The 2024 NFL season is over. The 2025 NFL draft is here. The NFL Scouting Combine starts on February 27 and finishes on March 2. What stays with everyone is the curiosity about who will perform the best, who will be chosen in the first round, and who will stand out from the crowd of 329 NFL prospects. To answer these questions, 4 College Football Writers from The Athletic, New York Times, have shared their valuable insights and their preferred and calculated first-round picks.
Tom Brady’s Las Vegas Raiders had shown interest in the Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold, and Shedeur Sanders wanted the Tennessee Titans, but Antonio Morales thinks otherwise. The College Football Writer for The Athletic says Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders could be the first-round pick for the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 NFL Mock Draft. Morales shares, “It wouldn’t be a total shock if the Raiders went defense here. It’s Pete Carroll, after all. But Vegas has to address the long-term outlook at the quarterback at some point, and it might not get a better chance to do so than right now. Sanders was one of the most prolific and accurate passers in the nation last season and would be another building block for a unit that doesn’t have much going outside of Brock Bowers.”
There was nobody to protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in the Bears last season. The offensive line of the Chicago Bears, according to Pro Football Focus, ranked 24th and 12th in the NFL! According to College Football Writer at The Athletic, Scott Dochterman, “Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times as a rookie, which makes the offensive line a priority with a top-10 selection. Pro Football Focus ranked the nation’s fifth-ranked offensive tackle this season and No. 7 overall in run blocking. Membou was a bulldozer at right tackle for the Tigers, and if left tackle Braxton Jones’ recovery from an ankle injury complicated his future, Membou could line up inside or at tackle for Chicago. No matter where he plays, he’s an upgrade for new coach Ben Johnson.”
David Ubben, a College Football Writer at The Athletic, shares, “The Titans have their pick between Ward and Shedeur Sanders, but Ward’s measurables are more impressive and the impact he made at Washington State and Miami looks a lot like what Jayden Daniels did for LSU. Ward may be slightly less accurate than Sanders, but he’s a better processor and a much better athlete with a much stronger arm. Travis Hunter is the best prospect in this draft, but an elite quarterback can singlehandedly change the trajectory of a franchise. Ward is the best bet in this draft to become one.”
Both Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter come from Colorado Buffaloes. Their camaraderie would be a sight to behold wherever they get picked for the 2025 NFL draft. If the New York Giants go for Shedeur Sanders as their quarterback, then Grace Raynor, The Athletic’s College Football Writer’s first-round pick Travis Hunter, makes a match made in heaven. Grace Raynor shares, “The Giants also need a quarterback, but Hunter is the best prospect in the draft and one of the most exciting playmakers of the 21st century. He may already be an All-Pro caliber player. If New York’s quarterback situation doesn’t improve in 2025, Texas’ Arch Manning and Penn State’s Drew Allar will be waiting in 2026.”
Also Read: NFL sends 2025 NFL Scouting Combine Invites to Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Cam Ward, Riley Leonard, Quinn Ewers, and 324 more | NFL News – The Times of India
