The NFL is filled with young talent across the board, as some of the league’s biggest stars are still playing on their rookie contracts and have yet to even hit the prime of their careers.
In Pro Football Network’s recently released NFL Top 100 List, which players under 25 years old made the cut, and who is the highest ranked? Let’s take a look at which of the league’s best young players are on the list.
Players Under 25 Years Old in PFN’s NFL Top 100
1) Penei Sewell, OT, Detroit Lions (15th overall)
The Detroit Lions boast one of the NFL’s most impressive offensive lines; Penei Sewell is the star of the unit and is the best right tackle in the league entering the 2024 campaign.
The former No. 7 overall pick routinely shuts down opposing pass rushers with his size, strength, and technique, but Sewell is also more than athletic enough to make inconceivable run blocks in space.
2) Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (17th overall)
Ja’Marr Chase has been everything the Cincinnati Bengals hoped for and more since entering the league in 2021. He’s tied for second in receiving touchdowns (29) and ranks seventh in receiving yards (3,717) during that span and should become one of the league’s highest-paid WRs on his next contract.
Only five receivers — including Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, and Odell Beckham Jr. — scored more touchdowns than Chase over their first three pro seasons.
3) Sauce Gardner, CB, New York Jets (20th overall)
Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only three defenders have earned first-team All-Pro nods in each of their first two seasons: Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, Micah Parsons, and Sauce Gardner, who’s on an early Hall of Fame track with the New York Jets.
NFL quarterbacks were terrified to throw at Gardner last year. In 2023, he was the only cornerback to start at least 14 games and receive fewer than 60 targets. Gardner only saw 55 targets in his coverage area last season as QBs avoided the former No. 4 overall pick’s zone. He’s broken up 31 pass attempts through two NFL campaigns while allowing just two touchdowns.
4) Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Detroit Lions (22nd overall)
Aidan Hutchinson’s sack production only increased from 9.5 to 11.5 from 2022 to 2023, but his underlying metrics made a much more significant leap. The No. 2 overall pick from 2022 more than doubled his QB hits (from 15 to 33); he went from 53 pressures in his rookie campaign to 101 last year.
Triple-digit pressure totals are rarified air. Future Hall of Famers like Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt hit that mark, while Maxx Crosby and Parsons reached 100+ pressures after the NFL added a 17th game in 2021.
5) Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions (24th overall)
While the Lions don’t necessarily have a prototypical WR1 on their roster, Amon-Ra St. Brown more than fills the role.
A genuine draft steal as a fourth-round selection, ARSB ranks fifth in receptions, sixth in targets, and eighth in receiving yards among WRs since entering the league in 2021. Only Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb have generated more receiving first downs over the past two seasons.
6) Kyle Hamilton, S, Baltimore Ravens (27th overall)
Kyle Hamilton joined Antoine Winfield Jr. as a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and displays the same sort of versatility as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety. Hamilton played 465 snaps in the slot, 301 as a free safety, and 236 in the box, contributing in just about every phase of the game.
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The Notre Dame product is an eraser in coverage who can keep up with all types of opposing pass catchers. But Hamilton also posted three sacks and 14 pressures despite rushing the passer fewer than 40 times.
7) Patrick Surtain II, CB, Denver Broncos (33rd overall)
Patrick Surtain II wasn’t quite as dominant in 2023 as he was in his 2022 All-Pro season, but that’s the life of an NFL cornerback — even an elite one. The Denver Broncos defense was a disaster early last year, and Surtain’s coverage numbers dipped during that stretch. Still, he’s typically as reliable as any corner in the league.
While he was mentioned as a speculative trade candidate as the Broncos pursued a rookie QB, Surtain was too valuable for Sean Payton to give up. He should rebound in 2024 if the rest of Denver’s defense plays up to par. Surtain’s perfect technique lets him cover any receiver in the NFL.
8) C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (35th overall)
C.J. Stroud could hardly have been more impressive in his 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. The No. 2 overall pick led the NFL in passing yards per game (273.9) and interception rate (1%), showing a rare blend of aggressiveness and patience while looking like a 10-year veteran under center and becoming the youngest NFL quarterback to win a playoff game.
9) Trent McDuffie, CB, Kansas City Chiefs (47th overall)
With L’Jarius Sneed playing boundary corner in 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs primarily deployed Trent McDuffie in the slot. He was lethal from the inside and was critical in Kansas City’s Super Bowl win.
McDuffie broke up three passes and executed a perfect fourth-quarter slot blitz against Brock Purdy, enabling the Chiefs to get the ball back late in the title game. He’s K.C.’s most valuable defender not named Chris Jones.
10) Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers (55th overall)
No quarterback was as efficient in 2023 as Purdy, whose 0.338 EPA per play lapped the rest of the NFL. Of course, EPA can often tell the story of a successful passing unit — and few signal-callers had as talented a supporting cast or better coaching than Purdy.
However, the former seventh-round pick improved both as a distributor and an off-schedule playmaker last season, and it’s impossible to ding Purdy for flawlessly operating the offense put in front of him.
11) Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams (56th overall)
Puka Nacua’s 2023 receiving totals weren’t in the same dimension as any other rookie wideout. He had 500+ more yards and 20+ more receptions than Chiefs WR Rashee Rice, the next-best in both categories.
The BYU product’s statistics could only be compared to those of other high-end NFL receivers. Nacua ranked in the top six league-wide in targets (163), receptions (114), receiving yards (1,667), and yards per route run (2.75), all of which were new NFL rookie records.
12) Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions (64th overall)
Tight end is such a demanding position that rookies often have trouble adjusting to the NFL — but don’t tell that to Sam LaPorta.
After being drafted 34th overall by the Lions in 2023, LaPorta broke the league record for receptions by a rookie TE (86). His 10 touchdowns led all tight ends, while his 889 receiving yards ranked fifth.
13) Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (76th overall)
Don’t judge Bijan Robinson on his counting statistics alone. While he didn’t clear 1,000 rushing yards in his rookie campaign, the Atlanta Falcons only asked him to carry the ball 214 times. With fellow RB Tyler Allgeier handling 186 carries, Robinson didn’t have the opportunity to put up gaudy rookie year numbers.
However, he still managed 1,463 total yards, more than any other rookie RB in 2023. Robinson passed the eye test every week and could be an All-Pro if Atlanta’s new coaching staff gives him more touches in 2024.
14) Jevon Holland, S, Miami Dolphins (79th overall)
Jevon Holland might have given us the most comical play from the 2023 NFL season when he intercepted Jets QB Tim Boyle’s end-of-half Hail Mary attempt and returned it for a 99-yard touchdown.
That was Holland’s first pick-six and fifth interception of his career, but that ball production understates his ability as a center-field safety. Set to play in his third scheme in as many seasons under new Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, Holland needs to stay healthy after missing five complete games and parts of others with knee issues in 2023.
15) Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles (91st overall)
While the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense was one of the more disappointing units in the league in 2023, the club’s overall performance didn’t stop Jalen Carter from posting an outstanding rookie season.
Carter posted six sacks, second among first-year interior defenders, trailing only the Los Angeles Rams’ Kobie Turner. However, Turner also rushed the passer 70 more times than Carter. Among all NFL DTs, Carter ranked sixth in pass-rush win rate (16%) and 15th in pressures (50).
16) Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (92nd overall)
While Trevor Lawrence hasn’t necessarily turned into the generational quarterback he was billed as in 2021, he ranks 12th in adjusted net yards per attempt and 14th in EPA + CPOE composite over the past two seasons after being mercifully released from Urban Meyer’s vice grip.
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Injuries hindered Lawrence down the 2023 stretch and eventually kept the Jacksonville Jaguars out of the playoffs. He still has all the traits of a high-end NFL QB, but Lawrence has to become more consistent on a down-by-down basis and limit turnovers to reach his full potential.
17) Christian Barmore, DT, New England Patriots (94th overall)
Always a dependable interior presence, Christian Barmore broke out with a career year in 2023, setting new highs in sacks (8.5), tackles (64), tackles for loss (13), and QB hits (16).
He’s still ascending and could emerge as an even more dominant force in his fourth NFL season. The New England Patriots saw enough to hand Barmore a four-year, $84 million extension in April.
18) Xavier McKinney, S, Green Bay Packers (96th overall)
Xavier McKinney should be an immediate upgrade for a revamped Green Bay Packers spine. The Alabama product played the best football of his career in 2023, spending time deep, in the box, and manning the slot while playing over 1,000 defensive snaps.
McKinney allowed the fifth-lowest passer rating (52.1) among safeties with at least 200 coverage snaps.
19) Tyler Linderbaum, C, Baltimore Ravens (99th overall)
The Baltimore Ravens lost 60% of their starting offensive line over the offseason, making center Tyler Linderbaum all the more critical as the club considers its 2024 front-five plans.
Already a strong run blocker during his 2022 rookie campaign, Linderbaum improved as a pass protector last year, helping Jackson win his second MVP. With two new guards and a rookie right tackle in the cards for Baltimore next season, Linderbaum is the glue of the team’s OL.
