Top 5 Fantasy Football IDP Rookies: 2025 NFL Draft Prospects Outlooks

March 13, 2025

Justin's top 5 IDP rookie fantasy football sleepers for 2025 (individual defensive players). His top 2025 NFL draft IDP prospects for fantasy football leagues.

Fantasy football discussions tend to focus on offense. That makes sense because the vast majority of fantasy leagues are offense-only leagues. However, let's not forget about the defense. Individual Defensive Players (IDP) leagues can be a lot of fun. In fact, our RotoBaller dynasty league is an IDP league. Having to think about defensive stats adds another dimension to fantasy.

With the NFL Draft fast approaching, let's talk about some of the top defensive prospects in the class. This list tends toward players with sack upside, which means it's an edge-heavy group.

Below are the top five IDP prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, as well as some discussion on a player who may or may not belong on the list.

Let's Talk About Travis Hunter

I'm going to separate Travis Hunter from the top five here for a few reasons. One is that we don't know yet if he'll even be an IDP prospect.

Hunter played both sides of the ball at Colorado and was good enough to be considered a top prospect at cornerback and wide receiver. It's a near certainty that he'll spend some time on offense and defense in the NFL, but what will be his primary position?

So far, teams seem split. Hunter is listed as a defensive back as far as the NFL Combine goes, but that doesn't mean he's locked into the position. In fact, Browns GM Andrew Berry suggested that if Hunter winds up in Cleveland, the team would view him as a wide receiver.

I haven't spoken to an analyst yet at the Combine that DOESN'T have Travis Hunter as WR1 in this draft

— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) February 26, 2025

That's one reason he's not ranked here. The other is that I imagine the fact that he's expected to still get offensive snaps even if he primarily plays defense is going to lead to fantasy platforms giving Hunter wide receiver eligibility. In that case, he wouldn't really be a true IDP prospect, right?

Hunter's a very exciting prospect though. We haven't seen a player with his unique skillset in a long time. If I were to rank him in this top-five list, he'd go into the third spot.

Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

When it comes to IDP value, edge players have an advantage because they're rushing the quarterback so much, giving them better chances to record sacks. Scoring values differ across the IDP landscape, but universally sacks are worth more than normal tackles.

But if you're looking for a player who is more of a traditional linebacker who can rack up fantasy points in the NFL, you should check out Alabama's Jihaad Campbell.

LB Jihaad Campbell was asked about his versatility:

“I’m Mr. Do It All. I’m a Swiss Army knife”

He wants to play in a defense that allows him to do a lot of things. Mentioned a role he loves is being the deep dropper in Tampa 2 bc offenses don’t think he can run that fast pic.twitter.com/T2C3G6V8XZ

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 26, 2025

Campbell can rush the passer when needed as shown by his five sacks this season, but he's going to make his living on his ability to defend the middle of the field. Campbell needs to improve a bit against the run, but he excels in pass defense and will have a lot of opportunities to make tackles at the second level.

Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

Mykel Williams is the first of two Georgia players on this list because the Bulldogs are always really good at producing good defensive prospects.

Williams isn't necessarily going to produce huge sack numbers, partly because he's such a well-rounded player that whatever team he winds up playing for will have numerous uses for him. He can stand up and rush the passer, but he can also play on the line because of how good he is at defending the run.

The other reason he won't produce big sack numbers is that he isn't necessarily great at getting to the quarterback at this point. He's got the tools to get to that level but has to put everything together a little more consistently. Still, he's a high-motor player who will get some coverage sacks and add in a lot of tackles at the line of scrimmage.

James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

After leading the SEC in sacks in 2023 with 10, James Pearce Jr. saw a slight drop off in 2024, down to 7.5 sacks. Still, 7.5 sacks is really good, and Pearce has the makings of a very good NFL player.

James Pearce Jr was 1 of 15 players to reach 23 MPH on a single play last season

Reminder: He’s a 6’5” | 242 LB Defensive End😳

pic.twitter.com/HmYeL6SINV

— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 30, 2024

Pearce is a gifted athlete who can get after the passer with ease thanks to his ability to beat offensive linemen off the ball. The problem right now is that his game is fairly one-dimensional. Can Pearce slow things down against the run and find ways to beat more athletic offensive linemen?

We'll see, but Pearce certainly has a chance to be a destructive force in the NFL. He's worth betting on in IDP leagues.

Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia

And here's the second Georgia player: edge rusher Jalon Walker. Walker recorded 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2024 for the Bulldogs.

Walker saw a major jump in playing time this past season, moving from a reserve role into a starting spot for Georgia. That his track record is fairly short should be of some concern, but what he showed in 2024 is very encouraging.

Walker moves well and has the versatility to rush the passer or also drop back into coverage. Really, this all comes down to whether or not he can go from very good at everything to very good at everything while also being excellent at one or two things. If he can, Walker will be a stud in the NFL.

Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

Who's the best IDP prospect in this class? Well, there's a clear answer and it's Penn State's Abdul Carter. Not only is Carter the best prospect when talking about fantasy football defensive players, but he's also arguably the top prospect overall.

In fact, Carter's good enough that Mel Kiper has the Titans passing on both top quarterbacks and taking him No. 1 overall in his most recent ESPN mock draft.

I won't go that far, but Carter is a game-changer wherever he winds up in the NFL. The 6-foot-3 defender moved from linebacker to edge last season for the Nittany Lions and ended up leading the FBS in tackles for loss with 24 while collecting 12 sacks in the process.

That Carter did that in his first year after changing roles should be enough to show why he's the top defensive prospect. This is someone who instantly dominated in this new spot and still has plenty of room to get even better at the next level.

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