8 defensive gamers who might be secret superstars within the 2025 NFL Draft

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Consider the most effective third-round and decrease picks over the previous couple of a long time, 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 enjoying potential far outstrips their draft locations for no matter causes. Maybe the prospect in query performed at a smaller college, and power of competitors is a query. Perhaps they’re pushed down in a category filled with an excessive amount of expertise for everyone to get their simply due. Or it might 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 might be NFL starters far prior to anyone imagined primarily based 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 under will make that exact reduce.

They’re not future Corridor of Famers simply but, however listed below are our favourite defensive gamers within the 2025 draft who may make a number 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 power 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 towards an ACC opponent.

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

CJ West, DI, Indiana

West was another scouting combine superstar who probably had NFL groups going again to the tape after the actual fact, and people NFL groups almost definitely 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 an enormous 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 all the time the case, you could return to the tape to see if the prospect in query has developed the appropriate methods to beat and mitigate any bodily shortfalls. West explodes out of his stance, and he’s all about placing the primary blow, which tends to attenuate these short-arm points. He has additionally developed an array of strikes to blast via single blocks and double groups. Consider how Grady Jarrett has dominated for years in all places from head-over nostril sort out to three-tech outdoors the guards, and that’s a good comparability.

Ahmed Hassanein, EDGE, Boise State

Going again to smaller-school gamers, what NFL groups actually wish to see is dominance towards 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 notice, it’s important to see extra moments of grown-ass man reps if you’re not enjoying 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 might be with a pair years of NFL teaching. Hassanein was born in America, however moved to Cairo, Egypt to dwell along with his father at age six. He didn’t begin enjoying soccer till 2018, when he moved again to america, and his brother (a soccer coach) obtained him into it.

You would say that Hassanein is missing a pass-rush plan given his degree of expertise, however the identical might be stated of Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart, and Stewart has much more expertise, Stewart may also most likely be taken within the first spherical.

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

Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan

Some individuals won’t 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 perfect measurement {qualifications}. However if 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 pace into energy off the sting, and the outcomes for offensive tackles will be downright embarrassing. You don’t wish to be thrown round by someone you outweigh by 80 kilos, however when Stewart will get as much as full pace (which doesn’t take lengthy in any respect), the facility 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 high-quality.

Shaun Dolac, LB, Buffalo

Speak about underrated guys – Dolac wasn’t even invited to the scouting mix after a 2024 season by 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 cross breakups, and an opponent passer score of 56.5.

Anytime you might have a linebacker with the identical variety of sacks as interceptions in a season, that’s a reasonably good indicator that he’s an excellent candidate for the NFL, which calls for nearly every thing from the place today. Dolac does certainly have the flexibility to win in every kind of roles – in all places from the road of scrimmage to curve/flat protection – and that is one other case by which the dominance towards smaller-school opponents is each evident and transferable to the following degree.

Jordan Oladokun, CB, Bowling Inexperienced

One other mix snub, Oladokun had his finest season up to now 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 cross 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 staff’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 towards Arkansas State and Miami of Ohio. Towards each Texas A&M and Penn State, Oladokun gave up simple hitches and curls when he was enjoying 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 a lot of his deflections and interceptions are route jumps by which Oladokun seems to know what’s coming as a lot because the offense attempting to ship it.

Hopefully, Oladokun’s NFL staff will permit him to play nearer to the receiver extra typically, 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 outstanding combine, 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 cross breakups, and an opponent passer score of… 4.7.

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

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

I like Porter in all kinds 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 pace via any route, after which pulling in his 80-inch wingspan (ninety fifth percentile amongst cornerbacks since 1999) to deflect absolutely anything in his basic neighborhood. The NFL is in the midst of a press protection revolution, and press-match protection is very essential. Having a pace pterodactyl like Porter in your secondary needs to be seen as a bonus always.

Jaden Voisin, Security, South Alabama

The times of the free and robust 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 immediately’s safeties are requested, primarily based on their bodily attributes, to play completely different however significant rep charges in all places from field to fit to free.

Provided 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 likely to be missed 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 cross 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 suggest some cleanup work on the subsequent degree, Voisin does challenge effectively as a do-it-all man on the NFL degree.


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