2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Boise State EDGE Ahmed Hassanein

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Boise State EDGE Ahmed Hassanein.

NO. 91 AHMED HASSANEIN, EDGE, BOISE STATE (SENIOR – 6023, 267 POUNDS

SHRINE BOWL PARTICIPANT

Measurements

THE GOOD

— Filled-out frame with decent length
— Plays with his hair on fire as a defender
— Shows great pursuit of the football
— Able to stack and shed blocks on the edge
— Does a good job setting the edge against the run
— Displays notable quickness on his inside rushes
— Has the burst to win around the corner as a pass rusher
— Utilizes the swim, two-hand swipe, inside spin, and push/pull moves
— Has powerful hands that jar back opposing blockers
— Racked up strong production in regard to sacks and tackles for loss
— Plays with good leverage as a pass rusher

THE BAD

— Lacks ideal height and length for the position
— Played primarily with his hand in the dirt in college
— Can have trouble fighting off blocks when long arms latch on to him
— Spatial awareness can be better to get in on more plays
— Overruns the play on occasion or doesn’t finish at the ball carrier
— Wins more on effort as a pass rusher than with hand usage
— Can be a tad slow coming out of his stance

BIO

— Senior prospect from Cairo, Egypt
— Born in the United States and moved to Egypt at age six
— Participated in CrossFit, wrestling, boxing, and swimming growing up
— Moved to Anaheim, CA in 2018 to live with his brother, a football coach who convinced him to play
— Three-star recruit according to Rivals
— Committed to the Boise State Broncos out of high school
— First player from Egypt to play FBS football
— Publicly thanked his coach Spencer Danielson for bringing him to faith after losing in the Fiesta Bowl
— Played in nine games as a reserve in 2021 and made five tackles (four solo)
— Played in 12 games with three starts in 2022 and made 13 total tackles (seven solo), two tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble
— Started 14 games in 2023 and made 53 total tackles (30 solo), 17 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and two forced fumbles
— Started 14 games in 2024 and made 48 total tackles (28 solo), 16 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and one fumble recovery
— 2× First-team All-Mountain West (2023, 2024)

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Ahmed Hassanein has probably the most intriguing background story of this draft class. He moved to Cairo, Egypt at the age of six to live with his father, but came back to the U.S. in 2018, having his older brother convince him to play football. From never playing the sport and not being able to speak English, Hassanein developed into a quality recruit, committed to Boise State and went on to become a two-time First Team All-Mountain West selection, posting 33 tackles for loss and 22 sacks in the past two seasons.

When you pop in the tape on Hassanein, you see a stout, compact pass rusher who wins with leverage and his quickness. He does a good job working around and evading blocks thanks to his leverage, getting underneath blocks and using his speed and hands to blow past blockers. Watch the clips below of Hassanein winning on his inside rush at the Shrine Bowl, utilizing a swim move and spin move to win his one-on-one matchups.

He can be difficult to block when he gets underneath blocks like you see on this rep against Utah State, rushing inside and getting under the tackle as the two defenders stunt. He works through the inside shoulder of the guard and finishes in the lap of the quarterback for the sack.

Hassanein plays with his hair on fire on every rep whether he is a run defender or pass rusher, doing what he can to get to the football. Watch this rep against Oregon where he keeps his feet after getting cut blocked by the tackle and finishes at the quarterback for the big sack.

For being a smaller base defensive end, Hassanein does a great job against the run, using his hands to strike his opponent and shed the block with strength and force. Watch the sequence of plays below against Utah State of Hassanein fighting off blocks and getting to the running back, tackling him at the line or for minimal gain.

Hassanein has noticeable pop in his hands, being able to jar back blockers and fight around blocks to get in on the play. Watch the rep below against UNLV as Hassanein fights through the block by bench pressing the blocker backward, shedding the block to make the tackle on the runner approaching the line of scrimmage.

While Hassanein is a disruptive presence, he can lose control at times and come into opportunities with a lack of spatial awareness, missing potential tackles and sacks. Watch this play below against the Rebels as Hassanein dives at the quarterback’s feet and misses the sack attempt, having the perfect shot to bring him down with multiple defenders converging on the passer.

CONCLUSION

Ahmed Hassanein is a great story and a productive player who plays the game with all gas and no breaks. He is a quality run defender with pass rush upside but needs to continue to develop his outside game to win more consistently around the edge. He also needs to display more consistent spatial awareness on a down-to-down basis to earn consistent defensive snaps at the next level.

When coming up with a pro comp for Hassanein, Cameron Sample came to mind as a similar-sized edge rusher who possesses similar athleticism and who was drafted in the fourth round back in 2021 to be more of a backup/rotational player. I foresee the same for Hassanein, who is still learning the game and could be a capable backup pass rusher who will need to learn to play on his feet if he were to be drafted by a 3-4 team like the Steelers.

Projection: Mid-To-Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.9 – Backup/Special Teamer (5th Round)
Games Watched: at Oregon (2024), at UNLV (2024), vs Utah State (2024), Shrine Bowl