're set to pick at the back end of the round.

Secondly, it's a good chance to point out that it can pay to wait on a quarterback until even later in the draft. According to FantasyPros, Jackson, Allen, Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, Daniels, Jared Goff, Bo Nix and Hurts were the top eight scoring QBs last season, in that order.

Mayfield and Nix were sixth-round selections in our mock, while Goff lasted until Round 11. The point differential between Jackson and Goff last season was an average of 5.5 per week. That's big, but that's not eight-rounds big.

If managers want to draft a QB in the third or fourth round, great. However, they shouldn't force a pick in that range when high-end skill players like Jonathan Taylor, Davante Adams, Mike Evans and DK Metcalf are available.