The future, as they say, is now.
Another NFL season brings with it the evolution process that sees intriguing prospects develop into solid contributors and legit difference-makers. Eventually, they firmly entrench themselves as some of the games’ brightest stars. For some, it’s a gradual process. Others morph into household names in no time.
Once again, we’re examining and ranking those young players on the sharpest and most rapid ascents. We call it the Top 25 players 25 and under.
For consideration, players must have one season of experience, and they can’t be any older than 25 by Week 1. That meant stars such as Justin Jefferson, Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Tristan Wirfs and Jordan Love all aged out this season after making the list in previous years.
Keeping with tradition, we reached out to a collection of front office members, scouts and coaches — nearly two dozen in all — for insight. All were granted anonymity so they could speak freely about the players. The participants were given a list of 35 potential players (many of whom had received All-Rookie or Pro Bowl honors) for inclusion. The experts were asked for feedback on where each might rank. The participants were encouraged to nominate any players that they believed had been left out. They also were free to suggest eliminating players they deemed unworthy of inclusion, even if they had made the cut last year.
This year’s original list featured 18 returning players and 17 new entries, but wound up with 16 familiar faces and nine impressive newcomers.
Here’s who made the cut and where they rank:
Top 25
1. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals. Age: 25 (DOB: 3/1/00)
One of the top two or three most dominant receivers in the game, Chase led the league with 1,708 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns and has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his four NFL seasons. He’s also a four-time Pro Bowl selection and took home first-team All-Pro honors last season.
2. Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles. Age: 24 (4/4/01)
After a promising rookie campaign, Carter established himself as a true game-wrecker last season. Look no further than the Super Bowl and preceding postseason games for proof. Carter should only become even more dominant with time.
3. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders. Age: 24 (12/18/00)
The 2024 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year led a long-awaited revival in Washington last season by repeatedly delivering late-game heroics and confounding defenses with his arm and legs as Washington reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
4. Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions. Age: 25 (8/9/00)
After following up a strong rookie season with his first Pro Bowl campaign in 2023, Hutchinson led the NFL in sacks (7 1/2) through his first five games of 2024. A broken leg ended his season prematurely, but Hutchinson has made a full recovery and should return to terrorizing quarterbacks in Week 1.
5. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders. Age: 22 (12/13/02)
Move over George Kittle and Travis Kelce. Bowers burst onto the scene in Las Vegas last season and racked up 1,194 receiving yards on 112 catches (both NFL records for rookie tight ends). Bowers’ yardage total last season tied Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb for eighth in the league among all players.
6. Pat Surtain II, CB, Denver Broncos. Age: 25 (4/14/00)
Already a three-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro selection, the fourth-year veteran earned AP Defensive Player of the Year honors after a season that saw him record four interceptions and 45 tackles even though quarterbacks do their best to avoid throwing his way.
7. Penei Sewell, RT, Detroit Lions. Age: 24 (10/9/00)
Sewell continues to help anchor the line of one of the most potent offenses in the league. Last season, Sewell earned first-team All-Pro honors for a second straight year, and Pro Bowl honors for the third time in his four-year career.
8. C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans. Age: 23 (10/3/01)
Offensive line struggles and injuries at wide receiver both contributed to a slight decline for C.J. Stroud in Year 2. However, he remains one of the most gifted quarterbacks in the league with an ability to deliver from the pocket, extend plays, improvise and throw with accuracy.
9. Kyle Hamilton, S, Baltimore Ravens. Age: 24 (3/16/01)
The two-time Pro Bowl selection ranks among the best safeties in the league thanks to a blend of size, athleticism and versatility. He’s all over the field, also lining up at slot corner, inside linebacker and edge rusher at times. Hamilton earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 and was second-team All-Pro in 2024.
10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions. Age: 25 (10/24/99)
A two-time All-Pro selection and three-time Pro Bowl pick, St. Brown has topped the 1,100-yard mark in three straight seasons and last season ranked third in the NFL with a career-high 12 touchdown catches.
Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has averaged more than 107 catches and 1,200 yards in his four NFL seasons. (Sergio Estrada / Imagn Images)
11. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons. Age: 23 (1/30/02)
A true dual-threat running back, Robinson last season rushed for 1,456 yards (third most behind Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry) and 14 touchdowns. He also recorded 61 catches for 431 yards and a touchdown. The young Falcon enters Year 3 aiming to deliver more explosive plays both on the ground and through the air.
12. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, Houston Texans. Age: 24 (6/20/01)
The fourth-year pro has quickly ascended to elite ranks, recording five interceptions in both his second and third NFL seasons while breaking up 13 and 18 passes, respectively. Last season’s Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections resulted in a three-year, $90 million extension this offseason, $89 million of which is fully guaranteed.
13. Trent McDuffie, CB, Kansas City Chiefs. Age: 24 (9/13/00)
He has already won two Super Bowls and earned first-team and second-team All-Pro status and he’s only entering his fourth NFL season. McDuffie is one of the best and most physical cover men in the league. McDuffie recorded 13 pass breakups and two interceptions last season, and also proved himself as a sure tackler with 59 (six for a loss).
14. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions. Age: 23 (3/20/02)
Gibbs turned heads as a rookie in 2023 when he rushed for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns while splitting time in Detroit’s backfield. Last season, he took another leap forward by rushing for 16 touchdown carries and 1,412 yards while again sharing the rushing load. Gibbs also recorded 517 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 52 catches. Gibbs received 95 fewer carries than Barkley and 75 fewer attempts than Henry, yet still ranked tied Henry in touchdown runs and was just behind them with his 5.6 average yards per carry (Henry had 5.9, Barkley 5.8).
15. Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Philadelphia Eagles. Age: 23 (7/18/01)
Mitchell faced a who’s who list of wide receivers as a rookie and more than held his own. Chase, Lamb, Malik Nabers, Mike Evans, Terry McLaurin, Drake London and Chris Olave, to name a few, all had some of their quietest days of their respective seasons (and for some, their careers) on Mitchell’s watch. It’s scary to think that Mitchell could be even better in Year 2.
16. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants. Age 22 (7/28/03)
One of the few bright spots for the Giants last season, Nabers had 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Nabers’ 109 receptions ranked fifth in the league and his 170 targets finished second behind Chase’s 175. Chase was catching passes from bonafide star Joe Burrow. Nabers caught passes from four different quarterbacks last season.
17. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets. Age: 25 (7/22/00)
Despite a lack of stability at quarterback, Wilson has shined, recording 1,000-yard seasons in each of his three years in the league. The 101 catches in 2024 tied for seventh in the league and marked a career high.
18. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams. Age: 24 (5/29/01)
Even though a knee injury limited him to 11 games in 2024, Nacua nearly topped the 1,000-yard mark, finishing with 990 yards and three touchdowns on 79 catches. The year before, Nacua used textbook route running, versatility and sure hands to take the league by storm by recording 105 receptions for 1,486 yards.
19. Sauce Gardner, CB, New York Jets. Age: 24 (8/31/00)
Gardner seemed to regress a little last season and said his play wasn’t up to standards. But he remains one of the brightest young DBs in the game. He’s hoping new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and new head coach Aaron Glenn can help him rebound and regain the Pro Bowl and All-Pro status that he earned in his first and second seasons in the league.
Sauce Gardner is coming off a down 2024 season but still is one of the best young defenders in the game. (Brad Penner / Imagn Images)
20. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars. Age: 22 (10/8/22)
The LSU product made his presence felt immediately last season, setting a Jaguars rookie record for receptions (87), receiving yards (1,282) and receiving touchdowns (10). He also joined Chase, Odell Beckham Jr. and Randy Moss as the only rookies in the Super Bowl era to record at least 1,200 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
21. Will Anderson Jr., DE, Houston Texans. Age: 23 (9/2/01)
After impressing and earning Pro Bowl honors as a rookie, Anderson upped his production and finished with 11 sacks and 37 tackles (16 for a loss). Paired with veteran Danielle Hunter, Anderson helped lead a Houston pass-rush that ranked fourth in the league in sacks and was sixth best against the pass.
22. Jared Verse, LB, Los Angeles Rams. Age: 24: (11/4/00)
With a huge hole in their defensive line left by Aaron Donald’s retirement, the Rams drafted Verse in the first round out of Florida State last season. Verse delivered in the form of a banner year that included Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after generating 76 pressures (second most in NFL history by a rookie behind Nick Bosa’s 81 in 2019), 4 1/2 sacks and 66 tackles.
23. Tyler Linderbaum, C, Baltimore Ravens. Age: 25 (4/07/00)
The third-year pro last season anchored the line that paved the way for Derrick Henry’s 1,921 rushing yards, and Lamar Jackson’s MVP-caliber season and went onto reach the Pro Bowl for the second time in as many seasons.
24. Tyler Smith, LG, Dallas Cowboys. Age: 24 (4/3/01)
The Tulsa product has quickly established himself as one of the best interior linemen in the game. Size, strength, athleticism, versatility … he has it all, and two Pro Bowl nods to prove it.
25. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars. Age: 25 (10/6/99)
Injury and organizational instability have combined to somewhat diminish the shine of the No. 1 pick of the 2021 draft. But there’s a belief around the league that Lawrence has a chance to bounce back this season and achieve his potential as a leading quarterback thanks to a fresh start under new head coach Liam Coen and surrounded by weapons like Thomas and Travis Hunter.
Honorable mention
Joe Alt, OT, Los Angeles Chargers, age: 22 (2/28/03)
Nik Bonitto, LB, Denver Broncos, age: 25 (9/26/99)
Cooper DeJean, DB, Philadelphia Eagles, age: 22 (2/09/03)
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, age: 22 (8/19/02)
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions, age: 24 (1/12/01)
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers, age: 23 (11/11/01)
Marvin Mims, KR/PR, Denver Broncos, age: 23 (3/19/02)
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers, age: 25 (12/27/99)
And now, let the debates begin.
(Top illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; photos of Ja’Marr Chase, Aidan Hutchinson and Brock Bowers: Candice Ward, Michael Owens, Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
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