If you hear a squeal of delight on Thursday morning, feel free to join the chorus — draft day is finally upon us. With flowers blooming and warmer weather, the league will gather in Green Bay in a few short days to welcome the newest batch of collegiate talent.
Like every prior season, the 2025 NFL Draft class is considered “heavy” at certain positions (notably running back, tight end and defensive tackle) and “light” in others (quarterback and linebacker). Unlike last year’s class, which was headlined by a plethora of outstanding signal-callers and wideouts, those areas are much sparser this year, with significantly fewer first-round grades being dished out by analysts and pundits.
NFL Draft Fantasy Football Sleepers
The casual fantasy fan will likely know at least three or four top-notch players who will have an immediate impact upon our drafts next season (i.e. Cam Ward, Ashton Jeanty, Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan are already skyrocketing up average draft position charts), yet anyone who has played the game for several seasons will tell you that it isn’t always the first players off the board that finish with the highest point totals.
Taking a quick retrospective glance at the 2024 class of rookies, Bo Nix finished as the QB7 on the season despite five other quarterbacks taken before him in the first round. Bucky Irving was taken in the fourth round and was the sixth running back in the draft, yet he finished as the RB14. Tyrone Tracy Jr. ended up as the RB26 and proved to be one of 2024’s best waiver wire pickups, but he wasn’t selected until pick No. 166. The list goes on.
Rookie point totals in fantasy ultimately come down to three factors:
- Opportunity
- Scheme fit
- Surrounding talent
Players who climb depth charts and separate themselves from aging veterans are hot commodities in fantasy. Players buried in committee situations that aren’t given time to shine will have difficulty breaking out, no matter their underlying skillset (looking at you, Trey Benson and Ben Sinnott).
Which under-the-radar athletes am I high on as sleeper selections for this year’s draft? If the following players fall into the correct situations, I think they have a chance of making an impact in fantasy this season.
Quarterback
As mentioned earlier, there is a significant drop-off in talent with the 2025 class at quarterback compared to prior seasons. Of the top 11 options at the position, I only have two first-round grades, and most alternatives would benefit best by having a redshirt season learning under a veteran option. The drum has begun to sound louder for Jaxson Dart over the past few weeks, but he is still flying under the radar compared to Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
Dart, a three-year starter and former all-state baseball player, exhibited toughness and confidence under center with the Rebels, performing well under pressure with enough athleticism to add yards scrambling when necessary. His leadership experience and strong arm caught my attention constantly, and his highlight reels exhibit some of the best throws at the position. Dart is prone to occasional lapses in concentration and errant throws, but I think he has a significantly higher ceiling than Sanders. Several teams in the middle of the first round have heavily scouted Dart, most notably New Orleans and Pittsburgh. Either team would be a strong fit, with enough talent around him and a lack of competition to warrant a late-round dart throw in drafts.
Running Back
Cam Skattebo (RB – Arizona State)
Regarding running backs, the ones who typically garner the most attention heading into the draft are those with electric moves in open space, elite speed or the ability to hurdle defenders. Cam Skattebo is the total opposite. A 5-foot-10, 219-pound piledriver with outstanding strength and balance, Skattebo is perfectly happy running through defenders rather than around them. His aggressiveness to fight for extra yardage and low pad level makes him extraordinarily difficult to bring down.
I doubt he catches as many passes as Ashton Jeanty or TreVeyon Henderson during their rookie season. Still, if Skattebo lands on a team that can move the ball through the air, who needs a short-yardage and goal-line specialist, he has David Montgomery-esque potential.
Trevor Etienne is the younger brother of Travis Etienne, the lead back on Jacksonville, for those who are unaware of his background. A one-year starter with the Bulldogs after transferring from the University of Florida, Etienne has a multi-purpose skillset and several above-average traits that make him an intriguing prospect for the fantasy game.
An excellent receiver who can make defenders miss at a whim, Etienne caught 62 out of 63 career targets out of the backfield and has shown a knack for reaching top speed quickly and while working upfield. As a bonus, he also has experience as a returner on special teams, where he can capitalize on his outstanding field vision and allow blocks to form.
Some slight character and maturity concerns have cropped up throughout college, but they mainly stemmed from his usage on the field and competitive nature, akin to DK Metcalf. His smaller frame will make it difficult for Etienne ever to be a workhorse option, but if a team like Pittsburgh or Baltimore draft him as a change-of-pace back, he could put up some serious points in PPR formats.
Wide Receiver
I’ve followed Jack Bech’s career path ever since he started with LSU, where he joined a packed receiver room next to Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. and Kayshon Boutte. After two years with the Tigers, Bech transferred to TCU in 2023 and missed a significant portion of his first season there due to injuries. Finally able to break out this past season, Bech earned All-Big 12 honors with a 62/1,034/9 final split and took home the Senior Bowl MVP award.
A 6-foot-1, 214-pound oversized slot receiver, Bech has a powerfully built frame that isn’t afraid to run crossing routes over the middle of the field. He is as dependable and consistent as they come when passes are thrown in his general direction. He doesn’t have elite speed or size, but his crisp route-running, coupled with his willingness to block and amazing character traits, make him a favorite of mine. I wouldn’t expect him ever to top a team’s depth chart, but as a complementary piece that works out of the slot for a team like Dallas, Denver or Houston, he would be a great fit.
Tory Horton (WR – Colorado State)
This is a name to keep in mind as a Day 3 selection, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed he lands on a team that allows him to shine right away. A four-year starter, Tory Horton spent two seasons at Nevada before transferring to Colorado State to follow head coach Jay Norvell. Horton didn’t receive the national exposure he deserved since he played for a lesser-known program, but he has all the traits I’m looking for in a wideout.
His 6-foot-2, 196-pound frame allows him to play on the outside at X, and Horton comes from a family of high-level athletes. He took home awards each of the last two seasons as an All-Mountain West receiver and punt returner, and isn’t afraid to make plays in traffic. A knee injury cut his 2024 season short (after a breakout 96/1,136/8 split the year prior), but as long as he is fully recovered, he has all of the physical gifts to ascend to the next level in the NFL. Watch his film against Texas and Oregon State before he was sidelined to catch a glimpse of his potential.
Tight End
Harold Fannin (TE – Bowling Green)
Tyler Warren, Terrance Ferguson and Colston Loveland will grab plenty of headlines on the first few days of the draft, but I’m keeping an eye on Harold Fannin Jr. to see where he ultimately lands. The MAC Offensive Player of the Year after finishing with an incredible 117/1,555/10 split in his junior season, Fannin set FBS records at the position in yards and receptions.
Despite the amount of attention he drew from defenses as the 1A, 1B and 1C weapon for Bowling Green, Fannin excelled and earned All-American honors. Make no mistakes about it, Fannin is a “move” tight end weapon in the passing game, and he will lose reps to better blocking options during designed run plays.
The lower level of competition that he played against will cause some to question his ceiling, but few players who have entered the league at tight end over the past several seasons have his ability to change direction on the fly with outstanding hands and hustle. His skillset isn’t as well-rounded as Warren’s, but he can rival anyone else in this class as a vertical threat.
