News Overview
- USA Today used Gemini AI to create a 2025 NFL mock draft, predicting the top 10 picks.
- The AI’s picks include quarterbacks leading the list, followed by offensive and defensive linemen, and a receiver.
- Notable selections include Carson Beck as the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers and Shedeur Sanders selected fifth by the New York Giants.
🔗 Original article link: Gemini AI NFL mock draft 2025: See who the AI predicts your team will pick
In-Depth Analysis
The article details a mock draft generated by Google’s Gemini AI for the first ten picks of the 2025 NFL draft. The picks, in order, are:
- Carolina Panthers: Carson Beck (QB, Georgia) - Addressing the Panthers’ need for a franchise quarterback.
- New England Patriots: Quinn Ewers (QB, Texas) - Solving the Patriots’ QB woes after a period of instability.
- Washington Commanders: James Pearce Jr. (DE, Tennessee) - Bolstering the Commanders’ defensive line.
- Arizona Cardinals: Will Campbell (OT, LSU) - Protecting their existing quarterback and improving the offensive line.
- New York Giants: Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado) - Providing the Giants with a potential star QB, although concerns about Sanders’ draft stock due to durability and performance against top teams aren’t addressed by the AI.
- Tennessee Titans: Kelvin Banks Jr. (OT, Texas) - Further investment in offensive line protection.
- Las Vegas Raiders: Luther Burden III (WR, Missouri) - Giving the Raiders a potential top receiving threat.
- Atlanta Falcons: Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State) - Adding another weapon to the Falcons’ offense.
- Denver Broncos: Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss) - Strengthening the Broncos’ defensive front.
- New Orleans Saints: Tacario Davis (CB, Arizona) - Addressing a need for cornerback talent in New Orleans.
The AI likely considered factors like team needs, player rankings, and positional value to generate these picks. The article doesn’t explicitly detail how the AI arrived at these conclusions, but it’s reasonable to assume it leveraged historical draft data, team performance, and publicly available prospect evaluations. The absence of running backs in the top 10 reflects the devalued position of the running back in modern NFL offenses.
Commentary
Using AI for mock drafts is an interesting trend. While it can process vast amounts of data quickly, its predictions rely heavily on the data it’s trained on and may lack the nuanced understanding of team dynamics, coaching preferences, and unforeseen events (like injuries or surprising player development) that human analysts often bring to the table. The AI’s choice of Sanders at #5 seems high given the current consensus around him and represents an over-weighting of star power compared to true talent evaluation. The emphasis on offensive players, especially quarterbacks and offensive tackles, reflects the high value placed on these positions in the modern NFL. It remains to be seen how accurate these AI-generated predictions will be, but they provide a fascinating benchmark for comparison.