Top NFL players under 25 | 1-15
Who is the top NFL player under age 25?
15) Derwin James, S, Los Angeles Chargers
Outside of durability, James has it all as an NFL safety. Without injury, there’s a chance he lands at the very top of this list. As a rookie, he played like one of the top defenders in the entire league. However, since then, he’s only played in six games.
James owns old-school prototype safety size paired with high-end athleticism for the position. He’s not simply an athlete, though. His ability in the back half comes from his outstanding trigger downhill and great ball skills. He’s a heat-seeking missile around the line of scrimmage and uses his length to shed blocks from tight ends well.
He’s the entire package. Hopefully, health allows him to come back and dominate.
14) Quinnen Williams, DT, New York Jets
Williams might have the most infectious smile in the game. His career started on the slow end as a rookie, but he quickly showed improvement with a productive second season. Unfortunately, his sophomore campaign ended prematurely. He suffered a concussion and neck injury, which shut him down for the Jets’ final three games.
Williams burst onto the scene in his one season playing a high snap count at Alabama. They’re known for rotating in young stud defensive linemen left and right and “Q” was no exception. His technical proficiency and above-average athleticism led to 19.5 TFL’s and 8 sacks. His pass-rush productivity exploded in 2020, landing him the fourth-highest win rate for interior rushers. But in an even more impressive feat, he finished first as a run defender in that same metric.
And he’s only going to get better.
13) Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
Barkley is another name that fell in the top 100 because — whether we like it or not — the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” business. In 2020, he suffered an ACL tear and missed all but the first two games of the year. That was already coming off a sophomore season that was less impressive than his rookie year.
Still, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett loves himself a feature back, and as we saw in Dallas, their backs catch the ball out of the backfield a lot. And Barkley is better at that than Ezekiel Elliott.
Barkley’s athleticism doesn’t make sense for a back his size. That’s the trump card that gets him on the top 25 list of NFL players under 25 years old. It appears he may need to maximize every drop of it he has if he wants to succeed behind the Giants offensive line in 2020.
12) DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Speaking of guys that shouldn’t move the way they do at their size. Metcalf is carved from stone. He looks like he was drawn by the artists that created Dragon Ball Z.
Metcalf might be the most physically imposing receiver in the league. His speed and strength make him a problem for defenders when jockeying for position. His route tree has progressed nicely as a pro, probably because those three orange cones aren’t on the field to defend against him.
Despite his deep aDOT, Russell Wilson completed over 64% of his passes to Metcalf, who averaged a stellar 15.7 yards per catch in a league that’s continuously working closer to the line of scrimmage as time passes.
11) Devin White, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
White generated a productive playoff performance. He rides that performance in on his horse to the 11th spot in our top-25 NFL players ranking. His regular season was good, but he still played second fiddle to Lavonte David on the Buccaneers’ linebacking corps.
His range is outstanding, and his ability as a pass rusher is evident in his usage. As a coverage linebacker, his interception against Drew Brees suggests he’s improving as the trigger. His lack of length hurts his consistency as a tackler, but he brings a ton of pop to the party. If he can continue his upward trajectory, he’ll be in the discussion for the best linebacker in the NFL.
10) Tristan Wirfs, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wirfs was an athletic freak whom many had as the best offensive tackle of the 2020 NFL Draft class. Early returns for those draft analysts are looking pretty good. Wirfs had his own argument for Offensive Rookie of the Year, although we all understand the voters would never actually value a non-fantasy position for the award.
Wirfs is no Kolton Miller, however. His athleticism translated on tape, and there was no NFL learning curve for this top-25 player under 25. With so many of the NFL’s premier rushers coming from either both sides or primarily from the offense’s right side, it would be foolish to discount Wirfs’ impact simply because he’s not on the blindside.
Wirfs might become the NFL’s best right tackle at just 22 years old. Ryan Ramczyk might have something to say about that, though.
9) Jessie Bates III, S, Cincinnati Bengals
Bates is the league’s premier free safety. At least, that is what the dictatorial safety rankings suggest. The top-25 NFL players under 25 rankings were obviously based on the democratic process of voting.
Bates has silly range in the back end. He’s a legitimate single-high sideline-to-sideline defender. His 15 passes defensed were 3 more than the next closest safety, Darnell Savage. Bates possesses outrageous instincts on the back end, making him a favorite of mine coming out of Wake Forest.
8) Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Pittsburgh Steelers
The 2018 NFL Draft produced some outrageous safety prospects. Fitzpatrick was already good in Miami, but he transformed the Steelers’ secondary in 2019. His production in his 14 games with Pittsburgh was mind-boggling. He tallied 5 interceptions, 9 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.
The minute he got his wish to play as a legitimate free safety, his game improved dramatically. He played a complex role in the Alabama defense coming out and did the same with the Dolphins. He’s in a battle with Bates as the best true free safety in the league. The consensus is, he’s THE guy.
7) Fred Warner, LB, San Francisco 49ers
Warner’s ranking as the seventh-best player in the top 25 NFL players under 25 probably has more to do with the devaluation of his position than his actual overall ability relative to the rest of the top six. Warner is the best linebacker in the NFL. He fell in the draft because there were questions about his ability as a run defender.
Well, those issues were quickly corrected at the NFL level. He looks like a safety in coverage. He can man up against backs and tight ends, and he’s a menace defending the seam as hole defender in zone coverage. His trigger and athleticism allow him to get to passes no other linebacker outside of Eric Kendricks can.
6) Chase Young, DE, Washington Football Team
Young is an insane natural talent who had a stronger season as a rookie than his traditional production might suggest. He finished in the top 10 of both run-stop and pass-rush win rates as a rookie. With Washington’s defensive line, he should be provided enough one-on-one opportunities to continue his dominance.
Young was an even better prospect than the two Bosa brothers, providing similar technical proficiency with better overall athleticism. As a backside run defender, you better not leave him unblocked. His combination of hand usage, short-area agility, and strength make it difficult for playside blockers to block him.
He rushes from a two and three-point stance and has every rush move in the book in his arsenal. At just 22 years old, Young has the opportunity to fight for the top of this list heading into the next two seasons.
5) A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans
This young man is morphing into a superstar. Now that he has Julio Jones aligning opposite of him, his opportunities should become easier. Brown was always going to be a strong slot receiver with decent post-catch ability. But he’s become much more than that, shooting him into the top five of our NFL players under 25.
Brown’s ability as a route runner has improved drastically in his few short years in the league. His physicality now pairs well with an increased understanding of positional leverage and how to exploit defenders. His footwork in transition has improved, and his post-catch ability is hardly matched by anybody in the NFL.
4) Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Jefferson produced arguably the best rookie season ever for a receiver. Jefferson was the fifth receiver off the board in an impressive 2020 draft class that included Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Jalen Reagor. Only one of them, however, made the list of top 25 NFL players under 25.
Jefferson instantly became the top target in the Vikings’ offense over Adam Thielen, something Stefon Diggs never truly did. He already dominated against soft coverages coming out of LSU. Additionally, in 2020, Jefferson was elite in his reps against press man, which was a common question about his game coming out. However, that is more due to a lack of press-man snaps he dealt with while in college.
3) Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson is the most electric player in the NFL. He’s still developing as a passer, but his overall contribution places him within the top five of NFL players under 25. He’s already won an MVP award in his young career, making him the only player on this list to do so.
Jackson’s agility and speed make cultivating a defensive gameplan against him nearly impossible. Despite the narrative that he struggles as a passer, his passes ranging from 10-20 yards are far better than the league average. He’s done this despite really only having tight ends or miniature receivers to throw to.
The Ravens added Rashod Bateman into the fold as a rookie in 2021. He has the ability to surprise people as a rookie, similar to how Jefferson did.
2) Nick Bosa, DE, San Francisco 49ers
If Bosa can stay healthy, he’ll contend as one of the league’s premier pass rushers. Ohio State just couldn’t stop producing mind-boggling talent for a three-year stretch. Bosa’s combination of strength, technique, and explosiveness make him a nightmare for blockers.
Still, it’s technique over all else. Bosa has every pass-rush move in the book, but he’s not just a good pass rusher. Bosa’s strength and technical ability permeate into his run defense as well. It was interesting to see that his injury history did not seem to affect his stock on PFN’s NFL Top 100 as some other injuries did.
That’s just how impressive he was as a rookie.
1) Jaire Alexander, CB, Green Bay Packers
Alexander might be the best pure cover corner in the NFL. His short-area agility and his pesky attitude keep him in the hip pocket of wide receivers up and down the field. He’s not the biggest cornerback in the NFL, but that doesn’t matter as much in a league that moves further away from allowing defenders to bully offensive players without the ball in their hands.
No, today it’s about being able to drape receivers without initiating any contact. That takes outrageous reactive athleticism. Other cornerbacks have the feet Alexander has, but few can translate that into the kind of long speed he possesses. Many believe cornerback is the most difficult position to succeed in the NFL at early besides quarterback. There may be no better evidence of that than just one other player (Ward) appearing on the list of top 25 NFL players under 25.
Want more NFL news and analysis?
Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@PFN365) to stay in the loop on all things around the NFL. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis concerning the 2021 season and beyond.