8 IDPs I'm Targeting in 2025
After previewing every division on The IDP After Show this offseason, Jeff Pomazal is back to tell us the 8 IDPs who caught his eye the most.
This summer, I’ve had the pleasure of hosting four episodes of The IDP After Show, each focused on a couple of the NFL’s eight divisions and the 16 most interesting IDPs in those divisions. One thing I love about hosting that show is getting to chat with smart folks from across IDP, and my guests for those episodes—Bobby Reynolds, Kyle Bellefeuil, Jason King, Johny the Greek, and Patrick Harrington—opened my eyes to several players who weren’t on my radar previously.
Now that the preview series has concluded, I wanted to go back and spotlight the eight IDPs who caught my attention the most. As drafts kick into high gear this month, these are guys I’ll be actively targeting for reasons I’ll outline below.
#1: Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, Cincinnati Bengals
Rookie linebackers are usually harder to trust, but with Knight, I am putting those worries aside. Let’s start with the positives. Knight spent six years in college, so although he lands in the NFL at 25 years old (hurting his dynasty value a bit), he has experience on his side, which is a good thing. Why? Because after being selected in the 2nd round in April’s draft (draft capital, check), he landed in what has since become an ideal situation following Cincinnati’s release of Germaine Pratt.
The camp buzz (which I track every day on Twitter with the IDP Minute) has done nothing to temper expectations about Knight and his role for the upcoming season. Playing only 14 snaps in Week 1 of the preseason, the same number as Wilson, signals to me that Knight has the inside track on the LB2 job, which has been profitable for IDP. Shout out Kyle on the Knight call-out during our episode. I’m with you, dude!
#2: Jalen Pitre, CB, Houston Texans
We all remember the outstanding season Pitre had as a rookie in 2022, when he burst onto the scene with 147 combined tackles, 1 sack, and 5 interceptions on his way to a DB1 finish. Since then, it hasn’t gone as well for Pitre, but things might be on the upswing headed into 2025. Why? We once again look to his alignment in 2024.
Pitre played in 11 full games before suffering a torn pectoral muscle that cost him the last part of the season. In those 11 games, he played 660 snaps with 652 of them coming in the sweet spot (99%). This offseason, Pitre signed a 3-year extension worth $39 million with a little over $29 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid nickel back in the league. Pitre has a clean bill of health, a 99% snap share in the sweet spot, and a team that needs him to play a lot of snaps. The fact that he’s coming off the board as DB23? Even better! I share in Jason’s excitement for Pitre.
#3: Harold Landry, EDGE, New England Patriots
When a player lands with a new team, it can sometimes lead to an increase in production. But what happens if you just want a player to keep doing exactly what he’s been doing for multiple seasons? Such is the case with Harold Landy as he begins a new chapter of his NFL career in Foxboro. Landry might be new to the team, but he’s familiar with the new head coach there, Mike Vrabel. Landry had his best two seasons in the NFL when he played under Vrabel in Tennessee. Fast forward a couple seasons, Vrabel gets a new coaching job, and wouldn’t you know who he brought in?
That’s right: his old pal, Harold Landry, who has been the model of consistency across his seven NFL seasons. Outside of a lost season in 2022 due to an ACL injury, Landry has been a very high tackle floor guy, with 68 or more tackles in each season except his rookie year, when he finished with 40. Another reason to like Landry is that, outside of that lost season in 2022, he’s never missed an NFL game.
That’s part of the reason the Patriots signed him to a 3 year, $43 million deal this offseason. The other part? They simply needed more juice in their edge rushing rotation. We’ll see how much Landry has left in the tank, but it’s not unreasonable to say he’s already New England’s best pass rusher. That’s what Johny the Greek argued on our AFC East episode, and I agree with him wholeheartedly.
#4: Quentin Lake, CB, Los Angeles Rams
Things really started to click for Lake in 2024, his third season in the league. After posting just 63 combined tackles in his first two seasons, Lake had 111 combined tackles to go along with 2 sacks. Lake played more than 50% of snaps in 17 games in 2024, and in 15 of those games, he scored more than 9 points by Big 3 Scoring.
Even more exciting than that was where Lake was lining up. In 2024, Lake played 1,070 defense snaps with 686 of those at box, slot, or DL, giving him a healthy 64% sweet spot alignment. Looking ahead to 2025, Lake returns to the same role he played in 2024 (slot corner), and if that wasn’t enough, he’s playing for a new contract.
Lake is only being rostered in 50% of leagues right now, which is just too low for the DB16 from last season. Thank you, Bobby, for the call on Lake!
#5: Divine Deablo, LB, Atlanta Falcons
Up to this point in his career, Divine Deablo has not lived up to his badass name. Coming off a down year in 2024, Deablo is leaving Las Vegas and heading to Atlanta on a 2-year deal worth $14 million with $7.6 million guaranteed. You don’t pay Deablo that kind of cash to sit on the bench or play special teams. That’s starter money.
And so far in camp, it seems the money is talking, as Deablo apparently has the inside track to win the LB2 job opposite Kaden Elliss. A former safety, Deablo’s coverage instincts should pair nicely with Elliss, who is a prolific pass rusher. New defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, a former linebacker himself, also has a history of getting the best out of safety/linebacker hybrids. (Hint: Jamien Sherwood.)
The question of who will be 2025’s Zack Baun is on everyone’s minds right now. The answer is most likely “nobody,” but there are some candidates out there. The fellas on The IDP Show think it’s Jack Sanborn. After talking with Jason about Deablo on our NFC South preview episode, I’ll nominate the new Falcons LB.
#6: Kyler Gordon, CB, Chicago Bears
As a Packer fan, it pains me to get excited about a Chicago Bears IDP, but that’s how I’m feeling about Kyler Gordon. His 2024 season was not flashy: 75 tackles and 5 passes defended, but when we look at where he lined up on the field, we have reason to be more optimistic. In 2024, Gordon played 724 snaps across, with 719 of those coming in the sweet spot. That’s a staggering 99% sweet spot alignment!
Fresh off a new 3-year extension this offseason, Gordon was asked to learn all the defensive back spots, even on the boundary. What this tells me is that new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen wants to keep Gordon on the field as much as possible. If we look at Allen’s track record with slot corners over the last few seasons, we see a plethora of IDP gold. It’s pretty easy to get excited about Gordon this season if we follow the money with his new contract and the new roles he is being asked to learn and play this season. Once again, Kyle, we say thank you for the shout-out!
#7: YaYa Diaby, EDGE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With how much we all love edge rushers, it’s tough to find a future stud before they break out. Earlier this summer, I talked breakouts with Jase Abbey and he highlighted YaYa Diaby—a call I fully support. In 2024, Diaby ranked 12th among all edge rushers with a pressure rate of 14.6%, had a win rate of 24.1%, and finished the season with 65 pressures. So, why isn’t Diaby a household name already? He had only 4.5 sacks.
With those metrics, he should’ve had 8.5 sacks according to PFF’s Jon Macri. So, if Diaby plays as well in 2025, it’s reasonable to expect some progression in that regard, as sacks are largely a fluky stat and tend to follow the underlying metrics. He has continuity with the same head coach/DC in Todd Bowles, and he should have plenty of opportunity with the team just adding Haason Reddick in free agency.
Diaby might not be a household name yet, but 2025 feels like his year.
#8: Will McDonald IV, EDGE, New York Jets
We often hear about edge rushers breaking out in their third season, but what happens if a player gets ahead of schedule and has a massive second year? You have Will McDonald IV, who finished 2024 with 28 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 61 pressures (tied for 13th in the NFL). Not bad for a young guy who basically had no help after Jermaine Johnson tore his Achilles and the aforementioned Haason Reddick didn’t show up until halfway through the season.
Just this week, Johnson was cleared to practice, and together with McDonald and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, the Jets have a fearsome front-line trio for new head coach Aaron Glenn to unleash. With Sauce Gardner on the back end locking down receivers, it should give McDonald the extra half second he needs to keep that sack total in the double digits. Props to Patrick for the call-out here.
Which IDPs are you most excited about for 2025? Let me know in the comments below. Be sure to check out the full divisional preview series on The IDP After Show, as we highlighted over 60 IDPs from the eight NFL divisions. We’ve also talked about breakouts this summer, and I’ve got Mike Woellert coming up next week to talk green dot linebackers for 2025. In the meantime, good luck with your drafts!