2025 NFL Mock Draft: Five Days of Mocks Day 1

The first in our series "Five Days of Mocks" kicks off with a chalk draft for Round 1

This week we’re trying something new, giving you Five Days of Mocks—each mock draft a different look at what could happen when the 2025 draft kicks off in late April.

Today’s mock draft is our Chalk Mock. This is our best prediction of what we think would happen if the draft were today. We’re factoring in team needs, player and positional value, as well as expected moves like retirements (Travis Kelce), free agency (Aaron Rodgers) and trades (Matthew Stafford).

Each day this week you’ll get a fresh mock draft with a different spin on it. But the first, and most important, is the realistic look at Round 1 with the NFL scouting combine set to start in just over a week.

The Tennessee Titans are on the clock. Let’s get it.

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1. Tennessee Titans — Abdul Carter, DE, Penn State

With the first pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans don’t give into the pressure to draft a quarterback. And they don’t give into the pressure to draft two-way star Travis Hunter. Instead we project the Titans would draft the best player in the class in Penn State’s Abdul Carter.

Carter is a menacing pass rusher with elite burst and power off the edge of the line of scrimmage. And he’s still improving after being a full-time EDGE for just one season.

The Titans need to bring in competition at quarterback with Will Levis on the books for two more years, but a veteran like Daniel Jones is more likely than a first-overall choice at quarterback by a new GM (Mike Borgonzi) if he doesn’t have conviction on this year’s crop of passers.

2. Cleveland Browns — Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado

The Browns have a definite need at quarterback, but can’t resist the two-way talent and reigning Heisman trophy winner Travis Hunter. Expect this to be a popular Kirk Cousins landing spot in free agency predictions.

Hunter would immediately boost both the Cleveland offense and defense. In a perfect world he’s a starting cornerback—a spot with questions given the concussion history of Denzel Ward—while also working at wide receiver in a planned/schemed role alongside Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman (a player we liked last year).

The Browns’ front office is desperate to win, and it needs an early impact type draft pick. That’s Hunter.