Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
It’s finally here! Draft week is finally here! This is not a drill. Over the past two months, I think I’ve read 700 mock drafts, and there’s a good chance I might read 700 more before the draft kicks off Thursday night.
To celebrate draft week, we’ll be throwing multiple mock drafts at you today: We have a QB mock draft, a full Patriots mock draft and Ryan Wilson’s special mock draft, but I’m not going to tell you why it’s special; you’ll have to read on to find out.
As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.
1. Mock Draft Monday: We have a mock draft with a twist
It’s time for another edition of Mock Draft Monday, which is where we hunt down one of our NFL Draft gurus and force them to give you a new mock draft since there’s no better way to start the week than with a fresh mock.
Since the draft is actually being held this week, we thought we’d add a twist for today’s version of Mock Draft Monday: Ryan Wilson is offering picks that HE thinks each team should make. In most mock drafts, you’re trying to project what a team will do, but not here. In this mock draft, Wilson is making the pick that he personally thinks each team should make.
Let’s check out his top 15:
1. Titans: QB Cam Ward (Miami)
2. Browns: CB/WR Travis Hunter (Colorado)
3. Giants: EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State)
4. Patriots: OT Will Campbell (LSU)
5. Jaguars: WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona)
6. Raiders: RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
7. Jets: OT Armand Membou (Missouri)
8. Panthers: EDGE Jalon Walker (Georgia)
9. Saints: OL Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas)
10. Bears: EDGE Mike Green (Marshall)
11. 49ers: DL Mason Graham (Michigan)
12. Cowboys: IOL Tyler Booker (Alabama)
13. Dolphins: CB Jahdae Barron (Texas)
14. Colts: TE Tyler Warren (Penn State)
15. Falcons: DL Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)
I’d say the biggest surprise here is that Wilson does NOT think the Saints should take Shedeur Sanders. Instead, he has the Colorado QB falling all the way to the Steelers at 21st overall.
If you want to see how the rest of the first round pans out in Ryan’s special mock draft, then be sure to go here.
For more draft coverage, you can hear Ryan Wilson every week on “With the First Pick,” our year-round NFL Draft podcast here at CBS Sports. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
2. QB mock draft: Predicting where the top quarterbacks will land
It’s Mock Draft Monday, which means we’ll be throwing as many mock drafts in your face as possible today. Not only do we have Wilson’s mock draft, but we also have our first QB mock draft, which is where we go through and predict the landing spot for the top quarterbacks in this year’s class.
We’ve spent a lot time talking about Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, so let’s forget about them for a second and check out where five other quarterbacks might land in the draft:
- Jaxson Dart: Steelers (Round 1). If the Steelers take Dart, that shouldn’t impact what they’re trying to do with Aaron Rodgers. If the four-time NFL MVP ends up in Pittsburgh, Dart can sit behind him for a year. If Rodgers doesn’t sign with the Steelers, Dart can potentially start in 2025.
- Jalen Milroe: Jets (Round 2). Milroe has a similar skillset to Justin Fields, which could make him an attractive option to serve as the backup QB to Fields for 2025.
- Will Howard: Colts (Round 3). The Colts don’t know who their starting QB is going to be in 2025. Right now, the plan is to have an open competition between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, so why not throw one more competitor into the fray?
- Rams: Kyle McCord (Round 3). Matthew Stafford just turned 37 years old, which means the Rams need to start thinking about what life is going to be like after him.
- Dolphins: Dillon Gabriel (Round 4). The Oregon QB set the college record for passing touchdowns (155) and total touchdowns (189) during an impressive career, but if there’s one big knock on him: it’s the fact that he’s only 5-foot-11. In college, he thrived by making quick decisions, which is something that Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel loves to see in a quarterback. If there’s any NFL offense where Gabriel could succeed, it’s likely the one that McDaniel is running in Miami.
My QB mock draft included a total of 10 quarterbacks, and if you want to know where they all end up, you can check out my full predictions here.
3. Patriots seven-round mock draft: New England goes offense with three of first four picks
This is a huge draft for the Patriots. They have plenty of holes on the roster, but they also have SEVEN picks in the first five rounds, so they’ll definitely get a chance to fill those holes. The biggest question with New England revolves around its first-round pick, which will come at fourth overall.
So what will they end up doing? We put Tyler Sullivan in charge of making EVERY Patriots pick for all seven rounds, and he ended up going with a big star at fourth overall.
The Patriots have a total of nine picks in the draft. Let’s check out what Sullivan has them doing with their first five picks:
- Round 1 (fourth overall): EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State)
- Round 2 (38th overall): OL Josh Conerly Jr. (Oregon)
- Round 3 (69th overall): WR Jack Bech (TCU)
- Round 3 (77th overall): RB Cam Skatteboo (Arizona State)
- Round 4 (106th overall): CB Jacob Parrish (Kansas State)
If you want a full explanation for the picks or if you’re wondering how the other four picks turned out, then be sure to check out Sullivan’s full mock draft for the Patriots here.
4. Trade candidates who could impact the first round of the draft
If there’s one thing that could turn the first round of the NFL Draft upside down on Thursday night, it’s a trade involving a veteran player. Back in 2022, the Titans shockingly traded A.J. Brown to the Eagles for the 18th overall pick.
Heading into this year’s draft, there are quite a few players on the trade block, so Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at some specific names who could get dealt on Thursday night. Here are three names on his list:
- Kirk Cousins. “Teams that need a quarterback may have interest in Cousins, but it all depends where Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe go in this draft. If there happens to be a run of quarterbacks, the interest will increase with Cousins. The veteran quarterback still has to waive his no-trade clause for a trade to happen, basically allowing Cousins to pick where he goes.”
- Trey Hendrickson. “The Bengals are doing their best in trying to keep Hendrickson after landing extensions with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins earlier this offseason, but haven’t landed one with the four-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro from last season. Hendrickson’s value has never been higher, especially since he was granted permission to seek a trade. This draft class does have some good defensive linemen, making it interesting to see what the value is for Hendrickson.”
- Jalen Ramsey. “The Dolphins are seeking to move Ramsey after both parties mutually agreed to seek trade options, which is interesting considering he agreed to a three-year, $72.3 million deal last September. … Trading for Ramsey could reshape the cornerback market at the top of the draft and where the top players end up.”
Kerr has a total of 12 names on his list of players who could be traded, and you can check out his full list here.
5. Pre-draft overreactions: Is the class of 2025 bad?
Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that’s especially true when we’re talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several pre-draft storylines to see if we’re all overreacting.
Statement: This draft class isn’t that good.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. “The 2025 NFL Draft class is certainly underwhelming compared to previous years. There doesn’t appear to be a franchise quarterback who is a “can’t miss” prospect, and there aren’t many “blue-chip” prospects. Outside of Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter, are there any difference makers?”
Statement: Shedeur Sanders should NOT be drafted in the first round.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. “Whether Sanders falls in the draft or not, it’s hard to fathom the Colorado quarterback not getting drafted in Round 1. The Browns aren’t likely to draft Sanders at No. 2 overall, and it’s a question mark if the Giants do at No. 3. If Sanders doesn’t get drafted by the Giants, where does he end up? The Saints (No. 9) and Steelers (No. 21) are likely in play for Sanders, who is regarded as the second-best quarterback behind Cam Ward.”
Statement: Abdul Carter will be the best player in this draft.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. “There aren’t many “blue-chip” players in this draft, but Carter is one of them. What makes Carter an asset for any defense is his ability to excel at multiple positions, evidenced by his 300 snaps at defensive end, 317 at outside linebacker (mostly as a pass rusher), and 87 as an inside linebacker last season. … Carter is one of the most knowledgeable pass rushers in this draft, and has the talent and body control to make an immediate impact on a defense. If Carter did go No. 1 overall, it shouldn’t be surprising.”
There are plenty more overreactions, and we’ve got the full list here.
6. Extra points: Kirk Cousins trade being held up by Falcons’ asking price
It was a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Falcons want financial relief in Kirk Cousins trade. One thing that appears to be holding up a possible Kirk Cousins trade is the fact that the Falcons want the team that acquires him to pay $20 million of the $45 million in guaranteed money that he has left in his deal, according to ESPN. That’s a big ask, and their price will likely have to go down if they want to unload the veteran QB. You can read our full story on the Falcons and Cousins here.
- Eagles hand out huge extension to Cam Jurgens. The Eagles center, who had to replace Jason Kelce, has done his job so well that Philadelphia has already given him an extension. Jurgens has agreed to terms on a four-year, $68 million deal that includes $39.4 million in guaranteed money. Jurgens has been with the Eagles since his rookie year in 2022 when Philly made him a second-round pick. We’ve got more on his new deal here.
- Jets pick up three different fifth-year options. The Jets made three first-round picks in 2022 and decided to pick up the fifth-year option on each of those picks, which means CB Sauce Gardner ($20.1 million fifth-year salary in 2026), WR Garrett Wilson ($16.8 million) and EDGE Jermaine Johnson ($13.4 million) are all now locked up through the 2026 season. Gardner and Wilson will likely both get extensions before 2026, but this gives the Jets an extra year to handle negotiations.
- Seahawks open to trading Sam Howell. After signing Drew Lock last week, the Seahawks are now open to trading Howell, ESPN has reported. We’ve got the full details on Howell here.
- Jordan Love wants Jaire Alexander back in Green Bay. The Packers corner has at least one big supporter in Green Bay and that’s Love. Although Alexander is on the trade block, Love wants to see him return to Green Bay, “He’s definitely a player we need back,” Love told Kay Adams recently. You can check out Love’s full comments here.
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Author: John Breech
April 21, 2025 | 1:06 pm
