As another NFL season nears its kickoff, the league’s best young players are working hard to continue their ascents. Some are already among the NFL’s elite. Others have exhibited promise and appear destined for stardom.
So, who are the NFL’s top 25 players who are 25 and younger? We reached out to 12 league front-office members, coaches or scouts for their thoughts, and they were granted anonymity so they could speak freely about the players. The participants were given a list of 35 potential players for inclusion and asked for feedback on where each might rank. Any player who met our age qualification and had earned All-Rookie, All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors was included for consideration.
Players had to be 25 or younger as of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL regular season. That criteria eliminated some talented young stars, including quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts, who both made this team last year but turned 26 in recent months.
Competition was thick, as every talent evaluator views players differently. But we narrowed it down to this robust group of players who have already established themselves as the game’s best, or are the closest to this accolade.
We also assembled an All-25-and-Under team, since the overall top 25 didn’t include a player at every position. You can find the All-25-and-Under team below as well.
A hamstring injury caused him to miss seven games last year, and Jefferson still posted the fourth 1,000-yard season of his career. That helped him earn a four-year, $140 million deal from the Vikings this summer, which made him the highest-paid wideout in the league. Jefferson was No. 1 on the 25-and-under list last year as well.
The unstoppable Parsons last season recorded a career-high 14 sacks. That brought him up to 40 1/2 for his career, and put him in elite company: Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, Aldon Smith and Dwight Freeney are the only other players in NFL history to tally 40 sacks in their first three NFL seasons. Parsons was No. 2 on last year’s 25-and-under list but, like Jefferson, he will age out next year.
Despite Joe Burrow’s injury-shortened 2023, Chase still delivered his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. He and Jefferson belong to an extremely exclusive club of game-changing wide receivers.
Lamb led the NFL with 135 catches while recording a career-best 1,749 yards last season, helping him earn first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his four-year career.
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Three straight seasons of 10-plus passes defended and two Pro Bowl appearances top Surtain’s resume. He is the definition of a shutdown corner.
A true franchise cornerstone and catalyst for Detroit’s turnaround, Sewell garnered first-team All-Pro honors last season. He also appeared in his second Pro Bowl, and this offseason signed a four-year, $112 million contract extension.
Wirfs was asked last season to move from right tackle to left. He did so without batting an eye, and delivered the same elite-level production protecting Baker Mayfield’s blindside as he did while blocking for Tom Brady on the right. Tampa Bay rewarded Wirfs this offseason with a five-year, $140.6 million contract, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the game.
The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Stroud took the league by storm in 2023. He not only rewrote the rookie record books, he also ranked among the league leaders in passing yards, passer rating and completion percentage while directing a surprising playoff run.
A first-team All-Pro in only his second season in the league, Hamilton is a difference-maker whether in pass coverage, lining up in the box or rushing the passer. He had 81 tackles, three sacks and four interceptions last season.
As a third-year pro, St. Brown racked up career highs in catches (119), yards (1,515) and touchdowns (10). That helped him earn Pro Bowl honors for a second straight season and All-Pro status for the first time. He enters Year 4 on a mission to join Jefferson, Chase and Lamb as one of the truly elite wideouts in the game.
Love went on a tear to close out his first season as a starter and propelled the Packers into the playoffs, where they upset the Cowboys in the wild-card round, then suffered a narrow 24-21 loss to the 49ers in the divisional round. Love (4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) appears poised to take another massive leap forward in 2024.
Purdy is 17-4 as a regular-season starter and 4-2 in the postseason, where he has appeared in the NFC Championship Game twice. The 49ers pushed the Chiefs to overtime in February’s Super Bowl before losing 25-22. Last season, Purdy carved up defenses for 31 touchdowns.
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Some critics question Gardner’s chops because the Jets play zone coverage so often. But Gardner is still a fantastic cover man, with 31 pass breakups (20 as a rookie) the last two seasons combined. He has earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in each of his first two NFL seasons.
Hutchinson followed up a solid rookie season with a Pro Bowl campaign that featured 11 1/2 sacks and 33 quarterback hits. Hutchinson also recorded a combined three sacks in three Lions playoff games last season. Look for another leap forward in Year 3 as the Lions aim to make another deep playoff run.
The versatile young corner is already one of the best at his position after just two seasons. Last season, in addition to his prowess in pass coverage, the All-Pro recorded five forced fumbles, three sacks, nine quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.
Despite his pairing with the prolific Tyreek Hill, Waddle has recorded 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons in the league. If not for injury, which limited him to 14 games last season, Waddle likely would have topped the 1,356 yards he recorded in 2022.
The first pick of the 2021 draft reached his first Pro Bowl in 2022, then regressed slightly as Jacksonville went 9-8 and missed the playoffs. But Lawrence has all of the tools necessary to continue to ascend and should capitalize on another offseason and year under head coach Doug Pederson.
Talk about an immediate impact — LaPorta, drafted in the second round, posted one of the best seasons for a rookie tight end in NFL history with his 86 catches, 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Lions’ other instant-impact star, Gibbs started just three games in 2023 but still rushed for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns and also caught 52 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown en route to Pro Bowl honors. We’ll have to watch the hamstring injury he suffered in practice on Monday.
Carter made a seamless transition from the University of Georgia to the NFL, accumulating six sacks and 33 tackles (eight for loss) while serving as a rotational player. With Fletcher Cox retired, the Eagles will lean heavily on Carter and Jordan Davis to anchor their defensive line this season.
Wilson owns a pair of 1,000-yard seasons despite the Jets’ well-documented quarterback woes, so what might he accomplish with a healthy Aaron Rodgers throwing to him? The Jets hope to quickly find out. Talent evaluators around the league predict Wilson will make another big leap forward in 2024 and join the ranks of the elite young wide receivers.
After just one season, Robinson looks like one of the most well-rounded backs in the league. He rushed for 976 yards and four touchdowns and added 58 catches for 487 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.
The 2023 fifth-round pick may have been the steal of the draft. All he did was shatter the rookie record books with 105 catches for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns while helping the Rams go 10-7 and return to the playoffs after 2022’s losing campaign.
One of the toughest and smartest young interior linemen in the NFL, Humphrey has never missed a game in three seasons with the Chiefs and has garnered Pro Bowl honors in each of the last two campaigns (both of which ended with Super Bowl victories).
The Alabama product recorded seven sacks, 22 quarterback hits and 45 tackles last season as the tone-setter for Houston’s defense, and he earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors.
Stroud was one of the most effective passers in the league regardless of experience last season, executing with a level of precision and poise that stunned the NFL. Now, thanks to the Texans’ additions of wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon, Stroud could take another step forward. He obviously faced stiff competition for the top QB spot here. Love must show he can play at a high level for an entire season, but he also seems poised for another leap forward. And though Purdy is as steady as they come, Stroud has a few more tricks in his bag.
The electrifying Gibbs delivered 1,261 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns for the Lions, despite sharing the backfield with David Montgomery. Robinson also put up great numbers but did so with more touches than Gibbs. What will Year 2 hold for these two rising stars?
It’s tough to keep St. Brown off, but Jefferson, Chase and Lamb truly are the cream of the crop at wide receiver.
It’s scary to consider just how high LaPorta’s ceiling is based on the instant impact he had on the Lions.
Wirfs and Sewell are already among the best at their positions, as is Humphrey. The 23-year-old Smith turned into a Pro Bowl left guard for Carolina last season after beginning his career as a tackle. Buffalo’s Torrence (age 24) stepped right in as a rookie last season and played like a seasoned vet.
These two are on their way to joining the ranks of the league’s elite edge rushers.
Big, powerful, athletic and well-rounded, Carter and Turner make their presences felt against the run and the pass. The Rams’ Turner turned 25 in April.
Dallas’ Parsons terrorizes offensive linemen and quarterbacks regardless of where he lines up. Green Bay’s Walker, 23, has great range and makes plays all over the field. Walker has 239 tackles (12 for loss), nine quarterback hits, 10 pass deflections, three forced fumbles and an interception in two seasons.
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Good luck against this trio of crafty cover guys, who already are among the best in the league despite their youth.
Hamilton is already a star, and if the Dolphins’ Holland (age 24) can capitalize on a full season of health, he won’t be too far behind his Ravens counterpart.
The Chargers’ Dicker, at 24, is among the most accurate kickers in the league. The Titans’ Stonehouse (age 25) is already one of the NFL’s best punters. The 22-year-old Mims shined as a rookie kick and punt returner last season for the Broncos.
(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photos of Justin Jefferson, C.J. Stroud and Puka Nacua: Stephen Maturen, Michael Owens, Ric Tapia / Getty Images)
