At the cusp of a new NFL season, the unknown excites. Particularly the hype surrounding new young talent. Some of the best highlights from the 2020 season happened at the hands of a player under the age of 25. The game is evolving each year with new blood breaking barriers and records on the gridiron.
Some rookies have stellar first-year campaigns and others make the jump in Year 2 or 3. Each year is a fresh slate and the opportunity for greatness to unfold. As the 2021 NFL football season fast approaches, PFF ranked the top 25 players under the age of 25 entering this upcoming season. Who is poised for a standout year? Former Oklahoma Sooners CeeDee Lamb and Kyler Murray cracked the compilation.
Cowboys’ WR CeeDee Lamb
The Dallas offense is so stacked that Lamb spent most of his rookie year (93.2%) in the slot while Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup manned the outside spots. Despite that and a passing game that fell away after Dak Prescott went down injured, Lamb still generated a passer rating of 102.0 when targeted, making several spectacular plays in the process.
Lamb exceeded first-round expectations in 2020. With an evolving door at quarterback following Dak Prescott’s injury and a makeshift offensive line, No. 88 nearly eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark as a rookie. He notched 935 yards on 74 receptions, five touchdowns and averaged 12.6 yards-per-catch. His elite catch radius and acrobatic grabs down the sideline awed throughout his first-year campaign and with Prescott’s return and a healthy wall protecting him, the sky is the limit for Lamb this upcoming season. He has not even scratched the surface.
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Next a quarterback makes the list…