Five Sleepers To Watch In The 2025 NFL Draft

We are entering the home stretch of the fantasy season. Are you a contender, pretender, or a bottom-of-the-barrel team? If it looks like you are not going to make that playoff push, it is time to work for the future. Most leagues have a trade deadline, so decisions must be made very soon.

Trading aging veterans can be a good way to reload for your future teams. Many people look at first round players in drafts in the coming years. The big thing is to be able to stockpile second and third round picks. There are always sleepers in the draft that become fantasy gems. I am going to give you five sleepers that you need to keep your eye on for in the 2025 NFL Draft. I will also give some players to potentially trade for some 2nd round picks.

DJ Giddens, RB Kansas State

Giddens is a player that I was very high on coming into the season. In 2023, he had over 1,200 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a threat out of the backfield with 20 catches for 323 yards as well. Giddens’ numbers are a little down this season, but he will still finish with over 1,000 yards and should be over 20 receptions. His yards per carry this year is the highest of his career going over six yards per carry.

In five out of nine games he has gone over 100 yards rushing and in eight out of nine games, he has 15 or more carries. He shows that he can not only take a decent carry load but is a dual threat back. I think he could be utilized like Jahmyr Gibbs has been by the Detroit Lions. More teams are utilizing dual-threat backfields. Currently, Giddens is RB 21 on our rankings and RB 17 of draft eligible players in 2025. He could be a day three back that has an impact much like Bucky Irving of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jaydn Ott, RB California

This running back class should be very deep but another sleeper back I like is Jaydn Ott. He had over 800 yards his freshman year and then over 1,300 yards in 2023. This year he has struggled with injuries and California has not been able to run the ball well. He only has 169 yards on 71 carries in 2024. Ott has been very involved in the passing game, even in 2024. He had 46 receptions as a freshman, 26 as a sophomore, and 19 so far this year.

Although it has been a down year for Ott he did have 75 yards receiving and a touchdown against Miami in a near upset. He has speed to burn and is a very fluid runner. He shows patience and can show good power for a speed back. He could go back to California, but I think he has shown enough to sneak into the NFL Draft for day two. Currently, Ott is RB 12 on our rankings and RB 11 of draft-eligible players in 2025.

Tory Horton, WR Colorado State

Horton is an older player who has been in college for five years. I have been watching him since he started off at Nevada. In his first two years with the Wolfpack he showed promise but combined for only 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. In his next two years at Colorado State, he would go over 1,100 each year and had eight touchdowns both years.

I was a little bit surprised he went back to school in 2024 but thought he could work his way into a possible first round pick. Injuries cut his season short and even before that he was not having the production I was used to seeing. In five games, he only went over 100 yards once and only had one touchdown. He can attack all levels of the field. Horton can play the ball well deep and also work well after the catch on short passes. He lined up both outside and inside so his versatility will help him in his draft stock. Horton is ranked WR 21 in our Devy Rankings and is WR 13 of 2025 draft-eligible players. His lost 2024 season may make him drop to the second or third round but that only helps you get him in rookie drafts at a discount.

Ricky White, WR UNLV

White was another player that transferred and started to blow up. He played at Michigan State in the COVID-shortened season and only caught 10 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. His first season at UNLV saw an immediate increase in targets. He caught 51 passes for 622 yards and a touchdown. In 2023 he broke out with over 1,400 yards and eight touchdowns.

In 2024, big things were expected for White. He does not have the production of 2023 but has matched his career high in catch percentage and touchdowns. White is another player with versatility in playing the slot and out wide. He averages over six yards after the catch for his career and can attack the field at all levels. White’s speed allows him to create big gains and outrun coverage when running short crosses in the middle of the field. He is WR 14 of draft-eligible players in our rankings.

Barion Brown, WR Kentucky

Brown came out as a very highly rated recruit in the 2022 class. He was a top 70 player on 247 Sports and rated as the number nine receiver. Brown as a Freshman was one of Will Levis’ favorite targets. He finished with 51 receptions and 625 yards with four touchdowns. In 2023, the quarterback play was up and down so Brown only hauled in 43 of his 87 targets. He did make up for that on returns where he averaged 36 yards and had three touchdowns.

This year there was hope for a bounce-back season for Brown and the Kentucky offense, but the passing game has been even worse. He only has 26 receptions for 307 yards so far this season. Brown is electric with the ball in his hands and has dealt with inconsistent quarterback play in college. He has been playing on the outside over 70% of his snaps in college. I think at the next level he could be a much better player if he could be used in the slot more. Based on production he is a day three player but putting on the tape he could go higher based on his speed and explosiveness.

Trade Options to get extra 2025 2nd Round Picks

I have used our trade analyzer on DLF using SF and a 12-team format. The first option is a 2025 early second round pick. I would trade Tony Pollard, Sam Darnold, Brian Robinson, and Matthew Stafford. Pollard and Robinson, I am not sure their staying power and would look to upgrade to younger players. Darnold a couple of weeks ago would be a no but he has struggled the last couple of games. Stafford still can sling it but his touchdowns are decreasing and is nearing the late stage of his career.

The 2025 mid draft pick does not give as many great options. I would consider Rachaad White because of the emergence of Bucky Irving and that being a split backfield. Amari Cooper and David Montgomery would be tough decisions because of their age and situations on their teams.

 

Obviously, for the late 2025 pick some of the sleeper options might not be there. Barion Brown may slip and lack of name recognition could cause Tory Horton to fall. I would make the move by trading Dionte Johnson and Jameson Williams. On the Ravens, I am not sure the value will be there consistently for Johnson. Williams has been playing better this year but you are always just hoping for a big play to be able to start him.