2025 NFL Draft: Dane Brugler's 7-round mock draft highlighed by intriguing order of Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, and Jalen Milroe
The NFL Draft is just eight days away, which makes those days peak time for all kinds of rumors to fly. There are a lot of different things you will hear over the next eight days with some being true and others being lip service with teams spread misinformation. It's a normal thing each year […]
The NFL Draft is just eight days away, which makes those days peak time for all kinds of rumors to fly.
There are a lot of different things you will hear over the next eight days with some being true and others being lip service with teams spread misinformation. It's a normal thing each year ahead of the NFL Draft, but there is one thing that we can look to for some form of predictive trait: expert mock drafts.
One of those experts is The Athletic's Dane Brugler, who is one of, if not the, best in the entire field. He released a seven-round mock draft on Wednesday ahead of the NFL Draft and there were some major takeaways from his piece.
Shedeur Sanders falls to the Pittsburgh Steelers at 21st overall
The quarterbacks and how they go off the board is going to be very interesting. We are almost certain to see Cam Ward go first overall to the Tennessee Titans, but how the rest of the class comes off of the board. The Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints all need quarterbacks in the top-10. They all pass until the second round with Jaxson Dart (Browns), Milroe (Giants), and Tyler Shough (Saints) all going in the first eight picks of the round.
Seeing Sanders fall down that far feels a little odd, but that seems to be the growing sentiment across the league. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer isn't sure a team has Sanders as a first-round talent.
I’m having a really hard time finding coaches or scouts who believe Sanders is a first-round talent. This, by the way, is separate from any issue anyone has with his personality. Those questions exist, but lots of teams have made exceptions in that department in the past to take on guys with special talents.
The problem seems to be that too many folks don’t think Sanders has those types of gifts.
What I keep hearing—and this has nothing to do with anyone having some personal issue with Sanders, or looking for him to fall in the draft so they can draft him—is that he isn’t a great athlete on tape, doesn’t have exceptional arm talent, and too often does things that simply won’t translate to the NFL game.
The Steelers are a good spot for Sanders to land as well, especially if Aaron Rodgers ends up signing with the franchise. He can learn for a year or two before taking over.
The top of the second round having three quarterbacks, sends a very strong signal that we could see a lot of trades up from those players.
Jalon Walker going top 10
For lack of a better term, one of the biggest controversies of the first round is Georgia's Jalon Walker. Not only are there question about whether he should play linebacker or edge rusher, but where he should go is also a big talking point. On the collaborative big board we have at A to Z Sports, Walker currently ranks 31st overall, while on my personal board he's at 20th.
The NFL being that high on him is a fascinating concept compared to how we see him at A to Z Sports. It's based mainly based on athleticism, as Brugler mentions in his writeup where Walker goes to the Carolina Panthers.
A hybrid player, Walker is at his best as a joker edge who can be flexed around the front seven and give a blocking scheme fits. There is certainly risk involved with his projection, but it isn’t hard to see why so many teams have Walker — who discovered his love for football about a half-hour north of Charlotte, N.C. — ranked so highly.
Should he go this high? Very debatable, but the path forward to success is what will likely sell a team on the player.
Houston Texans don't draft offensive line
The Houston Texans drafting offensive line is one that we've seen constantly throughout mock drafts. Here, they don't go offensive line, but rather choose to take an impactful addition to the defensive line in Walter Nolen.
Another true wild card in this draft class, Nolen could be snatched up in the top 15 by a team such as the 49ers or Cowboys … or he could fall to the mid-20s, where the Texans would be ready to bet on his high-impact upside as an interior disruptor.
This is interesting when it comes to the Texans. They have made a lot of additions to the offensive line, but were any of them good? That's why the Texans have been constantly sent offensive linemen.
Can you imagine a pass rusher like Nolen in between Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter? That's a fascinating outcome.
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