2025 NFL All-Breakout Team: Drake Maye, Rome Odunze among players on rookie contracts set to star in 2025
A position-by-position breakdown of the league's up-and-comers
By
Mike Renner
•
6 min read
Sometimes breakouts come out of nowhere in the NFL. More often than not, however, there are signs. Whether it's a linebacker starting to react a little faster, an offensive linemen playing more under control, or a backup forcing his way on the field -- if you know what to look for, you can often find gems before they shine bright enough for everyone to see.
After breaking down the tape from the preseason and reading the tea leaves from the media throughout training camp, below is my best guess at who'll break out at every position in the NFL.
Quarterback
Not many quarterbacks in NFL history have been poised for a big leap in year two than Drake Maye. That's because the Patriots have seemingly put a brand new team around him over the course of the offseason. The Patriots' final 53-man roster features four new starting offensive linemen, four new receivers and a new running back. Maye already showed an uncanny ability to create something out of nothing as a rookie; now he hopefully will have some help.
Running back
It's easy to forget given that he was a starter down the stretch for the Giants last season that Tyrone Tracy Jr. only has two seasons of playing running back under his belt in his career. It's clear his dynamism is that of a high-level starting NFL back; it's just his vision and run pacing that needed to improve. Well, from the sounds of Giants camp -- where any competition questions between he and fourth-round rookie Cam Skattebo were shut down quickly -- Tracy should get featured back kind of usage behind a solid offensive line.
Wide receivers
Rome Odunze is the Bears' unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver from what I've seen on tape over the end of last year and through the preseason. I don't know if he's going to play the "Amon-Ra role" per se, but I would be floored if anyone was featured more in the Chicago offense this year.
Jalen Coker isn't going to have quite the same usage, but given he was a UDFA a year ago, he's still going to play well above his draft stock. He impressed so much that the Panthers saw Adam Thielen as being expendable.
Tight end
It's not often that second-round tight ends come in to sit on the bench, but former general manager Trent Baalke wasn't exactly known for his team-building strategies. Brenton Strange got two years of seasoning and is now primed for a featured role in Liam Coen's offense. He's uniquely gifted in short areas, and I expect him to be heavily featured in the red zone this year because of it.
#Jaguars scrimmage today. Should be a lovely practice. Here’s TE Brenton Strange doing what he’s done all camp: pic.twitter.com/IX3ebyTDZ1
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) August 14, 2025
Left tackle
I'm not breaking any ground here given where Olu Fashanu was drafted. I'd argue, though, the only reason he didn't break out as a rookie was because he was forced to flip sides for most of the year. When he got to settle in at left tackle, Fashanu looked like the high-end pass protector we saw at Penn State. I don't think Justin Fields will have to worry too much about his blindside this year.
Left guard
Christian Mahogany never should have fallen to the sixth round, and that showed when he was forced into action for 75 snaps last season. He's now their unquestioned starter at left guard, where he'll be tasked with keeping the Lions' offensive line dominance going without center Frank Ragnow. Something tells me he'll fit in perfectly.
Ladies and gentlemen I present to you. Christian ‘Dirtbag’ Mahogany. pic.twitter.com/ImxTGuWeta
— Eazy (@SpeakEZsports_) December 23, 2024
Center
Every position group along the Texans offensive line was seemingly up for grabs this training camp. While much of the focus was on the tackles, Jake Andrews quietly ran away with the center job despite being cut by the Patriots less than four months ago. The former 2023 fourth-rounder missed all of 2024 with a torn meniscus before he was released, but showed no ill-effects from the injury in his two preseason performances. He showed great ability to recover and sustain through contact. That's a must to be a quality starting center in the NFL.
Right guard
Jackson Powers-Johnson
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22 years old | Drafted: Round 2 (44th pick) in 2024
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Jackson Powers-Johnson always had a guard body despite playing center at Oregon and at times during his rookie season. He settled into right guard for training camp and took to it like a fish in water. He gave up only one pressure on 41 pass-blocking snaps this preseason. He should anchor what looks like the best Raiders offensive line in years.
Right tackle
Both JC Latham and Taliese Fuaga are returning to their college positions on the right side this year. You can take your pick here, as I thought both looked more comfortable after the move. But to me, Latham feels far more at home on the right side, especially now that he has a veteran in Kevin Zeitler next to him. He looks like the perfect right tackle for a Bill Callahan-coached offensive line.
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Edge rushers
If you want to say Nolan Smith already broke out, I wouldn't argue with you. He was arguably their second most impactful defensive lineman after Jalen Carter throughout the Eagles' Super Bowl run. If we see that guy for a full season, he should be a Pro Bowler.
Isaiah McGuire wasn't quite to that level, but he wasn't supposed to be pick 126 in 2023. He's a strong, long and bendy edge-rusher who will benefit from all the recent additions at defensive tackle for the Browns. He had four pressures on only 12 pass-rushing snaps this preseason.
Isaiah getting after it!#CLEvsPHI on NFLN, @WEWS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/g2e2nCqzTV
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 16, 2025
Defensive tackles
Moro Ojomo is primed for a big role on the Eagles front this season having taken over Milton Williams' role along their defensive line. He already racked up 31 pressures on 268 pass-rushing snaps in his second season. The former seventh-rounder looks far more talented that his draft capital would suggest.
While Ojomo is getting more playing time, Calijah Kancey is finally getting healthy. His career has been haunted by calf injuries so far, but he's on the precipice of joining the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the NFL. If you take his pressure total last season and extend it out for a full year, it would have been top six in the NFL. The Bucs defensive line will be scary when he's out there.
Linebackers
Edgerrin Cooper is another one who is borderline cheating, as he looked like a top 10 linebacker in the league during the second half of last season.
Trenton Simpson hasn't had that kind of emergence yet in the regular season, but this preseason he looked like a different player. He was playing fast and physical in a manner that gets you excited given his physical tools (4.43-second 40-yard dash).
Cornerbacks
There's a reason the Ravens had the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL from Week 11 on, and part of it was Nate Wiggins entering the starting lineup. He has high-level man coverage skills that will be put to work in the AFC North this season.
Max Melton may not have had quite as big a role as Wiggins down the stretch, but he similarly improved over the course of his rookie campaign. Aiding his breakout will be the fact that the Cardinals will be a much different looking defense this season. The unit now has multiple corners who can play man coverage and a pass-rush to protect them.
Slot cornerback
Mike Sainristil exceeded expectations on the outside last season, but the slot was always where he was going to be at his best. The addition of Trey Amos means Sainristil can go back to being the playmaker around the line of scrimmage he was at Michigan.
Safeties
One could argue Nick Cross already broke out last season, but he didn't quite get the national respect he deserved because of the state of the Colts defense. That will change this year with how much help they added in their secondary. He was third among safeties in the NFL last season with 39 defensive stops.
Kamren Kinchens is a perfect fit for the Rams' off-zone heavy defense where his top-down playmaking instincts can run rampant. He already intercepted four passes in about half a season's worth of snaps as a rookie. I'd bet he improves on that number in 2025.
