Boise State defensive end Ahmed Hassanein may possess the most unique journey to the 2025 NFL Draft. Though Hassanein was born in the United States of America, he moved to Egypt as a young child and only discovered football within the past decade. Despite committing to football much later in life than your average prospect, he departs Boise State after recording 22 sacks in the past two campaigns.
Hassanein recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network. He discussed his experience at the East-West Shrine Bowl, detailed his miraculous journey from Egyptian citizen to NFL hopeful, and more. Hassanein will become the first Egyptian ever drafted into the NFL in April.
JM: You were a standout performer at this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl. What was the overall experience like?
Ahmed Hassanein: It was an awesome experience. They gave me an opportunity to get my name out there more. It was great to compete against the best of the best. I did my thing out there. I played football at a high level.
I tried to establish myself as a leader during my short time out there. I quickly gained their appreciation and respect. Remember, I haven’t been playing football for a very long time.
It was definitely an awesome experience. I gained a lot of respect out there. I had a lot of eyes on me, from NFL coaches to scouts. It was definitely an awesome opportunity.
JM: You said you haven’t been playing football for a long time. Your story is crazy. Your journey to the NFL is super inspirational. How did you fall in love with the game?
Ahmed Hassanein: I was born in the United States of America, but I left when I was six years old with my dad. I left my older brother here [in the USA]—we’re half-brothers. He stayed with his mom and I left with my dad to Egypt.
This was in 2008. I left the United States when I was about seven years old. When I went to Egypt, I had to learn how to speak Arabic. I started speaking the language and learning the Arabic way.
I started playing a ton of sports. I was ranked nationally in crossbow, I was top 10 in Africa and No. 1 in Egypt. I did boxing, jiu-jitsu, ping pong, basketball, and soccer. I was playing everything. I fell in love with sports.
About 10 years later in 2008, my brother visited me in Egypt. I was going through a tough time. My mom left when I was three years old and resurfaced when I was eight. I had a tough time with her. She’s not a great person. She left again when I was 16. I wasn’t having a good time in Egypt.
I fell in love with sports. It led me down the right path. I loved the culture and leadership involved. I could relate to the work and the grind. I enjoyed leading and winning with people. I love that about sports.
When my half-brother visited Egypt, it had been about 10 years. We hadn’t seen each other in so long. He saw me and asked me to come play high school football for him in America. He was a high school football coach and English teacher. I was doing neither of those things at that time.
I was 18 years old and I didn’t even know what football was. I saw people running around and hitting each other. That looks like fun (laughs). My dad agreed. I returned to the United States with my brother.
I started playing football at 18 even though I didn’t speak any English yet. They tried to put me at wide receiver, but I couldn’t catch the ball. They moved me to linebacker, but there was too much going on for me to understand.
They finally put me on the defensive line and told me to go chase down the guy with the ball (laughs). I was like alright, perfect, see ball, get ball. That’s what I did. They simplified the game for me.
I still didn’t have the greatest start. I was sloppy. I was tackling dudes by their facemasks. I was throwing and kicking people to the ground. I think I used a jiu-jitsu flip on a guy (laughs). I had no idea what I was doing.
Until one day when I started watching Aaron Donald play. I asked my brother what high school does this guy go to? He said, are you being serious right now? That’s Aaron Donald. He plays in the NFL. I asked him, what’s the NFL?
That’s the National Football League. That’s where the best of the best go. Perfect, I wanna go there. Brother, you have a long way ahead of you. You have to play well and earn a D-I scholarship. You have to play your butt off in high school so you need to get recruited.
Mind you, I was playing really low-level high school football. I only played two years of high school ball because my last year got canceled due to COVID. We didn’t even have a defensive line coach at our high school. We didn’t have sleds. We didn’t have anything.
I started attending camps to get my name out there. I told my brother, take me to this camp and that camp. Literally on the way to these camps, I was watching YouTube instructional videos on how to rush the passer and how to win one-on-ones.
I started dominating 4-star and 5-star prospects at these camps. I was downright dominant. People were asking, who the heck is that kid? My brother was like that’s Ahmed Hassanein from Egypt (laughs). He’s only been playing football for two years.
God is great. My name started buzzing around the recruiting circles a little bit. My brother and [Boise State] head coach Spencer Danielson were teammates in college. He was a defensive line coach back then.
When I was posting my film on Twitter and getting recognition, Spencer Daneislno messaged me without even realizing he already knew my brother. He was like hey, I love your film.
I went to show my brother his messages and he was like I know that guy! I played with him in college. We’re friends! I told coach Danielson who my brother was and he couldn’t believe it (laughs). My brother is like 5-foot-7 and I’m 6-foot-3.
The recruiting process began. My calling was to attend Boise State. I had an incredible time and an awesome career. Now, I’m trying to make it to the NFL.
JM: Wow. That's an incredible story. I wasn’t familiar with much of it. That’s one of the craziest paths to the league I’ve encountered. And here you are at the East-West Shrine after a dominant career at Boise State. What do you think you proved to general managers and scouts in attendance?
Ahmed Hassanein: I proved I could play at this level. I still have to prove it every single day. The biggest thing to me is this. If you’re willing to teach me, and I really put my mind to something, and you show me how to do it, I’ll do whatever it takes to master it.
I just love the team aspect. I didn’t even know those guys at the East-West Shrine and I loved them all the same. I wanted to be a leader. I’m a culture guy. I wanted to establish culture throughout that short week. When I come in, I’m going to grind and work my ass off.
I fully dedicate myself. I was telling scouts and coaches my story. They couldn’t believe it. They were really impressed with how far I’ve come. They see my potential. I’ve only been playing football for six years now. I was competing against guys who have been playing this sport their entire life.
I’m hungry to learn, and to achieve greatness. I want to inspire people from the Middle East. I want to be the first Egyptian to ever do it. When I get drafted, I’ll become the first Egyptian to ever play in the NFL. That’s a huge honor for me and my family.
I want to bring the NFL back to Egypt and inspire our people to come play football in America. This is an awesome opportunity. I don’t take it lightly. I’m very thankful to be in this position.
I had a great time at the East-West Shrine Bowl. The scouts and GMs were very impressed with my performance. I’m getting ready to do it all over again at the NFL Scouting Combine. I’m going to crush these interviews and crush the combine. We’ll see what happens from there.
JM: You probably met with most teams at the East-West Shrine Bowl. That's standard practice. I’m sure they all wanted to gather more information on your journey. Did any of those team meetings particularly stand out? Which teams spent more time with you?
Ahmed Hassanein: I feel like every team I met with fell in love with my story. They wanted to know more about me. It was almost too short because the interviews were capped at 15 minutes.
The coaches fell in love with me. The defensive coordinator for the New York Giants [Shane Bowen] really liked me a lot. I won MVP of the practices. I feel like every scout I spoke with really liked me. The Seattle Seahawks and I had a great connection. They loved my story. They wanted more time to speak with me. They actually spoke with me for the first time even before the Shrine Bowl.
The Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts also really loved me. They called me again the other day to ask why I didn’t play in the game. It was a personal decision to ensure I stay healthy. I had a great week of practice.
The Kansas City Chiefs liked me; they sent me a questionnaire to fill out. A lot of teams enjoyed hearing my story. You never know who’s going to draft you. I feel like I hit it off with every team.
I met with the Raiders and Steelers as well. We were talking about Maxx Crosby when I was with the Raiders. I talked about playing with a great pass rusher and following in their footsteps. I want to be great like that.
The Steelers overheard and they were like I guess you want to play for the Raiders (laughs). I ended up having a good meeting with the Steelers though. They were impressed with my story. I’m just going to keep attempting to prove myself.
JM: There’s a lot of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. You had 9.5 sacks this season, and you ranked first in the Mountain West in pressures (62) and QB hits (17). You were really productive in 2023 as well, with 12.5 sacks. You leave Boise State with 34 career tackles for loss. What is it about your game that's allowed you to be so consistent, especially as someone who is still learning the game and developing?
Ahmed Hassanein: I think it comes down to my mentality and natural ability. I’ve been blessed with God-given ability, but I think my mentality is my best asset. I'll do whatever it takes to get there and help my team win.
It's never about me. It's about the team. I love playing football for my team. It's not an individual sport.
I wish I had more of my Boise State teammates at the Shrine. I loved the opportunity, but I love playing with my teammates.
The amount of love and encouragement I have for my teammates, that Penn State playoff game, it was indescribable. I truly do it for them.
I always want to set a high standard. I know some of my younger teammates are running drills they saw me running last offseason. They want to fill my shoes. I love that. I want to be an inspiration.
The most important aspect of my game is my physicality. I'm a strong dude. I'm fast, twitchy, and quick. I can learn anything you want me to learn. I'll do whatever it takes. It's all about repetition. I'll get it done.
I'm the first one in, last one out. I love my routine. I love showing up early. I love asking questions. I want to sit at the front of the class. I want to take notes when the coach is speaking.
The little things truly add up. Whatever you do, make sure it makes you better. How you do anything is how you do everything. I live by that.
I do things the right way. It translates onto the football field.
JM: You've proven that. We've appreciated your time today. This has been an outstanding conversation. We can't wait for you to make history during the 2025 NFL Draft. You're an inspiration to your teammates and to your country. When a team drafts Ahmed Hassanein, what kinda person and player are they getting?
Ahmed Hassanein: They're getting a dependable guy. I'm going to work my butt off to do whatever it takes to help the team win. It doesn't matter what role you put me in. I'm going to do it to the best of my ability.
