RELATED: See Ideal Fits for Offensive Rookies here

You may not have heard this, but the 2025 NFL Draft is almost here.

With the festivities in Green Bay nearly here, pre-draft fever has hit a fever pitch (I know. Pure poetry). IDP managers far and wide are anxiously awaiting finding out which defensive players land where—and then beginning their rookie drafts shortly thereafter.

Location is an important part of determining the fantasy value of any player, whether on offense or defense. But it can be exponentially more important for IDPs. If a defensive lineman is selected by a team with a clear path to snaps opposite an established star, jackpot. If a linebacker gets drafted by a team where a three-down role is unlikely in the short term, that can be a crusher. And a defensive back's landing spot can literally mean the difference between being a stud and a scrub.

There's no guarantee that the rookie IDPs listed here will be drafted by teams that will afford a positive fantasy outlook in 2025. But each of the landing spots listed here is at least somewhat realistic. And if these young defenders land in the spots outlined in this piece, then IDP managers are going to roll into fantasy draft day feeling a lot better about the year to come.

Ideal Landing Spots for Defensive Linemen

Abdul Carter – New York Giants

It's unlikely that Carter will make it past the Giants at No. 3 overall—the 6-3, 250-pounder is just too good a player after logging 12 sacks and over 20 tackles for loss in his first full year as an edge rusher in 2024. Early snaps could be dicier with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the roster in New York as opposed to playing opposite Myles Garrett in Cleveland. But both teams offer Carter help on the other side to keep opposing offenses honest, and if Carter is anywhere close to the talent so many believe he is, he'll find his way on the field with regularity soon enough.

Jalon Walker – Carolina Panthers

The 6-1, 243-pounder isn't a true edge rusher, and positional eligibility in some IDP formats could potentially be an issue. But there's also the possibility that Walker could be the sort of "hybrid" player some expected Micah Parsons to be Dallas—and off-ball linebacker in some formations who kicks outside to the edge in obvious passing situations. The Carolina Panthers need help at linebacker nearly as much as they need help at edge rusher, and while Walker might be a bit of a reach at No. 8 overall, he could become a defensive cornerstone in Charlotte.

Mike Green – Cincinnati Bengals

Green was the sack king of the FBS last year—in addition to 17 sacks and 23 tackles for loss, the 6-3, 251-pounder tallied an impressive 84 total tackles at Marshall. However, most of that production came against Sun Belt competition, and that, paired with a pair of sexual assault accusations, could lead to a draft day slide for Green despite impressive physical traits and a non-stop motor. The Cincinnati Bengals need help on the edge after Sam Hubbard's surprising retirement, and there are worse ways to start a career than playing opposite the reigning NFL sack leader.

Mykel Williams – Los Angeles Chargers

At 6-5 and 265 pounds, Williams has size that some of the other edge rusher prospects here lack. He's also scheme versatile, having played both standing up and with his hand in the ground at Georgia. He wasn't especially productive at Georgia, but his combination of versatility and physical traits will probably get him drafted on the first day of the 2025 NFL draft. With Joey Bosa off to Buffalo and Khalil Mack not getting any younger, there's a path to playing time in Los Angeles if Williams can translate his physical gifts to fantasy production.

Ideal Landing Spots for Linebackers

Jihaad Campbell – Los Angeles Rams

Campbell, like Jalon Walker, is something of a "tweener" prospect who some see as much as an edge rusher as an off-ball linebacker. However, at 6-3 and 235 pounds, he's likely best suited as the latter. The Rams haven't had a plus starter at inside linebacker since Bobby Wagner back in 2022 and Ernest Jones IV the following year. This offseason, 2024 leading tackler Christian Rozeboom bailed for Carolina. The Rams added Nate Landman, but adding Campbell is bringing on board a whole other level of talent.

Carson Schwesinger – Las Vegas Raiders

Schwesinger may well be the safest pick among this year's rookie linebackers. The 6-2, 242-pounder is a prototypical three-down linebacker prospect who piled up 136 total tackles a year ago for UCLA. In the right landing spot, Schwesinger could easily be the highest-scoring rookie linebacker in 2025. Las Vegas would most certainly be the right landing spot—after losing Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo to free agency, the team's top off-ball linebacker is currently Elandon Roberts. That is not a typo.

Chris Paul Jr. – Tennessee Titans

Paul's an undersized linebacker—just 6-1 and 222 pounds. But the former Ole Miss standout plays bigger than his weight and has the range and athleticism to stay on the field in passing situations. There are several solid potential Day 2 fits for Paul, who amassed a career-best 88 total tackles for the Rebels a year ago. The Titans stand out as just such a fit—as things stand now, Tennessee's starters inside are Cody Barton and youngster Cedric Gray, so Paul could find himself in the starting lineup sooner as opposed to later.

Jeffrey Bassa – Cleveland Browns

Bassa has played some defensive back, and the 6-1, 232-pounder looked comfortable in both man and zone coverages last year at Oregon. However, his run defense is something of a work in progress, as evidenced by his less-than-jaw-dropping stats last year for the Ducks. With Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah's future murky after a scary neck injury, linebacker is one of Cleveland's 42 positional needs this season, but with so many more pressing ones, this will have to wait. That could land Bassa in Cleveland, where the depth chart ahead of him would be…yeah.

Ideal Landing Spots for Defensive Backs

Travis Hunter – Cleveland Browns

In the majority of IDP rookie drafts, Hunter is going to be the first defensive player selected—fantasy managers have been salivating over Hunter's two-way ability and what it could mean for fantasy. Hunter appears headed to Cleveland, where Andrew Berry has softened his stance on Hunter playing both cornerback and wide receiver in the NFL. At this point, it's less a matter of if he plays both ways than how much at each position. A full-time wide receiver who fantasy managers could start in the cornerback slot in IDP leagues would be a game-changer.

Nick Emmanwori – Minnesota Vikings

The 6-3, 220-pound Emmanwori has size. He has physicality. Emmanwori's Next Gen Stats score of 85 ranked first among safeties at the combine. And his 4.38-second 40-yard dash time was the second-best safety time in Indianapolis. The Vikings brought back ageless veteran Harrison Smith in 2025, but at 36, Smith is no spring chicken, and the Vikings have played as many three-safety looks in recent years as any team in the league. With Camryn Bynum no longer in the Twin Cities, it's not difficult to envision Emmanwori getting significant playing time off the jump.

Malaki Starks – Philadelphia Eagles

Not that long ago, the notion of Starks sliding all the way to the final pick of the first round would seem almost laughable. And yet, it has happened in some mock drafts—in part due to the devaluation of safeties in the draft and in part because of the rise of Nick Emmanwori. However, Starks is a top-five prospect overall on some draft boards, a versatile 6-1, 205-pounder who has evoked comparisons to long-time IDP stalwart Jessie Bates III. All Starks needs is a clear path to snaps—and there's a wide-open one with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Xavier Watts – Miami Dolphins

Watts is Bleacher Report's third-ranked safety and a player about whom B/R's Corry Giddings said, "His toughness and aggressiveness make him an ideal fit for teams looking for a physical safety who can play close to the line of scrimmage." That skill set should be music to the ears of fantasy managers, as would his landing in Miami on Day 2 of the 2025 draft. The Dolphins watched both Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer depart in free agency, and right now the team's starters at the position are Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu. Watts displacing one of them in the starting lineup is a real possibility.

Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPSharks.