Cowboys 2025 draft: 10 sleepers in this year’s draft

Here are some sleepers to keep an eye on during the draft.

This year’s NFL draft is creeping up fast and with the help of the All-Star games, the scouting combine, and team’s pro days, we are getting a clear picture of these prospects and how they are valued. There are some names that are getting overlooked or their projections and rankings are way below their skill set. Here are ten names to check out as their projected rankings are way lower than what they should be and offer great sleeper value in this year’s draft.

1. QB Kurtis Rourke (Indiana)

Rourke is considered a sleeper in this year’s NFL draft because he has the size, arm talent, and experience that NFL teams covet, but he flies under the radar due to his age, deep ball accuracy and his late ACL injury which adds questions on his availability this year. Look past those issues and you’ll find a quarterback with good experience, quickly able to read defenses, and is resilient and unyielding on the field with great leadership. Put in the time and stay patient with Rourke and he’ll pay any team back that drafts him with a solid backup quarterback that’s quick to develop.

2. RB Bhaysul Tuten (Virginia Tech)

Tuten ranks outside the top-100 in the consensus rankings and on PFF he ranks as low as 187. With his electrifying speed (4.32 second 40-yard time), and his explosiveness (10-yard split of 1.49 seconds), it’s clear Tuten is an athletic demon on the field. Tuten is a quick and agile slasher capable of excelling in a zone-blocking system, and his exceptional movement abilities suggest he has the potential for significant productivity. His 2,242 all-purpose yards and 29 total touchdowns the last two seasons shows just how productive he can be. The reason he’s so easily overlooked is he’s pert of a very deep and talented running back class, but who ever picks him is getting a very talented running back.

3. DT CJ West (Indiana)

Another draft prospect from Indiana that ranks outside the consensus top-100, and West is probably the most highly-valued Indiana player in this year’s draft. He’s better suited as a 1T defensive tackle or can push into the nose tackle position if coaches try to steer him that direction. But West’s run defense is very enticing and as a rotational piece in the middle of the defensive line he could become extremely impactful. His 11.4% run stop win-rate is fourth-most in this class, only slightly behind Mason Graham.

4. WR Ja’Corey Brooks (Louisville)

Brooks is probably one of the lesser-known prospects on the list. After transferring from Alabama, Brooks emerged as a big-play threat and put up some good numbers last season. Some scouting services don’t even have Brooks ranked on their big boards, as such his consensus rankings has him at 254, that’s undrafted. But Brooks has a lot to offer as a late-round flyer or priority undrafted free agent and should be able to make his way onto an active roster in the NFL. You may struggle to find a scouting report on Brooks but watch his tape, it’s intriguing. His blend of size, athleticism, and big-play ability is something every team should want to tap into. He showcased his talent as a deep threat, leading the FBS in receptions of 20 yards or more through Week 9 last season. He shows strong hands and body control, excelling in contested catches and tracks the ball downfield at an elite level. Plus he has good versatility which adds more fuel to his value thanks to his ability to play both outside and in the slot.

5. OT Ozzy Trapilo (Boston College)

Boston College is no stranger when it comes to churning out high-quality offensive linemen (Chris Lindstrom, Zion Johnson, even Marc Columbo), and Trapilo has the potential to follow that tradition. He’s projected as a fourth-round prospect but what makes him a sleeper is how his value has dropped the past few weeks and continues to decline with each passing week. At 6’8”, 315 lbs, he has the size, but he also has the athletic build and versatility to be a standout offensive tackle. He quietly put together a string of solid performances against strong ACC competition, showcasing excellent footwork, balance, and hand placement. He’s particularly intriguing because he’s still developing with room to add strength and polish to his technique, but he also displays the intelligence and movement skills teams covet in swing tackles, something that adds value to his stock. With only two sacks and 20 pressures allowed in his last 24 games he certainly has the proven track record that gives confidence to GM’s that want to draft him earlier than his projection.

6. LB Teddye Buchanan (California)

Buchanan is a coverage specialist with all the physical traits, processing ability, and experience to excel on passing downs in literally any defensive scheme. That’s some good value in a league that’s so heavily predicated on the passing game. Unless you’re a Golden Bears fan you may never even of heard of Buchanan, the consensus has him at 184 while CBS doesn’t even have him ranked among their 400 prospect list. For some, Buchanan hit their radar after a fantastic combine where he pumped 26 reps on the bench, ran a 4.60s 40-yard dash, then exploded in the vertical with a crazy 40” Vert. He was one of the under-the-radar standouts at his position during the testing. He’s overlooked due to his skill set for the modern day linebacker position. He has the speed and explosiveness, covers better than nearly every linebacker in this class, and is extremely smart and disciplined. While he may not have the flashy sack totals or highlight-reel hits and tackles, his versatility and reliability could make him a Day 3 gem who ends up playing significant snaps early.

7. CB Darien Porter (Iowa State)

There was a feeling Porter might be be the fastest player at the combine. Although that didn’t happen, he ran a 4.30s 40-yard dash (third-fastest at this year’s combine). He’s not just a straight line guy though, his tape and combine results prove he’s an athletic freak that is explosive, quick, and has elite agility. He finished the combine with an unbelievable 9.99 Relative Athletic Score, just a fraction off being perfect. His consensus ranking has him at 63, that’s not bad, so why is he a sleeper? He ranked below guys that missed large portions of last season due to injury or come in a lot less athletic for the position. At cornerback, it’s all about the athletic traits and Porter has that in abundance. Last season, among defensive backs with 200 coverage snaps or more, Porter ranks second-best in receiving percentage allowed (29%), receiving yards allowed (70), and is top of his class in passer rating allowed (4.7), beating out Travis Hunter by quite some margin. Being projected as a third-round cornerback is a huge oversight by some scouting services.

8. DE David Walker (Central Arkansas)

Walker will feature in BTB’s “Small School Prospect” list coming later toward the draft. He’s by the far one of the most talented small school prospects in this year’s draft but he’s projected to go in the fifth round. Taking talent competition into account and it’s easy to understand why he’s deemed a mid-Day 3 player, but he has all the tools you look for at the position. Last year, Walker led all FBS and FCS edge defenders with a 94.0 pass-rush grade, recording 11 sacks, six quarterback hits, and 37 hurries on 351 pass-rushing snaps. When thrown in with the bigger name players at the Senior Bowl, Walker proved he could hang in there and was one of the standouts during the week. That was followed by an equally impressive showing at the combine. ESPN has him ranked at 145, that’s a lot lower than his value suggests making him a huge sleeper that will surprise fans when he gets to the NFL.

9. DT Aeneas Peebles (Virginia Tech)

The second Hokies player to hit this list, Peebles is getting widely overlooked. Some scouting services have him as high as the 50’s where others have him dropping below the fifth-round. This puts his consensus at around 150 but his stock has been falling rapidly ever since the combine. He had a consensus ranking just a fraction outside the top-100 and ever since mid-March post-combine, his value has declined massively. That would suggest he must have had a bad combine, but that really isn’t the case. His speed, jumps and agility tests were all either great or a passing grade. The only conclusion can be teams are put off by the fact he’s very undersized. But over the past two years, Peebles has achieved a 92.2 pass-rushing grade, the highest among FBS interior defenders, boasting a 17.4% pass-rush win rate.

10. WR Andrew Armstrong (Arkansas)

Armstrong won’t show up on some big boards, PFF included. In the three years he played in college he went over 1,000 yards twice, last season being one of those years. In fact, Armstrong led the SEC among wide receivers in receiving yards and receptions last season. He also managed to secure 51 first downs last year, that’s more than Emeka Egbuka, Elic Ayomanor and Mathew Golden, all big-name wide receivers going much earlier in the draft. So why such low value on Armstrong? The answer is touchdowns, where he’s only scored six in the past two seasons. He may not be a burner or a big touchdown scorer, but for teams looking for a possession receiver or red-zone weapon with developmental upside, he’s a smart sleeper pick at the back end of the draft.