Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes may very well have the Heisman winner in Travis Hunter and the first two selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. Shedeur Sanders feels like one of the best quarterback prospects in this reasonably down class at the position, and with the Raiders currently sitting with the second choice next April, no one should be shocked if Sanders is picked by the quarterback-desperate club in Las Vegas.
It's been a long road for Sanders, who started as a three-star recruit out of high school in 2021, per 247 Sports, before enrolling at Jackson State. He rocked at the HBCU level before his highly publicized transfer to Colorado before the 2023 campaign.
Hunter, on the other hand, could've played at any college in America as the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2022. After a fine, albeit low-ish volume, true freshman season in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Hunter erupted as the finest dual-threat player we've seen in the collegiate ranks since either Charles Woodson or Champ Bailey.
He's been the best player in college football this season, and his traits are spectacular, too. That combination suggests he'll enter the pre-draft process as the favorite to be the first player off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. That's when he's picked in this mock, and Sanders follows immediately after. If that scenario becomes a reality, they would be the first players from the same school taken Nos. 1 and 2 in the NFL Draft since Penn State in 2000 (Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington).
The draft order below was determined using the current 2025 NFL Draft order. To check out the betting odds on who will be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, head on over to BetMGM.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen below!
Round 1 - Pick 1
Hunter is the best player in college football with immense two-way abilities. The Jaguars could use an elite talent at cornerback, and Hunter's dynamic receiving skills would help a sputtering offense, too. This is feeling more and more like a no-brainer.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Colorado stars go Nos. 1 and 2 in this draft. Sanders landing in Las Vegas is perfect, from both team-need and attention standpoints.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
The Giants don't hesitate here. Ward has demonstrated fine development during his collegiate career at three different schools. New York has to pick a quarterback with this selection.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
The Patriots have a nice slot wideout in Pop Douglas and get quality contributions from depth pieces down the roster. But they need a true No. 1 wideout, and that's precisely what McMillan is.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Carter seemingly has the elite-level traits to go this high in the draft, and the Panthers have to get better on the edge.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
There isn't a quarterback worth selecting here for the Jets -- if the Aaron Rodgers era concludes at the end of this season -- but drafting another young, high-upside tackle makes plenty of sense for this organization.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
The Titans have to get another premier talent up front alongside Jeffery Simmons. That's precisely what the raw but uber-talented Williams would be.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
How about a rugged, upfield rusher to complement Myles Garrett on the outside in Cleveland?
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Round 1 - Pick 9
The Bengals' defensive regression has been absolutely insane this season. Therefore, they add a supremely gifted, NFL-ready safety to the secondary.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
With plenty of uncertainty surrounding the football-playing future of Chris Olave given his vast concussion history, the Saints have to add another high-caliber receiving talent to the offense.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
Banks would provide more protection up front for Caleb Williams, which is needed in Chicago.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
Johnson hasn't played for a while now due to injury, yet when he was on the field for Michigan, he was a cerebral, high-caliber athlete at the boundary corner spot.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Jeanty is the best running back prospect in this class, and I don't think Jerry Jones will be able to stay away in Round 1. Immediate, plus starter for the Cowboys offense.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
The 49ers plan for the future after Trent Williams at left tackle. Milum looks ready for professional football right now. Chiseled specimen at tackle.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Burden may not have elite-level physical traits, but he's fun with the ball in his hands, runs quality routes and catches everything.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
The Buccaneers need to get another rusher to complement Yaya Diaby up front. Scourton is a wide-bodied, athletic rusher with power.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
The Rams roll the dice on the injured Buckeye blocker with a massive frame and elite-level upside.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Pearce is going to test himself into the top 20, and his productivity stands alone among the edge rushers in this class. Awesome addition for the Cardinals.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Umanmielen is a chiseled but reasonably explosive and bendy rusher who'd be a welcomed addition to the Falcons' anemic pass rush.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
The Seahawks have been running through linebackers this season, and while Perkins is probably best around the edge, he flies to the football off the ball.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
The Commanders need to add a boundary cornerback with size and ball skills. That's precisely the type of specimen Revel is.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Watch a Texans game... and you'll first notice how shoddy the interior of the offensive line is. Booker is the best pure offensive guard in this class.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
The Broncos draft their left tackle of the future in Ersery, who's looked like an early pick for two seasons now at Minnesota.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
The Ravens have to fortify the interior of the offensive line, and Williams is a mammoth human who can begin his NFL career at guard.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
Overton is an oversized outside rusher with flexibility to move inside and disrupt against interior blockers for the Chargers.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Walker's slide stops here with the Steelers. They get a hybrid front-seven player to add another stud to their defense.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
The Packers need more girth inside, and Sanders is a wide-bodied, three-down defender who's flashed upside as a pass rusher on South Carolina's stellar defensive front this season.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
The Vikings add an enormous and athletic defensive tackle to make life easier for their outside rushers in Brian Flores' blitz-obsessed scheme.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Royals has been fantastic at Utah State this season, and he looks like his athletic profile could be first-round caliber. It wouldn't hurt to add another big body to Jalen Hurts' collection of skill-position talent.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
The Bills add another towering edge rusher to their defensive front to bookend Greg Rousseau.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Nolen would give Chris Jones a legitimate running mate getting upfield as a rusher. The Ole Miss star has demolished offensive lines with regularity this season.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
The Lions get a sizable, explosive edge rusher to complement Aidan Hutchinson when he returns to full health in Detroit.
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