Draft season used to start in April. Now? It's a year-round obsession. Honestly, if you aren't already messing around with a 2025 mock draft sim, you’re probably behind on the biggest narrative shifts in football. We’re looking at a class that looks nothing like the Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels era.
It's weirder.
There is no "generational" quarterback consensus. Instead, we have a defensive-heavy top tier and a bunch of signal-callers fighting for scraps. When you fire up a simulator on PFF or Pro Network, the first thing you notice is the chaos. One minute Shedeur Sanders is going first overall to a team that desperately needs a personality; the next, he’s sliding to the middle of the first round because the "logic" of the algorithm changed.
The Problem with Your Favorite 2025 Mock Draft Sim
Most simulators are built on pre-season boards. That’s a massive trap.
Think about it. These tools often rely on big-board data that was curated before the actual college season reached its peak. If you’re using a 2025 mock draft sim that still has Carson Beck as the undisputed QB1, you’re playing with outdated toys. The reality on the ground is that scouts are terrified of this quarterback class. They see the traits in Cam Ward, but they worry about the consistency. They see the arm in Quinn Ewers, but they look at the injury history and wince.
Simulators struggle with the "human" element of the NFL Draft. They can't calculate a General Manager's fear of losing their job. A computer sees a "best player available" scenario where a team takes a cornerback back-to-back years. A real GM knows if they do that and don't fix the offensive line, the fans will burn the stadium down.
Travis Hunter is the Glitch in the Matrix
Colorado’s Travis Hunter is currently breaking every simulator out there. Is he a WR? Is he a CB? Most 2025 mock draft sim engines force you to pick one. But in the real NFL, his value is tied to that duality. If you draft him as a corner, you’re getting an elite defender who can flip the field on an interception. If you draft him as a wideout, you’re getting a guy who tracks the ball better than anyone since Garrett Wilson.
What's wild is how the AI handles him. Sometimes he goes number one. Sometimes he falls to seven. If you're running these sims, you have to decide: are you drafting for the "now" or for the "high-ceiling" gamble?
Why Defense is Dominating the Early Simulations
Last year was the year of the offense. This year? It's the trenches. You can't talk about a 2025 mock draft sim without mentioning the pass rushers. Guys like James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee or Nic Scourton at Texas are the real prizes.
I’ve spent hours running these scenarios.
📖 Related: Score of Utah Football Game: The Las Vegas Bowl Breakdown and Season Recap
What's fascinating is how the value of an elite tackle has skyrocketed. Will Campbell out of LSU is basically a "set it and forget it" prospect. If your sim lets him fall past the top five, the algorithm is broken. Plain and simple. The gap between Campbell and the "Tier 2" tackles like Kelvin Banks Jr. is significant enough that it dictates the entire flow of the first round.
The Quarterback Conundrum
Let's get real about the QBs. It's a mess.
In a typical year, you have a guy like Trevor Lawrence where everyone just agrees he's the guy. In 2025, it’s a total "choose your own adventure" situation.
- Shedeur Sanders: The accuracy is there. The poise is there. But does a traditional NFL owner want the "Prime Effect" in their building?
- Cam Ward: He’s got the "it" factor. He makes throws that look like Patrick Mahomes on a Sunday afternoon. But the turnovers? They’re a nightmare for a conservative head coach.
- Jalen Milroe: He’s an athletic freak. But can he sit in the pocket and read a complex NFL blitz?
If you run a 2025 mock draft sim and five quarterbacks go in the top ten, close the tab. It's not happening. This isn't 2024. We are looking at a year where teams might actually be patient. Imagine that.
How to Get a Realistic Result Out of Your Sim
If you want to actually predict what’s going to happen in April, you have to stop drafting for your own team. That’s the biggest mistake people make. They open the 2025 mock draft sim, select the Jets or the Giants, and just pick the guy they like.
That’s a hobby. It’s not an analysis.
To get a "Gold Standard" mock, you need to look at team needs through the lens of their salary cap. If a team just paid a wide receiver $30 million a year, they aren't taking one in the first round of your sim. Period. Look at the Vegas win totals. Look at the strength of schedule. If a team is projected to have a top-three pick, they are likely in "tear it down" mode.
The Under-the-Radar Names You Should Watch
While everyone is fighting over the superstars, the real value in a 2025 mock draft sim is found in the late first round.
- Abdul Carter (Penn State): He's transitioning roles, but the raw speed is terrifying.
- Mason Graham (Michigan): He’s a mountain. He eats double teams for breakfast.
- Colston Loveland: The tight end position is thin, making him a potential "reach" that actually makes sense.
Most people skip these guys because they aren't "sexy" picks. But games are won in the dirt. If your simulator allows you to trade back, do it. This is a deep class for interior linemen and safeties, even if the "stars" at the top don't have the same sizzle as previous years.
The Impact of the Transfer Portal on Draft Logic
We have to talk about how the portal changed the data.
In the past, you could track a player's growth over three years at one school. Now, guys are jumping from the G5 to the SEC for their final season. This creates a "scouting gap." A 2025 mock draft sim might see a player's stats from a smaller school and undervalue them, or overvalue a guy who thrived in a specific system that won't translate to the pros.
Take a look at the "Risers." Every year, there's a Joe Burrow type who comes out of nowhere. This year, the portal has made that more likely than ever. If you aren't adjusting your mock draft board every Saturday night, you're missing the movement.
Don't Trust the "Draft Grade"
Most sims give you a grade at the end. An "A+" for taking a guy who fell ten spots.
Ignore it.
Those grades are based on the sim's internal rankings, not reality. If the sim thinks a player is the 5th best prospect and you get him at 15th, it gives you an A. But if the entire NFL thinks that player is actually the 40th best prospect because of a medical red flag or a character issue, that "A+" is actually a "D-."
The real test of a 2025 mock draft sim isn't how well you gamed the system. It's how well you predicted the fit. Does that player actually solve the scheme problem that the team has struggled with for three years?
Actionable Steps for Your Next Simulation
Stop clicking "auto-pick" for the other 31 teams. If you want to actually understand the 2025 landscape, you have to put in the work.
- Research the "Dead Money": Look at which teams are stuck with bad contracts. They will use the draft to replace those players.
- Follow Senior Bowl Invites: The moment a player accepts a Senior Bowl invite, their stock changes. It means NFL eyes are officially on them.
- Watch the Trenches: Don't just look at the QB highlights. Look at the left tackles. If they are getting beat by speed rushes in college, they will get eaten alive in the NFL.
- Mix Up Your Simulators: Use PFN one day, PFF the next, and Draft Network the day after. See where the discrepancies are. If one guy is a top-10 pick in one and a second-rounder in another, that's a "volatile" prospect. Those are the guys who make or break a draft.
The 2025 draft is going to be a defensive coordinator's dream and a fantasy manager's nightmare. It’s gritty. It’s heavy on the lines. And it’s absolutely wide open. So, go ahead. Open up that 2025 mock draft sim and try to make sense of it. Just don't be surprised when the computer tells you something that feels completely wrong—because this year, the "wrong" pick might be the only one that makes sense.