The 2025 NFL draft is just around the corner, and it's shaping up to be a thrilling first round given the top talent in this class. For the third straight year, the Chicago Bears will be selecting in the Top 10, and there are no shortage of options.
We've been sharing our weekly mock drafts throughout this pre-draft process, where we've tried to pin down realistic scenarios. But everyone's thought process when it comes into assembling mocks is different, which makes it exciting with any given week. So we decided to introduce a twist.
In this exercise, we let the computer do the selecting in the first round -- and there were both expected and surprising results. We used Pro Football Focus' mock draft simulator, which didn't include any trades and featured default settings with less care for positional value and more drafting for needs.
Here were the first round results:
1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
PFF rank: 21st
2024 PFF grade: 92.9
PFF analysis: "Appreciating Ward, an unorthodox, big-game quarterback, requires a leap of faith. He is ultra-confident, at times to a fault. His mentality could one day make him an All-Pro -- if his fundamentals don't drop him from the league entirely."
2. Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
PFF rank: 46th
2024 PFF grade: 90.0
PFF analysis: "Sanders may be below average in stature and arm talent compared to NFL quarterbacks, but he plays the game cleanly, takes care of the football and is tough as nails with ice in his veins under pressure."
3. New York Giants: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
PFF rank: 1
2024 PFF grade: 88.2
PFF analysis: "Hunter is one of the most talented players I have ever scouted. As a cornerback, he brings good mirror-matching movements and truly elite ball skills. He can be a bit out of control and lacks some density, which gets exposed the most in press-man coverage. As a primary zone defender with press-man flexibility, he can be an immediate starting cornerback with an All-Pro ceiling."
4. New England Patriots: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
PFF rank: 2nd
2024 PFF grade: 91.3
PFF analysis: "It's hard not to see some Micah Parsons in Carter, who not only wears the same No. 11 but also pops off the screen nearly every play due to being a rare caliber athlete. If he can get even stronger, he has All-Pro potential as a player worthy of a top-five pick."
