The Observer

● By Jack Horton
At the start of the 2023-24 college football season, Caleb Williams was all but guaranteed to go first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. This year is very different. While blue-chip players exist on both sides of the ball, the top overall pick remains a mystery. When I did the 2023 way-too-early mock draft, I only correctly chose 15 players that ended up drafted in the first round. I’ll try to beat that number this year, but so much will change over the next few months. New players will separate themselves from the pack to become top picks for NFL franchises by April. For those of you upset with the projected order for the 2025 NFL Draft, don’t blame me! These projections come from ESPN and will look very different by the end of the season. Hopefully, this mock draft can serve as a guide for who to watch throughout the remainder of the college football season. Here’s how I see the draft unfolding:

Top Players Not Included

These players appear in the top 32 of our

Consensus Big Board

, but do not show up in this mock.