2025 NFL Draft: CBS Sports releases Way Too Early mock draft

The book may have just closed on the 2024 NFL Draft but it’s never too early to begin thinking about next year. Some exciting prospects are coming back for one more season of college football before making the jump to the NFL.

Being incredible early in the process, there are a few names to become familiar with in CBS Sports‘ 2025 NFL mock draft. However, there are plenty of familiar faces at the top with Deion Sanders potentially playing a role.

1. Carolina Panthers: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders

The biggest name in this NFL Draft cycle will be Sanders, no matter how high or low experts have him on his board. Talks have already begun about where he will begin his NFL career, with Coach Prime saying they will make the decision too.

For now, CBS projects him to go No. 1 overall with the Carolina Panthers being back with the top pick. Moving on from Bryce Young after two seasons would be a quick end to the era.

2. Tennessee Titans: Colorado WR Travis Hunter

Hunter has been a legit two-way player at Colorado, having incredible moments at both wide receiver and cornerback. CBS has decided to label him a wide receiver and mainly play offense when entering the league.

Colorado has not had a first-round draft pick since 2011. Having Sanders and Hunter go back-to-back at the top would be historic for the program.

3. New England Patriots: Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams

Williams is a prospect NFL teams have been waiting for to get draft eligible, being one of the highest-ranked players in the 2022 recruiting class. Georgia has produced defensive players with ease over the past few years and Williams has a chance to be one of the best.

He was named second-team All-SEC last season after matching his 6.5 TFLs and sacks from his freshman season. Even bigger stats are expected moving forward, making him a candidate to go No. 1 overall.

4. Washington Commanders: LSU LB Harold Perkins

No matter what position Perkins plays, it’s hard to argue against him being the best athlete in the upcoming draft class. Brian Kelly has positioned him in multiple spots at LSU but he is going to play inside linebacker during the 2024 season.

Perkins still has some development to go through as he continues to learn the linebacker position. He will be a freak at the NFL Combine in just under a year though, wowing quite a few NFL front offices.

5. New York Giants: Ohio State DE JT Tuimoloau

As you will be able to tell from CBS’ entire mock draft, Ohio State is going to be stacked next season. The last few seasons have not gone how the Buckeyes want and they are now a favorite to be preseason No. 1 and a national title contender.

Tuimoloau might be the best of the bunch, being the star of the defensive line. We have already seen him single-handedly disrupt games and will have another year to impress NFL scouts.

6. Denver Broncos: Georgia QB Carson Beck

The NFL was certainly an option for Beck after having a good year with Georgia, going 12-0 in the regular season. But after only being the starter for one season, Beck is returning to Athens to get more experience under his belt.

Now, many believe Beck is the best-returning quarterback in the country. Georgia has once again surrounded him with incredible talent, setting up to be a massive contract year.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Michigan CB Will Johnson

Not too many freshmen walk into a program and immediately become a star. Johnson was able to do so with Michigan, becoming one of the most feared defensive backs in college football.

Depending on how you view Hunter, Johnson will enter the cycle as the top cornerback and likely could have been a top pick this year. But NFL teams will have to wait one more while Johnson locks down Big Ten receivers.

8. Minnesota Vikings: Ohio State CB Denzel Burke

If Michigan is going to have a top-10 cornerback, Ohio State is too. Burke fills in one slot behind Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft in CBS’ mock.

Burke is entering his fourth season at Ohio State and is a key piece of the aforementioned defense in Columbus. Those are produced all the time though, not being anything new for the program.

9. New Orleans Saints: Miami QB Cameron Ward

Ward was considering the NFL Draft this offseason while entering the NCAA transfer portal. He wound up committing to Miami and will play under Mario Cristobal in hopes of improving his draft stock.

Last season with Washington State, Ward threw for over 3,700 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

10. Las Vegas Raiders: Alabama OL Tyler Booker

Alabama offensive linemen are being drafted in the top 10 on nearly an annual basis, with JC Latham being the latest on Thursday night. Booker could be the next one despite not playing at one of the tackle spots.

Inside is where Alabama has deployed Booker thus far, keeping him on the left side. Another good season on the interior will make Booker quite a few dollars next April in Green Bay.

11. Seattle Seahawks: Ole Miss EDGE Princely Umanmielen
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Texas QB Quinn Ewers
13. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cincinnati DL Dontay Corleone
14. Indianapolis Colts: Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka
15. Chicago Bears: Texas A&M WR Noah Thomas
16. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ohio State OL Donovan Jackson
17. Cleveland Browns: Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams
18. Los Angeles Rams: Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison
19. Atlanta Falcons: Clemson LB Barrett Carter
20. Los Angeles Chargers: Oregon WR Evan Stewart
21. New York Jets: Texas OT Kelvin Banks
22. Miami Dolphins: UTSA CB Denver Harris
23. Green Bay Packers: Arkansas EDGE Landon Jackson
24. Philadelphia Eagles: West Virginia OL Wyatt Milum
25. Dallas Cowboys: Alabama QB Jalen Milroe
26. Houston Texans: Georgia LB Smael Mondon Jr.
27. Cincinnati Bengals: Oregon State OL Joshua Gray
28. Buffalo Bills: Ohio State DE Jack Sawyer
29. Detroit Lions: Texas A&M DL Shemar Turner
30. Baltimore Ravens: Oklahoma State LB Collin Oliver
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Georgia DL Nazir Stackhouse
32. San Francisco 49ers: Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins

A fun NFL draft cycle is ahead of us, with the hype already beginning. Players not listed in the mock are certainly going to rise after impressing during the 2024 season. Teams will celebrate their hauls from this weekend for a little bit but the page has officially been turned.