CBS

● By Ryan Wilson
A year ago, my first mock draft of the 2024 draft cycle, had Caleb Williams as the No. 1 overall pick, and Drake Maye went fourth overall. But Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy or Bo Nix were nowhere to be seen. The point: a lot can change between late August and late April, and that's what makes the entire process so much fun, from the the college football season, to the all-star games, to the combine and pro days: players with Day 3 grades right now can change the conversation quickly. With that in mind, my Mock Draft 1.0 for the 2025 draft cycle includes five (!!) quarterbacks which, admittedly, is ... optimistic. Georgia's Carson Beck is currently QB1 and that's not controversial, but because there is no Caleb Williams in this class, there's room for a Shedeur Sanders or Quinn Ewers or even Cam Ward or Conner Weigman -- or maybe even someone who didn't find his way into the first round (yet) -- to make a move in the next four months. If you saw my top-50 Big Board, you know that Michigan cornerback Will Johnson is my No. 1 player. But in this mock, because of team needs, I have his teammate, Mason Graham, going off the board at No. 2. And while I love Graham's game, my co-host on the With the First Pick podcast, Rick Spielman, really loves him.

Top Players Not Included

These players appear in the top 32 of our

Consensus Big Board

, but do not show up in this mock.