Ross Rant: 2025 NFL Mock Draft | First Round

"This is the inside scoop on the private conversations between General Managers and potential first-round draft picks."

1. Tennessee Titans: "Nashville is known for hot chicken, but our offensive line protection is even spicier. Hope you're good at scrambling."

2. Cleveland Browns: "We've had more starting quarterbacks than the city has had mayors. You'll be in the Hall of Fame... of Cleveland QB jerseys on some fan's wall."

3. New York Giants: "Your agent mentioned you wanted 'bright lights, big city.' Just to clarify, you know we play in New Jersey, right?"

4. New England Patriots: "We still expect you to win six Super Bowls. No pressure."

5. Jacksonville Jaguars: "Jacksonville... This city is so spread out. People joke it's several suburbs pretending to be a city."

6. Las Vegas Raiders: "The over/under on how many head coaches you'll play for during your rookie contract is 3.5."

7. New York Jets: "Broadway Joe guaranteed a Super Bowl win once. We've been riding that high for 56 years."

8. Carolina Panthers: "Charlotte's banking industry is booming. Good news, you'll need somewhere to deposit all that money you'll earn while we rebuild... again."

9. New Orleans Saints: "Hope you like beads because that's all the hardware you'll be collecting for a while."

10. Chicago Bears: "We've had one good quarterback in the last century. No pressure, but the city hopes you're the second."

11. San Francisco 49ers: "Housing in the Bay Area starts at $3,000 per square foot. Fortunately, we can offer you a lovely practice facility closet."

12. Dallas Cowboys: "America's Team hasn't been to a conference championship in nearly 30 years, but don't tell Jerry that."

13. Miami Dolphins: "Hurricane season and football season overlap perfectly here. You'll get used to both kinds of pressure systems."

14. Indianapolis Colts: "The Indy 500 isn't the only thing that goes around in circles here. Our quarterback carousel is giving it competition."

15. Atlanta Falcons: "28-3. Never mention those numbers in sequence, and you'll be fine."

16. Arizona Cardinals: "It's a dry heat, like our championship drought."

17. Cincinnati Bengals: "We're the second most popular team in Ohio, but hey, at least we're not the Browns."

18. Seattle Seahawks: "We'll give you earplugs for the home games. The 12th Man is great until you're trying to call an audible."

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "Tom Brady was here. We'll remind you of this daily for the next decade."

20. Denver Broncos: "The altitude makes the ball fly farther. Sadly, it doesn't help our quarterbacks' accuracy."

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: "We've had exactly three head coaches since the Nixon administration. Job security isn't our problem - living up to the legacy is yours."

22. Los Angeles Chargers: "We technically have fans. They all live in San Diego and refuse to drive to see us."

23. Green Bay Packers: "The team is publicly owned, so instead of one demanding owner, you'll have 538,967 of them."

24. Minnesota Vikings: "Our playoff misery is so consistent, it's almost impressive. You'll fit right in!"

25. Houston Texans: "Everything's bigger in Texas, especially our expectations."

26. Los Angeles Rams: "Hollywood loves a sequel. We're hoping you'll be the sequel to our Super Bowl run, not the sequel to our salary cap disasters."

27. Baltimore Ravens: "The city has Edgar Allan Poe. We have a tough defense. Both will haunt your nightmares."

28. Detroit Lions: "We've never been to the Super Bowl. You could become the biggest legend in franchise history by just getting us to the big game."

29. Washington Commanders: "We've changed our name, colors, and owner. Now we need to change our losing record."

30. Buffalo Bills: "Table-smashing isn't in your contract but is expected."

31. Kansas City Chiefs: "Hope you like barbecue because you'll be eating a lot of it while watching Mahomes get all the glory."

32. Philadelphia Eagles: "The fans once booed Santa Claus. Your bad games will be treated much worse."

Enjoy the ride + Plan accordingly.

PS: Go Detroit Lions!

Marc A. Ross on The Curiosity Dividend

I had a wonderful conversation with Carlo Navato on his podcast, The Curiosity Dividend.

Carlo is an old friend, and we shared some adventures in the UK's Lake District in 2024. Plus, we have an equal passion for the Detroit Lions as well as creative pursuits in photography and writing

Carlo is the visionary founder of Haxted Estates, a multi-award-winning property developer who believes his success has come from being passionately curious.

Carlo believes he has no special talents except his ever-curious mindset. For him, curiosity leads to inspiration, which leads to creativity and empowers you to do cool stuff.

A chartered surveyor by training, he is happiest with mavericks in wild places. He is a passionate photographer and lover of books, vinyl, his VW camper van, sports, and wine. He is a founding partner of the Do Lectures.

You can follow Carlo on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Here are the top ten insights from our converation on geopolitics, corporate diplomacy, and the shattering of the old world order in these chaotic times:

1. The Trump administration has implemented unprecedented global tariffs that I described as "tariffing the entire planet." Trump's economic decision has caused significant market turmoil and is restructuring global supply chains, with even allied nations seeking accommodations.

2. I characterized Trump as a "day trader" without a long-term strategy: "Trump has no 100-year plan. He has no 10-year plan. He has no 10-hour plan." This short-term approach creates unpredictability in international relations and markets.

3. America's post-WWII economic prosperity created a "false sense of hope" because there was no competition from war-ravaged nations. As countries like Japan, Germany, England, and China recovered and entered global markets, America's economic position naturally shifted.

4. America's national debt, which stands at approximately $30 trillion against a $25 trillion economy, may drive tariff policies as a revenue-generating mechanism rather than just a form of protectionism.

5. I suggested America isn't "globalized enough" and should focus on selling more internationally rather than erecting trade barriers: "Instead of being so fearful of the world, let's get in it. We have the best companies in the world."

6. The Detroit Lions' turnaround under Dan Campbell exemplifies effective leadership by embracing a local identity rather than importing external models. The team hired leadership independently (rather than friends hiring friends) and focused on Detroit's blue-collar, gritty characteristics.

7. I identified several world leaders he considers noteworthy: Italy's Giorgia Meloni for embracing Italian "specialness," France's Emmanuel Macron for starting his political party, and Argentina's Javier Milei for attempting to revitalize a potentially powerful economy.

8. I predicted the political consequences of the tariff policies: "I think these tariffs stay on for a while. I think we go into a recession. I think the Democrats take back the House, and it's a whole new ballgame."

9. On managing information overload, I emphasized distinguishing between signal and noise: "I really focus on the signal, like, what are the four or five data points that really, really matter?" This focus and decision-making enable me to maintain my focus amid the constant news cycles.

10. In the podcast, I revealed my creative interests beyond geopolitics, including photography and writing. I highlighted how diverse skill sets and experiences (what I call a "talent stack") can converge later in life to help you reach your maximum potential.

Enjoy the ride + Plan accordingly.

-Marc

Team Trump’s self-inflicted trade war disaster

In the highly complex and interwoven arena of international commerce, Team Trump has somehow managed to declare victory after setting the economic house on fire. The White House recently announced tariff rollbacks with great fanfare, hailing their negotiating prowess after plunging global markets into chaos.

This represents a bewildering pattern we’ve witnessed repeatedly: create an unnecessary crisis, partially resolve the problem you manufactured, then claim heroic achievement. It’s akin to a firefighter seeking praise for extinguishing a fire they deliberately set.

Team Trump's reckless trade strategy has caused real economic damage. Global supply chains—complex networks built over decades—are now disrupted. American companies find themselves paralyzed with uncertainty. International markets have experienced significant downturns. Our closest allies feel betrayed. Retaliatory tariffs against American goods continue to harm US exporters.

Despite pulling back from some of their most extreme positions, Team Trump celebrates as though they have engineered a masterful victory. This selective perception ignores the lasting harm inflicted on American businesses, consumers, and our global standing.

Consider the United States’ current position: America now maintains a staggering 24 percent average tariff rate, higher than any other nation on Earth. As former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Jason Furman points out, we’ve surpassed even nations like Iran and Venezuela, which maintain rates of 12 and 14 percent, respectively. No country with a population above one million and per capita income even a quarter as high as America’s imposes average tariff rates above 10 percent.

The economic consequences reach everyday Americans in ways many fail to recognize. Brett Schulman, CEO of Cava, the Mediterranean restaurant chain, faces rising costs across his entire operation. Pulp-based paper bowls from Canada, olive oil, and Kalamata olives from Greece are now subject to tariffs. Even construction costs for new locations will likely increase. Schulman aptly describes it in the Wall Street Journal: “It’s like going to a restaurant where the menu keeps changing before you order. No one feels confident making a decision.”

This uncertainty reverberates throughout our economy.

When import taxes hit essential products, businesses must either absorb those costs—reducing profits and limiting growth—or pass them on to consumers. Your Mediterranean lunch bowl grows more expensive not because of market forces but because of deliberately imposed government policies.

Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman describes the administration’s “mob boss” tactics toward global markets. Trump's White House goons initiated trade conflicts with virtually every major trading partner simultaneously while taking “an axe to the supply chains of many of the world’s leading multinationals.” No coherent strategy guides these actions—neither foreign policy realism nor trade mercantilism can explain such self-defeating behavior.

Perhaps most shocking, these economically destructive policies won’t achieve their stated goals. Trade deficits—Team Trump’s supposed concern—will remain essentially unchanged. Instead, the leadership of the United States made the entire global economy poorer, including ourselves.

The celebration over partial tariff rollbacks exemplifies a disturbing pattern from Team Trumo: create chaos, allow substantial damage, partially reverse course, and then declare victory. This approach only succeeds politically when constituents fail to connect deteriorating economic conditions with the policies causing them.

Americans deserve trade policies crafted with strategic foresight, economic literacy, and diplomatic skill—not impulsive decisions that harm our prosperity and standing in the world. Our current approach resembles a child knocking over a Monopoly board, slamming his feet, scattering a few pieces back onto it, then claiming championship status. The economic security of millions demands better than theatrical negotiations that leave us all worse off.

Enjoy the ride + Plan accordingly.

-Marc