- NFL
Here’s our latest NFL mock draft.
by Mark SchofieldDec 2, 2025, 4:20 PM UTC
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Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we are getting teams officially eliminated from playoff contention. The New York Giants were the first team eliminated following Week 12 results, and the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and the New Orleans Saints joined them following Week 13 results.
Draft season is truly here.
Let’s kick it off with our latest mock draft:
Pick
Team
Player
Position
School
1Tennessee TitansRueben Bain JrEDGEMiami2New York GiantsArvell ReeseLBOhio State3New Orleans SaintsFernando MendozaQBIndiana4Las Vegas RaidersDante MooreQBOregon5Cleveland BrownsJordyn TysonWRArizona State6Washington CommandersKeldric FaulkEDGEAuburn7New York JetsTy SimpsonQBAlabama8Arizona CardinalsSpencer FanoOTUtah9Los Angeles Rams (via ATL)Jermod McCoyCBTennessee10Cincinnati BengalsMansoor DelaneCBLSU11Minnesota VikingsPeter WoodsDLClemson12Miami DolphinsCaleb DownsSOhio State13Kansas City ChiefsJeremiyah LoveRBNotre Dame14Pittsburgh SteelersCarnell TateWROhio State15Carolina PanthersFrancis MauigoaOTMiami16Dallas CowboysDavid BaileyEDGETexas Tech17Detroit LionsT.J. ParkerEDGEClemson18Houston TexansKadyn ProctorOTAlabama19Baltimore RavensKenyon SadiqTEOregon20Tampa Bay BuccaneersSonny StylesLBOhio State21Buffalo BillsMakai LemonWRUSC22Philadelphia EaglesColton HoodCBTennessee23New York Jets (via IND)Brandon CisseCBSouth Carolina24San Francisco 49ersDenzel BostonWRWashington25Los Angeles ChargersCaashius HowellEDGETexas A&M26Cleveland Browns (via JAX)Caleb LomuOTUtah27Dallas Cowboys (via GB)C.J. AllenLBGeorgia28Seattle SeahawksOlaivavega IoaneIOLPenn State29Los Angeles RamsLaNorris SellersQBSouth Carolina30Denver BroncosAnthony Hill Jr.LBTexas31Chicago BearsMatayo UiagaleleiEDGEOregon32New England PatriotsChris BellWRLouisvilleBack to the future?
No, I’m not using that header because I came across Back to the Future II while channel surfing last night.
But it does fit.
The last time two defensive players came off the board to open an NFL Draft was in 2022, when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Travon Walker with the first pick, and the Detroit Lions followed with Aidan Hutchinson. In fact, those two picks kicked off a run of five defensive players, including Derek Stingley Jr, Sauce Gardner, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
While we might not see five consecutive defensive players this year — more on that in a moment — with the Titans and Giants currently sitting in the top two spots it is likely we get non-quarterbacks to open the draft. In this mock, Tennessee adds pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. while the Giants bolster their defense with Arvell Reese, one of the best all-around prospects in the class.
Again, we will touch on the quarterbacks in a moment but with three QB-needy teams currently behind them (and a fourth if you include the Browns), it is likely we see a trade up in a world where this is the draft order.
What about the quarterbacks?
Yes, we can talk about the quarterbacks now.
This has been an … interesting draft cycle at the quarterback position.
Let’s start by looking at our very early mock draft from last spring, which had five quarterbacks in the first round. Two of those QBs are still right in the mix: Fernando Mendoza and LaNorris Sellers while the other three (Cade Klubnik, Garrett Nussmeier, and Drew Allar) have likely slid out of the first round.
Those three sliding, coupled with a disappointing season from Arch Manning, have led to the idea that this quarterback class has “flopped.” But that is not exactly the case. Granted, quarterback evaluation remains one of the toughest aspects of the NFL evaluation game — partly because that process is more about evaluating where you are as an organization and self-evaluation is never easy — but given the number of teams that need quarterbacks, we are likely to see at least a few inside the top ten, and a few more in the first round.
Mendoza has enjoyed a tremendous season, and is one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the class. His comeback effort against Penn State is another check mark on his resume, and if he leads Indiana to a deep title run, he might cement his status as QB1. But he has another year remaining of eligibility, and if the Hoosiers fall short of a title you could see a world where he stays in school to finish the job.
This is Dante Moore’s first season as a starter, so there is not a huge sample size, but the arrow is trending up. If he decides to enter the draft, you can see teams wanting to buy that potential. But he also has eligibility remaining and could decide to stay in Eugene.
Ty Simpson played himself into both the Heisman mix as well as a potential first-round spot, but the Alabama passer also has just one full year as a starter under his belt, and has collegiate eligibility remaining.
As for the teams in the QB market, the Saints, Jets, and Raiders go early at the position in this mock draft. Cleveland is certainly a team to watch, and while they do not dip their toes into the QB pool in this mock draft, the Browns are likely to make a move or two to address the quarterback position next spring. Yes, Shedeur Sanders showed flashes in his first NFL start — that throw to Isaiah Bond certainly stands out — but we will need to see a lot more from him before we entrench him as the starter in Cleveland going forward.
As for LaNorris Sellers. Talking to others in the NFL Draft media space, the opinions are all over the map on the South Carolina passer. He has some incredible highs, but some head-scratching lows. Again, if teams buy the upside you could see him in the first round (if he comes 0ut), but there will need to be a plan.
Learning from Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay seems like a solid plan.
What about Arch Manning?
This is also going to be a topic of conversation as 2026 approaches.
After beginning the 2025 college football season with a ton of hype, the idea that Arch Manning would be the first-overall selection fell by the wayside. Manning struggled in Texas’ season-opening loss to Ohio State, and a tough early stretch that included two interceptions in a loss to Florida took his name out of the draft conversation.
But that conversation has shifted again. Manning has played much better as of late, including a three-touchdown performance against Vanderbilt, and then last week’s win over Texas A&M. His recent stretch has led Nate Tice — one of the voices in the quarterback evaluation space I listen to — to declare that if Manning were to enter the draft, he would be the first-overall pick.
I’m not quite ready to say Manning would enter the draft, or even should. Another year at Texas could do him some good, and he might feel there is some unfinished business left for him in Austin. But if he does declare, expect the first round to look a little different in subsequent mock drafts …
Double-dipping
Four teams currently have a pair of picks in the first round: The New York Jets (thanks to the Sauce Gardner trade), the Dallas Cowboys (via the Micah Parsons trade), the Cleveland Browns (via the Travis Hunter Jr. trade), and the Los Angeles Rams, thanks to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Jets in this mock address quarterback, and then try to replace Gardner with South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse late in the first round. Dallas tries to shore up their defense by adding a pair of defenders, first Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey and then Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen. For the Rams, while their defense is playing extremely well right now, cornerbacks Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Roger McCreary are all headed to free agency, so adding a CB makes sense early in the first round.
Then as I’ve mentioned before I’m going to keep trying to pair McVay with a quarterback, so Sellers it is at the end of the first round.
As for Cleveland. Quarterback is going to be a popular pick for them in mock drafts, unless Sanders truly seizes that job down the stretch here. But with the way the board fell in this mock, the Browns instead add around the position, adding WR Jordyn Tyson with their first pick and Utah OT Caleb Lomu with their second.
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