Draft season is weird. Honestly, it’s the only time of year where we spend six months arguing about guys who haven't played a single professional snap yet. But now that we’re sitting here in January 2026, looking back at the 2025 class, it’s wild to see how much the "experts" actually missed. You remember the hype. Everyone was obsessed with the quarterbacks, but the real story of the nfl draft 2025 mock cycle ended up being the guys in the trenches and a kid from Colorado who basically broke the internet every Saturday.
Looking back at the mocks from early last year, the disconnect is almost funny. People were projecting three or four quarterbacks in the top five. Then reality hit. NFL GMs got scared of the "project" tags and started betting on "sure things" like Mason Graham.
The Quarterback Chaos We Should Have Seen Coming
Remember when everyone thought the 2025 class was a "weak" QB year? Kinda. It wasn't weak; it was just volatile.
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The Tennessee Titans eventually pulled the trigger on Cam Ward at No. 1, and while his rookie year had its "welcome to the NFL" moments (11 fumbles is a lot, let’s be real), you can see why they did it. He had a 70.1 rushing grade this past season. He’s a freak athlete. But if you look at the nfl draft 2025 mock drafts from late 2024, most people had him sliding into the late first round.
Then you have Shedeur Sanders. The Cleveland Browns took him, and man, has that been a ride. The Browns are already in the middle of a coaching search—shocker, I know—after Kevin Stefanski was let go. But Shedeur wasn't the problem. The problem was the Browns had no offensive line. In fact, most 2026 mocks right now have Cleveland taking three or four linemen just to keep Shedeur from getting killed out there.
The Travis Hunter Effect
You can't talk about the 2025 draft without Travis Hunter. Period.
He went No. 2 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a massive swing. A two-way player in the modern NFL? Most scouts said it couldn't be done over a full 17-game season. For a while, it looked like they were right when he went down with that LCL tear in November.
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But here’s the thing: before the injury, Hunter was elite. He had 101 yards and a touchdown in a single game against the Rams while also playing snaps at corner. Jaguars GM James Gladstone just came out the other day saying they still plan to play him on both sides in 2026. The catch? He’s probably going to play way more cornerback. Why? Because the Jaguars are actually deep at receiver with Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas, but their secondary is a mess.
What the Mocks Got Right (and Very Wrong)
If you go back and look at a typical nfl draft 2025 mock, the one thing everyone nailed was the defensive line talent.
Mason Graham was a lock for the top five. He went No. 5 to Cleveland, and honestly, he might be the only reason that defense didn't completely implode. He’s 306 pounds of pure problem for interior linemen.
However, the "experts" totally whiffed on the linebackers. Nobody saw Carson Schwesinger coming. He was a second-round pick for the Browns, and now he’s the frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year with 156 tackles. If we re-did the 2025 draft today, he’s a top-10 pick, easy.
The 2026 Outlook: Lessons from 2025
So, what does this tell us for the 2026 cycle?
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- Don't overvalue the "safe" QB. Guys like Quinn Ewers (who ended up in Miami) showed flashes, but the league is moving toward the high-ceiling scramblers.
- The "Two-Way" experiment is alive. Hunter proved the talent is there; now the league just has to figure out the recovery science.
- Trenches over everything. Look at the New Orleans Saints. They took Kelvin Banks Jr. to protect their investment, and they had one of the best rookie classes in the league.
Most people look at an nfl draft 2025 mock as a prediction. It’s not. It’s a snapshot of a moment in time before the pads come on and 300-pound men start trying to rip your head off.
Practical Next Steps for Draft Junkies
If you're already looking ahead to the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh this April, stop looking at "Big Boards" and start looking at team needs.
The Las Vegas Raiders have the No. 1 pick. They need a QB desperately. They’ll be looking at Ty Simpson from Alabama or maybe Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner from Indiana.
Check the "declaration" dates too. Dante Moore just announced he's staying at Oregon for another year, which completely flips the 2026 QB market. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, watch the tape on the guys who don't get the headlines. That's where the next Carson Schwesinger is hiding.
The draft is a gamble. It always has been. But if you stop listening to the loudest voices in the room and start watching how these guys actually handle NFL speed, you’ll see the "busts" coming a mile away.
Actionable Insights for Following the Draft Cycle:
- Track the underclassmen declarations through late January to see how the talent pool shifts.
- Focus on "Pressure Rate" and "Yards After Contact" rather than just raw passing yards or touchdowns.
- Watch the Senior Bowl and Combine closely for "risers" who might fit specific defensive schemes like Jim Schwartz's in Cleveland.