2025 NFL Mock Draft: A Fantasy Football Perspective on Offense
By now, most readers have seen countless mock drafts, and if you are anything like me, you are not tired of them…yet.
However, seeing the same players rumored to the same teams can become a bit stale, or witnessing a writer craft a mock draft with “need” in mind only to guarantee a specific team ends up with a player passed over by many teams that already drafted. It can be tiresome, and I thought I would shake things up with this mock draft.
Instead, this mock draft will only select offensive players for the team drafting. A current team’s depth chart and long-term outlook were considered when choosing a player during this mock draft.
So, this first-round mock draft will not include any defensive players or offensive linemen.
Each team will select either a quarterback, wide receiver, running back, or running back, strictly based on how much of a fantasy impact that player would have if they were on the selected team.
This mock draft is not intended to predict anything for Thursday, but it does inspire interest in player placement and the “what if” component of the NFL Draft.
In all fairness, I hate *mock* draft trades, and I have chosen to keep the draft order as is rather than try to predict what a team might trade to move up in the draft.
| 1.01 | TENN | Cam Ward | QB | Miami |
| 1.02 | CLE | Travis Hunter | WR | Colorado |
| 1.03 | NYG | Shadeur Sanders | QB | Colorado |
| 1.04 | NEP | Tet McMillan | WR | Arizona |
| 1.05 | JAX | Tyler Warren | TE | Penn St |
| 1.06 | LAV | Ashton Jeanty | RB | Boise St |
| 1.07 | NYJ | Jaxson Dart | QB | Ole Miss |
| 1.08 | CAR | Luther Burden | WR | Missouri |
| 1.09 | NOS | Emeka Egbuka | WR | Ohio St |
| 1.10 | CHI | Colston Loveland | TE | Michigan |
| 1.11 | SF | Matthew Golden | WR | Texas |
| 1.12 | DAL | Omarion Hampton | RB | UNC |
| 1.13 | MIA | Elijah Arroyo | TE | Miami |
| 1.14 | IND | Mason Taylor | TE | LSU |
| 1.15 | ATL | Tre Harris | WR | Ole Miss |
| 1.16 | ARZ | Jaylen Noel | WR | Iowa St |
| 1.17 | CINN | Harold Fannin | TE | Bowling Green |
| 1.18 | SEA | Jalen Milroe | QB | Alabama |
| 1.19 | TB | Terrance Ferguson | TE | Oregon |
| 1.20 | DNV | TreVeyon Henderson | RB | Ohio St |
| 1.21 | PITT | Tyler Shough | QB | Texas Tech |
| 1.22 | LAC | Oronde Gadsen | TE/WR | Syracuse |
| 1.23 | GB | Jack Bech | WR | TCU |
| 1.24 | MINN | Isaiah Bond | WR | Texas |
| 1.25 | HOU | Quinshon Judkins | RB | Ohio St |
| 1.26 | LAR | Will Howard | QB | Ohio St |
| 1.27 | BAL | Jayden Higgins | WR | Iowa St |
| 1.28 | DET | RJ Harvey | RB | UCF |
| 1.29 | WAS | Xavier Restrepo | WR | Miami |
| 1.30 | BUFF | Elic Ayonmanor | WR | Stanford |
| 1.31 | KC | Kaleb Johnson | RB | Iowa |
| 1.32 | PHI | Luke Lachey | TE | Iowa |
1.02: Cleveland drafts Travis Hunter: this might seem wild, but this was the first spot I debated taking a different player. I get the endless possibilities of Travis Hunter being the NFL’s version of Shohei Ohtani, but I’m not sold on his traits as a receiver as much as others. However, if this team wants to be relevant in 2025, they need to be able to move the ball downfield. Hunter can help them do that. Playing both sides of the ball will be a challenge for Hunter, so fantasy managers would be wise to pay attention to usage before building a wide receiver core around him.
1.05: Jacksonville drafts Tyler Warren: I have seen some mocks where the Jags take Jeanty with this pick. And, while I do agree that Jeanty is the best offensive player in this draft, I do not believe a backfield with Jeanty and Etienne serves the Jags well. And I also contemplated complimenting Brian Thomas on the other side of the field for Trevor Lawrence to utilize. However, the check-down is a quarterback’s best friend, and Tyler Warren has “Travis Kelce” vibes for me; I think the Jags would be wise to secure his services and you would be wise to lock up Warren for your fantasy teams to keep pace at a position that has exploded recently with the likes of LaPorta, McBride, and Bowers.
1.07: New York Jets draft Jaxson Dart. Aaron Glenn is unhappy with the long-term prospects of his new team’s quarterback position; Justin Fields has never been a favorite of mine. Jaxson Dart would be the perfect fit to pair with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall and develop as the foundation of the Jets’ offense. Dart and Wilson form a dynamic pairing for fantasy managers to stack for years.
1.10: Chicago drafts Colston Loveland: This was my next big decision after pick two. On one hand, I thought the pairing of Omarion Hampton and the Bears would be ridiculous. And that still might happen in real life; fingers crossed!!! However, Cole Kmet has never been what many thought he could be as a pass catcher over the middle. With Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, and DJ Moore, Caleb Williams has plenty to work with on the outside, and Loveland will help create that space by drawing attention to the middle as he crushes offenses with those 8-yard hitches and 4-yard drag routes.
1.15: Atlanta drafts Tre Harris: I don’t think Harris is getting enough attention in the draft process, but he should. He is a tactical runner who sets up breaks and moves better than most in this draft. Atlanta has the makings of a great offense with Bijan Robinson and Drake London. However, the best offenses will need more than that to be successful. Michael Penix was adept at finding Jalen McMillan, Ja’lynn Polk, and Rome Odunze for the Washington Huskies and will do the same in Atlanta as the develop their offensive pieces.
1.18: Seattle drafts Jalen Milroe: There is a reason that Jalen Milroe has an invitation to the green room for the draft. The NFL knows some teams love Milroe’s abilities. Milroe is an adequate passer but a truly gifted runner. Milroe reminds me a lot of Jalen Hurts. He may not dazzle with his passing, but his combination of running and passing will keep defenses off balance. For fantasy purposes, any quarterback capable of double-digit rushing touchdowns needs to be on your team.
1.21: Pittsburgh selects Tyler Shough: Although Shough has footwork issues, his arm will serve him well with the Steelers. Shough can make all the “NFL” throws and has plenty of tape to prove he can hit the deep pass. If he can find a way to connect with George Pickens and DK Metcalf, the sky’s the limit for Shough. The YAC potential by Pickens and Metcalf with Shough as the distributor will increase his fantasy potential beyond other quarterbacks in this class.
1.28: Detriot selects RJ Harvey: Last year, the Lions’ one-two punch of Jamyr Gibbs and David Montgomery was the best in the business. After Montgomery went down, we saw Gibbs was capable of carrying the load by himself. However, pairing the hard-nosed Harvey with Gibbs will ensure a long-term backfield tandem for the Lions, dominating the NFC for years.