The 2024 class of NFL breakout star players included Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, Trey McBride, Bo Nix, Nik Bonitto, and Xavier McKiney, just to name a handful.
So, who’s ready to join the upper echelon next? Let’s dive into 10 NFL players who are poised to break out as superstars in 2025.
Which NFL players are assured to be breakout stars in 2025?
Caleb Williams
The first overall pick of 2024 had a very good rookie year despite the circumstances in Chicago: The league’s worst offensive line that allowed 68 sacks on him AND a dead-man walking head coach, Matt Eberflus, who was finally let go after a 4-and-8 start.
And despite all of that…Williams completed 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 489 rushing yards. Well, the circumstances call for an even better campaign in year two.
Consider this: The Bears hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coaching position. The Lions had a top-five scoring offense each year under Johnson, who revived Jared Goff’s career while turning the likes of Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown into superstars.
Chicago’s o-line was bolstered by the marquee additions of Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson, so there’s the o-line upgrade Williams needed. The Bears used their first two draft picks on tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III, giving Williams two more weapons to complement DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift, and Cole Kmet.
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A qualified, offensive-minded NFL head coach? Check. A rebuilt offensive line? Check. A ridiculous set of weapons to help him go off? Check, check, and check.
It all points toward a monster sophomore season for Williams. Nothing’s holding him back from reaching that next level.
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Labeled as a “generational” wide receiver prospect, Harrison Jr. didn’t quite have the monster rookie year most people expected in 2024. But you know you’re a pretty big deal when a stat line of 62 catches, 885 yards, and eight touchdowns for a rookie is considered “disappointing.”
Those are eerily similar numbers to what his old man, Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., put up as a rookie in 1996: 64 catches for 836 yards and eight touchdowns. And we’d say the elder Harrison turned out okay!
Stalling Harrison Jr.’s breakout year was, well, the breakout year of third-year tight end Trey McBride. Kyler Murray just got too comfortable making the easy throws to his safety blanket as the season progressed, but that doesn’t mean Harrison Jr. will fail to meet expectations again in year two.
Not every great wide receiver can light it up as a rookie right away. Harrison Jr. faced the most attention from opposing defenses and needed time to learn the Arizona Cardinals’ complex playbook that leans heavily on the running game.
Harrison Jr. is just way too talented and explosive to put up “Number 2 receiver” numbers in 2025. With a full year of NFL experience under his belt, Harrison will become the focal point of the Cardinals’ offense in 2025 and join the upper echelon of NFL wide receivers. Bank on it.
Bryce Young
After two awful starts to begin 2024, Young was benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. The latter played well enough in relief to maintain the starting job until he was sidelined after suffering a thumb injury in a car accident.
So Young was thrown back into the starting role. Only this time, he finally showed some improvement and looked like a starting-caliber quarterback.
Over his final eight games, Young threw 12 touchdowns against only three interceptions. He led the Panthers to three overtime wins, and they just barely fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a trio of one-score games there.
The point is, the Panthers went from dreadful and unwatchable to a young and enjoyable underdog once Young took back the reins. It took longer than Carolina wanted, but it looks like the No. 1 pick of 2023 has finally figured it out.
He did that without an established No. 1 receiver, too, but that should change in 2025. The Panthers used their first-round pick on big-bodied wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who should immediately emerge as Young’s go-to guy.
2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette should improve after a “meh” rookie year, too. And the Panthers signed former Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle, coming off a 1,000-yard season, to complement Chuba Hubbard in the backfield.
An improved supporting cast, grown confidence, and a full season of experience in Dave Canales’ offense shall lead to Young reminding everybody why he was the first-overall pick two years ago. You can breathe, Carolina fans. The trade was not a failure.
Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez played like an All-Pro corner in his first four games for the New England Patriots in 2023 before suffering a torn Labrum in Week 4 that abruptly ended his rookie campaign in the NFL.
Fortunately, Gonzalez was healthy in his sophomore year and showed the Patriots what he could become in an otherwise forgettable season under one-and-done head coach Jerod Mayo.
Gonzalez had two interceptions and 11 pass breakups while allowing a passer rating of just 71.7 when targeted, per Pro Football Reference, en route to Second-Team All-Pro honors. The No. 17 pick of 2023 was Pro Football Focus’ No. 21 graded cornerback at 76.0, and only 16 corners topped his coverage grade of 78.2.
Gonzalez did this with little support on a Patriots defense that finished 22nd in scoring defense a year ago. But that will change under new head coach Mike Vrabel, thanks largely to de facto GM Eliot Wolf’s free agency shopping spree.
Wolf bolstered the front seven by signing Super Bowl 59 hero Milton Williams and ex-Tennessee Titans star Harold Landry. He also brought in ball-hawking specialist Carlton Davis III to serve as the No. 2 corner beside Gonzalez, putting less strain on the latter to hold down the fort himself.
Gonzalez showed signs of super stardom in his brief rookie year. He was “very good” in year two. Year three is where he makes the jump to superstar and puts himself in the conversation for the league’s best shutdown corner.
Jared Verse
Thankfully, the NFL Awards voters didn’t look at Verse’s final stat line. 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pair of pass breakups wouldn’t normally scream worthy of “Defensive Rookie of the Year” honors. But Verse’s individual stats don’t do justice.
Verse was ranked as PFF’s ninth-best edge rusher with a 2024 grade of 86.2. He finished 14th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate for edge defenders and sixth in run-stopping. Is 4.5 sacks still not enough for you?
Verse’s explosive play in the trenches just opened up the holes for teammates Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, and Byron Young to rack up the sacks. Those three combined for 24 sacks in 2024.
Now we wait and see what Verse can do for an encore. With Fiske, Turner, and Young commanding attention, Verse will get more favorable one-on-one matchups and finally pad those stats even further. 15-plus sacks isn’t out of the question for Verse after a superb rookie year.
Keon Coleman
The Buffalo Bills didn’t have a true No. 1 receiver in 2024, having traded away mercurial All-Pro Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. That ought to change in 2025.
The midseason trade for Amari Cooper didn’t elevate the offense as expected. Injuries to Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid didn’t help, either. And yet, Josh Allen still had a career year that led to him winning his first MVP Award.
Well, the opportunity is here for Coleman to assert himself as Buffalo’s new receiver. Cooper and Mack Hollins both left in NFL free agency, and Coleman has the highest upside among Buffalo’s current pass-catchers.
Coleman caught 29 passes for 556 yards and four touchdowns last year despite missing four games. With an expanded role on the horizon and with Cooper and Hollins gone, Buffalo’s 2024 second-round pick has a clear-cut path to breaking out and emerging as Allen’s new No. 1.
Terrion Arnold
Arnold was the consensus top cornerback prospect heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, but the Philadelphia Eagles made Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell the first corner taken at No. 22 overall. Two spots later, the Lions drafted Arnold.
But everything about Arnold’s rookie year was underwhelming, to put it mildly. According to Pro Football Reference, he allowed for 660 yards when targeted for four touchdowns and a passer rating of 93.7. His 51.5 PFF grade placed Arnold 179th among all corners, too, with a brutal 50.4 coverage grade.
But most elite NFL cornerbacks endured growing pains in their rookie seasons, so let’s not be too hard on Arnold. And let’s not forget how much their defense was ravaged by injuries in the second half of the season.
Arnold’s high football IQ and skill set will lead to a much-improved 2025 sophomore year. Also, they signed ex-New York Jets standout corner DJ Reed to bolster the secondary, so that will take some of the pressure off Arnold.
Like Marvin Harrison Jr., we’re just too high on the talent for Arnold to have another underwhelming rookie year. It’s breakout time, kid.
Michael Penix Jr.
The Falcons benched $180 million man Kirk Cousins in favor of the Washington rookie after an ice-cold November. Penix Jr. didn’t exactly “light it up” in relief of Cousins, but the Falcons averaged 32 points per game in his three starts. And his two losses were overtime defeats, so at least Atlanta was competitive with Penix under center.
Quite frankly, there’s no reason for Penix Jr. not to break out in 2025. He has a top-five offensive line in front of him and a ridiculous set of weapons: A pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Drake London and Darnell Mooney, tight end Kyle Pitts, and rising superstar running back Bijan Robinson.
The Atlanta defense improved in year one under head coach Raheem Morris and should be even better after they used a pair of first-round picks on Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. So, Penix isn’t exactly being asked to score 30-plus points a game for Atlanta to win.
Penix flashed his potential in a small three-game sample size last season. He knows he’s the starter in 2025, so that confidence and last season’s experience will elevate to a breakout year. His elite supporting cast will make sure of it.
Ashton Jeanty
As most NFL mock drafts projected, the Las Vegas Raiders used the No. 6 pick on the Boise State running back. The match just made too much sense all along.
The 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up had a ridiculous season, rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. There’s a reason he, too, was labeled as a “generational” prospect at his position, folks.
We’re of the belief that Jeanty would perform like a superstar anywhere as a rookie. But the Raiders, led by new head coach Pete Carroll, are sure to run the ball aplenty and make him a bell-cow running back. Y’know, similar to Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, or prime Todd Gurley.
Opposing defenses can’t just stack the box on Jeanty, either. Geno Smith and Brock Bowers, coming off the best rookie tight end season ever, will keep the defenses honest. That will open up holes for Jeanty to exploit, both as a runner and pass-catcher.
Fans will understand the hype quickly because Jeanty is going to have a rookie season for the ages.
Travis Hunter
If there’s one player from the 2025 NFL draft class sure to break out right away…it’s gotta be the Heisman Trophy winner, right?
This once-in-a-lifetime football player dazzled on both sides of the ball for Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes. As a receiver, Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. As a corner, he had 11 pass breakups and four interceptions.
The Jacksonville Jaguars gave up a monster haul to the Cleveland Browns so they could move from No. 5 to take Hunter second overall. And boy oh boy, is Hunter sure to produce early and often.
In an offense engineered by Trevor Lawrence, Hunter will form a scary-good receiving tandem with Brian Thomas Jr., the best rookie receiver of 2024. On defense, he’ll line up beside the underrated Tyson Campbell and free agent pickup Jourdan Lewis.
It’s really the offense we’re most excited about, though. Hunter’s speed, physicality, and IQ will make him a nightmare to cover as a receiver. And with Thomas likely to draw the opposition’s top cornerback more often than not, Hunter will get plenty of favorable matchups to exploit.
Time for the Jaguars to become relevant again, with Hunter leading the way.
