Mock Draft Roundup: Where Louisville's Top 2025 NFL Prospects are Projected to Land

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A key facet of the college football offseason is just around the corner, as the 2025 NFL Draft is now just one day away. 20 Cardinals are hoping to hear their name called on draft night, highlighted by quarterback Tyler Shough, defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley.

With the draft on our doorstep, scheduled to begin on Thursday, Apr. 24 at 8:00 p.m. EST, mock draft season continues to be in full swing. Many of Louisville's top NFL prospects have found themselves on a wide variety of big boards and mock drafts alike.

With outlets beginning to publish some of their final mocks of the draft season, where are they being projected to go? Take a look below:

ESPN

When you think of NFL mock drafts (and the NFL Draft in general), the first person that usually comes to mind for most people is Mel Kiper Jr. He and Field Yates recently took place in an exercise where they played GM and drafted against each other in a three-round mock. In it, Kiper took all three of Louisville's top draft prospects in this mock. He has Shough going to the New York Giants in the second round with the No. 34 overall pick, then Riley and Gillotte getting selected a few picks apart in the third round. The former goes to the Jacksonville Jaguars with pick No. 88, while the former heads to the Cleveland Browns with the No. 94 overall pick.

While the Kiper/Yates mock only goes three rounds deep, Jordan Reid's mock draft goes the distance. He also has Shough going to the New York Giants, but in the third round with the No. 65 overall pick. He's also not as high on the other two as Kiper, with Riley getting picked up in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers with the 113th overall pick, and Gillotte coming of the board in the fifth round at pick No. 169 held by the Buffalo Bills.

CBS Sports

The folks over at CBS Sports have released multiple mock drafts over the last few days, but only Josh Edwards and Chris Trapasso's have published mocks that encompass all seven rounds.

Edwards has Shough going to the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round with the 68th overall pick, while Trapasso has him heading to the Seattle Seahawks later in the third at pick No. 92. Gillotte is actually the first Louisville player to come off the board in Trapasso's mock, heading to the Denver Broncos with the 85th overall pick in the third round, but Edwards tabs him as a fourth round pick to the New Orleans Saints at No. 112 overall. Riley is a fourth round pick in both mocks, going No. 105 overall to the Giants in Edwards mock, and 118th to the Atlanta Falcons in Trapasso's.

The Athletic

As always, Dane Brugler has provided a wealth of knowledge this draft season between his annual 'The Beast' draft guide, to his seven-round mock where he breaks down almost every pick. Like Kiper, he is also very high on Shough, also projecting him to be a second rounder - this time to the New Orleans Saints at pick No. 40. He has back-to-back Louisville players coming off the board in the third round, with Riley heading to the Los Angeles Rams at pick No. 90, then Gillotte teaming up with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at pick No. 91.

NFL Network

Who better to read a mock draft from than by someone who works for the actual NFL? Chad Reuter recently published his own seven-round mock, and he isn't super high on Louisville's top draft prospects. He has Shough going to the Giants with the first pick of the third round at No. 65 overall, then projects Riley and Gillotte to both go to Los Angeles teams. Riley comes off the board in the third round with the 101st overall pick to the Rams, then Gillotte goes in the fourth with the No. 125 overall pick held by the Chargers.

Pro Football Network

Over at Pro Football Network in Ian Cummings' mock, we have our first instance where more than three Louisville players get drafted. Like Reid and Reuter, Cummings also has Shough heading to the Giants with the first pick in the third round. Like in Brugler's mock, Gillotte is also heading to the Ravens, but this time with the No. 129 overall pick in the fourth round. Cummings also has Riley getting picked up by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round with pick No. 146, and then, has defensive tackle Thor Griffith heading to the Broncos with the 191st overall pick in the sixth round.

Sporting News

In Vinnie Iyer's seven-round mock for the Sporting News, we have another instance where four Louisville players are drafted. His first Cardinal to come off the board is Gillotte, who heads to the Rams in the third round with the No. 90 overall pick. In the fourth round, Riley heads to the Tennessee Titans at pick No. 141, and surprisingly, Shough drops all the way to the fifth round and is picked with the 175th overall pick held by the Seahawks. Then in the sixth round, it's wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks' first appearance going to the Raiders with the No. 213 overall pick.