• Jordan Reid, NFL draft analystJul 9, 2024, 07:00 AM ET

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      Jordan Reid is an NFL draft analyst for ESPN, providing in-depth scouting on the nation’s top pro prospects. Jordan joined ESPN in 2021 and also contributes to SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. He played quarterback at North Carolina Central University and then went on to coach there from 2014-18. You can follow Jordan on Twitter via @Jordan_Reid.

It’s never too soon to look ahead to next year’s NFL draft. Which prospects are the early candidates to be the No. 1 pick in 2025?

Caleb Williams was the consensus favorite last summer to be selected at the top of the draft in 2024, and nothing changed throughout the process; the Bears took the talented passer at No. 1 in April. But 2025 looks vastly different. There isn’t an overwhelming top-pick favorite among the signal-callers, and this group of defensive prospects is loaded at the top. In fact, it sort of reminds of the 2022 class when the top five picks were all defense. Quarterback has dominated the top of the draft, but defensive end (5) and offensive tackle (2) have also produced No. 1 selections over the past 25 classes.

Even though we’re more than nine months out from the draft, let’s take a run through the most likely candidates to go No. 1, including why each could make the leap and a way-too-early projected percentage chance for each to land at the top of the board. Let’s start with the QB that I had going No. 1 in my way-too-early mock draft from May.

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Serious contenders (5)
Potential risers (2)
Long shots (6)

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