Tag: top 25 under 25

Chris Olave represents the Saints on PFF’s ‘top 25 under 25’ list

Chris Olave reps the Saints on this top 25 under 25 list from Pro Football Focus. The playmaker is younger than many of his rookie teammates:

Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema highlighted the NFL’s top 25 players who have yet to celebrate their 25th birthday — and only one New Orleans Saints standout made the cut. Second-year wide receiver Chris Olave represented the Saints on Sikkema’s list, clocking in at No. 23. Here’s what Sikkema wrote of Olave:

“Olave finished his 2022 rookie campaign with an 82.9 receiving grade. He recorded 24 explosive plays of 20 yards or more, which was a top-10 mark among players under 25. His 14.9-yard average depth of target was one of the higher marks in the league, which showcases his deep-threat ability.”

The Saints will be leaning on Olave in a big way this year; it’s no sure thing that Michael Thomas will remain healthy often enough to lead the charge offensively with him, and Rashid Shaheed needs to show he can continue to produce on a heavier workload. Olave has already put in work with his new quarterback Derek Carr to prepare for an important season.

Olave just turned 23 years old a month ago on June 27, so he’s younger than many of his rookie teammates (including 24-year-old quarterback Jake Haener). He’s started his career strong and looks like a building-block for the Saints for years to come. It’s on him to keep up the momentum and meet that expectation.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen makes PFF’s top 25 under 25 list

Pro Football Focus has released their annual ranking of the top 25 players in the NFL under 25 years old.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Pro Football Focus has released their annual ranking of the top 25 players in the NFL under 25 years old. The Seattle Seahawks had one player make the cut: second-year cornerback Tariq Woolen came in at No. 24 on the list.

“Woolen’s lone season thus far was one to remember. He earned an impressive 74.2 coverage grade with six interceptions and 12 forced incompletions. He also had frequent difficult assignments while playing more than 300 coverage snaps in press coverage.”

Woolen came into the league as its most-promising young defensive back. What’s most-exciting about him is that he still has a lot of room to improve. He has unparalleled athleticism for his position and with more experience and a little tutelage from Seattle great Richard Sherman, Woolen will begin learning the finer points of his position and refining his rougher edges. When that happens he’s quickly going to become one of the toughest coverage defenders in football.

If the Seahawks had a snub from this list it would be right tackle Abe Lucas, who turns 25 in October so he won’t be eligible again. Looking ahead, left tackle Charles Cross (22) cornerback Devon Witherspoon (22) and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (21) should all be in the top 25 under 25 conversation.

Seahawks updated 90-man roster after rookie minicamp

ESPN’s Top 25 Under 25 NFL rankings don’t feature a single Saints player

ESPN’s Top 25 Under 25 NFL ranking doesn’t feature a single Saints player. Not even Chris Olave, who ranks 11th in receiving yards across the league:

Now that’s just disrespectful. Chris Olave leads the NFL’s entire rookie draft class in receiving yards and even ranks 11th across the league in that category, but it wasn’t enough for him to get at least an honorable mention on ESPN’s list of the 25 best NFL players under 25 years of age. What more has he got to do for the New Orleans Saints to get his due credit? He’s rapidly closing in on the Saints franchise record for receiving yards (1,137) set by Michael Thomas in 2016.

To be fair, there are many talented young players in this league, and there are plenty of receivers with more accomplishments than Olave right now. He’ll catch up in time, and likely surpass some of them as he expands his body of work. Here’s how his stat line (56 receptions for 822 yards and 3 touchdowns) compares to the receivers who did make ESPN’s ranking, both inside the top-25 and as honorable mentions:

  • Justin Jefferson (2): 81 receptions for 1,232 yards and 5 touchdowns
  • Ja’Marr Chase (3): 47 receptions for 605 yards and 6 touchdowns
  • DK Metcalf (13): 59 receptions for 671 yards and 4 touchdowns
  • Jaylen Waddle (14): 56 receptions for 963 yards and 6 touchdowns
  • CeeDee Lamb (19): 64 receptions for 857 yards and 5 touchdowns
  • Tee Higgins (HM): 57 receptions for 826 yards and 4 touchdowns
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown (HM): 65 receptions for 716 yards and 4 touchdowns

So that’s a pretty talented group, though some players are getting extra credit for past performance rather than just their 2022 numbers. That’s a bit of a theme in the overall listing with just two rookies making the cut (New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who is tied for the league lead with 14 pass breakups; and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen, whose 5 interceptions rank second-most around the NFL). Multiple productive seasons early in their career matters here.

It’s worth noting that Olave is only 22 years old and he’ll continue to ascend as he gains more experience and smooths out the blemishes in his game. But the lack of any Saints players on this list reflects bigger issues with the way they’ve built their team. New Orleans hasn’t drafted well as of late in the early rounds, meaning they just don’t have much high-end talent among the younger players on the roster. Maybe you could make an argument for guys like Paulson Adebo and Pete Werner, but it’s a tough sell when you look at their competition around the league.

Hopefully the Saints can find more immediate contributors in 2023. Many of their best players are on the wrong side of 30, and we’ll be seeing cornerstones like Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis (both 33) begin to wind down their careers over the next few years. Finding viable heirs for them will be key in righting the ship and fielding a competitive team. The Saints haven’t won three games in a row since Week 8 last season, and they’re 8-14 over that stretch.

They need another infusion of young talent like the one that saved their team in 2017, adding stars like Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, and Alvin Kamara (plus Marcus Williams, Alex Anzalone, Trey Hendrickson and Al-Quadin Muhammad, who are all starting for other teams right now). The problem is draft classes like that one only seem to come around once every 10 or 12 years. But, hey: they found Olave. That’s a tremendous start. Now go find someone else like him.

[listicle id=119062]

Notre Dame in NFL: Quenton Nelson the Second Best Under 25

Indianapolis Colts Offensive guard Quenton Nelson was named the second best player in the NFL under 25 by Pro Football Focus. See rest.

Pro Football Focus is one of the many outlets that is plenty aware of how it helps to be young if you’re going to be great at football.  They released their “top 25 players under 25” list on Wednesday and one Notre Dame player checked in second overall.

That player is Quenton Nelson of the Indianapolis Colts who will be 24 years, 5 months and 22 days old when the NFL season is scheduled to kickoff on September 10.  Of Nelson they say:

Nelson was about as easy an NFL projection as you can get coming out of Notre Dame, and it’s no surprise that he has wasted no time in cementing his spot as one of the best guards in the NFL. He raised his grade from 79.4 as a rookie to 91.2 this past season, and his 88.8 grade over the last two seasons combined is higher than any other interior offensive lineman in the league over that span. To be as dominant as Nelson has been at his age is a rarity in the NFL.

Since leaving Notre Dame all Nelson has done in his two NFL seasons is twice be named a First Team All-Pro.  His career puts him on a Hall of Fame trajectory early on, something that it would appear only an injury could slow down.  The highest ever draft guard has proved worth being the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by changing the culture of the locker room upon arrival.

So if Nelson is second, who could possibly be first?

Some guy named Patrick Mahomes that is fresh off a Super Bowl title and won the league MVP in 2018.  When I was trying to guess the list myself I was wondering if Lamar Jackson was going to be number one and I didn’t even think of Mahomes because I’d forgotten how young he still is.

Christian McCaffrey, Derwin James and Jamal Adams rounded out the top five.  I won’t ruin the rest of the 25 names but I will let you know that no other former Notre Dame players are on that list.

Philadelphia Eagles shut out of PFF’s list of top 25 players under 25

Philadelphia Eagles have no players selected to Pro Football Focus’s top 25 under 25 list

The Philadelphia Eagles are in the midst of a much-needed youth retool and a recent ranking from Pro Football Focus puts the movement in the spotlight.

Howie Roseman has vowed to get faster and younger, and a part of that reasoning stems from Philadelphia’s lack of young talent at prime positions on the roster.

Pro Football Focus recently released a ranking of the top-25 players in the NFL under the age of 25. The Philadelphia Eagles had no players land on the list, with star running back Miles Sanders getting snubbed.

The top five of the list read off like the who’s who of current NFL stars with the Chiefs Patrick Mahomes, the Colts Quenton Nelson, the Panthers Christian McCaffery, the Chargers Derwin James, and the Jets Jamal Adams rounding out the top-5.

Redskins stud rookie Chase Young was named a player to watch.

[lawrence-related id=633943,633935,633921]

[vertical-gallery id=633661]

Two Saints defensive backs make PFF’s top 25 players under 25

New Orleans Saints defensive backs Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams made Pro Football Focus’s list of the top 25 players under age 25.

[jwplayer CfNmTylY-ThvAeFxT]

The analysts at Pro Football Focus published their latest look at the 25 best NFL players under the age of 25, and two members of the New Orleans Saints made the cut. While cornerback Marshon Lattimore and running back Alvin Kamara were recognized on last year’s list, Kamara will age out by the start of the 2020 season (turning 25 in July).

Lattimore clocked in at No. 12, with PFF’s Ben Linsley writing of the two-time Pro Bowler:

Lattimore is part of the talented group of secondary players who were taken in the 2017 NFL Draft, and if you look back over his first three years in the NFL, his PFF grade of 84.9 ranks 10th at the cornerback position. His grade may have trended in the wrong direction in 2018 and 2019 after an impressive rookie campaign where he notched 18 combined pass breakups and interceptions, but at worst, Lattimore has been a solid starter in the Saints’ secondary. You’ll take that as an NFL team 10 times out of 10.

However, the Saints teammate joining Kamara might not be someone many fans expect: free safety Marcus Williams. Linsley added:

Williams has very quietly played like one of the best safeties in the NFL over the last three seasons. His PFF grade ranks fourth at the position since 2017, and he’s been the eighth-most valuable safety in the league by PFF WAR over that same three-year stretch. As a free safety, Williams doesn’t see the ball come his way all that often as the primary coverage defender, but he has put up at least eight combined interceptions and pass breakups (on 25 or fewer targets) in both 2017 and 2019. He is just another player on the list of recent Saints draft hits.

[vertical-gallery id=32968]