Five Things (I Think) I Think About The NFL Draft

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by BetMGM:

This week marks the first one in months in which I haven't done an NFL mock draft.

Even the Terminator sometimes needs a break.

But that doesn't mean I've stopped obsessing over the draft.

I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming about it. In the morning, when I brush my teeth, I think about it. When I go to the gym and pretend to lift weights, it's not '90s alternative music fueling my workout.

It's a never-ending string of NFL draft podcasts.

The draft is all I think about.

With that in mind, and given that every Saturday edition of the Fantasy Life Newsletter is now dedicated to the NFL Draft, here are five things I think I think about the NFL Draft now that we're almost a month away from the event.

🏀🔥 The Most Thrilling College Basketball Matchups Are Here

BetMGM is ready to amp up the excitement!

Don’t miss out on their amazing First Bet Offer to make every shot, dunk, and buzzer-beater even more intense! Sign up now and take your game to the next level with BetMGM's unbeatable offer! That’s right, place your first bet, and if it doesn’t hit, BetMGM will cover you with up to $1,500 in bonus bets. Sign up for BetMGM TODAY!

CLAIM UP TO $1,500 IN BONUS BETS

Five Things I Think (I Think)

1️⃣ Cam Ward Is Going No. 1

Here are Cam Ward's odds to go No. 1 at various sportsbooks.

FanDuel: -650
BetRivers: -770
DraftKings: -800
BetMGM: -1100

I was early in having Ward ahead of Shedeur Sanders, and in some of my early mocks I did have him going No. 1 to the Titans, but then I eventually pivoted off that in favor of EDGE Abdul Carter.

Now I'm back to Ward at No. 1, as I've discussed with Ian Hartitz on the Fantasy Life Show: The Titans didn't adequately address the QB position in free agency, they weren't tied to any starting-caliber QBs via beat reporters, and they haven't hyped up QB Will Levis over the offseason.

All of that points to them taking a QB at No. 1.

And there's always the possibility that the Browns or Giants could trade up to No. 1 as well, and if that happens, it will be for a QB, specifically Ward.

In my next mock, expect to see him go No. 1 to the Titans.

2️⃣ Travis Hunter Will Go Ahead of Abdul Carter

On the Best Available Podcast, hosted by Andrew Siciliano (formerly of NFL Network), Browns EDGE Myles Garrett seemed to indicate that he had an idea of what the team would do at the QB position in 2025 and that it was exciting enough to get him to sign an extension with the team.

Of the options available—go with a veteran or acquire a rookie in the draft—the latter seems likely, because the veteran QB options available (Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Kirk Cousins, et al.) aren't exciting at all.

So that could mean the Browns are planning to take Sanders at No. 2.

And if that happens then Carter and WR/CB Travis Hunter will both be available to the Giants at No. 3.

In this instance, I believe they would go with Hunter, who helps them fortify two positions of need, whereas Carter merely adds on to a position of relative strength, as the Giants already have EDGEs Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

In the supermajority of mocks I've perused over the past two weeks, Carter usually goes ahead of Hunter, but I'm beginning to think the opposite is what we'll see.

3️⃣ Omarion Hampton Will Be Drafted Close to Ashton Jeanty

In Gene Clemons' recent three-round mock, he has RB Ashton Jeanty going No. 2 to the Browns.

Oh baby. That's aggressive.

But even I have him going No. 6 to the Raiders in my most recent mock.

Overall, I think Jeanty will go in the top 10, whether that's to the Browns (oh my), the Raiders, or the Bears at No. 10.

But that doesn't mean I think Jeanty is on an island at RB.

I think Omarion Hampton is just a half tier below him as a prospect—and maybe not even that.

On my top-75 NFL draft prospect big board, a decent amount of space separates Jeanty and Hampton … but there are enough RB-needy teams in this class that I expect Hampton to get pushed up the draft board a little.

He was productive at North Carolina and displayed a three-down skill set.

2024 (13 games): 253-1,504-15 rushing | 29-222-1 receiving
2023 (12 games): 281-1,660-15 rushing | 38-373-2 receiving

At the combine, he measured in with workhorse size (6-0, 221 lbs.), and he tested well in his athletic drills (4.46-second 40-yard dash).

In 2007, Adrian Peterson went No. 7 to the Vikings, and then Marshawn Lynch went No. 12 to the Bills.

Two years ago, Bijan Robinson went No. 8 to the Falcons, followed closely by Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 to the Lions.

I think we'll see something similar this year with Jeanty and Hampton.

Thor's Prospect Profile: Ashton Jeanty
Thor's Prospect Profile: Omarion Hampton

4️⃣ WR Is Wide Open

Thor Nystrom is our Fantasy Life NFL draft guru and college football expert. He's great at what he does—and he just recently released his 2025 NFL draft WR rankings.

If you look at those rankings, and if you check out the recent episode he and I did together on the Fantasy Life Show, you'll probably get the sense that this WR field and the race to be the No. 1 WR selected is wide open.

If Hunter were a full-time WR, he'd be my WR1 in the class—but it's not certain how often he'll play WR in the NFL.

And then after him, it feels like it's dealer's choice when it comes to Tetairoa McMillan, Matthew Golden, Emeka Egbuka, and Luther Burden, all of whom have a good shot to go on Day 1.

But none of them is especially likely to develop into a No. 1 WR in the NFL.

Minus Hunter, this WR class reminds me a little of the 2023 class, which saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnston, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Addison all go off the board with consecutive picks.

I doubt McMillan, Golden, Egbuka, and Burden will all be drafted together in a clump—but I think the NFL will collectively evaluate them that way.

5️⃣ The Chargers Trade Up for TE Colston Loveland

I don't project trades in my mock drafts, but this week I put out a piece on five draft trades we might see.

One trade I think we could see is the Chargers (No. 22) moving up for TE Colston Loveland in order to get ahead of the Colts (No. 14), who are prime candidates to draft a TE.

HC Jim Harbaugh would love to reunite with Loveland, whom he recruited to and coached at Michigan, the team needs to upgrade the position, and Loveland is No. 6 on Daniel Jeremiah's big board, so it might truly be worth a move up in the draft if he's available outside of the top 10.

Draft trades are impossible to predict—but one way or another I think Loveland will end up with the Chargers.

Over the past six years (since I started submitting mocks in competitions), I’m the No. 2 mocker for accuracy, and I'm a lifetime 484-424 (+102.6 units) betting on the draft. Subscribe to our free Betting Life Newsletter for regular guidance, best bets, and more.

MORE NFL DRAFT COVERAGE

The Top 25 Wide Receivers in the 2025 Class

Could the 2025 NFL Draft bring us the next Tee Higgins, Chris Olave, or Jaxon Smith-Njigba? If Thor Nystrom’s player comps turn out, then it sure looks like it.

Speaking of player comps, Thor broke down the top 25 receivers in the 2025 draft class, assigning them all a player comp on top of in-depth analysis. Plus, there’s one player who would run away with this positional group … if he were to play it full-time.

See how these WRs stack up, and how Travis Hunter could impact the class. 👇

2025 NFL DRAFT WR RANKINGS