The NFL is a young man’s league.
Sure, there are your established veterans who find a way to excel. But when many careers last an average of three years in what can be a punishing sport, the hotshots with fresher legs take precedence.
As training camps and the 2022 NFL preseason starts to come around the bend, we decided to take stock of the league’s youthful talent. This process is a way of us gauging which players we particularly have our eyes on as they continue to grow and ascend. And, it helps us establish an idea of who the NFL’s future might eventually center around.
Some notes to keep in mind about our breakdown:
- We use age 25 as a cutoff for this list because that is often around when a player finishes their rookie contract.
- Since 11 personnel (three receivers, one running back, and one tight end) is by far the most popular offensive formation in the NFL, we’ve set out three slots for receivers.
- On defense, since having a third “nickel” cornerback is the most popular way of stopping those offenses, we’ve included that position. (And yes, this accounts for the differences between 4-3 and 3-4 defensive schemes. We just went with the best for those slots.)
Here’s a comprehensive look at the best NFL players age 25 and under at each position heading into the 2022 season.