NFL mock draft roundup: Comparing Daniel Jeremiah, Mel Kiper's post-free agency mocks

The first week of the new league year has ended. With its conclusion also came the end of the first wave of free agency signings, many of which made an impact on potential NFL draft outcomes.

In the wake of the first wave of signings, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, two of the most well-known NFL draft analysts, have released their updated 2025 mock drafts. Each one reflects the way the NFL landscape has changed after early free agency results.

Here's what every first-round pick in the NFL draft could look like according to Jeremiah and Kiper after the first wave of free agency in 2025:

2025 NFL mock draft roundup: Round 1

1. Tennessee Titans

NFL.com: Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL)
ESPN: Cam Ward

2. Cleveland Browns

NFL.com: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
ESPN: Abdul Carter

3. New York Giants

NFL.com: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
ESPN: Shedeur Sanders

4. New England Patriots

NFL.com: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
ESPN: Travis Hunter

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL.com: Jalon Walker, LB/Edge, Georgia
ESPN: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

6. Las Vegas Raiders

NFL.com: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
ESPN: Ashton Jeanty

7. New York Jets

NFL.com: Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
ESPN: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

8. Carolina Panthers

NFL.com: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
ESPN: Jalon Walker, LB/Edge, Georgia

9. New Orleans Saints

NFL.com: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
ESPN: Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi

10. Chicago Bears

NFL.com: Will Campbell, OL, LSU
ESPN: Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia

11. San Francisco 49ers

NFL.com: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
ESPN: Armand Membou, OL, Missouri

12. Dallas Cowboys

NFL.com: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
ESPN: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

13. Miami Dolphins

NFL.com: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
ESPN: Will Campbell, OL, LSU

14. Indianapolis Colts

NFL.com: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
ESPN: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

15. Atlanta Falcons

NFL.com: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
ESPN: Mike Green, Edge, Marshall

16. Arizona Cardinals

NFL.com: Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State
ESPN: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

17. Cincinnati Bengals

NFL.com: Mike Green, Edge, Marshall
ESPN: Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M

18. Seattle Seahawks

NFL.com: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
ESPN: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL.com: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College
ESPN: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

20. Denver Broncos

NFL.com: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
ESPN: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

21. Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL.com: Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
ESPN: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

22. Los Angeles Chargers

NFL.com: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
ESPN: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

23. Green Bay Packers

NFL.com: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
ESPN: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

24. Minnesota Vikings

NFL.com: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
ESPN: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

25. Houston Texans

NFL.com: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
ESPN: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

26. Los Angeles Rams

NFL.com: Trey Amos, CB, Mississippi
ESPN: Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State

27. Baltimore Ravens

NFL.com: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
ESPN: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

28. Detroit Lions

NFL.com: Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia
ESPN: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee

29. Washington Commanders

NFL.com: Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
ESPN: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

30. Buffalo Bills

NFL.com: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
ESPN: Kenneth Grant

31. Kansas City Chiefs

NFL.com: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
ESPN: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas

32. Philadelphia Eagles

NFL.com: Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
ESPN: Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi

Latest mock draft takeaways

Top four picks reaching consensus

Buzz around the Titans trading back from the No. 1 pick seems to have dissipated, leaving Tennessee squarely in position to draft the consensus top quarterback prospect: Miami's Cam Ward. After that, both Jeremiah and Kiper have the Browns opting to draft a pass-rush partner to Myles Garrett – Penn State's Abdul Carter – rather than selecting a new quarterback of their own. That leaves the Giants the chance to draft QB2 Shedeur Sanders from Colorado in both mocks, and both analysts gave the Patriots versatile cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter (Colorado) as well.

Narrative of Shedeur Sanders fall overblown?

Sanders was the third overall pick in both Jeremiah and Kiper's mock drafts despite rumors that his draft stock fell coming out of the NFL combine. According to NFL Network and ESPN, those whispers were not enough to diminish Sanders' status as the second-best quarterback in the class. With the Giants picking third and the top quarterback off of the board in both mock drafts, the two analysts were in lockstep in sending Sanders to New York.

Jaxson Dart will be a first-round pick

Not only did the Mississippi quarterback slip into the first round in both mock drafts, but Kiper even had Dart make it into the top 10 (No. 9 overall, Saints). Coming off of a strong outing at the NFL combine, the 21-year-old seems to have done enough to earn first-round status. However, according to Jeremiah and Kiper, he still sits comfortably behind Ward and Sanders as the No. 3 quarterback prospect in the class.

Ashton Jeanty could be the highest-drafted running back since...

The 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up established himself as the clear top choice among running back prospects in the 2025 NFL draft class. Both Jeremiah and Kiper had the Raiders select Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick in their respective mock drafts following Las Vegas' trade for veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Should Jeanty come off of the board with the sixth overall pick, it'd be the earliest a running back has been drafted since the Giants drafted Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 pick in 2019. Atlanta took Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 pick in the 2023 draft.

Armand Membou, not Will Campbell, is OT1

Before the NFL combine, both Kiper and Jeremiah had Michigan's Campbell as the first offensive tackle taken in their respective mock drafts. Since then, Campbell's less-than-33-inch arms appear to have caused a downturn in draft stock. Membou was the top tackle in both analysts' more recent mock drafts, and Campbell dropped to a bubble top-10 pick.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2025 NFL mock drafts: Daniel Jeremiah, Mel Kiper post-free agency

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