Former Boise State star makes major impact in NFL preseason opener

Two years ago, Ahmed Hassanein was a defensive leader for a Boise State team that finished 12-2 overall and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Hassanein, who missed his rookie NFL season due to a pectoral injury, has been a training camp standout for the Detroit Lions.

On his first snap of Thursday’s NFL preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hassanein broke through the middle of the offensive line and sacked Joe Burrow for a big loss.

“I truly, truly prayed about it and I manifested it,” Hassanein told reporters after the game. “And I said, I’m going to sack him before the game. And (head coach Dan) Campbell said the same thing. I just kept telling my wife, ‘I’m going to sack Joe Burrow, I’m going to get him.’ I just kept talking to God about it.”

Hassanein, a sixth-round pick by the Lions last year, said he got emotional after sacking the star quarterback.

“I cried. I didn’t know what to do. I literally broke down,” Hassanein said. “But I had to go back on defense.”

In the second half, Hassanein also had a strip sack of Josh Johnson. He finished the game with four total tackles.

“It was great to see,” Campbell said of Hassanein’s big game. “I don’t really feel like I’m surprised. I felt like he’d come out and make plays. Just the nature of the way he’s been practicing and some of the things he’s able to do you'd feel like would translate certainly into this first preseason game. It was good to see. He just plays maximum effort and he’s disruptive.”

Hassanein, a defensive lineman who was born in the United States but grew up in Egypt, signed with Boise State coming out of Southern California’s Loara High School. He was a breakout performer as a junior with 53 total tackles and 12.5 sacks.

During his final college season, Hassanein notched 48 total tackles and 9.5 sacks during Boise State’s CFP run. The Broncos finished the year with 55 sacks as a team, the most in FBS.

The Lions selected Hassanein in the sixth round (196th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft. He was the first Egyptian to be taken in the NFL Draft.

Hassanein suffered a pectoral injury during last year’s training camp and was waived with an injury settlement in August. The Lions added him to the practice squad in November and he signed a reserve/future contract in January.

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