All-Under-25 Team: Jayden Daniels, Jared Verse among NFL's top young stars entering 2025 season

Because he played five seasons of college football, Daniels entered the NFL last season with a ton of on-field experience under his belt -- and at a relatively advanced age. So he will only get one year to occupy this spot, before he turns 25 in December. When it comes to young NFL quarterbacks, though, he was an easy choice after running away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and inspiring a remarkable turnaround by a team that had been directionless for far too long. Daniels revived a dormant fanbase in just one season, posting an excellent (especially for a rookie) season-long stat line: 3,568 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, nine interceptions, 891 rushing yards and six rushing scores. He also quickly became the face of a franchise that desperately needed one. And he did all of that in just one season.

While many kept their focus on Kirk Cousins in Atlanta last season, Robinson turned in an excellent campaign. He cleared his rookie total in rushing yards by nearly 500, finishing with 1,456 and 14 rushing scores. He also chipped in 61 catches for 431 yards and one touchdown and, most importantly, proved his first-round selection was not a reach. Since Robinson entered the NFL in 2023, he has forced 161 missed tackles on runs, more than anyone but Derrick Henry. Last season, Robinson led all players with 200-plus carries in rushing success rate, nearly cracking 50 percent, per Next Gen Stats, despite being a second-year pro in an offense led by a limited QB whose strengths as a signal-caller weren't maximized by the scheme anyway. Robinson has undoubtedly met the expectations that followed him into the league.

When the Lions spent the 12th overall pick on Gibbs in 2023, plenty of doubters scoffed at the choice -- but after two seasons, 2,357 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns (plus another 833 receiving yards and five scoring grabs), it's clear Detroit made the right move. Gibbs is the lightning in Detroit's backfield to David Montgomery's thunder, but more importantly, he's a three-down back who is always a threat to opposing defenses. He's only 23 years old, too, meaning there's plenty of time before we have to start talking about the dreaded 30-year-old-running-back wall. Get used to seeing Gibbs on the highlight reels.

Nacua took the league by storm upon arrival in 2023, setting rookie records for both receptions (105, surpassed by both Malik Nabers and current record-holder Brock Bowers last season) and receiving yards (1,486, which still stands) while catching six touchdowns. Although he struggled with injuries in 2024, Nacua still caught 79 passes for 990 yards and three touchdowns, adding 11 catches for 141 yards in two playoff games. He was so good in his first two seasons that he rendered Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp obsolete, overtaking Matthew Stafford's former go-to option in targets per game over that span (9.5 to 8.1), presaging Kupp's departure this offseason. Now he's been paired with Davante Adams to form an intimidating receiving duo for a Rams team that once again seems focused solely on winning a title.

I don't need to tell you that the 4-13 Jaguars were not a good team in 2024, but one player (Thomas) made their games appointment viewing nonetheless. That's how good he was in his rookie season. Thomas is a big-play machine, finishing sixth in the NFL in yards after the catch (591) while placing 12th among all receivers in total expected points added. He was clearly the Jaguars' best option by the midpoint of the season, eating up 30 percent of the team's total targets over their final nine games. He produced those numbers while running routes for two different quarterbacks in an offense that finished 25th in total yards, leading me to believe he might be quickly joining the small club of quarterback-proof receivers. And he's only 22 years old.

Bowers was a bona fide star at Georgia and clearly the top tight end in the 2024 class, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that he succeeded as a rookie in the NFL. But most probably didn't expect him to be this good. In just one season, while playing with three different quarterbacks, Bowers racked up 112 catches (a record for rookie players) for 1,194 yards (a record for rookie TEs) and five touchdowns, instantly vaulting himself into the top tier of his position group. When folks rank tight ends entering 2025, they'll have a hard time not including Bowers among the first few, and that's if he doesn't end up in the top spot. He's playing with Geno Smith now, too, meaning we might soon come to view last year's production as a mere preview of his potential.

It's outrageous that LSU had three members of this roster (Thomas, Nabers and Daniels) on the field in 2023 and still didn't find a way to contend for the national title, but that's old news. Giants fans are very happy to have Nabers in the Big Apple, especially after he almost singlehandedly kept their offense afloat on many Sundays in 2024. In the final season of the Daniel Jones era, the quarterback treated Nabers like a life raft amid a torrential storm at sea, force-feeding his younger teammate and allowing Nabers to work his magic. Consider Week 2, when Jones targeted Nabers 18 times to the tune of 10 catches for 127 yards and one touchdown in a close loss to Washington. The other three pass-catchers saw a combined total of nine targets in that game. It became clear that, like Thomas in Jacksonville, Nabers was his team's best option in the passing attack, eminently capable of making defenders look silly. He did that to the Browns with two touchdown grabs in Week 3 and torched the Colts for seven catches, 171 yards and two scores in a high-flying late-season win. The Giants have desperately needed a receiver with these capabilities since the heyday of Odell Beckham, and they've finally found it in Nabers, who was the first Big Blue player to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season since OBJ did it in 2018. I expect Nabers to land on this list for the next two or three years.

Sewell was regarded as a generational talent when he left Oregon for the NFL but encountered an immediate hurdle upon arriving in Detroit, where solid left tackle Taylor Decker was already entrenched. Sewell embraced the challenge; though he did sub in for Decker as an injury replacement in the first half of the 2021 season, Sewell ultimately made the switch to the right side, flourishing along with the Lions' rise to the upper echelon of the league. Sewell earned consecutive first-team All-Pro selections in the last two years, made three straight trips to the Pro Bowl and even received as many Offensive Player of the Year votes as his receiver teammate, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (among others). He's elite, has already signed a lucrative extension and managed to sneak his way onto this list right before he turns 25 in October.

Cross hasn't yet earned any individual accolades, and he was part of an offensive line that was clearly a weakness for the Seahawks in 2024. But real ball-knowers understand what he brings to Seattle's starting five. Cross earned the ninth-best offensive grade among all tackles in the NFL last season, per Pro Football Focus, and posted career-best PFF grades across the board while logging a blocking efficiency rate of 96 percent. In simple terms, those numbers are quite good. He's a cornerstone of a unit that still needs more attention -- but not at left tackle.

First projected to play guard next to Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith quickly learned how fast things can change in the NFL, with an injury to the elder Smith forcing Tyler to man the tackle spot for the entirety of his rookie season in 2022. As it turns out, baptism by fire must have been perfect for him, because Smith quickly proved himself as a quality blocker. He settled back in as a guard in Year 2, landing a second-team All-Pro nod and earning the first of two straight Pro Bowl selections, giving Dallas a new cornerstone and leader of their revamped line.

We're in a weird place right now, with most of the NFL's best guards being 25 or older, which leads us closer to the land of replacement-level blockers. Skoronski might not reside in that tier for long, though, because the former Northwestern tackle showed notable improvement as a pass blocker in his second season at guard in Tennessee. Other than the six penalties he was flagged for in Year 2, he looked more comfortable than he did as a rookie and improved in most every category while learning how to play alongside JC Latham, who joined Skoronski on the line as a fellow former first-round choice. Tennessee has since added veteran Dan Moore Jr., whose installation at left tackle should further aid Skoronski in his age-24 season.

Frazier has just one NFL campaign under his belt but gave the Steelers the kind of reliability they've lacked from the ultra-important center position since Maurkice Pouncey's last season in 2020, registering a top-five offensive grade among all centers last season, per PFF. Frazier followed in Pouncey's footsteps by earning the team's Offensive Rookie of the Year award, the first time it was given to a center since Pouncey received it in 2010, suggesting the Steelers have finally found their successor at the pivot. General manager Omar Khan has effectively rebuilt the Pittsburgh offensive line in short order, and Frazier seems like the best choice of all, with many years of success ahead of him.

Anyone who is underwhelmed by Verse's 4.5 sacks last season is failing to grasp his elite ability to generate pressure. Verse finished with 76 QB pressures, per NGS, the fourth-most of any player in the entire NFL and only eight less than Myles Garrett. That production came from a rusher whose arrival with the 19th overall pick last year (along with Florida State teammate Braden Fiske, selected by the Rams 20 picks later) officially completed the rebuild of Los Angeles' defensive line into one of the most promising in the NFL. Awards voters properly recognized Verse's debut season by naming him Defensive Rookie of the Year, placing him in the same company as Rams legend Aaron Donald, who earned that honor 10 years prior. That's quite a start.

Houston's investment in Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is paying off. The Alabama product has logged 18 sacks in two seasons, demonstrating improvement in Year 2. He finished in the top 20 in the league in total pressures in his sophomore season, logging a 16.9 pressure percentage and continuing his ascension. Anderson hasn't reached his full potential yet -- but he's clearly on track to reach the elite tier of defenders.

When you turn on Carter's tape, it's impossible to not notice his blend of power, speed and pure force, especially when he's rushing the passer. Carter is incredibly gifted in this department and served as a key part of an Eagles defense that overwhelmed opponents en route to a Super Bowl LIX triumph. There is room for him to improve against the run, but he has the tools. With a Pro Bowl to his name and a small portion of Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2024, Carter has already landed on the national radar. Expect him to stay there.

On this All-Under 25 squad, Sweat is the run-stopping salt to Carter's pass-rushing pepper. He's a massive human (6-foot-4, 366 pounds) who is surprisingly athletic, a gargantuan gap-plugger made in the mold of a past era of interior defenders. While he didn't match his excellent Titans teammate Jeffery Simmons in stops (59), he still did quite a job in this category, logging 39 while keeping pace with more established upper-tier defensive tackles in stop percentage (5.8, better than Poona Ford's 5.4 and Vita Vea's 5.1). For those who appreciate raw power on the interior, Sweat is a joy to watch. If he can build on what he accomplished as a rookie, he'll become a household name.

After serving as a rotational player for two seasons, Dean stepped into a full-time role in 2024 and flourished, racking up 128 tackles, three sacks, four passes defensed and one interception. His jump in production was remarkable enough to earn him a few Comeback Player of the Year votes, and while he could still improve in coverage, Dean proved the ball-chasing instincts that he displayed at Georgia were still in him last season. As a defender with three pro campaigns under his belt before his 25th birthday, Dean might be seen as a bit of a late bloomer, but better late than never.

Hip and hamstring injuries kept Cooper from hitting the ground running as a rookie, but he eventually confirmed the hints on his college tape that suggested he was one of the most pro-ready defenders in the class. The former second-rounder racked up 87 tackles and 3.5 sacks while showing off rocket-like speed, starting the final three regular-season games for the Packers, and the folks at PFF noticed, handing Cooper the fifth-best defensive grade among all linebackers in 2024. Green Bay coaches have high expectations for the second-year pro with "superstar potential" (per Matt LaFleur) who "knows what he has to do now to stay healthy" and is "locked in and ... focused" (per Jeff Hafley).

It seemed as if whenever Houston's ascending defense needed a DB to make a play in 2024, Stingley was there to handle the job. The third overall pick in 2022 has proven he can be a consistent cover corner with ballhawking ability, logging five interceptions for a second straight season and finishing 2024 with a ballhawk rate of 20 percent, per NGS. He bumped up his passes defensed total from 13 in 2023 to 18 last season, adding another 15 tackles, in part a product of the six additional games he played. Awards voters responded by making him a first-team All-Pro selection -- and a few months later, Stingley became the highest-paid player at his position. Add in marks last season of -19.5 in targeted EPA, -7.6 in receptions allowed over expected and 56.9 in passer rating allowed when targeted, and you have a corner who is reliably denying his opponents chances to move the football.

Few corners blanket receivers better than McDuffie, who posted one of the best tight-window percentages (33.3%) at the position (minimum of 400 coverage snaps) last season, per NGS. The rest of his statistical picture isn't quite as impressive, but as a defender who is still allowing a targeted passer rating below 83 and already boasts a handful of clutch plays on his highlight reel, having followed up his first-team All-Pro selection in 2023 with a second-team All-Pro nod in 2024, McDuffie has cemented his place as a key piece in Kansas City for years to come. 

Joseph's rise has been quite enjoyable to witness, because it has coincided with Detroit's ascension into the upper echelon of NFL clubs. 2024 represented a new high for the ballhawking safety, who more than doubled his interception total, finishing with nine picks to go along with 83 tackles. The latter stat is incredibly consistent: He finished with 82 or more tackles in each of his three NFL seasons. No doubt thanks in part to the increased exposure that comes with playing for a Super Bowl contender, Joseph finally received some postseason flowers, taking home first-team All-Pro honors, asserting himself as a playmaker who cannot be ignored.

With a first-team All-Pro selection, two Pro Bowl nods and votes for Defensive Player of the Year going his way in 2024, Hamilton has undoubtedly established a reputation as a game-changing safety. He had just one pick on 55 targets last season, but he remains an active participant in Baltimore’s defense, getting more involved in the run game and finishing fifth in run stops (28) among safeties. He posted the most well-rounded assortment of primary defensive PFF grades of any safety in the NFL and finished with the second highest overall defensive grade at the position, behind only Joseph. Hamilton is a stud and will be a cornerstone in Baltimore for many, many years to come.

In 2024, Branch piled up 109 tackles, 16 passes defensed, four interceptions, one forced fumble and one sack, notching a 74.7 passer rating allowed, -3.3 completion percentage allowed over expected, -2.5 receptions allowed over expected, 4.2 targeted EPA and a 27.6 tight-window percentage. Yes, those are a lot of numbers to digest, but they show how Branch impacts every area of the game when he’s on the field. The Lions use Branch in a variety of roles -- and he thrives in all of them.