The 2025 NFL draft is this week.
Expect chaos.
When the picks start rolling in, there will be plenty of players who are chosen around their expected landing spots. Then there will be some who shock the football world. Think Michael Penix Jr. to the Atlanta Falcons a year ago.
While it’s easy to fall into groupthink, the reality is we’re watching 32 teams with 32 different mentalities—and 32 different sets of ethos—looking to find the next stars throughout the seven rounds. Some will fall, some will spectacularly succeed.
Within the 257 picks, names will be attached to organizations, and history will be made. Here are 10 bold predictions on how we land on that history.
10. Eight running backs go in the first 100 picks
The running back position has been devalued throughout the past decade, with the rules consistently tilted toward the passing game. However, this draft might reflect a change in that thinking, one season after Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley put on virtuoso performances.
While Ashton Jeanty will be the first back off the board, likely followed by North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, there are a litany of others worthy of consideration through the first three rounds. Keep an eye on Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson of Ohio State, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson, Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Kansas’s Devin Neal and UCF’s R.J. Harvey among others. Expect a big run on backs on Day 2.
9. No more than three receivers go in the first round
This isn’t the same caliber of receiver class that we’ve seen in recent years. Unlike rookie crops that have included can’t-miss studs such as Ja’Marr Chase and Malik Nabers, this group is more about quantity, with the best value coming in the middle rounds.
To that point, don’t expect more than three wideouts to go in the first 32 picks. The best bet is Tetairoa McMillan from Arizona, who is likely a top-15 choice. After that, no more than two will go from Matthew Golden, Emeka Egbuka and Luther Burden III, who all range from late-first to early second-round talents.
8. Second round will be the sweet spot for edge and offensive tackles
Nobody is excited about the tackles this year, and beyond Penn State’s Abdul Carter, even the edge rushers have a lot of questions. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be some impact players taken in both areas.
Offensively, there could be excellent value if players such as Josh Conerly Jr. and Josh Simmons get to the second round. Then there are the guys expected to be Day 2 picks such as Charles Grant of William & Mary, who measured with 34.75-inch arms, some of the longest in a class plagued by short-armed tackles. Defensively, keep an eye on Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton and J.T. Tuimoloau of Ohio State. Both were thought to be first-round talents going into the year, and now are likely second-round choices.
7. Walter Nolen is the best of all the defensive tackles
Most would agree that Michigan’s Mason Graham is the clear-cut choice as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the class, but we could look back and see Walter Nolen was actually the better choice.
With due respect to Graham, he had the luxury of playing next to another first-round talent in Kenneth Grant, who ate up both attention and blockers. In Nolen’s case, he’ll be the only defensive lineman from Ole Miss coming off the board early, and yet he still produced 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks while being named a first-team All-American. He’s the kind of talent who can come in and be an immediate impact player.
6. The draft’s best pass catcher will prove to be a tight end
Last year, we saw Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr. go in the first five picks. Yet the only offensive rookie to earn first-team All-Pro honors was tight end Brock Bowers, doing so with the Las Vegas Raiders. We might see a similar outcome in 2025.
Colston Loveland is an excellent prospect out of Michigan after catching 56 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns last year. Then there’s Tyler Warren, who was a dominant force with the Nittany Lions, registering 104 receptions with 1,233 yards and eight scores. Don’t be surprised if they’re the top two receiving leaders for rookies next season.
5. Ashton Jeanty causes the biggest trade-up of the first round
Jeanty is the most explosive skill-position player in this draft. Coming from Boise State, the runner-up for the 2024 Heisman Trophy led the nation with 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns on 7.0 yards per carry.
After watching the NFL experience a running back revival in 2024, there will be ample teams interested in moving up to procure his services. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers both make sense, two AFC West teams that want to run the ball and could use an upgrade in the backfield.
4. Jaxson Dart doesn’t go in the top 30 picks
For most of the predraft process, the thought has been Cam Ward will be the No. 1 pick, while Shedeur Sanders is almost certainly the second quarterback off the board.
After that, the quarterback position ranges from murky to downright terrible. That said, Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss has started to gain traction not only as a first-round pick but potentially someone worth a top-10 selection. While Dart has upside, it would be stunning to see Dart go early considering his tape. Could a team take him late in the first to get a fifth-year option? Yes, but anything more would be a significant reach.
3. Winds of a Tyreek Hill trade blow through the draft
The Miami Dolphins are a team in flux. They’re neither bad enough to secure a top pick in the 2026 draft, nor are they a Super Bowl contender. At best, they’ll make the playoffs and be dispatched quickly by a superior team.
In that vein, with Tyreek Hill likely finished in Miami after the upcoming season, the Dolphins could, and should, explore moving him. Considering his off-field issues and being 31 years old, he won’t return a huge haul. Plus, Hill carries a $29.9 million cap hit for an acquiring team, which means a likely short-term extension. Still, if Miami can get a mid-round pick, it should think about moving on.
2. Patriots get the draft’s best player at No. 4
New England has already done plenty this offseason, utilizing the league’s largest amount of cap space to add veterans such as corner Carlton Davis III, receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive tackle Milton Williams. Now, things might be breaking the Patriots’ way again.
There’s a strong possibility that quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders will be taken before New England goes on the clock at the No. 4 selection. It’s also likely that Colorado’s Travis Hunter gets chosen as a receiver/corner hybrid. That leaves coach Mike Vrabel to snag Abdul Carter, the clear top-ranked defensive player in the draft. Carter should be a menace for a decade at the next level, and could wind up with one heck of a mentor.
1. Quinshon Judkins proves the steal of the draft
Judkins is almost certainly a Day 2 pick, and might not even be the first Ohio State running back off the board with TreVeyon Henderson also in the mix. That said, don’t be shocked if we look back at Judkins for being in the argument for top back in this loaded class.
Over his first two years with Ole Miss, Judkins produced 2,725 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns. Then, after transferring to the Buckeyes, Judkins split time with Henderson and still amassed 1,060 yards and 14 scores on 5.5 yards per carry, en route to a national championship.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 NFL Draft: 10 Bold Predictions Including a Blockbuster Trade.