5 Defensive Sleepers Seahawks Could Target in 2025 NFL Draft
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California Golden Bears cornerback Nohl Williams prepares for the upcoming play during the L.A. Bowl against the UNLV Runnin Rebels. Credit: Nohl Williams/Instagram [/caption]
sleep·er : someone or something unpromising or unnoticed that suddenly attains prominence or value.
During the course of the festivities leading up to the annual NFL draft, no word may be thrown around more than “sleeper” by draft pundits and fans alike, but the actual dictionary definition leaves plenty of ambiguity in the football scouting world. For some, a sleeper could be a prospect who winds up being selected in the first round after not showing up in the thousands of mock drafts published leading up to the event. For others, it could represent an unheralded small school prospect coming out of nowhere to hear his name called late on day three.
Now in my 10th season as a Seahawks beat reporter and draft analyst, I have developed my own characterization of a sleeper over the years while diving deep into All-22 film, combing through advanced statistics and analytics, and monitoring combine/pro day testing numbers, hunting for “highly talented players who may have a shortcoming or two that leads teams to wrongly drop them down their draft board or off them completely, ignoring their clear NFL level strengths.”
As just a few previous examples that met this criteria, Texas defensive tackle Poona Ford somehow went undrafted in 2018 before signing with Seattle after being the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year because of his atypical 5-11, 310-pound build for the position, while Stanford cornerback Richard Sherman plummeted to the fifth round in 2011 before the Seahawks drafted him due to perceived athletic limitations such as issues changing direction and subpar recovery speed despite impressive ball production in his final two college seasons as receiver-turned-defensive back.
Looking at the 2025 NFL Draft class, with more than 450 scouting reports produced along the way, which players stand out as the biggest sleepers this year? Without further ado, here are my top five under-the-radar defensive prospects who deserve far more love than they have received as viable NFL talents:
Patrick Jenkins, DT, Tulane
Going west after a standout high school career in New Orleans, Jenkins began his college journey at TCU, spending two seasons with the Horned Frogs and producing 25 tackles and a sack as a rotational defensive lineman. Seeking more playing time and the chance to return closer to home, he transferred to join the Green Wave in 2022 and immediately became a staple of their defense, generating 36 pressures and three sacks. Over his final two years with the program, he continued to be a viable interior pass rusher, contributing 68 pressures, 10 sacks, and 19 tackles for loss, earning All-AAC First-Team honors each season and finishing in the top 15 in pressure rate among defensive tackles last season.
Built more like a defensive end than an interior lineman by NFL standards, Jenkins weighed in at just 287 pounds at his pro day workout, but he has a compact, powerful build that allows him to play bigger than his size would suggest. He has incredibly active hands, including a plus-swim move that he loves to bust out after his initial step to rocket past blockers, which allows him to rack up frequent flier miles getting into the backfield. With a leaner lower body and a tendency to play upright too often, he can get pushed around at the point of attack, creating questions about his viability as a three-down defender in the league. But as a 3-tech defensive tackle and a 5-tech end in even fronts, his athleticism and pass rushing acumen could make him a steal that has hovered under the radar in a deep defensive line class.
Ahmed Hassanein, EDGE, Boise State
Formerly a standout CrossFit athlete in Egypt, Hassanein had never played organized football prior to the Broncos taking a chance on him and signing him as a recruit in 2019, and his lack of experience showed in his first two seasons with teammates often having to tell him where to line up and not understanding the basics of the sport. But once he figured out what he was doing, Mountain West blockers had a tough time keeping him away from quarterbacks, as he broke out with 12.5 sacks in 2023 and followed up with 9.5 sacks as a senior, playing a starring role in Boise State’s run to the College Football Playoff. A two-time All-Mountain West selection, he wrapped up a fantastic college career by shining in the East/West Shrine Bowl.
In terms of splash plays, the 267-pound Hassanein won’t wow as a speed rusher who can quickly turn the corner and due to his lack of seasoning compared to most draft prospects, there’s a lot of work left to do technique-wise for him to succeed shedding blocks at the next level. He has a long way to go developing counter moves and using his hands to fight off blocks. But he possesses fun athletic traits from his prior CrossFit background, evidenced by his disruptive tendencies splitting gaps to rack up 33 tackles for loss in his final two college seasons and improving effectiveness converting speed to power off the edge to chase down quarterbacks. A high effort player who still is learning the game and already has been quite productive, there’s plenty of upside as a late round developmental flier for the Seahawks to mold behind Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe.
Jay Higgins, LB, Iowa
Waiting for his turn to play behind future NFL players Nick Neimann and Jack Campbell, Higgins didn’t see many defensive snaps in his first three seasons with the Hawkeyes, producing 46 combined tackles from 2020 to 2022. But following Campbell’s departure, he took over as the new captain in the middle and posted a remarkable first season as a starter, racking up a whopping 171 tackles, two sacks, and an interception. He followed up with arguably a better all-around senior season, eclipsing 120 tackles while picking off four passes and forcing two fumbles, earning First-Team All-American honors and landing a spot on the East/West Shrine Bowl roster.
From a measurables standpoint, Higgins doesn’t have an enticing profile as a middle linebacker prospect for the modern NFL, as he weighed in at just 224 pounds at the NFL combine and ran the 40-yard dash in a slow 4.82 seconds. But those numbers don’t show up between the lines, as he’s a thumper who flies downhill and delivers big blows to opposing running backs and his elite instincts diagnosing run plays helps mitigate speed concerns. In coverage, he has been dominant over the past two seasons, particularly in zone where he excels at reading a quarterback’s eyes and letting them lead him to the ball for picks and pass breakups. Scheme fit will be critical for him to succeed at the next level, as he will have a difficult time manning up on backs and tight ends in coverage and will need a stout line in front of him to keep blockers off him, but his playmaking skills and high football IQ keep the door open for him to push for playing time as a day three gem.
Nohl Williams, CB, California
Beginning his college career at UNLV, Williams recorded five interceptions in three seasons as a starter with the Running Rebels, garnering Honorable Mention All-Mountain West honors in 2022. Hitting the transfer portal and taking his talents to Cal after three years as a starter in Las Vegas, he shined as a ball hawking maestro in two seasons with the Golden Bears while stepping up to superior ACC competition in 2024, leading all cornerbacks at the FBS level with seven interceptions while also ranking in the top 10 in pass breakups (nine). With that production, he earned Second-Team All-American honors and received an invite to participate in the Senior Bowl in Mobile.
A physical corner with plus size at 6-1, 200 pounds, Williams loves to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and has enough athletic juice to be able to stay with speedy receivers downfield, using his receiver-caliber ball tracking to get his hands on breakups and picks in bunches. He has been occasionally vulnerable to yielding a big play in coverage, particularly when quicker receivers beat him on inside releases. While he has the right mindset playing downhill and blowing up blocks defending the run and screens, he struggled earlier in his career with missed tackles, though he did make marked improvements in that area of his game in with only three missed tackles last season. Even without any elite athletic traits, his ball skills and physical play style seem like the right fit for Macdonald’s defense as a boundary corner with starting upside.
Malik Verdon, S, Iowa State
It took a couple of seasons for Verdon to carve out a consistent role on defense for the Cyclones, as he primarily played special teams in 2021 and 2022 with a grand total of nine tackles during that time. But he finally broke into the lineup as a fixture at the strong safety spot as a redshirt sophomore, registering nearly 50 tackles with two interceptions and a tackle for loss. Spearheading Iowa State’s unexpected run to the Big 12 title game in 2024, he almost doubled his tackle total to 76 while adding an interception, forced fumble, and four tackles for loss to garner Second-Team All-Big 12 distinction, but he wasn’t invited to the Senior Bowl or East/West Shrine Bowl.
Possessing rare size for the position, the 6-4, 218-pound Verdon almost looks like a linebacker roaming in the secondary, making it easy to see why he has been at his best when lined up in the box where he can utilize his physicality to his advantage as a hard hitter against the run. He doesn’t have enough athletic juice to play as a single high safety and man coverage assignments can be tricky for him with a slow accelerator and average top speed, but he will surprise with his hand-eye coordination tracking the ball for interceptions and pass breakups, giving him more value in that department than anticipated. There’s a good chance that he will have to settle into a sub-package situational role to see the field in the league, but for teams like the Seahawks who value three-safety sets, he has the tools to be a valuable “money” linebacker who can make plays in zone coverage and add some bite as a blitzer.
Further Reading: Check out our annual Top 5 offensive sleepers here.
