Ben SolakDec 30, 2025, 06:55 AM ETCloseBen Solak joined ESPN in 2024 as a national NFL analyst. He previously covered the NFL at The Ringer, Bleeding Green Nation and The Draft Network.
Why fantasy managers should consider Cam Ward in 2026 (0:52)Matt Bowen breaks down Cam Ward’s fantasy upside after his strong finish to the season. (0:52)
With one week and only a few meaningful regular-season games left in the 2025 NFL regular season, it’s the right time to summarize some seasonlong performances. MVPs and All-Pro lists will be debated for the next month, but I wanted to build first- and second-team All-Rookie rosters to highlight standout debut seasons before the playoff field is set and we turn our eyes to the race to Super Bowl LX.
2025 stats: 320-for-537 passing (59.6%), 3,117 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions; 148 rushing yards, 1 touchdown Drafted: Round 1, No. 1
Now, Ward will put the ball in danger and must become more willing to find his checkdown and live for another play, but it is far preferable to have a quarterback capable of such throws and dial him down than it is to draw such throws out of a QB naturally averse to them. Ward’s rookie season has been clear proof of concept for his potential as an above-average NFL starting quarterback.
Second team: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints. Shough became the betting favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading the Saints’ come-from-behind win over Ward and Tennessee in Week 17. I kind of get it — the Saints have won their past four games, and Shough has looked better with each passing week. But while I see quality play from Shough, I don’t see the sort of jaw-dropping, math-changing potential I see in Ward.
Shough has checked every box you could hope for out of a rookie: poise, creativity, execution of the offense, a short memory for mistakes. He needs to cut down on the sacks and sprays, but he looks like a clear hit for general manager Mickey Loomis and a Saints team in need of a rookie contract starter at quarterback.
2025 stats: 168 carries for 858 rushing yards (5.1 yards per carry) and 7 touchdowns; 35 receptions for 221 yards and 1 touchdown Drafted: Round 2, No. 38
Second team: Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns. It is agonizing to decide between Judkins, Kyle Monangai, Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, RJ Harvey, Cam Skattebo and Woody Marks for one second-team spot. Each of them was solid in some ways and disappointing in others. I gave the nod to Henderson’s college teammate, Judkins, because he ran tough and minimized negatives behind a floundering offensive line and without any supporting passing game to create space for him.
Judkins, Skattebo and Hampton are the three who stand out on film with consistent positive plays. Still, this is a tough pick.
2025 stats: 66 receptions for 922 yards (14.1 yards per reception) and 7 touchdowns Drafted: Round 1, No. 8
2025 stats: 62 receptions for 930 yards (15.0 yards per receiver) and 6 touchdowns Drafted: Round 1, No. 19
Egbuka was far more productive in the first half of the season (34 catches, 562 yards, five touchdowns) than in the second (28 catches, 268 yards, 1 touchdown). But the entire Buccaneers offense experienced a downswing, and Egbuka still looks as detailed and smooth as ever on film. An ideal do-it-all receiver who can provide value as a blocker, a downfield threat and everything in between, Egbuka is the lone rookie to stand next to McMillan as a potential No. 1 receiver after one pro season.
2025 stats: 44 receptions for 617 yards (14.0 yards per reception) and 2 touchdowns Drafted: Round 2, No. 39
Burden is a sudden movement player who can win on the outside, in the slot and with designed touches behind the line of scrimmage. He’s still more of a screen/checkdown option than a downfield target, but that part of his game will come as he improves his play strength. With only two drops this season, Burden has earned more downfield opportunities entering Year 2.
Second team: Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans; Pat Bryant, Denver Broncos; and Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans. Dike gets an additional boost for his return ability — he set a record for all-purpose yards in a rookie season! Higgins has come along late and wonderfully so for an ascending Texans offense, while Bryant’s contested catch and blocking abilities shine — two traits in which rookie receivers often struggle.
2025 stats: 72 receptions for 731 yards (10.2 yards per reception) and 6 touchdowns; 1 rushing touchdown Drafted: Round 3, No. 67
You’re forgiven if you haven’t been dialed in to the season Fannin is having in Cleveland. He has emerged as a unique threat as a movement piece in Cleveland’s offense by creating huge hidden yardage with broken tackles on screens and jump balls over the middle of the field. Fannin is only the ninth tight end since the merger with 700-plus receiving yards in his rookie season.
Fannin already has some of the best change-of-direction skills at the position, and his instincts as a tackle breaker are excellent. It’s fair to expect him to become a Sam LaPorta-esque producer, and his ceiling is in the range of Trey McBride and prime Travis Kelce as team-leading target-getters who can be used at all three levels of the field.
One of the quieter first-round picks, Banks has slid easily into New Orleans’ left tackle spot and taken on a veteran’s workload with aplomb. Rarely given tight end or chip help, Banks has been an above-average pass protector and has the quickness and flexibility that elite pass protectors often have. Those movement skills translate into the running game, where Banks has been a high-impact blocker as a puller and climber. The Saints got a good one.
Second team: Josh Simmons, Kansas City Chiefs. I don’t think Simmons would have knocked Banks out of the first-team spot if he had been healthy the whole season, but it sure would have been close.
Zabel would be the overall No. 1 offensive lineman on this All-Rookie team if positions were removed from the equation. He has been a little less consistent since his Week 11 knee injury, but his steadiness in pass protection before the injury looked like that of a 10-year veteran. Zabel has rarely been beat clean this season, and when it has happened, it has been by some of the league’s best. If Zabel had the name recognition of a vet, he would have been a Pro Bowler this season.
Second team: Dylan Fairchild, Cincinnati Bengals. One of the least-known rookies on this list, Fairchild has gotten better each week and makes splash blocks with impressive quickness and core strength for his size. He was a developmental player coming out of Georgia and looks to be ahead of his curve. He’s a nice middle-round find for the Bengals.
2025 stats: Two starts, 95.1% pass block win rate, 77.8% run block win rate Drafted: Round 7, No. 221
Haven’t heard of Monheim? I don’t blame you. The seventh-round pick has played 187 snaps at center this season, which is … 162 more than second place. For those 187 snaps, he is our first-team center. (The film against the Colts this past Sunday was … not great!)
Second team: Drew Kendall, Philadelphia Eagles. Kendall has played 25 snaps at center, which gives him the slight edge for No. 2 center on the All-Rookie team over Seahawks rookie Bryce Cabeldue, who has played … six snaps.
Booker moves people. It’s a sight to see. He’s already one of the most imposing guards in the downhill running game, and while his sheer size will always create some disadvantages on the move or against quick pass rushers, he’s much better in pass protection than expected for a rookie of his heavy-footedness. In Booker’s best games, he has been a key engine of the Cowboys’ offensive success, and that will continue for years to come.
It hasn’t been perfect for Membou, who occasionally gets beat clean or suffers a rookie mental lapse. But snap to snap, there’s a solid floor and a high ceiling in pass protection for Membou, who has tremendous grip strength and the reach to catch and control speedy rushers. The Jets’ best runs and screens have often come to the offensive right on the back of Membou’s ability to uproot defensive linemen and carve out running lanes. He’s an impactful player.
Second team: Josh Conerly Jr., Washington Commanders. Conerly was getting worked in the first month of the season but found his sea legs as of late. If he can continue this developmental arc into Year 2, the Commanders will be set at right tackle throughout his rookie deal.
A fifth-rounder out of SMU, Roberts was not a big part of the rotation until Calijah Kancey went down with a torn pectoral in Week 2. Roberts has answered the call wonderfully. A college defensive end who is transitioning to defensive tackle, Roberts sometimes loses ground in the running game and needs some weight room work in the offseason. But he’s slippery, with active hands and good lateral quickness. For a fifth-round rookie undergoing a positional switch, he has been very impressive.
Several defensive tackles played more snaps and had flashier plays than Nolen (such as the Steelers’ Derrick Harmon, Dolphins’ Kenneth Grant, Chargers’ Jamaree Caldwell and Dolphins’ Jordan Phillips). But Nolen’s limited film is so good and so disruptive that I have to give him the nod over the field. A healthy sophomore season from Nolen could lead to eye-popping tackle-for-loss and pressure numbers given how naturally he won as a penetrator as a rookie.
Second team: Teddye Buchanan, Baltimore Ravens; and Cody Simon, Arizona Cardinals. Buchanan wrested the starting job from incumbent Trenton Simpson early in the season and proved an impactful coverage player before a Week 15 ACL tear ended his rookie year prematurely. Buchanan could struggle against the league’s more complex running games, but he was playing faster as the season went on, and his ability to cover ground in space minimized easy yardage for opposing offenses.
Simon is a bit of a “best of the rest” nod. He has been up and down when thrust into the starting lineup because of injuries ahead of him on the depth chart, but the rest of the field has been a lot more down than up. The Bengals, who are starting two rookie linebackers, would do anything to have a player like Simon in their building right now.