Shedeur Sanders slides while the Bills and Lions trade up in this first-round mock draft
It’s finally draft week in the NFL, as teams are just days away from convening in Green Bay to select 257 prospects to join the league over the three-day event. The first four picks seem all but assured based on the latest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Cam Ward (-20000), Travis Hunter (-900), Abdul Carter (-650) and Will Campbell (-450) all heavy favorites to be selected with the first, second, third and fourth picks, respectively.
The intrigue begins at No. 5, where Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham is down to a -115 favorite to be the pick while Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has steamed from being a severe longshot down to +250 as of Monday morning. We piled aboard that move in the middle of last week when we tabbed Jeanty as one of our NFL Draft prop longshot plays to lock in at SportsLine while he was still +700 to be the fifth pick, and we’re locking him into that spot as part of this updated mock draft based on how the first round appears to be trending a few days out from Tennessee officially going on the clock.
Conventional wisdom says the fifth overall pick is too high to draft a running back, and in this class in particular, it seems counterintuitive with some believing the number of starting-worthy backs could run into the double digits. Our reasoning for selecting Jeanty over Graham is that there is also an enviable amount of depth at defensive line in this class, so which player makes the most sense comes down to how much above the median of this class you believe each prospect gives you; Jeanty earns the edge there. Graham is an incredibly skilled technician at his position, but his underwhelming measurables puts him at risk of being outmatched by the size of NFL interior offensive linemen too often to be taken over a potential blue-chipper at another position.
Jeanty probably isn’t a top-five talent in most classes, but the 2025 NFL draft class appears to be relatively weak compared to recent classes, at least at the top of the draft. Jeanty is the best bet to find an impact player with the fifth overall selection, and the Jaguars can then dip into the depth of this class on the defensive line on Day 2.
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis on “With the First Pick” — our NFL Draft podcast with analyst Ryan Wilson and former Titans general manager Ran Carthon. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen below!
The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.
