University of Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander was chosen as the first pick of the third round by the New York Giants in the 2025 draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Friday.
Alexander, who was the 65th overall selection, is the 11th Rocket to be drafted under Head Coach Jason Candle since 2017, tied for the most in the Mid-American Conference in that time span.
University of Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander was chosen as the first pick of the third round by the New York Giants in the 2025 draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Friday.
This marks the second consecutive draft in which Toledo had a player chosen among the top 65 picks in the draft and the first time the Rockets have had first- and third-round picks in consecutive drafts. Quinyon Mitchell was selected at No. 22 in the first round last year.
“I’m feeling great, excited. I’m stoked,” Alexander said moments after his selection. “I was relaxed tonight. I wasn’t worried. I knew my name would come up sooner or later. I really feel like I proved that dreams can come true.”
At New York, Alexander will be reunited with former teammate and linebacker Dyontae Johnson. “I’m excited to be in New York with my boy Tae,” added Alexander. “I’m ready to get going and get to work.”
Toledo is one of only 15 schools that have had a top-65 pick in the last two drafts. The others are Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri and Minnesota.
Alexander joins John Geco (65 in 2008), Diontae Johnson (66 in 2019), Kareem Hunt (86 in 2017) and Nick Kaczur (100 in 2005) as Rockets selected in the third round of the draft in the last 20 years.
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Alexander earned second-team All-MAC honors at defensive tackle in 2024 after making third-team all-league in 2023. He set career high in tackles (40) and tackles for loss (7.5) this past season and had a memorable 58-yard pick-six in Toledo’s six overtime victory, 48-46, over Pittsburgh in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. He finished his Rocket career with 127 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks.
Alexander, who is listed at 6-4 and 310 pounds, made a big impression at this year’s Senior Bowl. He was named the top defensive lineman at the Senior Bowl in a vote by the offensive linemen participating in the practices. He followed that up with a noteworthy performance in the Senior Bowl game on Feb. 2, picking up one tackle for loss, another tackle for no gain and several pressures on quarterbacks for the opposing team.
Following the conclusion of the NFL Draft on Saturday, four Toledo Rockets signed free agent contracts with NFL teams.
Safety Maxen Hook and linebacker Lance Dixon signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, where they will join former Rocket and 2024 first-round draft choice Quinyon Mitchell; wide receiver Jerjuan Newton signed with the Denver Broncos and tight end Anthony Torres signed with the LA Rams.
Hook, a native of New Palestine, Indiana, earned All-MAC honors for the fourth time this past season, becoming only the third Rocket ever to achieve this feat. He earned first-team All-MAC accolades in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and third-team honors in 2021. He led the Rockets in tackles with 107 in 2024. For his career, Hook had 356 tackles, seven interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He also participated in Senior Bowl workouts but was not able to play in the game due to an injury.
Newton, a three-time All-MAC wide receiver, finished his Rocket career as Toledo’s all-time leader with 32 touchdown receptions. He caught 206 passes for 2,942 yards in his career, both of which rank fifth all-time at Toledo. He was a first-team All-MAC selection as a senior, setting career highs in receptions (72), receiving yards (1,048) and touchdowns (11).
Torres caught 31 passes for 404 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior tight end in 2024. In 2023, he earned second-team All-MAC honors after catching 26 passes for 464 yards. Torres, who earned his MBA in leadership, had a 3.93 GPA in graduate school and was named First-Team Academic All-America.
Dixon played the 2024 season with Toledo following stints at Penn State and West Virginia. A starter in two games, Dixon was ninth on the team with 46 tackles, adding 6.0 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Of the 10 Rockets on NFL rosters prior to the draft, four began their careers as undrafted free agents.
