Every Offseason, a handful of rookies receive an extreme amount of hype going into their first year in the NFL, but how many of these rookies become an immediate impact player in their first season? We will review some red flags in five hyped up prospects in no specific order that may be overlooked going into the 2025 NFL season.
1. Ashton Jeanty- RB, Las Vegas Raiders ( 1st Round)
Jeanty played at Boise State, where most of the competition was mediocre college-level teams. Boise’s 2024 schedule average opponent allowed 159.85 rushing yards per game, which is a considerable number to give up on average. One of Jeanty’s few games against a non-Mountain West conference team was against Penn State, where he produced just 3.5 yards per carry and zero touchdowns, so how will his game translate when facing NFL defenses? Another factor that won’t help Ashton Jeanty have a stellar rookie season is the Raiders’ subpar offensive line, especially with the run. The Raiders’ offensive line is one of the worst lines for run-blocking; statistics show a 0.97-yard average before contact per run, which is very concerning.
2. Luther Burden III- WR, Chicago Bears ( 2nd Round)
Watching where Luther Burden III fits into Ben Johnson’s offense for the 2025 NFL season will be very interesting. Burden has proven to be a lethal weapon when he has the ball in his hand and can torch defenses with his speed. Still, on plays where Burden is not the primary option, the former Missouri Tiger tends to show a lack of effort, not running the route to the best of his ability, described by NFL scouts as “Selfish”. On another note, he is joining a Bears offense with a ton of depth at the skill positions on offense, including DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, and now Colston Loveland. The Bears have a lot of toys they can play with, so it will be interesting to see how Ben Johnson will incorporate Luther Burden III into his offense.
3. Shedeur Sanders- QB, Cleveland Browns (5th Round)
What stands out the most about Shedeur Sanders‘ concerns is not his on-field play. Shedeur Sanders comes with a huge media presence that many NFL scouts viewed as a distraction for various reasons. His social media presence has made him perceived more as a brand than an NFL quarterback, and of course, a lot of that is at fault with his father, Deion Sanders. Shedeur was projected to be one of the first names taken off the board and ended up slipping to the 5th Round, where the Browns eventually took him. Funny enough, the Browns had already taken Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel with their third-round pick and have Deshaun Watson on a large contract. I hope the slide in the draft motivated Shedeur to put his head down and work, making the best out of the few chances he gets, but with so much depth at the QB position for the browns, when will he get an opportunity to showcase his talent?
4. Mason Graham- DT, Cleveland Browns (1st Round)
Not to many people’s surprise, Mason Graham was drafted 5th overall to the Cleveland Browns, but with his superstar potential comes plenty of red flags. In the 2024 season, Graham recorded 3.5 sacks in 14 games and generated only 16 total quarterback pressures, cautiously low numbers for a defensive tackle taken with the 5th overall pick. His identity is stopping the run, and Cleveland knew that when they selected him, but when a team is drafting 5th overall, you would expect them to get a ” flashier talent” rather than a “run stopper”. Graham had zero forced fumbles and one batted pass, but his tape did show that he was consistently a high-effort player.
5. Emeke Egbuka- WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 1st Round)
Emeke Egbuka had an impressive senior season after a discouraging junior year cut short due to an ankle injury. My primary concern with Egbuka is that he was never Ohio State’s wide receiver. One playing along, guys like Marvin Harrison Jr and Jeremiah Smith opened up the field for Egbuka to receive easier coverage. This may be one of the reasons the Bucs drafted him with their first-round pick, since they already have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and he was a proven wide receiver 2 in college. He has been battling a lingering ankle injury that he played through most of his junior year, where he struggled, only bringing in 515 yards and four touchdowns, but showed more promise in his senior year.
