The NFL is a young man’s league. The first (and arguably most important) building blocks for successful franchises are impact players on cost-controlled rookie deals, and we’ve scoured the league to pick the best of these young players—plus a few who have already earned themselves big-money second contracts heading into the 2024 season. This is The Ringer’s All Under 25 squad.
This preseason team isn’t a ranking of the top youngsters based on sheer stats, otherwise we may have had 12 to 15 receivers and defensive backs make the list just based on raw production. Players who made big splashes in their respective rookie seasons got extra consideration, as did players I believe have long-term All-Pro potential. These are players who have quickly become foundational pieces for their franchises—the NFL stars of today and tomorrow.
The lineup is built in the same vein as one would approach a true game-day roster—two tight ends, a one-two punch in the backfield, three receivers, and enough linebackers and corners to toggle between playing base and nickel personnel. And only players who will be under 25 on the first day of this NFL season—Thursday, September 5—are eligible.
These are the future faces of the league.
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans, 22
Houston hit the Mega Million lottery with Stroud, who, at only 22 years old, could hold down this spot on the list for seasons to come.
There’s no superlative beyond the pale for his 2023 rookie campaign, falling just two first-place votes from winning Offensive Rookie of the Year unanimously. Per TruMedia, his explosive play rate was the best among rookies from the last 10 draft classes, and his EPA per dropback was second only to Justin Herbert in that same span. Stroud was not sacked in either of his postseason games, despite facing two of the NFL’s most productive pass-rushing units in Cleveland and Baltimore, and he became just the third quarterback since 2012, along with Brock Purdy and Russell Wilson, to win playoff games in their rookie seasons.
Stroud’s excellence isn’t specific to his youth, scheme, or years of experience, either. His interception rate and touchdown-to-interception ratio led all passers in 2023, the latter by a significant margin. His poise in the pocket and command of his offense is uncanny, and he finished in the top 10 in passer rating on pure drop back passes, even when he was blitzed.
With receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon newly in the fold as playmakers, and with the hope for a healthy offensive line in 2024, this Texans offense projects to be more balanced on early downs than it was last season—and Stroud should have better options underneath, keeping him from having to be a hero on passing downs. If the updated version of this offense coalesces, an MVP campaign isn’t out of the question in 2024.
Stroud is what a franchise altering QB looks like.
Second team: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars, 24
Running Back
Breece Hall, New York Jets, 23
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons, 22
Both of these young backs are threats to create explosive plays at any moment. Hall ranked fourth among running backs in average yards after contact (3.41) and Robinson finished 11th (3.10) last season, and Hall’s production is especially impressive considering his straight-ahead running style and how often he faced loaded boxes because of the Jets’ limited passing game. As for Robinson, I expect him to see more stacked boxes in the coming years, as he averaged five yards per carry against seven-man fronts as a rookie, and has amassed quite a collection of highlights of ankle-breaking moves in the open field.
But where Hall and Robinson separate themselves from other young running backs is the value and volume each adds in the passing game. Hall led all running backs in receptions and yardage last season, and Robinson finished in the top six among the same categories. Both finished in the top 10 in yards after contact on receptions, too, replicating the same kind of elusiveness they provide on direct handoffs.
Speed and receiving ability are the defining characteristics of the modern feature back, and I expect both players to be at or near the top of the position in 2024 and beyond.
Second team: Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams, 23; James Cook, Buffalo Bills, 24
Tight End
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions, 23
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals, 24
A golden age of tight end play is on the horizon, with more players coming into the league who have special movement skills and versatility. LaPorta and McBride look like top 10 players at the position already, and LaPorta might already be among the top five, given how well he projects as a blocker.
While both players are top-end athletes, their roles and effect on the game are different. LaPorta’s extensive role in the Lions’ passing game was impressive for a rookie, as he was used like a queen on the chess board to exploit mismatches and force a defense’s hand in coverage. Per PFF, LaPorta led all tight ends in routes run from an outside alignment, and was one of just six TEs in the league to run more than 100 routes from an outside alignment. His four touchdowns from outside led his position—only the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce gained more yards on such plays. LaPorta’s diversity in alignment and Detroit’s willingness to run him vertically makes him an explosive play threat and opens up the field for his teammates to work underneath.
As for McBride, he’s more of your modern move-flex tight end,spending the vast majority of his reps in-line or in the slot. McBride was arguably the most productive player in the league while running routes as an in-line tight end, and he finished top three in yards per route run, total yards after the catch, and first downs gained per route run. McBride’s range of routes is in the short-to-intermediate part of the field, and the Cardinals have done a good job of finding opportunities to get him the ball on the move, as well as allowing him to find space to create plays after the catch against lesser athletes.
While tight ends have always been effective options against soft zones, McBride and LaPorta have already proven themselves as viable separators against man-to-man, as both finished in the top ten in yards per route run against tight coverages last season. Expect this pair and the rest of the promising crop of young tight ends to inspire major offensive innovation.
Second team: Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons, 23; Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers, 23
Wide Receiver
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals, 24
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams, 23
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints, 24
Without question, the deepest collection of Under 25 talent in the NFL is at receiver. Over the last five seasons, 21 players have put up 800-plus receiving yards in their rookie seasons. Of that group, five put up over 1,000 yards, averaged more than two yards per route run, and had explosive play rates better than 25 percent—Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, and the three receivers who I’ve picked for this squad. Each of them immediately transformed their respective teams’ passing offenses.
Chase’s evolution is inextricably linked to that of the Bengals offense. In his rookie year, Chase’s route tree was as simple as it gets for outside receivers, with go routes, hitches, and slants making up 53 percent of his routes run from the perimeter. When defenses adjusted in 2022 and committed to keeping safeties over the top, Chase nearly doubled his rate of running slants (from 7 percent to 13 percent). Last season, he saw his most balanced distribution of routes, as his rate of go routes dropped from 29 to 21 percent, and his rate of crossing routes, screens, and routes run from the slot went up. While we may not see this offense repeatedly burn up the sideline against one-on-one coverage like it did when he was on it in 2021 again, Chase has gradually developed into a complete receiver, clearing 1,000 yards with at least five receiving touchdowns in each of his three seasons—despite his opponents’ efforts to rein him in.
Olave came into the league in 2022 with a reputation of being a sure-handed receiver with the body control to separate against man or zone. For a player with a slight frame and a below-average vertical leap, he’s maintained his ability to win at the catch point against tight coverage and produce as consistently from the slot as he has on the perimeter—and that’s while playing with quarterbacks and in an offensive system in New Orleans unable to get the most out of his field stretching speed. If Olave’s role in New Orleans’ offense under new coordinator Klint Kubiak—who’s installing a Kyle Shanahan–style offense—is similar to what we’ve seen from Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco, we may see a breakout performance from Olave this fall.
Nacua was Sean McVay’s dream receiver, working across the middle of the field with the reckless abandon needed to get the most out of Matthew Stafford in 2023. Nacua led the league in production on crossing and in-breaking routes, with 552 yards on 47 targets—more than 100 yards ahead of no. 2 Amon-Ra St. Brown. Nacua ranked fifth in yards after the catch and seventh in EPA per route run in 2023 en route to a record setting rookie campaign. Though he’s not the same kind of speed threat or ball-winner as Chase or Olave, respectively, Nacua quickly emerged as a true lead receiver in his own right and will find success in the intermediate area of the field, as long as he’s in Los Angeles with McVay.
Second team: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions, 24; Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs, 24; Garrett Wilson, New York Jets, 24
Offensive Line
OT Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions, 23
G Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys, 23
C Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens, 24
C/G Steve Avila, Los Angeles Rams, 24
OT Paris Johnson Jr., Arizona Cardinals, 23
Sewell, Smith, and Linderbaum each are already top-tier talents at their respective positions, and each allowed fewer than 20 pressures in 2023. Sewell, a first-team All-Pro last season, is one of the NFL’s leading examples of a dominant force in the run game, and a wall in pass protection. Sewell’s power and quickness make him the best pulling tackle in the NFL, and the best overall right tackle in the NFL—now he’s paid accordingly, having received a four-year, $112 million extension this offseason.
Linderbaum has always been agile enough to add value to Baltimore’s elite run game, but his strength has dramatically improved since entering the league in 2022. Last year we frequently saw him generating more movement at the point of attack and creating opportunities in the zone-running game.
Smith is a monster as a run blocker, throwing defensive tackles and linebackers out of the club on a regular basis. His ability to work to the second level and create running lanes consistently stands out on tape, while he has a combination of athletic traits that help him deal with power rushers on the interior. With another year solely focused on mastering his craft at guard, Smith may finish the 2024 season as the best interior lineman in football.
The other two names on this list are more projections, players I think can eventually become foundational pieces for their offenses, if not franchise cornerstones. Avila entered the league last year with a strong reputation as a run blocker from his college career at TCU. He delivered so well in his first season at guard for the Rams that his team has added more big-bodied interior linemen to play around him, and plans to move him to center and use him on double-team blocks in its downhill run game. Johnson, meanwhile, was solid as a pass protector in his rookie season in 2023, and could make big strides as he gets more comfortable at the position—having moved between guard and tackle in college, and now moving permanently to left tackle in Arizona.
Second-team: OT Anton Harrison, Jacksonville Jaguars, 22; OT Darnell Wright, Chicago Bears, 22; IOL O’Cyrus Torrence, Buffalo Bills, 24; Joe Tippmann, New York Jets, 23; Matthew Bergeron, Atlanta Falcons, 24
Edge
Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions, 23
Will Anderson Jr. Houston Texans,, 22
A truly franchise-altering pass rusher has yet to emerge from the league’s group of young edges, but there are several solid contributors at the position. Hutchinson finished among the top 15 rushers in the league with 11.5 sacks last season—and his 14 tackles for a loss ranked tied for 16th last year among all defenders. Detroit moved him inside (where he has some experience dating back to his college days) at times, and it helped him use his power and motor to affect the pocket and throwing platform of opposing quarterbacks. He may not have the sexy bend off the edge we’ve become accustomed to in premier rushers, but his method works.
While it’s fair to wonder what kind of long-term sack production we’ll see from Anderson, turning on the tape from his rookie year tells you all you need to know about his impact on the game. He deservedly won Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 10 TFLs and seven sacks in 2023, both ranking in the top 50 of all defenders. Like Hutchinson, Anderson wins with power and effort, so the fact that his pressure rate landed above 15 percent as a rookie should inspire confidence that he’s winning in ways that will carry over season-to-season.
Second team: George Karlaftis, Kansas City Chiefs, 23; Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers, 21
Defensive Tackle
Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles, 23
Alim McNeill, Detroit Lions, 24
The jury is still out on most of the young talent at this position, but we’ve seen enough from McNeill as a gap-shooting defensive tackle with active hands. His 15 TFLs and eight sacks since 2021 ranks in the top 20 of all defensive tackles.
Carter (and the rest of Philadelphia’s defense) fell off a cliff down the stretch of 2023, but his 3.5 sacks and 12 percent pressure rate both ranked in the top 15 among interior linemen. We still need to see Carter use his physical gifts to be a consistent force as a run defender, but he did rank in the top 20 at his position with six TFLs, proof of how destructive he can be when he’s at his best.
Second team: Bryan Bresee, New Orleans Saints, 22; Jordan Davis, Philadelphia Eagles, 24
Linebacker
Ernest Jones IV, Los Angeles Rams, 24
Ivan Pace Jr., Minnesota Vikings, 23
Quay Walker, Green Bay Packers, 24
No position is harder to evaluate, project, and properly appreciate in modern football than linebacker. With how often these players end up out in space, the steady decrease in blitzes over the past decade, and perimeter runs being in vogue, it’s hard for modern linebackers to make the same kind of down-to-down impact we saw from this position in previous generations.
There are young players with great lateral range and coverage skills (Nick Bolton), the raw athletic ability to be moved around and play multiple roles in a defense (Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah), and the pure thumper/downhill types (Leo Chenal), but the three guys who got the nod on this list have already proved their value in multiple areas and in difficult situations.
Jones immediately became an integral part of the Rams defense when he arrived as a third-round pick in 2021, and his role continues to expand. Early in his career, Jones was used in passing situations as an additional rusher, which forced offensive lines to block future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald one-on-one. In 2021, Jones had a remarkable 25 percent pressure rate when aligned as an OLB—and his pass rush repertoire continues to grow each year. By last season, though, he was playing off-ball linebacker at a high level, leading all LBs under age 25 in tackles against the run—and ranked 11th among all linebackers. We often hear about linebackers who can both stop the run on early downs and rush the passer on third; Jones actually fits that bill.
Pace and Walker—who came into the league with diverging play styles and athletic profiles—are arriving in similar places in terms of consistency for their NFC North teams. Pace is more of the traditional, downhill type of linebacker. His football IQ helps him to properly diagnose what offenses are trying to do, and he’s shown some impressive short-area twitchiness that went underappreciated during his time at Cincinnati. Walker has height, length, and raw physical ability, and it seemed like he increasingly adjusted to the speed of the NFL game throughout last season. Walker entered the league as more of a coverage linebacker, but last year he showed he could fit the run well, and ended the season as one of the few bright spots on a poor Packers defense.
Second team: Nick Bolton, Kansas City Chiefs, 24; Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions, 23; Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns, 24
Cornerback
Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos, 24
Sauce Gardner, New York Jets, 23
Asante Samuel Jr., Los Angeles Chargers, 24
This position didn’t take much to figure out, with the top two corners in the league regardless of age making this list. Surtain and Gardner have each laid the groundwork for potential Hall of Fame–level careers out of the gate, making the debate of who is the NFL’s CB1 a matter of preference. If there’s a nit to pick between the two, it does help Surtain’s résumé that he will travel to the side of his opponent’s best outside receiver—and in Denver he’s playing with an inferior supporting cast—but Gardner’s ball production helps tip the scales back toward even. In an era when many teams are lining up with smaller corners who are more limited in their coverage ability, this pair of lockdown corners are in their own world as foundational defensive pieces.
The battle for the next best CB under 25 is tightly contested, and more varied in terms of play style. Samuel lacks some of the measurable and raw physical traits seen at the top of this position, but his small wingspan and sub-6-foot height have yet to affect his ability to be a big-time playmaker. He has six interceptions and 35 pass breakups since entering the league in 2021. His small frame keeps him from playing in the slot and dealing with the run game, but he’s been good enough outside to keep his body type from being a hindrance to his defense.
Second team: Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans, 23; Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs, 23; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks, 23
Safety
Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens, 23
Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers, 24
In the modern NFL, it matters less what a safety can do as the all-seeing eye in the middle of the field, and more of what he can do as a matchup eraser between the numbers. Considering how Baltimore has used him, you can make an argument that Hamilton is just as much a third linebacker as he is a safety, if not more. Since coming into the league as a first-round pick in 2022, Hamilton is one of just five slot defenders with 20-plus run stops in fewer than 200 run snaps and is one of seven with at least four TFLs in the same number of snaps. Baltimore frequently blitzes him out of the slot, and he leads the league in pressure rate (30 percent) on those rushes among players with at least 20 opportunities. He’s also among the top 10 defenders/slot defenders/safeties in passes broken up. We can argue about most valuable, but the best overall defender in the NFL last season was Hamilton. No matter how he was used on a given play call, if Hamilton was anywhere near the ball, it spelled bad news for offenses.
Hufanga is the heartbeat of San Francisco’s defensive backfield, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2022—and he was making a big impact last season before suffering a torn ACL. In the last two seasons, we’ve seen Hufanga used effectively as a blitzer off the edge, with six TFLs and a pair of sacks on those rushes. San Francisco plays two-deep coverage shells at one of the highest rates in the NFL, and Hufanga has still made an impact with more than 60 tackles against the run. What puts his value to this defense over the top has been his ball-hawking instincts in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field, ranking in the top 15 of all defensive backs, with seven interceptions since 2022.
Second team: Jevon Holland, Miami Dolphins, 24; Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions, 23
