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Justin Carter gives four bold predictions for the 2025 NFL Draft. What surprises will we see in the first round? Who will be a surprise riser up draft boards?
The 2025 NFL Draft is going to be here before you know it. The NFL Scouting Combine is behind us, so we just have almost one month now to sit around and speculate on things.
With that in mind, let's get to speculating. There always tend to be some surprises in the draft that weren't predicted ahead of time, so let's do our best to try to predict what weird things will happen this year.
Below are four bold predictions for the 2025 NFL Draft. What are your bold predictions? Post them on X and tag RotoBaller to let us know.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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We Get A Third Quarterback In Round 1
In some order, Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward will be two of the first names to come off the board in this year's NFL Draft. Say what you will about the two not being quite as polished as other recent early first-round quarterbacks, but at least this isn't the 2022 draft when no quarterback deserved to go in the first round. Sanders and Ward are first-round talents.
But the common thinking has been that beyond those two, there's no other Round 1 quarterback in this class. However, we know things tend to get weird once the draft arrives, so don't be shocked to see a third quarterback hear his name called in the first round.
There are two ways this could happen.
Who is QB3?
"It feels like Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart is the best bet to become the third quarterback. I know coaches love his toughness. He was sharp Saturday, letting it rip. He looks very comfortable. I don’t know if someone jumps up to take him in the first round, but in a weak… pic.twitter.com/toq4il5FGs
— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CodyCarpentier) March 5, 2025
First, Pittsburgh is sitting at No. 21 without its quarterback of the future on the current roster.
Jaxson Dart had a very impressive Senior Bowl and a strong NFL Combine. The Steelers don't finish under .500 with Mike Tomlin, so it's unlikely the team gets a shot at a top pick in 2026 to find a quarterback, so why not grab an upside guy like Dart?
Sure, that could bring back fears of what happened the last time Pittsburgh spent a mid-first on a quarterback when the team reached on Pitt's Kenny Pickett. Pickett wasn't a first-round talent, but the Steelers were desperate for a quarterback.
Dart should be much better than Pickett was. He's a more polished player and has a better arm than Pickett. Taking him at No. 21 would be far, far less of a mistake than taking Pickett in 2022 was.
But even if the Steelers opt to pass on Dart, there are other opportunities for him to go in Round 1. The Rams at No. 26 could explore drafting him as Matthew Stafford's time in the NFL is likely dwindling.
The most likely destination would be somewhere between Pick 29 and Pick 32, where Washington, Buffalo, Kansas City, and Philadelphia could all show a willingness to trade down with a team that's desperate for a quarterback and is worried Dart won't be there early in the second round.
Sometimes, teams will trade into the late first to take a player because they get the fifth-year option. Remember, Baltimore traded up in 2018 to take Lamar Jackson at No. 32. Last year, the Panthers traded up for the last pick in Round 1 to take wide receiver Xavier Legette.
Two Running Backs Go In Round 1
We're developing a pattern as far as running backs and the draft goes.
In 2024, no running backs were taken in Round 1. In 2023, two were. 2022? None. 2021? Two. By that logic, 2025 should be another two running back year.
One player, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, feels like a lock to go early. Jeanty was a force for the Broncos last year, coming very close to breaking Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record. He didn't quite get there, but it was still a historic season for Jeanty, who finished second in Heisman voting.
The other running back who could be drafted in Round 1 is North Carolina's Omarion Hampton. He might not have the same resume as Jeanty, but Hampton is a hard runner who can be a workhorse back in the NFL.
Omarion Hampton is RB1 for a growing number of teams.
His stellar weigh in and combine are a big reason. pic.twitter.com/xbsFPSPyXs
— ZeeBee (@BellinoZee) March 5, 2025
He's an ideal candidate to go late in the first round to a team that needs a back. Maybe the Chargers reach for him at No. 22 overall, or the Commanders could target him at No. 29.
Shemar Stewart Goes Top 10
Someone is going to fall in love with Shemar Stewart.
The Texas A&M edge-rusher impressed at the NFL Combine, showing that he'd slimmed down to a size that fits better as an outside rusher than as a down lineman. That's one big plus for his value.
Another big plus was his 4.59 40-yard dash time, which PlayerProfiler lists in the 91st percentile. His speed score is in the 95th percentile and his burst score is in the 98th percentile.
Shemar Stewart Stocks to the MOON🚀 pic.twitter.com/WqXqCMnIQj
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 4, 2025
Stewart is the kind of raw prospect who teams fall in love with. Not for what he has done necessarily, but for what his physical build suggests he can do in the future.
Does the fact that he finished his college career with just 4.5 sacks stand out as a big warning sign? Yes. He's got the body and speed of a pass-rusher, but there is no proof he can produce like a pass-rusher.
New Orleans at No. 9 and Chicago at No. 10 both feel like teams that would be willing to take a risk on Stewart, but even the Panthers at No. 8 could be an option. The hype train will continue for the next two months, which will push him inside the top 10 despite a lack of college production.
Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan Are The Only Round 1 Receivers
It feels like wide receivers have dominated the first round lately. Last year, seven of them went in the first round. In 2023, there were four first-round receivers. The last time we had two or fewer go in Round 1 was 2019, a draft that was particularly weak at the position.
This 2025 NFL Draft class at wide receiver has two very prominent names who are better than anyone from 2019. Travis Hunter is a two-way star who can be a high-end wideout if he chooses that as his position instead of defensive back. Tetairoa McMillan is a game-changer as well.
But beyond that, there are no surefire stars. Emeka Egbuka should be very good. Matthew Golden had a strong NFL Combine. That won't be enough to land them in the first round.
Part of this is that there aren't a ton of teams whose top need is wide receiver. The Patriots could take McMillan at four, or he could drop as low as Dallas at No. 12, but Egbuka and Golden aren't going in the top 12.
most interesting part of daniel jeremiah’s mock was no emeka egbuka or shavon revel top-32.
if either of those guys fall midway into the second round….steals.
— Kyron Samuels (@kyronsamuels) January 25, 2025
The best chance for one of them to be taken is probably Houston at No. 25, but the Texans need interior offensive line help more than anything else. Maybe Washington could go receiver at No. 29 or Buffalo at No. 30, or maybe the Rams add another weapon of Matthew Stafford at No. 26, but those teams all have bigger needs.
Don't be shocked to see an early run on a wide receiver in the second round, with three of four names gone between the Titans at Pick 35 and the Cowboys at Pick 44, but the first round will shake out in such a way that just two receivers are taken.
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