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The only thing more prolific than NFL Draft talk is NFL Draft talk surrounding the quarterback position. Every season there appears to be at least a handful of teams in the market for a new signal-caller, and 2025 is no exception. One can make a case for six teams currently inside the top 10 of this year's draft to select a quarterback.
In a recent mock draft conducted by Ryan Wilson and Mike Renner on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast -- they had the New York Jets being the first club to take a QB, trading up with the Tennessee Titans to the No. 1 overall pick to address their need in the wake of moving on from Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders stayed put and ultimately found their franchise cornerstone at the position fall into their laps.
Below, we'll roll through every selection Wilson and Renner made and include some of their commentary on why they made each pick. Of course, you can watch the full episode here and can subscribe to "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc.
Now let's get to the mock!
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
Mock Trade from
Tennessee Titans
Round 1 - Pick 1
Mike Renner: "Compared to everyone else, they are in a bad spot to get a quarterback at No. 7 if they don't make a big play. ... This is the class to do it where you'll have evaluations all over the map. If the Titans aren't in love and are shopping the pick, I would be the first to call if I'm the New York Jets because if Cam Ward hits, you are a championship-caliber football team very, very quickly."
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Ryan Wilson: "Super twitchy. He's a problem. He's so disruptive in the middle of that defense. ... He feels a lot like the Aidan Hutchinson pick for the Detroit Lions a few years ago. That's a safe pick. Layup. Go to bed at night, and feel good."
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Round 1 - Pick 3
Mike Renner: "They need more than just a quarterback. With where they're at with Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, the GM and head coach, they need to save their jobs. I don't think a rookie quarterback here at No. 3, whether it's Shedeur Sanders (well, probably the only one you'd consider here at No. 3), is going to save your job Year 1, unfortunately. ... Travis Hunter is a guy that's going to help you win right now."
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Ryan Wilson: "I think Will Campbell solves the biggest problem they've had for several years. ... I think Will Campbell is ready to go now. Put him in and then worry about other stuff as you get through the draft process."
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Mike Renner: "I'm taking the best player here. I'm shooing positional need because if you're the Jaguars you'll find that elsewhere. Just get talent on this roster."
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Ryan Wilson: "The Raiders' dreams continue to come true. Tom Brady's there. They have Pete Carroll, who feels like the right energy they need in that building to turn things around. The only thing left is they need a quarterback. ... I think [Sanders] throws a pretty good deep ball."
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Mock Trade from
New York Jets
Round 1 - Pick 7
Mike Renner: "[The trade down] is basically going to replenish this team that quite frankly has just not drafted well enough. ... Pair [McMillan] with Calvin Ridley, definitely I think more of the skill set that Will Levis trends towards. Not the most accurate, but can go down the football field, and at this point, if you're trading back to No. 7, you're riding with Will Levis."
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Round 1 - Pick 8
Ryan Wilson: "His versatility and dynamism make him pretty intriguing. It feels like a guy that can come in and do a couple of things for you. Maybe, in part, fill the role left by Frankie Luvu, who is a hair-on-fire-type player, but this guy's such a high-end athlete he can do a couple of other things as well."
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Mock Trade from
New Orleans Saints
Round 1 - Pick 9
Mike Renner: "I think everyone's going to want to jump the Bears for an OT if you want one. ... Trent Williams is getting up there, man. I know he's ageless, but he's getting up there. They need any help they can get along their offensive line."
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Round 1 - Pick 10
Ryan Wilson: "He's under 6-foot-4, which is concerning for your tackle. He has 34-inch arms and an 81-inch wingspan, and, if you don't know, those check the boxes for tackle. When you watch him play, there's not a lot to be worried about in terms of the way he carries himself."
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Mock Trade from
San Francisco 49ers
Round 1 - Pick 11
Mike Renner: "Of all the first-round draft picks, [Stewart] has the biggest boom-or-bust potential. He is a true freak of nature and we'll see it at the combine with what he's going to run at 282 pounds. On tape just special explosiveness, but on tape he also had 1.5 sacks all last year."
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Round 1 - Pick 12
Ryan Wilson: "This feels like it's written in stone at this point. ... He's a special talent. We've talked about him since the summer, and he was in the Heisman Trophy race. He got to go to New York as he well should have."
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Luther Burden III has a thick lower body that allows him to run through arm tackles in the open field. He is able to accelerate upfield quickly and has good body control to contort himself downfield. The Illinois native has primarily lined up in the slot, which means he does not have much exposure to getting off press coverage. His route-running must continue to improve. A reason for encouragement is Burden's improved drop rate from his freshman season (9.3%) to 2024 (3.8%).
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Tyler Warren is a tall, well-built tight end who has shown off his versatility fulfilling a variety of roles this season. Warren has shown improvement as a run blocker driving his feet on contact, but must continue working on block retention and engaging as a puller across the formation. The Virginia native does a good job flattening his routes relative to his height and has a wide catch radius to make plays outside of his frame.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Mike Renner: "I love that he has just high-end body control. You see him being able to avoid hands consistently on tape. And then the guy plays with his hair on fire. ... To me, a very safe pick. Now, is he a three-down guy? On tape he was at Marshall, but it's different doing that in the NFL."
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Walter Nolen has the size and athleticism to play multiple positions along the defensive line. He shows good flexibility to bend, dip and get under blockers, but also plays high at times. With upper body strength, Nolen is able to hold gaps and shows pass-rush moves to get into gaps. There are times he could play with more urgency, and his secondary action off contact is only average.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Kenneth Grant is a traditional nose tackle who offers a little more, but not much pass-rush potential. He plays a bit high at times but does a good job stacking blockers in the run game. Grant plays to the whistle but has below-average change of direction for an interior defender.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Tyler Booker is a massive road-grader with heavy hands and an elite motor to play through the whistle on almost every snap. He excels at moving and pulling in space as well as displacing defenders on double teams. He's experienced with over 2,000 reps vs. high-level competition.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Malaki Starks is a versatile, high-caliber safety with the size of a big cornerback and the movement skills to match. He's comfortable in the box, the slot or patrolling deep, showcasing rare positional flexibility for a modern safety. He may not dominate in one specific area, but his well-rounded skill set, versatility and lack of any glaring weaknesses make him an ideal three-down safety built for today's NFL.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Ryan Wilson: "This dude is an incredible route runner, incredible athlete. He just didn't get a lot of opportunity."
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Will Johnson is a smooth athlete who stays in phase up the boundary without grabbing his opponent. He trusts his eyes and technique as though he is running the route for the receiver. Johnson has a high missed tackle rate each of the past two seasons as a result of not coming to balance in space. The junior could use more exposure to jamming opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage, but he drives hard out of the top of his drop. Johnson displays good spatial awareness in zone coverage.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Mykel Williams has a built-in-a-lab frame with length for days, which gives him amazing ability to make first contact at the point of attack. Pass-rush move arsenal is good, but needs to develop in the NFL. Overall, Williams is a ridiculous specimen with raw talent and glimpses of his ascending skill as a DL/EDGE hybrid.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Mike Renner: "He looks like he can play. Just that perfect intermediate body type at 6-foot-4 with long arms and 315 pounds that looks like he can play nose tackle, looks like they can play three-technique, looks like they can play a 3-4 defensive end. For the Packers, that's really important for them to have that kind of versatility."
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Jahdae Barron is an experienced, well-built outside cornerback who meets most size thresholds, but isn't a high-end physical specimen. He spent much of his college career playing outside leverage in zone, showing plus instincts and the ability to read the quarterback's eyes effectively. Overall, Barron is a smart, assignment-sound corner without glaring weaknesses, though he also lacks a standout trait. His instincts and reliability should make him a solid contributor, even if he doesn't project as a high-upside NFL starter.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
Ryan Wilson: "Played tackle this season at college. He's played everywhere in college and played inside at the Senior Bowl at guard and center and looked like he'd been doing it his entire life."
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From
Los Angeles Rams
Round 1 - Pick 26
 
Josh Simmons
OT
Ohio State
• Sr
• 6'5"
/ 317 lbs
Josh Simmons has a very high ceiling with plus upper body strength and superior athleticism, but he's somewhat of a gamble with technique flaws and coming off a knee injury. He moves well in space and can move defenders in the run game. He dominates lesser competition, but has some excellent traits that translate for success at the next level. He also has experience and is battle tested with more than 1,900 reps.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Mike Renner: "The Ravens, they play the draft as well as anyone. They kind of know where the wins are, and one of the wins that they have hit on numerous times is just drafting great athletes on the edge and just developing them. ... I don't think [Pearce] is an immediate high-end guy, but you're patient enough with this kid and he is going to be a high-end pass rusher."
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Ryan Wilson: "This feels like the sort of player they draft. ... I know we've talked about Jack Sawyer not being the freakish athlete of an Abdul Carter or Mykel Williams or whomever else is drafted above him, but I always tell myself the cautionary tale that T.J. Watt went at the bottom of the first round because he was too stiff."
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Mike Renner: "His tape or his polish is not why I'm going to bat for him. I'm going to bat for him because the guy is one of the best athletes in this draft class. At least the best major prospect along the offensive line in this draft class. He can fly. He's got great feet. ... You get a guy like that with Jayden Daniels, I think is when I get really excited because he can pull out in space on those QB-keepers or things of that nature."
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Ryan Wilson: "He's another freakish athlete. Looks like he was built in a lab. He has uncanny ball skills. He's always around the ball and seems to make good plays, and then he'll pop you coming down hill."
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Mike Renner: "[This pick] is keeping up with the Joneses in the arms race that is getting after quarterbacks. You can't have too many. He's definitely a Steve Spagnuolo kind of edge."
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Ryan Wilson: "I think you can line Jihaad up all over the place. He's still 20 years old, I think, and he's going to get bigger, stronger and faster, presumably."
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