NFL Draft 2025: 8 defensive gamers who may very well be secret superstars

Consider the most effective third-round and decrease picks over the previous couple of many years, and what number of of them have both slam-dunks or a minimum of future pathways to the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame. Tom Brady was a sixth-round decide in 2000. Marshal Yanda was a third-round decide in 2007. Frank Gore was a third-round decide in 2010. Jason Kelce was a sixth-round decide in 2011. Jason’s brother Travis was a third-round decide in 2013. Richard Sherman was a fifth-round decide in 2011. Fred Warner was a third-round decide in 2018.

On and on it goes.

We by no means actually understand how issues will prove for these prospects whose taking part in potential far outstrips their draft locations for no matter causes. Maybe the prospect in query performed at a smaller college, and energy of competitors is a query. Perhaps they’re pushed down in a category full of an excessive amount of expertise for everyone to get their simply due. Or it may very well be that off-field points get in the best way.

Regardless, each draft class has these gamers who ascend far past the place they had been drafted. This listing of prospects from the 2025 draft class is supposed to characteristic these gamers who will probably be chosen on the late second or third days of the draft, and who may very well be NFL starters far prior to anyone imagined based mostly on what the tape says. As a result of there are these gamers yearly, and it’s our agency perception that greater than one of many names beneath will make that exact lower.

They’re not future Corridor of Famers simply but, however listed here are our favourite defensive gamers within the 2025 draft who may make lots of NFL expertise evaluators look foolish prior to later.

Darius Alexander, DI, Toledo

Final season, the 6’4, 305-pound Alexander had 4 sacks, 37 whole pressures, 27 solo tackles, and 27 stops for the Toledo Rockets. And earlier than you slam the energy of competitors, take into account that Alexander completely lit up Pitt’s offense in Toledo’s 48-46 win within the GameAbove Sports activities Bowl final Dec. 26. The day after Christmas was actually Christmas Day for Alexander and his NFL potential, as he logged a sack, 4 whole pressures, three solo tackles, and 4 stops in opposition to an ACC opponent.

Alexander then went to the scouting mix and blew it up in a lot of the drills, doubling down on what the tape already confirmed. His high-percentile numbers make you return to the tape, and you will note a defensive deal with prospect with an unlucky propensity to return off the snap with excessive pad stage (which results in lower than optimum leverage), however when Alexander has all of it collectively in an technical sense, he’s extremely harmful and actually robust to cease play after play.

CJ West, DI, Indiana

West was one other scouting mix celebrity who probably had NFL groups going again to the tape after the very fact, and people NFL groups almost certainly liked what they noticed. Final season, the 6’1, 316-pound West had one sack, 25 whole pressures, 28 solo tackles, and 22 stops. Issue within the six tackles for loss West had final season, as a result of that’s a giant a part of his play fashion.

West’s arm size (31 ½ inches, which is sixth percentile for defensive tackles since 1999), will give some groups pause. However as is at all times the case, you could return to the tape to see if the prospect in query has developed the suitable methods to beat and mitigate any bodily shortfalls. West explodes out of his stance, and he’s all about hanging the primary blow, which tends to attenuate these short-arm points. He has additionally developed an array of strikes to blast by means of single blocks and double groups. Consider how Grady Jarrett has dominated for years in all places from head-over nostril deal with to three-tech exterior the guards, and that’s a good comparability.

Ahmed Hassanein, EDGE, Boise State

Going again to smaller-school gamers, what NFL groups actually need to see is dominance in opposition to equal competitors. Not that Boise State is a few Division III college – not with Ashton Jeanty on the roster since 2022 – however in projecting NFL futures for any Broncos of be aware, it’s important to see extra moments of grown-ass man reps whenever you’re not taking part in Ohio State, Michigan, or the SEC week after week.

Within the case of Ahmed Hassanein, the dominance is evident on tape, and given Hassanein’s lack of soccer expertise, you begin to think about what he may very well be with a pair years of NFL teaching. Hassanein was born in America, however moved to Cairo, Egypt to stay along with his father at age six. He didn’t begin taking part in soccer till 2018, when he moved again to the USA, and his brother (a soccer coach) bought him into it.

You can say that Hassanein is missing a pass-rush plan given his stage of expertise, however the identical may very well be mentioned of Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart, and Stewart has much more expertise, Stewart will even in all probability be taken within the first spherical.

What actually reveals up on Hassanein’s tape is that at 6’2 and 267 kilos, he’s bought a shocking go off the sting to beat tackles with velocity, and he may push guards proper into the backfield when he’s requested to kick inside. I’m desirous to see what Hassanein can grow to be over time.

Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan

Some folks may not know what to do with Josaiah Stewart, as a result of at 6’1 (second percentile for edge-rushers since 1999) and 249 kilos (thirteenth percentile), he’s not going to suit everyone’s preferrred dimension {qualifications}. However whenever you go to the tape, you see that this dude is an influence pig trapped in an off-ball linebacker’s physique.

Time and again, Stewart will work velocity into energy off the sting, and the outcomes for offensive tackles could be downright embarrassing. You don’t need to be thrown round by any person you outweigh by 80 kilos, however when Stewart will get as much as full velocity (which doesn’t take lengthy in any respect), the ability of a person weighing 30 kilos extra kicks in, and the kung-fu begins to occur.

Final season, the 2023 switch from Coastal Carolina had 9 sacks and 37 whole pressures in simply 247 pass-rushing reps. And that’s no one-year surprise; Stewart had six sacks and 29 whole pressures in 177 pass-rushing reps for the Wolverines in 2023. He additionally had 22 solo tackles and 28 stops in 2024, so Stewart can defend the run simply advantageous.

Shaun Dolac, LB, Buffalo

Discuss underrated guys – Dolac wasn’t even invited to the scouting mix after a 2024 season through which he totaled (deep breath) 5 sacks, 16 whole pressures, 125 solo tackles, 76 stops, 13 tackles for loss, and he allowed 43 catches on 58 targets for 317 yards, 220 yards after the catch, one landing, 5 interceptions, two move breakups, and an opponent passer score of 56.5.

Anytime you’ve a linebacker with the identical variety of sacks as interceptions in a season, that’s a fairly good indicator that he’s a really perfect candidate for the NFL, which calls for nearly all the things from the place lately. Dolac does certainly have the power to win in every kind of roles – in all places from the road of scrimmage to twist/flat protection – and that is one other case through which the dominance in opposition to smaller-school opponents is each evident and transferable to the following stage.

Jordan Oladokun, CB, Bowling Inexperienced

One other mix snub, Oladokun had his greatest season so far in 2024, The 2022 switch from Samford allowed 26 catches on 61 targets in 2024 for Bowling Inexperienced for 219 yards, 128 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 9 move breakups, and an opponent passer score of 18.4. That was the second-lowest opponent passer score within the 2025 FBS draft class amongst cornerbacks taking a minimum of 50% of his group’s snaps.

Who ranked first? We’ll get to that man in a second.

In Oladokun’s case, it’s not simply what he did in opposition to Arkansas State and Miami of Ohio. In opposition to each Texas A&M and Penn State, Oladokun gave up simple hitches and curls when he was taking part in 10 yards off the ball, however when he was requested to path big-school receivers downfield, these receivers didn’t do a lot. Oladokun additionally has an innate really feel for the timing and development of route ideas; it’s why so lots of his deflections and interceptions are route jumps through which Oladokun seems to know what’s coming as a lot because the offense making an attempt to ship it.

Hopefully, Oladokun’s NFL group will enable him to play nearer to the receiver extra usually, the place his acumen and athleticism can mix for some doubtlessly stellar outcomes.

Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State

Porter is one other man on this listing with an excellent mix, and when groups went again to the tape after that, they noticed a cornerback who in 2024 allowed 5 catches on 17 targets for 70 yards, 22 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, two move breakups, and an opponent passer score of… 4.7.

There’s your FBS chief within the 2025 draft class for cornerbacks in the case of that all-important metric.

Porter’s on-field motion abilities can be greater than acceptable for a 5’9, 180-pound slot man; to have a gentleman getting it accomplished with velocity and agility at this stage at simply over 6’3 and 195 kilos is fairly ridiculous.

I like Porter in all sorts of protection, however he’s particularly problematic for receivers when he’s allowed to press proper up with them on the line of scrimmage, utilizing his match velocity by means of any route, after which pulling in his 80-inch wingspan (ninety fifth percentile amongst cornerbacks since 1999) to deflect absolutely anything in his normal neighborhood. The NFL is in the midst of a press protection revolution, and press-match protection is particularly vital. Having a velocity pterodactyl like Porter in your secondary ought to be seen as a bonus always.

Jaden Voisin, Security, South Alabama

The times of the free and powerful safeties are over, each on the NCAA and NFL ranges. These designations are meaningless in an period the place positional versatility isn’t only a fad; it’s the default. If all you are able to do is play the deep third, you’d higher be Ed Reed or Earl Thomas, and most of the people aren’t. Most of at present’s safeties are requested, based mostly on their bodily attributes, to play totally different however significant rep charges in all places from field to fit to free.

On condition that actuality, one specific security prospect actually stood out on this draft class when it got here to that versatility, and the way it is perhaps neglected in his case. That’s South Alabama’s Jaden Voisin, who did most of his work within the field final season for the Jaguars, but additionally had significant snaps within the slot and at free security.

Total, Voisin allowed 21 catches on 34 targets for 234 yards, 86 yards after the catch, one landing, 5 interceptions, 4 move breakups, and an opponent passer score of 52.5. He additionally had 64 solo tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 31 stops. Whereas the 15 missed tackles indicate some cleanup work on the subsequent stage, Voisin does undertaking properly as a do-it-all man on the NFL stage.