The trenches are all the rage now that the Philadelphia Eagles have won two Super Bowls and played in three of them in the past eight years. They prioritize team-building from the inside out and the rest of the league has taken notice.

It’s nothing new. Some front offices have always prioritized the big sexies and that gave me an idea. I have decided to conduct a thought exercise in which every team has to take an offensive or defensive lineman in the first round.

It wasn’t even particularly hard. Most teams already need one of those positions, and this is a particularly deep defensive line class, anyway.

With that in mind, I present to you an all-trenches 2025 mock draft!

This is the biggest no-brainer there is because Carter is the best player in the draft. Tennessee’s need for a quarterback might outweigh the desire to take the best player come April, but Carter deserves to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, period.

This is another don’t-overthink-it selection. There is more than one way to help Myles Garrett on the edge, and getting a monster interior lineman (the best interior defensive linemen in this draft) will go an incredibly long way.

The more I learn about this year’s offensive line class, the more I think we’re going to be surprised come April 24. I’ve heard nothing but glowing things about Conerly, and provided he can make the switch from left to right, he would be an excellent bookend opposite Andrew Thomas for New York.

For as much help as the Pats need along the offensive line, they could slot Banks pretty much anywhere. He’s got the flexibility to kick inside to guard, and in fact, may be better suited there. Either way, New England could use him.

Jacksonville needs to get better on defense, period. The Jaguars have talent, but would benefit from a true outside edge rotation. They have two-time Pro Bowler Josh Hines-Allen and 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker but add some depth there with Green and opposing offensive lines will have waves of issues to deal with.

I know I just wrote the Jags need to get better on defense, but so do the Raiders. They have a stud pass rusher in Maxx Crosby, who they just paid, but other than him, no one really scares me on their defensive line. That changes with Grant, who stands at 6-foot-4 and over 330 pounds. That’s right up the alley of new general manager John Spytek, who also went to Michigan, by the way.

Justin Fields has already been the most sacked quarterback in the league during his time in Chicago. Don’t do that to him again, Jets.

Walker is a guy that could end up playing more of a hybrid role as a pure pass-rusher, and I would love to see him in a system that lends itself more to being flexible with him. The outside linebacker role in Carolina could be just the ticket.

Williams is another versatile player and he’s big. Williams stands at 6-5 and could potentially learn from Cam Jordan before taking over for him. 

Campbell is a lot of pundits’ top offensive line prospect, but I have a few concerns. And no, it doesn’t have to do with his arm length. This is a really raw class, in general. Campbell incurred more penalties than I’d like while at LSU. I think he needs more time to develop and being brought in as competition, but not necessarily having to be the guy right away, could be mutually beneficial for Campbell and the Bears.

The Niners had somewhat of a mass exodus with their defense this offseason. Where do you start when you rebuild? The inside. Harmon is a guy I’ve talked to multiple defensive coaches about, and not only do they like him, they’re flat out excited about him. He’s the guy we aren’t talking about enough.

Stewart is a big dude, and putting him opposite Micah Parsons will help the Cowboys get a bigger return on the gargantuan investment they’re about to make with the four-time Pro Bowler. Plus, there just won’t be money to pay another edge rusher, so get one on a rookie deal.

I was bullish that the Dolphins should have invested heavily on the offensive line last offseason, especially after paying quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Insurance is expensive. I think they’ve finally gotten the hint, and even in the real draft, this pick should be an offensive lineman. Simmons has an injury history, but he was perhaps the most pro-ready lineman before tearing a patellar tendon last October. Let’s hope he can return to form for the Dolphins’ sake.

I think the Colts could go on either side of the line for this exercise, but I ended up seeing the value in a high-football IQ pass-rusher to play opposite Kwity Paye.

The Falcons need help on defense wherever they can get it, and you can never have enough guys to rush the passer. Pearce Jr. is a big dude at 6-5 and comes from the SEC. It feels right that he lands in Atlanta.

The Cardinals brought in Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and now Calais Campbell along the defensive line, but the latter two aren’t spring chickens. Get a young guy in that can learn from the vets and be a part of the interior defensive line rotation immediately.

This one scratched my brain in just the right way. I like Zabel’s game. He’s hungry, versatile and one of those massive corn-fed Midwestern boys that stands at 6-6 and 312 pounds. Get him into an NFL strength program and watch that get even better. He’s played four of the five offensive line positions, so the Bengals could use him wherever they most need him.

If it weren’t for the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams, we would have been freaking out a lot more over how many sacks the Seattle offensive line gave up last year. With Sam Darnold now in the fold, pass protection is going to be more important than ever. Booker is from a big-time program and that should help ease his transition into the pro game.

I’d love to see the Bucs actually go edge in this year’s draft and I think there’s a strong chance they will. The issue with this exercise is that all the guys I think they’d really want were off the board. But I like Sawyer’s size and length. I think he could fit into the rotation in Tampa and be productive, especially with the well-established help they have along the interior of the defensive line.

Keep a strength a strength. One of the most pleasant surprises of last season was how dominating the Denver front seven was and how its entire defense completely shattered any and all expectations. That paved the way for the Broncos’ playoff run with a rookie quarterback, and the club would benefit from continuing to invest in its defensive front to keep it as menacing as it was last year.

Everything coming out of the league meetings is pointing to Aaron Rodgers becoming a Steeler in 2025. If that’s the case, you better make triple sure you have a line that’s up to blocking for a 41-year-old quarterback.

The Chargers let a few veterans go this offseason and if the goal is to get younger, then get younger along the defensive front. Alexander isn’t from a big-time program, but he scored as the fifth-best defensive tackle at the Combine. He’s also 6-4 and knows how to use his size to win blocks. He’s also a smart player with pass rush tools already in his arsenal. He’s not super-quick, but can potentially be developed under a defensive coordinator like Jesse Minter.

The Packers took Edgerrin Cooper out of A&M last draft and that turned out pretty well for them. Maybe they draft his college teammate this year with hopes that he can turn into the edge rushing presence they need to round out the defense under Jeff Hafley.

This was tricky since Minnesota already did so much in free agency to address the trenches. My only thought was that with Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, the defense could use a young, promising rotation player who could learn from those two.

The Texans need offensive line help badly and Mbow is a guy going under the radar. To borrow a point made by Yahoo’s Nate Tice, who recently broke down the Purdue product’s game: Mbow is hungry and plays with a great motor. That’s exactly what the Texans need in front of CJ Stroud.

For the most part, it looks like the offensive line is staying the same for Los Angeles this season, but it couldn’t hurt to have a swing tackle waiting in the wings as he develops — and Ersery will need time to develop.

How is it that even in thought exercises, the Ravens seem to get a steal? Umanmielen would fit right into Baltimore’s defense and become part of the edge rotation immediately.

The same can be said for the Lions. The thought of Jackson, a player that packed on 40 pounds at Arkansas, lining up opposite a now-healthy Aidan Hutchinson, should be scary to every team on the Lions’ schedule. If Jackson knows how to apply himself on the field half as well as he does in the weight room, I would trust Detroit to get the most out of him.

The Commanders have a great roster. There aren’t many obvious needs. When there aren’t many obvious needs, what do you do? Add a pass-rusher. Tuimoloau seems like a Dan Quinn guy, someone who could fit right into those speed packages Quinn loves so much.

This feels like a good fit, too. The Bills’ defense is getting older (LOL at Ed Oliver being drafted in 2019 now being considered a vested veteran), so infusing the front with youth could be the move. Swinson is strong, bendy and has a knack for sniffing out the play that needs to happen.

The Chiefs traded away Joe Thuney and are going to have to replace him as soon as possible. Center Creed Humphrey would make things easier on whoever he plays next to, so developing a guard, especially from a big-time program, is probably the Chiefs’ best bet at solidifying the interior.

The Eagles won the Super Bowl and still have a stacked roster. I like Stewart’s position flexibility as more and more players on the Eagles seem to be positionless.

Carmen Vitali is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV. 

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