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Opening night of the 2025 NFL Draft is here, and it is sure to be full of surprises. You should be prepared to see all of the mock drafts flipped on their heads, as NFL general managers scurry to trade up and down the board for prospects they like.
Last year, we saw the Atlanta Falcons take quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall just a month after signing Kirk Cousins to the most lucrative contract in free agency, while a whopping six quarterbacks were selected in the first 12 picks! The first defensive player in last year’s class was selected at No. 15 overall, and that player wasn’t even eventual Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jared Verse, who went No. 19 overall. Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall slipped into the first round, while Cooper DeJean fell to the second round. Which players will go earlier and later than most people expect this year?
Below, we will attempt to identify five players who could rise on draft night, and five who could fall in the opening round.
Risers
1. EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia
Williams has long been viewed as a lock for the first round, but earlier mock drafts had him in the 20s range. Now, on draft week, he’s rising up “mock draft boards.” ESPN’s Matt Miller even posted on social media that Williams is one of the players he believes will go earlier than mock drafts indicate.
Williams is different from his Georgia teammate Jalon Walker. Instead of a hybrid linebacker/EDGE, he’s a hybrid EDGE/DE/DL. I think that’s more attractive than a player who may not have the frame to be a full-time pass rusher. Walker was one of two SEC players to record at least four sacks in each of the past three seasons, and he will make an immediate impact for whichever team drafts him.
2. DL Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
ESPN’s Peter Schrager says he would be “shocked” if Nolen falls out of the top 15 at this point, and that he may be the “fastest riser” in this draft — to the point where he could go before Mason Graham. Nolen was a First Team All-SEC player last year that registered 6.5 sacks. He also registered the second-highest PFF run defense grade (91.6) by an FBS defensive tackle last season.
3. EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
I was shocked to pull up DraftKings Sportsbook and see that Ezeiruaku is -500 to be a first-round pick. He’s been floating around as a late Day 1 pick in mock drafts, but sportsbooks apparently view it as a sure thing! The Boston College product is a smaller EDGE player, but he recorded a whopping 16.5 sacks last season — which was tied for the most in a season in program history. In his final game at Boston College, Ezeiruaku recorded 3.5 sacks and 17 pressures. Yes, 17 pressures.
4. CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
Jahdae Barron is viewed as a lock for the first round, and then there’s Will Johnson — who we will address in a second. But there’s another cornerback who is getting some first-round love in Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky. He is now -250 to be a first-round pick at DraftKings, which are odds steep enough to keep many bettors away. Hairston ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.28, and tied the conference high in interceptions last season with five.
5. TE Mason Taylor, LSU
The son of NFL great Jason Taylor leaves LSU as the program’s all-time leader in receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,308) by a tight end. He started immediately when he stepped on campus, and became a trusted target of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. In 2024, 37 of Taylor’s 55 receptions went for either first downs or touchdowns. He is now +125 to be a first-round pick over at DraftKings, so don’t be floored if he ends up going in the first 32 picks.
Fallers
1. QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
It’s a bit unfair to other prospects, but Shedeur Sanders is the main storyline of the 2025 NFL Draft. Not only is he the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders and a great college quarterback, but he is also a prospect that has been mocked as high as No. 1 overall, to being projected to fall out of the first round entirely! It’s a unique situation in more ways than one.
There are other issues than just Sanders’ ceiling at the next level. An unnamed coach told NFL Media that his pre-draft interview with Sanders was, “the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life. He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.”
So, where does Sanders go? That’s the biggest question on Thursday night. I bet it’s in the first round, but later in the first round.
2. CB Will Johnson, Michigan
Johnson is without a doubt one of the best cornerbacks in this class, but his draft stock has been hit hard by medicals. He missed time due to shoulder and toe injuries last season, then a hamstring injury held him out of Michigan’s pro day. Now, Albert Breer of SI.com reports Johnson has a knee issue that’s been flagged. This knee issue is not supposed to affect him in the short term, but his “longevity” is in question.
3. DL Mason Graham, Michigan
Graham is a stud on the defensive interior, and he has long been mocked to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5 overall. However, that narrative shifted this week when ESPN reported Jacksonville could be a “wild card” in the top five. From there, Graham began to fall down mock draft boards while Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty rose. As it stands now, Jeanty is the favorite to be selected No. 5 overall at DraftKings (-170), while Graham is behind him at +250. In Schrager’s lone sourced mock released Wednesday, Graham falls all the way to No. 13 overall. Again, he was a heavy favorite to be selected in the top five just a few days ago.
4. LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
According to Breer, Campbell had shoulder surgery after the combine, and he could start the 2025 NFL season on PUP. Campbell was a First Team All-SEC player that recorded 117 tackles last season. No Alabama player had recorded that many tackles since current Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans back in 2003.
“Campbell is a bit beat up in the same sort of way that some Crimson Tide players who went through Nick Saban’s program have been in the past,” Breer wrote.
5. DL Derrick Harmon, Oregon
Not expecting a major slide here, which is why he comes in at No. 5, but Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon has reportedly been flagged with a shoulder injury, per NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo. He has been mocked in the mid to late first round, and recorded 45 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks last season for the Ducks.
