Sky Sports NFL’s Jason Bell and Phoebe Schecter rank their top five rookies of the 2025 season so far…
Their list notably includes two New York Giants first-year stars, along with a new hero within the Indianapolis Colts and their lightning start to the campaign.
5) Abdul Carter – OLB, New York Giants
Jason Bell: “He’s disruptive, right? Putting him on the line of scrimmage forces one-on-ones everywhere else, and that’s the strength of this team, the pressure they bring. That’s why they got him in there and he’s impacted the game. They talk about him all the time. Brian Burns is having an unbelievable year, but him being on the other side helps.”
Phoebe Schecter: “And you’re looking at 19 QB hurries, and that’s a big part of the game because you’re forcing whomever that is to have to get the ball out faster, perhaps make decisions they wouldn’t normally do, which ultimately helps your secondary and your linebackers.”
4) Quinshon Judkins – RB, Cleveland Browns
Jason Bell: “He’s a spark. When you look at those young guys, what do they bring? Do they have their fresh legs? He does. He’s explosive. When he gets the ball, man, bam, he’s right through the hole, and that’s what you want to see. When he got in the game and you could see him, you were like, this is the foundation of their offense, and whenever you’re that, especially as a rookie, you’ve got to be on our list. When you have got a rookie quarterback and you have a rookie running back that’s stepping up, that really helps the offense.”
Phoebe Schecter: “As a rookie, he also has zero turnovers, which is fantastic because when you’re new like that, everybody is trying to get after you in some way, shape, or form, but you’re spot on. What he’s able to do in space, 21 forced missed tackles, that goes to speak to his explosiveness, his vision, his contact balance, all those things that they drafted him for, and to implement it in year one, phenomenal.”
3) Tyler Warren – TE, Indianapolis Colts
Phoebe Schecter: “This tight end helps his quarterback get up to 126.1 quarterback rating, so that goes to speak to the friendliness of them, but tight ends are people too! We have to give the tight ends some more love because they have to do so much. You’re in the run game. You’re in the pass game. You’re playing quarterback. The fact that this young man is able as a rookie to totally digest an NFL playbook and then be all these different roles. It’s phenomenal.”
Jason Bell: “People question why they drafted him that high, right? They were like, really? You’re going to draft a tight end this high? Oh yeah, you are. Because of what Phoebe said, what he can do in the pass game, but what can he do in the run game? He is a great run blocker and we see what that running game can do with Jonathan Taylor.
“Your tight end is an advantage because of his ability to run block. Because if he’s out there and he can handle a defensive end and then still go out on the route and beat somebody smaller than him trying to cover him or out-physical somebody, that’s the key and he can do it.”
2) Jaxson Dart – QB, New York Giants
Phoebe Schecter: “You can’t help but love to watch him. Cam Skattebo got injured, but this duo of these two rookies bring so much life to a team. The fact that he can not only stand back there and deliver some great footballs, but 112 scramble yards so far, too. He is out there and putting his body on the line, maybe a little too much at times. He can be a little erratic, but that’s what makes him so fun to watch. He’s kind of got a mixture of like Baker Mayfield, Gardner Minshew kind of vibe.”
Jason Bell: “Listen, he got the chain, he got the dances. You’re in New York City, it’s different. You got a lot of scrutiny on you at quarterback. You got to go out there, you got to bring energy, you got to bring entertainment, especially when you need that spark when things aren’t going well. He brought that, the city loves it. They need it. And that’s why he’s up there as the most valuable rookie because of what he’s done in that market.
1) Emeka Egbuka – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Emeka Egbuka made a one-handed catch in the game between the New York Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jason Bell: “They put it all on him. The pressure was on him, right? As a rookie, he’s beaten man-to-man coverage because of the ways he can run his routes in zone coverage. He’s got a great feeling, a great understanding. That’s where Baker Mayfield is like, ‘are you supposed to be here, are we seeing the same thing delivering it?’. That’s advanced for a rookie. Now, when you look at the tape of him coming out of college, you saw signs of this, but you never ever know until you get them on the grass or the turf, depending on where you play. He has delivered.”
Phoebe Schecter: “His football IQ is phenomenal and we get the privilege of watching him week in and week out. I know Mike Evans talked to him a little bit about kind of just monitoring himself in terms of injury and the amount of volume that he’s having as a player, but he can’t help himself. He is that guy, especially for Baker Mayfield with his contested catches. There is nowhere on that field that he cannot catch a ball.”
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