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Justin Carter looks at six late-round fantasy football sleepers in the 2025 NFL Draft. These are players who are likely Day 3 picks with fantasy football upside.
Day 1 of the NFL Draft gets all the headlines. Day 2 players are usually expected to step in as starters. But Day 3? That's for building depth and finding gems.
Prospects drafted on the third day of the draft are usually flawed in some way, but it doesn't mean they can't find a way to be high-end NFL players. For example, last year saw a few really good players go late, like running back Bucky Irving in the fourth round and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round.
Below are six potential fantasy football sleepers who are currently expected to be picked in Round 4 or later in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Damien Martinez - RB - Miami
It seems like the secret might be getting out on Damien Martinez. Search his name over on X, and you're almost certainly going to be met with an endless number of draft analysts talking about him as a sleeper pick.
There's a good reason for that, though: Damien Martinez is really good.
Damien Martinez is pure POWER 🤯
He averages 4.46 yards after contact per carry, 2nd in the class behind only Ashton Jeanty.
He’s also surprisingly quick at times; look at the evasiveness in some of these clips.
He might just be my RB6 👀 pic.twitter.com/GTKLMusKOP
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 22, 2025
That's an oversimplification, but Martinez has a lot of high-quality traits. He's got the size to barrel through defenders, and he combines that with surprising speed, running a 4.51 40-yard dash. He doesn't have elite speed in a vacuum, but a running back with his size and profile isn't usually as fast as Martinez.
If you're looking for a running back who can pound the ball up the middle of the field and break tackles, Martinez is your guy. He can be a liability if he has to move east-west, but he can be a great short-yardage back at the next level.
Jaydon Blue - RB - Texas
Looking for the next great pass-catching back? It might be Texas running back Jaydon Blue.
Blue is unlikely to have the build needed to hold up to the regular pounding that NFL running backs take, so don't expect him to be a three-down runner in the pro game. However, he's got breakaway speed and can make impressive things happen in space.
His future value is going to depend a lot on his landing spot. For example, it'd be great to see him land with OC Josh McDaniels in New England, where he could be shaped into this generation's James White.
It would be far less interesting if he ends up with an offense that isn't willing to be creative with him. If a team can scheme up ways to get Blue the ball in the passing game, he'll have some impressive moments in the NFL.
Ollie Gordon II - RB - Oklahoma State
There was a time when Ollie Gordon II looked like a future star. That time? Like, I don't know, August? All offseason last year, Gordon seemed set to have an elite 2024 season, but then college football arrived, and his production cratered.
Gordon rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2023, but that dropped to 880 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. With defenses keying in on him, Gordon was unable to shake loose as often.
It seems like people are TOTALLY forgetting that Ollie Gordon had over 2,000 total yards and 22 TDs as a sophomore 🤯
Do you think Gordon can find high end success again in the NFL? pic.twitter.com/ZvcVDjRcSa
— FastDraft Fantasy (@fastdraftapp) March 30, 2025
The Oklahoma State product wins when he can get some steam behind him and explodes in the north-south run game, especially if the offensive line opens a solid hole for him.
But as we saw in 2024, when defenses stacked the box to stop him, his production dipped. Can Gordon figure out how to run against NFL-caliber front sevens? It's a big question, but it's hard to discount the potential upside here. He's a powerful runner who can force missed tackles and move the chains.
Tory Horton - WR - Colorado State
If Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton had stayed healthy in 2024, he'd be a Day 2 pick. This is a guy who led the Mountain West in receiving yards in 2022 and then in receptions in 2023. However, a knee injury ended his 2024 season after just six games.
When healthy, Horton has the speed to be a major threat in the vertical passing game. He's capable of busting off a big play at any moment.
One problem is that he lacks some of the strength you want to see from an NFL receiver. He's going to have to show he can beat physical corners, especially if they press him at the line. Right now, that's a major question.
But if Horton can develop adequate playing strength and can get to his spots, he can be a useful outside receiver, someone who would be great as the third option in a passing game. He'll probably be a boom-or-bust guy most of the time, kind of like a Rashid Shaheed-type player, but the booms can make him a valuable fantasy asset.
Ricky White III - WR - UNLV
This draft gets maligned sometimes for not having the deepest wide receiver class, but there are some Group of 5 players with plenty of upside in it. There's Tory Horton, who I mentioned above, and then there's UNLV's Ricky White III, who has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Rebels.
White saw his stock drop at the combine after running a 4.61 40-yard dash there. For a player whose game is based on speed, a time that slow was extremely concerning, but we shouldn't read into that too much.
One reason is that he bounced back at UNLV's pro day, running a 4.44 there. The other reason is simply that one timed run doesn't suddenly negate all the tape we've seen from a guy.
Watch White play football, and you'll see a guy with the potential to be an elite vertical threat at the next level. He can play inside or outside and will be effective if he can find open space on the field.
Ricky White is such a smooth route runner. Technical with his release allows him to win outside consistently. pic.twitter.com/HixPCLdJ36
— Marcus Johnson (@TheMarcJohnNFL) March 27, 2025
Like with Horton, there are concerns about White going up against more physical corners, and he needs to clean up the more technical aspects of his game, but he can destroy teams that run zone coverage.
Luke Lachey - TE - Iowa
Is Luke Lachey on this list solely because Iowa tight ends have a history of being productive in the NFL? Well ... I wouldn't say "solely," but coming from the top collegiate tight-end factory doesn't hurt.
Lachey wasn't particularly productive with the Hawkeyes. His best season was in 2022, when he caught 28 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns. He had a shot to improve on that in 2023, but an ankle injury ended his season early. In three games, he caught 10 passes for 131 yards.
In 2024, Lachey was unable to bounce back effectively, catching 28 passes for 231 yards. Still, he finished second on the team in receptions and receiving yards -- it was just that Iowa's passing attack had no real room for any player to stand out. The team finished 2024 with the fifth-fewest passing yards per game.
Lachey appears to have good hands and showcased his blocking chops at Iowa. It's going to take a year or two for him to develop as a pass-catcher, but he can be a solid NFL tight end. Probably never a top-10 or even top-15 guy, but there's still potential value if he can land in the right spot.
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