We are down to the last eight picks of the first round of our first Mock Draft for the 2025 NFL off-season. Three of the last four picks coming into this mock draft were used on defensive backs. We also saw the Kansas City Chiefs trade up to the 17th spot to beef up their offensive line.
Let’s take a look at picks 25 through 32 and determine which prospects will be going where.
📰 Table Of Contents
- 1 25. Houston Texans – WR, Emeka Egbuka. Ohio State
- 2 26. Los Angeles Rams – WR, Matthew Golden. Texas
- 3 27. Baltimore Ravens – OL, Armand Membou. Missouri
- 4 28. Detroit Lions – EDGE, Nic Scourton. Texas A&M
- 5 29. Washington Commanders – EDGE, Mike Green. Marshall
- 6 30. TRADE: Cleveland Browns – EDGE, JT Tuimoloau. Ohio State
- 7 31. Cincinnati Bengals – DB, Nick Emmanwori. South Carolina
- 8 32. Philadelphia Eagles – LB, Jihaad Campbell. Alabama
25. Houston Texans – WR, Emeka Egbuka. Ohio State
By the time the Texans made it to the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, they were completely depleted at the wide receiver position. Both Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell suffered season-ending knee injuries during the regular season. This meant Nico Collins had to carry most of the load for Houston at the wide receiver spot.
Stefon Diggs is scheduled to be a free agent this off-season. Meanwhile, Tank Dell is on a good track to return to the field, but the Texans are still uncertain if he will play at all in 2025. Therefore, Houston uses the 25th pick to take quarterback C.J. Stroud’s former teammate Emeka Egbuka.
Egbuka has the size to play on the outside or line up in the slot. He also has shown comfortability being a team’s number two receiving option after Ohio State freshman Jeremiah Smith led the Buckeyes in receiving yards and TD catches last season. Plus, Egbuka has played on the same team as C.J. Stroud, so he knows the quarterback’s tendencies and will come into camp with some chemistry already established with Houston’s starting QB.
This is also a smart pick long-term. Once Dell returns from injury, Houston will have one of the best wide receiver rooms in the league between him, Nico Collins, and Emeka Egbuka.
26. Los Angeles Rams – WR, Matthew Golden. Texas
Before LA announced they were putting Cooper Kupp on the trade block, I would have been tempted to go with an offensive lineman. Tackles Joe Noteboom and Alaric Jackson are both scheduled to be free agents this Spring. However, the Rams allowed the sixth-fewest sacks in the league last year, so I think they will let Matthew Stafford be taken down a few more times if it means giving him a new wideout to throw to.
Golden’s not going to impress anybody with his size, but he plays bigger than he is. I think he needs a little time to become a more polished route-runner, so he will do well in Los Angeles where the Rams already have an established number-one receiver in Puka Nacua who could also show Golden the ropes and help him become a better receiver.
It’s worth noting that Golden was the Longhorns’ leading receiver in yards and touchdowns despite transferring from the University of Houston last off-season. This proves to me that the guy can come into almost any situation and have an immediate positive impact.
27. Baltimore Ravens – OL, Armand Membou. Missouri
Unfortunately for Baltimore, their issues cannot be solved through the NFL Draft. There appears to be a mental block impacting this squad’s ability to get over the hump when it comes to the playoffs.
With that in mind, I think quarterback Lamar Jackson underperformed in the Divisional Round. He was sacked twice and turned the ball over two times. Running back Derrick Henry also failed to meet expectations, rushing for 84 yards after averaging 113 yards per game during the regular season. It’s not a guarantee, but maybe adding some more talent to the offensive line could help the Ravens’ stars.
Though they found their right tackle of the future with 2024 second-round pick Roger Rosengarten, they have some questions elsewhere along the line. Ronnie Stanley is set to receive a big payday this off-season when he becomes a free agent, and it’s not clear if that money comes from the Ravens or somebody else. Guard Patrick Mecari is also scheduled to become a free agent this Spring.
Armand Membou could come in and play right tackle, allowing Rosengarten to move to the left side of the line as Stanley’s replacement. If Baltimore brings in somebody else to be the LT or re-signs Stanley, then Membou could move inside, where NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah says he “has the tools to become an All-Pro guard.”
28. Detroit Lions – EDGE, Nic Scourton. Texas A&M
It’s no secret that Detroit was devastated by injuries last season. Their front seven was hit the worst with eight different defensive linemen being placed on the Injured Reserve at some point during the 2024-25 campaign.
Defensive end Marcus Davenport will be a free agent this off-season. Meanwhile, edge rusher Za’Darius Smith – who the Lions were forced to trade for after due to injuries – is 32 years old and has a potential out in his contract this off-season. With a need for extra bodies along the defensive front, Detroit takes an edge rusher with the 28th overall pick.
Scourton is already a polished pass-rusher with 17 career sacks in 37 college games. He took a step back from his 2023-24 season, going from ten total sacks to just five this past year. However, Scourton finished the campaign with the third-most tackles for loss in the SEC (14.0) while leading Texas A&M in sacks, a really good sign considering I had his defensive teammate Shemar Stewart being drafted in the top ten.
Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is still recovering from a brutal leg injury, but there’s a good chance that he will play next season. Adding an NFL-ready pass-rusher like Scourton to the other side of the defensive line will take some attention off of Hutchinson and make it easier for him to get back into the swing of things.
29. Washington Commanders – EDGE, Mike Green. Marshall
In a season that far-and-away exceeded expectations, Washington could have been better at getting after the quarterback considering they have a defensive head coach in Dan Quinn. They managed to finish tied with the Jets for the tenth-most sacks in the NFL, but they only recorded five sacks in their three playoff matchups (less than two per game).
They could try to run it back with the guys they have along the defensive line, but that would probably cost the Commanders a lot of money. Both Dante Fowler Jr. – the team’s sack leader with 10.5 – and Clelin Ferrell (3.5 sacks) are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. But instead of paying a lot of money to a soon-to-be 31-year-old defensive end, Washington can bolster its line through the draft.
Though Green is ESPN’s 25th-ranked prospect overall, Daniel Jeremiah has last season’s sack leader ranked as his fifth-best Edge prospect in this draft. Putting a sack specialist like Green next to former Pro Bowlers Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne will allow this guy to come in and make an immediate impact on a team that has to worry about stopping Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts.
30. TRADE: Cleveland Browns – EDGE, JT Tuimoloau. Ohio State
The biggest trade of the off-season comes late in the first round when the Buffalo Bills strike a deal with the Cleveland Browns for star defensive lineman Myles Garrett. In exchange for Garrett, the Browns receive Buffalo’s 2025 first-round pick, one of their two 2025 second-round picks, one of their two 2025 fourth-round picks, and a 2026 first-round pick.
The Browns use this pick to find Myles Garrett’s successor. Though it is nearly impossible to replace the production that Garrett brings to the table, JT Tuimoloau might be able to come in and be a difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball.
A four-year starter at Ohio State, Tuimoloau increased his sack totals every year he played for the Buckeyes. He also was at his best when the lights shined the brightest, recording 6.5 sacks in four College Football Playoff games this season. It also doesn’t hurt that the guy is already familiar with Ohio’s football culture.
I want to again emphasize that I do not think JT Tuimoloau will be the next Myles Garrett. But, he can be a good NFL starter, which is a step in the right direction for a team that will likely lose a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
31. Cincinnati Bengals – DB, Nick Emmanwori. South Carolina
Most media members and NFL analysts will probably have the Bengals drafting a wide receiver in the first round, and I don’t blame them for having that thought process. Even though Cincy wants to re-sign wideout Tee Higgins to a long-term deal, they could still end up franchise-tagging him for a second consecutive season. If they franchise tag Higgins, then they won’t have to worry about adding another wide receiver until next season when he probably leaves to test free agency. With that extra year, I think the Bengals use their first-round pick to add to their lackluster defense.
Cincinnati had a lot of defensive problems last season. They were 21st in passing yards per game allowed, 29th in passing touchdowns given up, tied for 26th in sacks, and tied for 26th in points allowed per game.
Cincy could go with a pass rusher here. However, eight of the best pass rushers have already been taken off the board up to this point while there are still several talented defensive backs available. That’s why I have the Bengals selecting Nick Emmanwori.
He is ESPN’s second-ranked safety prospect in this draft. He showed a lot of versatility in college by playing against tight ends and wide receivers while also demonstrating an ability to make plays against the run. Emmanwori will be able to line up all over the field and make plays, which will help the Bengals’ defense tremendously.
32. Philadelphia Eagles – LB, Jihaad Campbell. Alabama
After winning the Super Bowl, the Eagles will have some tough decisions to make on the defensive side of the ball. Brandon Graham, Zack Baun, Milton Williams, and Montez Sweat are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this Spring. I predict they will bring back Baun since he was such a monumental part of their regular-season and playoff success. After that though, I don’t know if they’ll have enough cap space to retain the other three guys.
That’s where Jihaad Campbell comes in. He has excellent pass-rushing abilities even though he’s an undersized linebacker (Campbell led Alabama in sacks this past season with five on the campaign).
More importantly, he has shown an ability to be an effective off-ball linebacker. Campbell led the Crimson Tide in solo tackles (55), assisted tackles (64), and total tackles (119) last year.
His unquestioned versatility will make him a viable replacement for Montez Sweat and Brandon Graham should they both end up leaving Philly in free agency.
