2025 NFL draft sleepers: Why these 10 players could sneak into Round 1
We're down to just over a month until the 2025 NFL draft. For the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams, every franchise has one first-round pick as of March 20. Barring a surprise trade in the next month, this will be a historic draft from the drop.
This class has two top prospects that are the consensus best players in the group: Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, could be the first player in the modern era to play both offense and defense at a high level. Carter's the latest in a long line of elite athletic pass rushers from Penn State, following in the footsteps of Chop Robinson and Micah Parsons.
This class has about 15 players expected to go at the top of the first round, Hunter and Carter included. Miami's Cam Ward, the consensus best quarterback prospect in the class, is expected to go high as well.
Once you get past that first half of the first round, things could get interesting. This draft class has impressive depth beyond the top tier of prospects. The player selected at No. 25 overall may not be much more talented than the player drafted at No. 60 overall.
That leaves room for some surprises in the first round. We've seen some reaches before; in 2022, few expected offensive lineman Cole Strange to go in the first round but New England selected him at No. 29 overall.
Here are our 10 choices for Round 1 sleepers. All of them are ranked outside of the top 32 players on average by consensus big boards and mock drafts, according to NFL Mock Draft Database.
2025 NFL draft: Round 1 sleepers
Average draft position taken from NFL Mock Draft Database information.
Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State
When it comes to sleepers, prospects could see an unexpected jump to the first round behind traits. This cornerback class has Hunter at the consensus top prospect followed by Michigan's Will Johnson. After that, you could make a case for multiple players to be CB3.
Thomas is a long, tall cornerback who is an imposing force in press coverage. That length and the athleticism he showed at the NFL combine could see teams take an interest in him as a potential first-round pick. He did lack ball production in college but that's not always a dealbreaker. Former first-round pick Jaycee Horn had an equal number of interceptions in college (two) as Thomas did.
Average draft position: 42
Landon Jackson, Edge, Arkansas
It's a deep edge rusher class in the 2025 NFL draft. A handful of prospects are expected to go in the first round: Carter, Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M), Mykel Williams (Georgia), Mike Green (Marshall) and Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College).
Like cornerback, teams may have the next tier of edge rushers ranked differently. Jackson's a linear pass rusher but had an outstanding performance at the NFL combine as one of the most explosive athletes at the position. At 6-foot-6 and 264 pounds with long arms, teams could take a chance on his athleticism.
Average draft position: 45
Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
NFL teams put a premium on traits. Hairston clocked the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and that shows up on tape, where he's one of the faster cornerbacks in the class. He's a ballhawk, too, with six interceptions and 10 passes defensed in his last 20 college games. His five interceptions and two pick-sixes in 2023 led the country in both categories. He's on the smaller side (5-foot-11, 183 pounds) with shorter arms but has the speed and production for a team to take a flier on him.
Average draft position: 39
Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State
Porter's one of the tallest cornerback prospects in the class at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. His long arms and impressive athleticism (4.30-second 40-yard dash, 6.71-second 3-cone) should make him an instant impact starter. He needs some work to improve his man coverage technique but has the tools to do so.
Teams may shy away from him due to his age; he'll turn 25 in the final weeks of the regular season. But his mix of elite speed, length and height could be enough to entice teams to take a chance in the first round.
Average draft position: 58
Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky
Walker is a physical marvel at 6-foot-7 and 331 pounds. Prospects his size rarely have his movement abilities. In a deep interior defensive line class, being an outlier should work in his favor. He needs to improve his technique to maximize his athletic talents as a pass rusher but the floor as a presence in run defense is there. Teams just don't see players built like him in the draft very often.
Average draft position: 81
Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State
Zabel played tackle at North Dakota State but translates best on the interior at the NFL level. He's built a bit lean to stay at tackle (standing 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds) but his athleticism would make him an asset at guard or center. His mauling persona in the run game and quick hands would fit in many NFL offenses. Teams looking for a sure thing on the interior could prioritize getting Zabel before he slips into the second round.
Average draft position: 33
Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
This year's wide receiver class lacks the high-end talent seen in 2024. There are a handful of receivers expected to go in the first round, though, including Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, Texas' Matthew Golden, Missouri's Luther Burden III and Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka. McMillan is the only one in that group who projects best at outside wide receiver; Golden's a versatile piece who could be either outside or in the slot.
Higgins is the next-best true outside wide receiver prospect on the board. With McMillan expected to go in the top 20 picks, teams prioritizing an outside wide receiver in a weak class could take a chance on Higgins. The Iowa State product had an excellent combine (4.47-second 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical jump and 10 feet, 8 inches in the broad jump) and stands 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds with long arms.
Average draft position: 64
Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
The consensus top two tight ends in a very good class are Penn State's Tyler Warren and Michigan's Colston Loveland. Warren will likely be the first one off the board and Loveland should be selected soon after as a mismatch in passing concepts.
The label of TE3 is open to debate but Taylor may be the safest choice. He compares well to Green Bay's Tucker Kraft as a reliable pass catcher with the size (6-foot-5, 251 pounds), athleticism and instincts to exploit zone coverage. The son of Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor could be a late first-round pick if a team wanted to bolster its tight end room.
Average draft position: 53
Aireontae Ersery, OL, Minnesota
This year's offensive tackle class is a step back from last year with only a couple true tackles locked in to first round consideration: LSU's Will Campbell and Missouri's Armand Membou. Even those two have question marks about their future at the position due to arm length and height, respectively.
Ersery is a powerful blocker at 6-foot-6 and 331 pounds. He played well in zone schemes at Minnesota but may need time to get up to speed in other schemes. He has the frame to play tackle yet his average athleticism could be a dealbreaker. In a shallow tackle class, that may be less of a concern for needy teams.
Average draft position: 40
Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Dart's shot up draft boards since the Senior Bowl. The Ole Miss product thrived in Lane Kiffin's system in Oxford with a good arm, toughness and solid mobility.
In a weak quarterback class, that could be enough for a team to take him in the first 32 picks and ensure they get an extra year of his services locked in via the fifth-year option. He'll need time to adapt to NFL systems that are less quarterback-friendly like the ones he ran most recently in college but could pan out long-term.
Average draft position: 34
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 2025 NFL draft sleepers: 10 players who could go in Round 1
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