2025 SEC Mock Draft: Projecting hypothetical first-round picks for all 16 teams

The 2025 NFL Draft is upon us, and that means the SEC is once again about to be in the spotlight. 

Last year, the SEC produced 11 first-round draft picks. It marked the 13th time in 14 years the conference had produced the most first-round picks or tied for the most first-round picks. It was also the sixth time in an 8-year span that the SEC produced double-digit first-round picks. 

Since 2010, the SEC has seen 155 players drafted in the first round. 

Talent flocks to the Southeastern Conference because it knows the Southeastern Conference flows into the NFL. It’s a feedback loop. 

But that doesn’t mean every team in the league is perfect. There are flaws. And with Draft Week officially here, I thought it would be fun to hold our own hypothetical mock draft. If each SEC team could pick 1 player from anywhere else in the FBS to draft onto its team in order to chase a title in 2025, who would they pick?  

They can’t take a player who is already in the conference, and we’ll pick in inverse order of the 2024 standings. Let’s dive in.

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1st overall: Mississippi State (2024 record: 2-10, 0-8 SEC)

The Pick: Caleb Downs, safety

For a Bulldogs team that went winless in the conference in its first season under Jeff Lebby, there’s no mistaking the current state of the program. It is full-on rebuild mode in Starkville, and that means everything is a position of need. For an exercise like this, Lebby takes the best player on the board. To me, that’s Downs. The rising Ohio State junior is the best player in college football and does so many things to impact the game. He proved as a true freshman he could be a force for winning in the SEC, so it would stand to reason that a more experienced, more physically mature version of Downs would be an absolute wrecking ball. Mississippi State’s defense was atrocious last season, especially against the pass. 

2nd overall: Kentucky (2024 record: 4-8, 1-7)

The Pick: Cade Klubnik, quarterback

“Where is Jeremiah Smith?” Surely that question is being asked. The most explosive playmaker in college football doesn’t go with either of the top 2 picks, and that might seem like a shock. But Smith is only as effective as the quarterback getting him the football, and Kentucky is remarkably bereft of exciting options at the quarterback spot. In 2025, Incarnate Word transfer Zach Calzada is competing with Cutter Boley, Beau Allen, and Brennen Ward for the starting job. The Wildcats ranked 127th out of 134 FBS teams last season in EPA per dropback, per Game on Paper, and there just isn’t much here to suggest massive improvement is coming. For years, we’ve seen Kentucky try to do its thing with mediocrity from the most important position on the field. In drafting Klubnik, the top returning quarterback in college football, the Wildcats try something different. 

3rd overall: Auburn (2024 record: 5-7, 2-6)

The Pick: Jeremiah Smith, wide receiver

Smith’s slide ends at No. 3, where Auburn snaps him up to pair with Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr., forming a receiver trio the likes of which usually only exists in Columbus, Ohio, or Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold gets to simply throw the ball anywhere on the field and create an explosive a year removed from needing a cheat sheet to keep track of which receivers were available and which were injured. Over the last 2 years, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze has laid a decent share of the blame for the passing game’s dysfunction at the feet of Auburn’s receivers. Smith was the go-to receiver on a national championship-winning team as a true freshman, and he’ll be bigger, stronger, and faster in 2025. No one in the country can stop him one-on-one, which becomes a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators who also have to worry about Coleman.

4th overall: Oklahoma (2024 record: 6-7, 2-6)

The Pick: TJ Parker, edge rusher

Parker is second only to South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart when it comes to the top returning edge defenders. He’s explosive off the snap and has a relentless motor. Size might be a question for NFL scouts, but his production speaks for itself. Parker ranked 15th nationally last season with 51 quarterback pressures (per PFF) and fifth in tackles for loss with 19.5. Oklahoma remade the offense this offseason, landing some of the best players to hit the portal at several key positions. So, in this spot, Brent Venables adds an elite edge to an already-strong defensive line. 

5th overall: Vanderbilt (2024 record: 7-6, 3-5)

The Pick: Peter Woods, defensive tackle

Woods is the best returning interior defensive lineman in college football, and Vanderbilt would be thrilled to have him in the middle of its defense. The Commodores gave teams fits last season with ball control offense and run-stopping efficiency on defense. The 6-3, 315-pound Woods is one of the nation’s top run-stoppers who also finished with 11 sacks and 6 forced fumbles last season. Woods should also help the Dores’ pass defense, which was picked apart a bit last year as the defensive line struggled to create pressure.

6th overall: Arkansas (2024 record: 7-6, 3-5)

The Pick: Spencer Fano, offensive tackle

Utah’s standout tackle was the highest-graded player at his position in college football last season, per PFF. He had a 93.6 run-blocking grade for the Utes and allowed only 1 sack in more than 400 snaps as a pass-blocker. With quarterback Taylen Green and a couple of promising tailbacks, Arkansas should be running to throw. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino can run behind Fano to plenty of success and keep Green in advantageous throwing spots. Green had 17 turnover-worthy plays and 9 interceptions last season. Fourteen of those TWPs and 8 of those interceptions came on straight dropbacks. He had an 83.5 passer grade (per PFF) on play-action passes, which was 8.5 points higher than his grade on straight dropbacks. I want to see Arkansas run, so getting an elite blocker is a must.

7th overall: Florida (2024 record: 8-5, 4-4)

The Pick: Francis Mauigoa, offensive tackle

In last week’s trades piece, I targeted the offensive line for the Gators in order to ensure their Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback was well-protected. Billy Napier does the same here, and the Gators don’t even have to leave the state to get their guy. Mauigoa has been starting for Miami from Day 1 and has been a metronome at right tackle. According to PFF, the former 5-star recruit was the only FBS tackle last fall with 2 or fewer knockdowns allowed on 500-plus pass-blocking snaps. Florida bookends its line and boasts 2 of the best players at their respective positions. (Jake Slaughter is the top returning center in football.) 

8th overall: Texas A&M (2024 record: 8-5, 5-3)

The Pick: Leonard Moore, cornerback

The Aggies couldn’t defend the forward pass in their debut season under coach Mike Elko. At least, that was Elko’s evaluation. Moore solves that problem immediately. He’s the top returning corner in college football despite being just a true sophomore. Al Golden’s man-heavy scheme constantly put stress on Moore as a true freshman and he more than lived up to the demand. According to PFF, he gave up only 16 catches on 42 targets in single coverage and ended the year with 11 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. He and Will Lee III turn the Texas A&M defense into a no-fly zone. 

9th overall: South Carolina (2024 record: 9-4, 5-3)

The Pick: Zane Durant, defensive tackle

South Carolina has the best edge rusher in the country in Dylan Stewart, so why not pair him with a scheme-versatile interior defensive lineman who can disrupt backfields, shoot gaps, and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks? Durant ranked seventh among interior Big Ten defensive linemen with 28 quarterback pressures last season, per PFF, and his 11 TFLs were top-15 in the conference. (Only 1 interior Big Ten defender had more TFLs than Durant.) South Carolina has the quarterback spot settled, and it has a wide receiver with the tools to be elite. With the ninth pick, Shane Beamer makes the defensive line terrifying.  

10th overall: Mizzou (2024 record: 10-3, 5-3)

The Pick: Sawyer Robertson, quarterback

This pick was debated for quite some time. Does Mizzou rock with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula, draft for need elsewhere, and hope Pribula is ready for the moment? Or does it take a sure thing to nail down the quarterback spot and give this offense — which should be explosive on the ground behind Ahmad Hardy — a sky-high floor? Eli Drinkwitz opts for the latter and puts Mizzou right back into the conversation for the SEC title. Robertson is that good. He finished 2024 fifth in total QBR and, according to Game on Paper, ranked seventh in EPA per dropback. He’s criminally underrated heading into 2025. Last season, he had a 68.8% adjusted completion percentage while throwing for 3,071 yards and 28 touchdowns.  Robertson was outstanding when he looked deep and automatic when throwing within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.

11th overall: Ole Miss (2024 record: 10-3, 5-3)

The Pick: Jeremiyah Love, running back

Imagining the home run-hitting Love in a Lane Kiffin offense is exciting, to say the least. Love is one of the best playmakers in the country heading into the new season and fills an immediate need with the Rebels. Love had 17 rushing touchdowns in 16 games last season while averaging 6.9 yards per carry. On 163 carries, he forced 62 missed tackles and averaged 4.4 yards per carry after contact. According to PFF, that clip ranked fifth among FBS runners with at least 150 carries. A year after Ole Miss had a revolving door in the backfield, Love gives Kiffin a star to build around. The pass game has promise, but it is young. Love rounds things out nicely 

12th overall: LSU (2024 record: 9-4, 5-3)

The Pick: Domonique Orange, defensive tackle

The Tigers have Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburn, and Jimari Butler at defensive end. They have Whit Weeks at off-ball linebacker. And they have Harold Perkins to move around. If a consistent force emerges in the middle of the defensive line (and everyone stays healthy), LSU’s front 7 will be one of the best in the country. Adding Orange to the group gives LSU a star in the middle. The 6-4, 325-pound Orange produced 42 quarterback pressures in 3 seasons with Iowa State and finished 2024 with 17 stops, one of the top marks among interior Big 12 defensive linemen, per PFF. He’ll help a porous run defense and free up guys like Weeks to be even more disruptive.

13th overall, Alabama (2024 record: 9-4, 5-3)

The Pick: Sam Leavitt, quarterback

If Alabama gets its quarterback decision correct, the Crimson Tide are a threat to win not just an SEC Championship, but a national championship. The Tide have talent all over the field and the makings of an elite defense. So, Kalen DeBoer takes all the uncertainty out of the equation and drafts a quarterback who will step in and give offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb an elite quarterback to run his offense. Leavitt can make defenders miss with his legs, which is a plus, but it’s more about his arm. He checks every box DeBoer needs from the position as a passer. Leavitt had a 1.1% turnover-worthy play rate last season, which ranked fourth in the FBS, per PFF. He rarely put the ball in danger last season and can hit every spot on the field. 

14th overall: Tennessee (2024 record: 10-3, 6-2)

The Pick: Drew Allar, quarterback

Tennessee very clearly needs a quarterback, so it would make sense that Alabama would draft Tennessee’s go-to guy right before the Vols go on the clock. With the right quarterback, Josh Heupel and the Vols are in the SEC title picture, and with the star power at the position throughout the rest of the league, there’s no reason to go in any other direction here, even with Leavitt and Klubnik off the board. Heupel doesn’t want to gamble on Carson Beck, who was entirely too loose with the football last season, so he opts for the safer option and picks Allar. While the former 5-star recruit has yet to fully live up to expectations, he has an adjusted completion rate of 73.2% and a turnover-worthy play rate of just 1.5% over his entire career. 

15th overall: Georgia (2024 record: 11-3, 6-2)

The Pick: Dani Dennis-Sutton, edge rusher

The Bulldogs have elite players at each level of the defense in 2025. But there is a glaring hole at defensive end. Dennis-Sutton, whose 13 TFLs were tied for the fifth-most in the Big Ten last season, was a monster in the biggest games of the year for Penn State. Of his 8.5 sacks, 4.5 came in the College Football Playoff. Six of his 13 TFLs came in the CFP. He forced a fumble and registered 4 QB pressures in the CFP semifinals. Dennis-Sutton has the physical tools to be a first-round draft pick in the NFL, and that’s exactly the level of play Georgia expects from this spot in its defense. 

16th overall: Texas (2024 record: 13-3, 7-1)

The Pick: Isaiah World, offensive tackle

If he’s running through the Longhorns’ position groups and ranking them from those he has the most confidence in to those he has the least, Steve Sarkisian might be waiting a hot minute before getting to the offensive line. And that’s not even really a knock on the group. Texas is loaded on the defensive line, at linebacker, and at running back. It has the quarterback spot settled. It just recently grabbed a transfer tight end who should start. Wideout is a question mark, but there’s promise there. The Longhorns have to replace both of last year’s starting tackles on the offensive line, so getting a player like World who can make it to where Sarkisian doesn’t ever have to worry about one side of his line makes this selection easy. The 6-8, 300-pound offensive tackle took his licks as a redshirt freshman in 2022, but has allowed just 3 sacks in 25 starts since then. He has remarkable athleticism for a player his size and has a ton of experience at the FBS level.  

Derek Peterson

Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.