5 biggest surprises from Mel Kiper's Mock Draft 2.0 feat. Shedeur Sander's landing spot

The second edition of Mel Kiper’s mock draft for 2025 has dropped, and it features some surprising changes from his first mock draft. One shocker is the new team he has pegged Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders to.

We check out the five biggest surprises from this latest mock draft.

#1 Shedeur Sanders is a New York Jet

NCAA Football: Oklahoma State at Colorado - Source: Imagn

Kiper had the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders falling to the New York Jets at No. 7 overall. He initially pegged Sanders to the Giants at No. 3 in his last mock draft, but now has the Giants taking Sanders’ Colorado teammate Travis Hunter instead.

The draft veteran predicts the Jets could opt for a quarterback from the draft to pair with their young core, and Sanders would complement wide receiver Garrett Wilson and star cornerback Sauce Gardner’s window.

#2 Ashton Jeanty is a top 6 pick

NCAA Football: Fiesta Bowl-Penn State at Boise State - Source: Imagn

Would the Raiders pass on a quarterback for a running back? Kiper believes so and has them passing on Sanders at the sixth overall pick, opting for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

The ESPN analyst believes Sanders could be a possibility but the team could solve their quarterback hole in free agency or via a trade instead. He also focused on new coach Pete Carroll’s background of winning a Super Bowl with defense and a strong running attack.

“And speaking of Carroll, remember his background. He leaned on the run game in Seattle for years, and he even used a first-round pick on Rashaad Penny in 2018. Jeanty brings it all — speed, power, elusiveness, contact balance and vision.”

No running back has gone this high since Saquon Barkley was drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Giants in 2018. Besides Barkley, only Leonard Fournette (fourth overall in 2017) and Ezekiel Elliott (fourth overall in 2016) have been drafted sixth or higher in the last 12 drafts.

#3 Dallas Cowboys take a running back

NCAA Football: Wake Forest at North Carolina - Source: Imagn

The Dallas Cowboys have several needs, but this mock draft has the Cowboys taking a second running back in the first round in North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton. Kiper sees Hampton as an upgrade over upcoming free agent Rico Dowdle and believes Hampton and Jeanty have similar draft grades.

“I've talked to people in the NFL who have Jeanty and Hampton neck and neck for RB1, and there are even some who prefer Hampton.”

Kiper also thinks new coach Brian Schottenheimer could lean on a running game similar to the offensive playbook his father Marty used in his 20-year NFL head coaching career.

“I look at Dallas' decision to hire Brian Schottenheimer as coach and can't help but think about his father, Marty, and all those run-heavy offenses he had over 21 seasons in the same job for four different teams.”

#4 Emeka Egbuka goes ahead of Tetairoa McMillan

NCAA Football: CFP National Championship-Ohio State at Notre Dame - Source: Imagn

The race to be the first pure wide receiver (excluding cornerback and wide receiver hybrid Travis Hunter) would likely come down to Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. Kiper has Egbuka going one spot ahead of McMillan in this mock draft.

He pegged Egbuka to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21, while McMillan went one spot later to the Chargers at No. 22. This could be an ideal outcome for both players as their styles will pair well with George Pickens in Pittsburgh and Ladd McConkey in Los Angeles, respectively.

#5 Kiper has six offensive tackles getting drafted in the first round

NCAA Football: Louisiana State at South Carolina - Source: Imagn

The position that had the most players picked in the first round goes to the offensive tackles. Kiper has six offensive tackles drafted, starting with LSU's Will Campbell to the New England Patriots at No. 3.

He also has the Chicago Bears (Josh Simmons at 10th), Miami Dolphins (Armand Membou at 13th), Houston Texans (Kelvin Banks at 25th), Los Angeles Rams (Josh Conerly at 26th) and Kansas City Chiefs (Aireontae Ersery at 31st) picking up offensive tackles.

This continues the increased emphasis on protecting the quarterback after eight offensive tackles were taken in the first round of last year’s NFL draft.