Miami quarterback Cam Ward is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

No matter where you go these days, if you’re a sports fan, you’re going to see an NFL mock draft. While they can often be an exercise in futility, even for the best draft pundits, mocks are a fun and educational source of information for NFL and fantasy managers alike.

Instead of making predictions based purely on team needs, rumors, etc., which is the norm in most mocks, I’m going to look at it from a betting and fantasy angle. Using information on both FanDuel and DraftKings Sportsbooks, including wagering data on which NFL teams will likely draft at which position and who is most likely to be picked in the first round based on the odds, I’ve put together my own first-round NFL mock draft for the 2025 season.

As you’ll see, some selections have little fantasy impact because they’re on the defensive side of the football (sorry, IDP leaguers!). You also might see some names not make the list based on the odds versus fantasy needs because NFL general managers don’t draft based on the latter parameters. Still, there are always players who rise or fall in all drafts (see Michael Penix Jr. last year), and this one will be no different.

So, here’s my look at the first round of the NFL Draft through a betting and fantasy lens.

1. Tennessee Titans – Cam Ward, QB, Miami: Ward is going to be the first overall pick in the draft. If you’re still not sold, take a look at the -20000 line on FanDuel Sportsbook. Ward will be in the conversation as a No. 2 fantasy quarterback in most 2025 redrafts, and he could be a first-round pick in dynasty formats as well … especially those with a superflex spot.

2. Cleveland Browns – Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado: Hunter is now the favorite to be the second overall pick, coming in at -420 on FanDuel. This would also be a best-case scenario in fantasy, as Browns general manager Andrew Berry said he sees Hunter as more of a wide receiver. If this comes to fruition, Hunter could push for WR3/flex value in fantasy redraft leagues.

3. New York Giants – Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State: Carter has moved into the top spot based on the betting lines, coming in at -4o0 to be picked No. 3 overall at FanDuel. I don’t see them taking a quarterback, despite the rumblings around Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, which is a good thing for the value of any rookie field general and Russell Wilson in redrafts.

4. New England Patriots – Will Campbell, OT, LSU: Our fantasy heroes need good blocking to make plays, so Campbell makes a lot of sense for a Patriots team in need of an upgrade at offensive line. Campbell is also -190 to be the fourth pick on FanDuel Sportsbook.

5, Jacksonville Jaguars – Mason Graham, DT, Michigan: The Jags could go in a few different directions here, including going with Penn State’s Tyler Warren. However, interior defense is a need too, and Graham is the current favorite to be the fifth overall selection at -130.

6. Las Vegas Raiders – Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: Jeanty might be a better fantasy fit with the Dallas Cowboys, but will he last until the No. 12 overall pick? The Raiders are at -110 to draft Jeanty on FanDuel, and the runner would be a great fantasy fit. In fact, I could see him going off the board in the top 12-15 picks in fantasy redrafts next season.

7. New York Jets – Armand Membou, OT, Missouri: The Jets could also be a landing spot for Warren, but they’re currently at +100 at FanDuel to draft an offensive lineman with the seventh overall pick. Membou is the best bet, and he’s also at -425 to be a top-10 pick on DraftKings.

8. Carolina Panthers – Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia: The Panthers can go in a few different directions, but FanDuel has them going with either an EDGE/DL at +125 or a linebacker at +150. Walker is seen as the best prospect at his position, so this selection makes sense.

9. New Orleans Saints – Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado: The news of Derek Carr’s injury has the Saints now favored to take a quarterback at No. 9 (-120 at FanDuel). The question is, will they take Sanders, or shock the world and go after Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart? Stay tuned, folks. Regardless, this figures to be a great fantasy landing spot for either of the quarterbacks.

10. Chicago Bears – Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M: The Bears will likely take Jeanty if he’s still available, and the odds suggest the same (+230 at FanDuel to take a RB). However, he’s not on the board in this mock and this spot seems too high to take North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton. The next best bets are offensive lineman (+260 at FanDuel) and DL/EDGE (+360 at FanDuel). They already made moves this offseason to improve the line, so I’ll go with Stewart. He’s at -2000 at DK to be a first-round pick, so this makes sense. If you want to take a chance on a big pay day, Chicago could also go after Warren in this spot … tight end is at +600 on FanDuel.

11. San Francisco 49ers – Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State: FanDuel likes the 49ers to take a DL/EDGE (+185) or an offensive lineman (+185) with their first pick. The next best odds are a cornerback at +310. I can see them taking Michigan CB Will Johnson here, but I’ll go with a lineman instead. Simmons would help to improve the Niners’ offensive line, which in turn should help Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey score points for our fantasy squads.

12. Dallas Cowboys – Tetairoa McMillian, WR, Arizona: I’d prefer to see the Cowboys get Jeanty or Hampton from a fantasy football standpoint, but they’re at +750 at FD to take a back. On the flip side, wide receiver is at +135 at FD. McMillan is the best wideout prospect in the class and would fit right in as a starter opposite CeeDee Lamb in the Cowboys pass attack. In this scenario, McMillan would probably be in the WR4/WR5 range in fantasy redrafts.

13. Miami Dolphins – Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas: There’s been talk of the Dolphins dealing CB Jalen Ramsey, so they could go with a cornerback (+250 at FD). Taking an offensive lineman is also at +135, and I’ll go in that direction and make Banks Jr. the Miami pick for right now.

14. Indianapolis Colts – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State: Warren could be gone at this point in the draft, but FanDuel has the Colts favored to take a tight end (+115). If Warren is available at No. 14, he would be a fantastic fantasy fit. If he’s off the board, the Colts could also take Michigan tight end Colston Loveland or pivot and select an offensive lineman (+320). When you consider what Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers have done in fantasy terms over the last two seasons, it won’t be a shock to see Warren listed among fantasy’s breakout players.

15. Atlanta Falcons – Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia: The betting markets have the Falcons taking a DL/EDGE rusher with their first pick (-270 at FD), and it’s not really close in terms of the odds. I’ll go with Williams, but this could be any number of top players at the position.

16. Arizona Cardinals – Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon: The odds are high on the Cardinals taking a DL/EDGE (+230 at FD) or an offensive lineman (+250 at FD) with their first pick. The next best odds are cornerback at +380 at FD. Harmon is considered the best and most complete defensive tackle in the draft, and he’s at -1400 to be a first-round pick on DraftKings Sportsbook.

17. Cincinnati Bengals – Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall: The Bengals need improvements on the defensive side of the football, which is evident in their first-pick odds. DL/EDGE is at -155, cornerback is +350 and safety is +600, all on FD. I’ll go with the favored position and take Green in this spot. Based on the first 16 picks in this mock, he’s the best option left on the board.

18. Seattle Seahawks – Greg Zabel, OL, North Dakota State: The Seahawks are heavily favored to take an offensive lineman at -120 (wide receiver is the next best bet at +390) at FD. Zabel is at -1000 to be a first-round pick at DraftKings, so I’ll go with him at No. 18. Zabel would help protect Sam Darnold, and open holes for running back Kenenth Walker III.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama: The Buccaneers are at +160 to take a DL/EDGE first and +180 to take a linebacker on FanDuel. I’ll go with the latter, as Campbell is a perfect fit as the eventual heir to Lavonte David as their next defensive quarterback. Also, Campbell is currently the best bet to be a first-round selection (-2500) at DraftKings.

20. Denver Broncos – Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina: FanDuel Sportsbook has the Broncos going with a running back with their first pick (+140), and Hampton would be a nice fit in both real and fantasy terms. In the event that Hampton ends up in Denver, he’ll be the top option on their depth chart and a top-50 overall selection in most fantasy redrafts.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi: The Steelers are favored to take an DL/EDGE rusher (+240 at FD), but grabbing a quarterback (+270 at FD) is pretty close in terms of the odds. Even if the team signs Aaron Rodgers, Dart could come in and learn from him and take over in 2026 … or he could compete for the starting job in training camp this season. In the latter scenario, Dart would have some late-round value in fantasy redraft leagues.

22. Los Angeles Chargers – Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan: The Chargers are at +130 at FanDuel to draft a DL/EDGE rusher, so this selection could be Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku or Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. However, could coach Jim Harbaugh pass on Loveland, who he coached at Michigan? The odds of the Bolts taking a tight end are at +650 at FanDuel, and I could see this coming to fruition if you want to take a gamble based on the odds. The Bolts do have Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin, so Loveland wouldn’t be a huge Year 1 fantasy pick.

23. Green Bay Packers – Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas: The Packers are expected to go defense here, as DL/EDGE (+100 at FD) and cornerback (+135 at FD) are at the top of the list. I’ll go with Barron over Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston because the former has higher odds (-1600 at DK) to be a first-round pick. Hairston comes in at -240 to be a first-rounder on DraftKings.

24. Minnesota Vikings – Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina: The Vikings are favored to take either a cornerback (+180 at FD) or a safety (+320 at FD) with their first pick, and I’ll go with the latter at No. 24. Emmanwori is at -1400 to come off the board in Round 1 based on DraftKings odds.

25. Houston Texans – Matthew Golden, WR, Texas: I love this fit, both from a betting and fantasy perspective. The Texans are at most likely to draft an offensive lineman based on the odds (-230 at FD), so Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. could be the pick, but wide receiver is second at +410 at FanDuel. That’s a bet worth making, as the Texans lost Stefon Diggs to free agency and Tank Dell won’t play next season due to an injured knee. Golden is also at -2000 to be a first-round pick based on DraftKings Sportsbook odds, so this selection makes a lot of sense.

26. Los Angeles Rams – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State: FanDuel Sportsbook favors the Rams to take an offensive lineman (+250) or a cornerback (+270) with their first pick, but what about a talented slot man to replace Cooper Kupp? Egbuka wouldn’t be a great pick in redrafts, but think about his long-term fantasy value in coach Sean McVay’s offense! Also, the Rams taking a wide receiver with their first pick would pay out at a pretty +850 at FanDuel.

27. Baltimore Ravens – Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College: The Ravens like to go defense at the tops of their drafts, so it’s no surprise to see them at +100 at FanDuel to take a DL/EDGE first. This could also be Pearce Jr. out of Tennessee, but I’ll go with Ezeiruaku based on the odds.

28. Detroit Lions – Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama: The odds suggest Detroit will go defense or pick an offensive lineman (+210), and I’ll go with the latter. After all, fantasy fans want to keep Jared Goff upright and have a line that can create holes for Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Booker could move to the right side to replace Kevin Zeitler moving forward.

29. Washington Commanders – James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee: I see a lot of mocks where the Commanders take a wide receiver, but I don’t love that much from a fantasy standpoint with Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. already on the team. The odds like Washington to go with a DL/EDGE rusher (+180 at FD) or an offensive lineman (+320 at FD), but I’ll go with the former. Based on this mock draft, Pearce Jr. would be the best DL/EDGE left.

30. Buffalo Bills – Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan: FanDuel has the Bills favored to take a DL/EDGE (-105) with their first pick in their draft, so I’ll go with Grant slightly ahead of Ole Miss DL Walter Nolen. Grant is listed at -380 to be a first-round pick based on DraftKings Sportsbook (Nolen is a very close -320), so this is about as low as he’s projected to fall.

31. Kansas City Chiefs – Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon: The betting markets like the Chiefs to go with an offensive lineman (+105 at FD) or a DL/EDGE rusher (+175 at FD). I’ll side with the favorite and take Conerly Jr., who can help to protect Patrick Mahomes.

32. Philadelphia Eagles – Malaki Starks, S, Georgia: Is it me, or do good players always fall into the Eagles’ laps in drafts (often from Georgia)? They’re favored to select a DL/EDGE (+115 at FD), but the odds of taking a safety are at +500 at FanDuel. Starks is at -800 at DraftKings to be a first-round pick.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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