We always like to hold our first mock draft for the next season right after Week 18 ends. It's a fun exercise to see what we just learned from the 17 games we just watched. And that's what we did Tuesday with our first 12-team, PPR mock draft for 2025.
A lot will change between now and August when most real drafts start happening, including free agency and the NFL Draft. Rosters will look different, and coaching changes will alter offenses.
But we can still have fun doing mock drafts now. And what I wanted to see with this mock draft was what would happen in Round 1.
Ja'Marr Chase was the No. 1 overall pick, which makes sense. He just won the Triple Crown by leading the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17).
Saquon Barkley went No. 2 and Bijan Robinson was No. 3, and those two running backs will be debated all offseason about who should be drafted first. As of now, I lean toward Robinson over Barkley based on their age when next season kicks off (23 and 28).
Justin Jefferson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown were the next three selections, and I like all of them as top seven overall picks. I would draft Puka Nacua ahead of St. Brown as of now, and Nacua fell to No. 10 overall here.
Christian McCaffrey went at No. 7 overall, and it will be interesting to see where he gets drafted in 2025. He'll be 29 in June, and he only played four games in 2024 due to Achilles and knee injuries. But, as we know, when healthy he can still be dominant, and hopefully that's the case next season.
De'Von Achane went No. 8, CeeDee Lamb went No. 9, Bucky Irving went No. 11 and Malik Nabers went No. 12. The biggest surprise of this group was Irving, who should be drafted in Round 2 and not Round 1.
I had the No. 12 pick, and I was torn on three players for two selections with Nabers, Nico Collins, and Brian Thomas Jr. I decided on Nabers and Collins, but all three of these receivers have top-five upside in 2025.
I went with a Hero-RB strategy with this team when I drafted Rashee Rice in Round 3 and Kenneth Walker III in Round 4. Rice will hopefully come back from his knee injury at 100 percent and be the No. 1 receiver for the Chiefs, and he averaged 21.3 PPR points in three healthy games in 2024.
Chris Godwin could be a steal in Round 5 depending on where he plays next season since he's an unrestricted free agent. He'll be 29 in February and coming off an ankle injury, but he averaged 19.1 PPR points in seven games in 2024 and looked like a star.
I hope I can draft George Kittle in Round 6 in every league next season (he led all tight ends with 15.8 PPR points per game), and I got one of my favorite breakout candidates for 2025 in Round 7 with Ricky Pearsall. You'd think I'm a 49ers fan after this draft.
My quarterback is Kyler Murray, who I drafted in Round 11, and my final two picks were Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Coker. Both of those guys could be sleepers in 2025, especially if the Patriots get the right coaching staff to help Drake Maye.
The fun thing about this roster will be figuring out my running back corps behind Walker. I took a chance on Travis Etienne in Round 8, and hopefully, the new coaching staff in Jacksonville will get him back on track. He was among the biggest busts in 2024 as a Round 2 pick, but he still has the potential to be a top-20 running back in the right system.
The other three running backs on this roster are Isaac Guerendo, Trey Benson, and Jordan Mason, and hopefully one of them becomes a featured running back in 2025. Guerendo and Mason -- more 49ers -- should compete for the No. 2 job behind McCaffrey, and we know that's a valuable role. And Mason is a restricted free agent this offseason, so he could be on a different team with the chance to start.
Benson did little as a rookie in 2024 behind James Conner, and Conner will return to Arizona in 2025. But he also turns 30 in May, and Benson could emerge as a significant playmaker for the Cardinals if Father Time catches up to Conner next season.
I hope you enjoy the results of this first mock draft for 2025. Get ready for many more mock drafts to come, in different formats as well. We're just getting started to prepare you to dominate your Fantasy leagues next season.
As a reference point for this mock draft, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Joel Cox, CBS Sports VP Business Development
3. Dan Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor
4. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
5. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor
6. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
7. Jake Grogins, CBS Sports HQ Production Staff
8. Jacob Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst
9. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
10. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
11. Austin Ramos, CBS Sports HQ Production Staff
12. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
