Lou Pickney's NFL Draft Insight
Welcome to my new NFL Draft website. You've probably read some of my previous work on draftking.com, which I've owned since 2003.
If you have any questions/comments, feel free to contact me via email (lou@loupickney.com).
See also: Lou's 2026 NFL Mock Draft | 2026 Prospects
In one of the most stunning trades in the NFL in years, the Dallas Cowboys dealt two-time All-Pro EDGE Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday...
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After the sampler platter that was Week 0 in American college football, we're now ready for Week 1...
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It's rather strange that the first game of the season is a Big 12 conference game. But many of the old rules of college sports, written or otherwise, have changed in recent years....
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I'm looking forward to seeing how wide receiver Eric Rivers will do at Georgia Tech this season after transferring from FIU. Watch this touchdown catch by Rivers from a 2019 high school game I called in Chattanooga...
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Soon after posting my most recent column, I made the decision to pull Texas QB Arch Manning from my 2026 NFL Mock Draft. I've never done something like that before.
Yet the decision was easy...
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We're at an interesting point in time as far as options go for top-level college quarterbacks who have eligibility beyond the 2025 campaign...
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Year 24 begins. I've been in the NFL mock draft biz going back to the 2003 NFL Draft, nearly half of my life now.
My first 2026 NFL Mock Draft is online. I think it's ridiculously early for such a thing, but the people demand it....
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Lou's 2025 NFL Draft Running Commentary
April 24, 2025
Live updates throughout the night!
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An invitation isn't a guarantee of being a first-round pick, but remember that the NFL Draft is a celebratory event. They only invite players believed to have a good chance of being drafted on night one...
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What happens from there remains a matter of some uncertainty. Popular speculation on the Cleveland Browns has bounced from Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders to Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter to Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter in recent weeks...
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One of the biggest developments in recent days has been the shift in betting lines for the #2 overall pick, where Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter has becoming the bookmaker favorite for the Cleveland Browns.
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The team with the #1 overall pick isn't allowed to reveal the planned top selection ahead of time, even if they wanted to do so. Things have changed considerably since the era of teams drafting at #1 actually negotiating with multiple prospects trying to agree to a contract before the pick happened.
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Indicators continue to suggest that two running backs (Boise State's Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton) and two tight ends (Penn State's Tyler Warren and Michigan's Colston Loveland) could realistically be drafted before any wide receiver besides Colorado's Travis Hunter, who really belongs in his own category as a legit unique dual threat at cornerback and wide receiver.
Of the top receivers, Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan and Texas' Matthew Golden tend to be the top two projected to go.
McMillan has been the top WR in many mock drafts through the process, but Golden ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and is seen by some evaluators as the more well-rounded prospect between the two.
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There was a big update on Sunday with my latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft. With most of the pro days in the books, we've now reached the stretch run of this process.
It will be interesting to see what the Carolina Panthers end up doing with the #8 pick. This is a strong year for EDGE prospects, which is a major need for Carolina.
My current mock has the Panthers selecting Georgia EDGE/LB Jalon Walker, with other perceived viable possibilities including Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams, Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart, and Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr.
It struck me as odd that Pearce performed well in the drills at the NFL Combine, yet several key indicators dropped for Pearce amid whispers of maturity concerns.
But there has been a push-back as of late...
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Miami QB Cam Ward going to the Tennessee Titans at #1 looks increasingly likely, and there's a growing expectation that the Cleveland Browns will select Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter at #2 overall.
The betting lines for Carter at #2 shifted so strongly that I couldn't ignore them. The concept is fascinating: pairing an elite EDGE in Myles Garrett and his recent mammoth contract extension with a blue-chip EDGE prospect on a rookie deal in Carter.
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I hadn't planned to bring back the mailbag, not so quickly anyway, but people have questions. And suddenly I'm no longer mysteriously invisible with the new MockDraftNFL brand.
Keep in mind that my focus is primarily on who the picks will be on night one of the draft...
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AFC East: Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots |
New York Jets | Miami Dolphins
AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns | Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South:
Houston Texans | Indianapolis Colts |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Tennessee Titans
AFC West:
Denver Broncos |
Kansas City Chiefs | Las Vegas Raiders | Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys |
New York Giants |
Philadelphia Eagles |
Washington Commanders
NFC North:
Chicago Bears |
Detroit Lions |
Green Bay Packers |
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South:
Atlanta Falcons |
Carolina Panthers |
New Orleans Saints |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals |
Los Angeles Rams |
San Francisco 49ers |
Seattle Seahawks
