The 2025 NFL Draft is only a few days away – and there’s a ton of smoke in league circles (as there always is, this time of year). In fact, this is one of the few years in which every team has a first-round pick leading into Thursday night’s event. With very little movement to this point, I wanted to dive into what some of the more surprising first-round picks could look like.
Last year, we saw the Falcons take Michael Penix, the Vikings trade up for both JJ McCarthy and Dallas Turner, as well as several interesting late first-round selections (Xavier Worthy to the Chiefs, Ricky Pearsall to the 49ers, Chop Robinson to the Dolphins). There are bound to be several picks this year that come as a shock in the moment, but what could they be?
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1. The Las Vegas Raiders select Jalon Walker with the 6th pick
The Las Vegas Raiders have largely been leak-proof this draft cycle. While they’ve been connected to players such as Ashton Jeanty and Armand Membou, not many have really considered the lack of defensive talent that Vegas has. A lot of the smoke and mirrors revolving around the team has been about what Pete Carroll has done in his previous stops, rather than what makes sense for the Raiders right now.
Jalon Walker is a culture-setting player on defense who is impactful both as a pass-rusher and as a stand-up, off-ball linebacker – and the Raiders need players on many levels of their defense. We’ve consistently heard all draft season that Walker is a top-10 lock – yet his name has only really been linked to the Carolina Panthers. I think we may be underestimating the Raiders (and potentially the Jacksonville Jaguars) as landing spots for Walker.
2. The Carolina Panthers select Kelvin Banks Jr. with the 8th pick
All offseason long, the Panthers have been linked to two main names: Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker. But they’ve been hesitant to commit to both of their current offensive tackles – Taylor Moton and Ickey Ekwonu. In Moton’s case, he’s a pending free agent who has a massive 2025 cap hit. Carolina had the option to extend him to lower said cap hit, but is choosing to swallow the cash flow in 2025. In Ekwonu’s case, general manager Dan Morgan was stand-off-ish when asked about the fifth-year option.
That leads us to Kelvin Banks, who the Panthers had in the building, but kept it under wraps until this past week when it was reported by Aaron Wilson. The Panthers have shown a consistent commitment to the offensive line (and trenches as a whole), and Ian Rapoport said yesterday that three offensive linemen could be selected in the “top eight” picks – a cutoff that sets off alarm bells in my head.
3. The Chicago Bears select Omarion Hampton with the 10th pick
The Chicago Bears have been linked to Ashton Jeanty throughout this draft cycle, and it makes sense. New head coach Ben Johnson clearly values running backs, and the Lions usage of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery leads some to wonder if Johnson will recreate such a duo in Chicago.
Frankly, it’s unlikely that Ashton Jeanty makes it to the 10th pick, with the Jaguars, Raiders, and even Broncos looming (as an aggressive trade-up candidate). Omarion Hampton, though, should be. He’s every bit of a first-round caliber player, even though he’s not necessarily RB1 in this draft class. His combination of size, speed, and power is rare – and something that Johnson should covet. Most project the Bears to select Shemar Stewart, Tyler Warren, or Kelvin Banks, if Jeanty is unavailable. But Hampton is a player who could give similar production to Jeanty, especially behind a rebuilt Bears offensive line.
4. The Los Angeles Chargers select Mason Taylor with the 21st pick
Jim Harbaugh loves tight ends – and we know that the Chargers swung and missed out on Evan Engram, who signed with the Denver Broncos. In this scenario, we’re imagining Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are already off the board. The Chargers still need to add another element to their offense, and Taylor seems to be valued more in NFL circles than we think. In a relatively flat draft class after the top-15 or so picks, the Chargers selecting Taylor here would allow them to focus on the defensive line on day two, where there is plenty of depth to be had.
Taylor is a young, all-around tight end prospect who gave the LSU Tigers a reliable pass-catching presence, while also being decent as a blocker, too. He could prove to be someone that Harbaugh covets – and we saw last year that, even if it was Stone Smartt or Will Dissly, the Chargers love utilizing tight ends in the downfield attack.
