2025 NFL Draft Prospect Sleepers To Watch: Shavon Revel, Chris Brazzell II Have First-Round Potential

Entering the 2024 college football season, who are some of the top sleepers in the 2025 NFL Draft?

Several unheralded prospects could eventually contend for first-round capital, while many more deserve attention as risers in waiting.

2025 NFL Draft Prospect Sleepers To Watch

Shavon Revel, CB, East Carolina

At this rate, Shavon Revel won’t be a sleeper much longer.

The East Carolina product began the cycle under the radar, but now, he’s firmly in the mix as a potential first-round prospect. He carries a top-15 grade on my board and is my CB4 behind only Will Johnson, Benjamin Morrison, and Travis Hunter.

Bottom line: If you haven’t gotten on the Revel train yet, it’s time to remedy that.

Of the three aforementioned names, there’s an argument to make that Revel’s athletic makeup is at the very top of the list. At 6’2″, 188 pounds, he has bristling speed and explosiveness to go along with terse short-area quickness and smooth hinge fluidity.

In fact, even beyond his athletic profile, there aren’t many holes to poke in Revel’s game. He’s a stifling man coverage defender and an intelligent zone surveyor with next-level ball skills, and he attacks voraciously in support.

All the tools of a blue-chip NFL CB are there.

Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee

Chris Brazzell II arrived on the scene with a 44-catch, 711-yard, five-touchdown season at Tulane in 2023. Transferring to Tennessee, he’ll join a WR room that already has Squirrel White and Bru McCoy. Nevertheless, I think Brazzell can establish himself as the WR1 early.

At 6’5″, 200 pounds, Brazzell has truly uncommon fluidity and separation freedom for his size. His route-running framework is one of his best traits, and even when he can’t win at stems or stack completely, Brazzell is able to box out defenders and play with absolute authority.

Brazzell hasn’t made himself known at the SEC level yet, but already, he carries a fringe first-round grade on my board. And he’s my WR5 behind only Hunter, Luther Burden III, Tetairoa McMillan, and Emeka Egbuka.

Fernando Carmona Jr., OT, Arkansas

Like Brazzell, Fernando Carmona Jr. is another lower-conference prospect who transferred to the SEC ahead of the 2024 season. He’ll suit up for Arkansas, and he’ll get to go up against edge rushers like Nic Scourton, James Pearce Jr., and Princely Umanmielen.

MORE: Get Drafting With Pro Football Network’s Mock Draft Simulator

How Carmona’s stock develops hinges on his performance against some of those top prospects. But already, there’s plenty to like on tape from the San Jose State transfer. At 6’5″, 324 pounds, he’s explosive, energized, powerful, and extremely physical at contact.

Carmona still needs to become more consistent with his leverage and pad-level maintenance, but his athletic profile is enthralling, and his torque output on extensions makes him a ready-made people-mover.

Donovan Smith, QB, Houston

Everyone has their pick for sleepers in the 2025 NFL Draft quarterback class. It’s the nature of a wide-open group.

On my board, Georgia’s Carson Beck is currently the only QB prospect definitively worth Round 1 capital. Donovan Smith is my pick to join that tier.

In 2023, Smith served as the full-time starter for Houston and completed 256 of 397 attempts for 2,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Turnovers remain an issue for the Cougars passer, but talent is not. And on tape, flashes of brilliance are present.

Smith is a tremendous athlete at 6’5″, 235 pounds, and a smooth off-platform passer with a live, elastic arm. He shows promising glimpses of anticipation and situational precision, and with more consistency, he can rise up the ranks.

Jeremiah Cooper, S, Iowa State

Until he gets the mainstream respect he deserves, Jeremiah Cooper is a prospect I’ll continue to name.

Though his role is a bit confined as a lighter safety at 6’0″, 185 pounds, Cooper has one of the highest ceilings in the class as a true free safety.

A former wide receiver, Cooper’s ball skills are certifiably elite — but so too is his recognition and tracking ability in the intermediate and deep ranges. Ultimately, his rare blend of short-area malleability, closing burst, and long speed sets the foundation.

An instinctive playmaker with all-encompassing coverage variability and fast processing ability, Cooper is unique, and his combined single-high and two-high ability will make him coveted.

Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

It’s tough to pin down sleepers in any WR class, but especially the 2025 NFL Draft WR class.

Past the top group, potential energy abounds. There are well over a dozen wideouts who could contend for early-round capital. Nevertheless, Jalen Royals is my choice.

Royals went for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns on 71 catches in 2023, finding the end zone on more than 20% of his receptions. The production mirrors what’s on tape: Royals makes himself available, and he converts time and time again when his number is called.

The bedrock of Royals’ separation ability is his effervescent short-area twitch and foot speed, but the fact that he knows how to use that twitch is just as important. And at 6’0″, 195 pounds, he’s impressively tough and composed at the catch point.

Jamaree Caldwell, DT, Oregon

There are a number of defensive tackle prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft who supersede their archetypal norms with their athletic ability, disruptive footprint, and alignment versatility. Deone Walker is one. Tyleik Williams is another. So, too, is Jamaree Caldwell.

Caldwell played for Houston in 2023. And through the team’s regular season slate, he amassed 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. Despite standing at 6’1″, 325 pounds, Caldwell was a consistent force on the attack and a scary presence for opposing linemen.

With his fleet-footed acceleration and relentless motor, Caldwell can rush downhill from as far out as 5-tech. And yet, he has the mass, natural leverage, and strong lower body to hold the point farther inside.

Playing for Dan Lanning, Caldwell could be due for a stock boost.

Fadil Diggs, EDGE, Syracuse

Often, the process of scouting edge rush prospects is a checklist.

Do they have explosiveness and speed? Do they have bend? What about power?

Texas A&M transfer Fadil Diggs — now with the Syracuse Orange — is one of few who has all three.

There’s still work for Diggs to do as a prospect. He often wins primarily off talent alone and could stand to flesh out his pass-rush arsenal in 2024. But the 6’5″, 260-pound defender — who racked up four sacks and 11 TFLs in 2023 — has all of the high-end traits.

At his size with his length, Diggs is an unnaturally easy mover. He explodes out of his stance and effortlessly bends around the arc in spite of his size.

Another year of growth could unlock his full potential and help Diggs rise in the early rounds.

Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green

Last cycle, the MAC was represented very well. Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell broke into Round 1, heading to Philadelphia with the 22nd overall pick. Though it’s unlikely the Round 1 streak continues, Harold Fannin Jr. could be a Day 2 sleeper with his profile.

Though Fannin is underweight at 6’4″, 230 pounds, he’s one of the most natural receiving threats in the class on account of his short-area quickness, foot speed, easy acceleration, route leverage IQ, and body control. He racked up 623 yards and six scores in 2023.

Fannin can be weaponized as a big slot or a move TE, and he’s a competent blocker on top of it all. With another year of production, he could prove himself a tier above.

Luke Kandra, G, Cincinnati

Past some of the top offensive guard prospects like Tyler Booker and Donovan Jackson, the 2025 NFL Draft guard class is relatively unsettled. There’s room for sleepers to enter the fold as the season goes on. One of my early votes to accomplish this is Luke Kandra.

Though Kandra needs to work on his timing and consistency, he’s built the right way. At 6’4″, 323 pounds, he’s dense, well-leveraged, and carries pop in his hands. He also brings great explosiveness, corrective athleticism, and tenacious zeal in both phases.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Kandra eventually becomes a top-5 guard in the class across the consensus.

Nofoafia Tulafono, C, Wyoming

In a similar vein to the guard class, the 2025 NFL Draft center class very uncertain. Even the top center prospect on PFN’s board — Parker Brailsford — has his question marks.

The road is open for sleepers to overtake their competitors. Nofoafia Tulafono is in the race.

FREE: Subscribe to PFN’s NFL Newsletter

Tulafono caught my eye early in the summer scouting process. The 6’2″, 320-pound blocker has all of the desirable foundational qualities at the fulcrum. He’s extremely dense, has a low center of gravity, boasts stifling core and anchor strength, and is explosive in space.

What’s more, Tulafono has a true road-grader mentality as a finisher, and he’s not afraid to impose his will. Teams that value physicality and mass in the middle will like his tape — a lot.

Aamir Hall, CB, Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines have a relatively deep rotation at cornerback, so this pick might not see the field full-time right away. But once he finds his way into consistent reps, don’t be surprised if Albany transfer Aamir Hall takes the opportunity and runs with it.

Hall — an explosive and strongly-built cornerback at 6’1″, 201 pounds — dominated for the Great Danes in 2023, racking up five interceptions and 20 pass deflections across 15 games.

Hall is a certified playmaker whose combined explosive athleticism and voracious reaction speed results in a bristling response time. And playing across from Will Johnson, he could put up numbers again.