Predicting rookies who will make their mark in 2025
With the NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward — not just for NFL teams but for the players themselves.
We spent so much time this offseason talking about strengths and weaknesses and draft stock and potential fits but now it’s time to talk about possibilities. We know where players landed. We know how much draft capital teams spent to bring them in. And we have a pretty decent idea of what type of role they should be expected to fill, based on those two factors.
With that in mind, we asked some of our staffers to make predictions regarding what might happen this upcoming season with this year’s rookie class. In the space below, myself, Cody Benjamin, Tyler Sullivan, Bryan DeArdo, Josh Edwards and Garrett Podell each lay out something we expect to see happen with this rookie class in 2025.
Jared Dubin: McMillan is stepping into a situation where he should quickly becoming the clear-cut No. 1 option in the passing game. The Panthers have been so starved for receiving options that Adam Thielen has been funneled over seven targets per game across his two seasons in town. McMillan has the talent to fully take over the role and we have seen Dave Canales scheme players of his archetype into great success.
Cody Benjamin: Chicago’s pass catching corps is loaded with promise, with Luther Burden III joining DJ Moore and Rome Odunze out wide. But Sam LaPorta exploded early under Ben Johnson in Detroit, and Loveland is in the same mold at tight end.
Tyler Sullivan: New Orleans plucked Shough early on Day 2, and the Louisville quarterback finds himself in a favorable spot to put up numbers during his rookie season. At the skill positions, Shough will have wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed at his disposal, Alvin Kamara in the backfield, and a revamped offensive line with two first-round offensive tackles (Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga) protecting him. First-year head coach Kellen Moore also has a solid history of helping young quarterbacks during his career, and meshing that background with Shough’s extensive experience at the collegiate level should help him hit the ground running. New Orleans will likely be trailing a lot in 2025, further setting the stage for some inflated stats from Shough and quarterbacks have won this award in four of the last six seasons. Of course, this is under the assumption he wins the starting job as Derek Carr deals with injury.
Bryan DeArdo: The odds of this happening will obviously go up if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign with the Steelers. At this point, Rodgers remains unsigned, so the current odds of Howard starting at least one game as a rookie look pretty good. If Rodgers doesn’t sign, there’s a very reasonable chance that Howard can be the Steelers’ No. 2 QB, behind Mason Rudolph and ahead of Skylar Thompson. It would then take Rudolph suffering an injury and/or having a poor performance or Pittsburgh playing a “meaningless game” (if Pittsburgh gets to Week 18 and the game doesn’t mean anything as far as the playoffs, for example) for Howard to get his shot.
Quinshon Judkins leads all rookies in rushing yards
Josh Edwards: There were other predictions related to Ravens edge rusher Mike Green and Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter that I had considered, but Judkins feels like the safest bet due to opportunity and talent. The deck has been cleared for Judkins to get the majority of the carries for a Browns team that wants to return to its wide zone roots behind a talented offensive line.
Matthew Golden leads rookie class in receiving yards
Garrett Podell: Golden will become the first Packers player with 1,000 yards receiving since Davante Adams in 2021 and in doing so will lead all NFL rookies in receiving yards. The Packers finally drafted an offensive weapon (RB, WR, TE) in the first round. It was their first time doing so since 2002, snapping the longest such drought in the common draft era (since 1967). Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is going to plug Golden into Christian Watson‘s deep-threat role, with Watson recovering from a torn ACL. That will open the door for Golden to evolve into a huge weapon for Jordan Love.
Xavier Restrepo leads Titans rookies in receiving
Jared Dubin: Tennessee added three pass catchers for Cam Ward in the fourth round alone, selecting wide receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, along with tight end Gunnar Helm. But the best receiver the Titans added was an undrafted free agent. Restrepo could have been a Day 2 pick and would unquestionably have gone on Day 3 had he not run a disastrous 40-yard dash at Miami’s Pro Day. But Ward’s former No. 1 receiver is an absolute baller. He’s going to make the team, and with a clear opening in the slot alongside Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett, he could quickly take over an actual role. If he does, Ward is going to target him a lot.
