The NFL is packed with young, budding superstars who seem to have only scratched the surface of what they’re capable of. The league even appears richer in young stars than it has been at any point over the last decade. From game-changing wide receivers to mauling defensive linemen, no position has failed to receive an influx of talent. But while some have peaked or plateaued, there are others still only getting better.
With that in mind, here are five NFL superstars, 25 years of age or younger, who are still ascending.
5. Jameis Winston, 22, Quarterback, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston was a superstar before he ever played a single snap in the NFL. He most certainly didn’t disappoint once he finally stepped under center as the Bucs’ franchise quarterback.
There was serious consideration given to listing Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater here, but comparatively, it would have been too difficult to overlook Winston’s impressive rookie campaign.
In his first season, Winston passed for 4,042 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also rushed for 213 yards and six touchdowns, which was enough to earn him the 2015 NFL Rookie of the Year award and send him to his first Pro Bowl.
While Winston ultimately failed to make NFL Media’s Top 100 Players of 2016 list — an omission he actually agreed with — several of his peers still went to bat for him.
“I understand he’s a rookie, but he has to be on the top 100,” Washington Redskins defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois said in June. “I don’t know where he will be ranked. I don’t know his number or anything but I know that he is one player that has to be up there. A lot of people said that because he was a rookie, he was going to do rookie things. That man is past his time.”
To gain that much respect after only 16 games in the league is saying something.
So long as Winston maintains his competitive fire, he can be as great as he wants to be.
4. Tyrann Mathieu, 24, Defensive Back, Arizona Cardinals
The Honey Badger is one of the most dynamic young defensive talents in the game, and he may have won 2015 NFL Defensive Player of the Year had he not gone down with a torn ACL in a Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That honor eventually went to Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt.
A chameleon in the secondary, the 24-year-old Mathieu can not only play every position, but he also plays them well.
Although he’s listed as a safety by the Cardinals, Mathieu played roughly 70 percent of his snaps at nickel in 2015, earning the league’s top grade at the position from Pro Football Focus. The 91.6 overall grade also led the team, while his 41 defensive stops were best among cornerbacks.
Despite missing the final two games of the season, Mathieu was named First-Team All-Pro, received his first Pro nod and debuted on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 at No. 28 overall.
“He’s the jack-of-all-trades,” Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said during the Top 100 filming in June. “He’s a guy that this league has to watch out for because not only is he on a good defense, but he’s a good player.”
Off the field, Mathieu has proven himself to be equally as valuable. After entering the NFL with character concerns due to drug problems, the fourth-year safety has made the most of his second chance under head coach Bruce Arians.
Since Arians joined the team in 2013, the two have developed a close bond that extends from Mathieu to his defensive teammates, who view the Honey Badger as a locker-room leader.
“We’re losing a brother and he’s more than just that to this team, and this organization,” Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson told the team’s website after Mathieu tore his ACL in December. “He’s a lifeline, he’s an emotional leader. He plays with the passion and fire that we need every Sunday. When he’s on the field, you know there is a different level of energy because of what this guy brings to the table. We’re going to miss that. We all have to elevate our game.”
Mathieu has proven himself to be one of the elite players in the NFL. While coming back from a torn ACL is a difficult process, it’s no longer the death sentence it once was. Mathieu himself is proof of that, having previously returned from a torn ACL in his left knee in 2013.
Health will always be a question mark for Mathieu, but if he can ever find it, Canton may eventually come calling.
3. Aaron Donald, 25, Defensive tackle, Los Angeles Rams
If not for New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald might have been considered the premier player selected in the 2014 NFL Draft.
A versatile interior lineman, Donald has already proven himself to be an effective run stuffer and pass rusher. In two seasons, the former Pittsburgh Panther has recorded 116 tackles, 20 sacks and 24 stuffs. Those numbers have led him to two consecutive Pro Bowls, while also earning him First-Team All-Pro (2015) and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2014) honors.
Even that doesn’t fully define Donald’s dominance. Perhaps Pro Football Focus can put it into a better perspective.
To finish the 2015 regular season, Donald not only received the highest grade in the league, but with a perfect 99.9 grade, he became the highest graded player in the history of Pro Football Focus.
[Donald] ends the season with a perfect 99.9 rating in PFF’s new rating system, and the highest grade we have ever given over a single season. Donald’s 2015 stands as a higher-graded 16-game body of work than any season we have seen from Watt, who held the previous best marks.
Along with some other players on this list, Donald also received some notoriety from his peers, being voted No. 14 overall on the Top 100 Players from 2016 list.
“Aaron Donald? Let’s talk about that kid,” Steelers wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bay said in June. “Future Hall of Famer.”
Donald has only begun to scratch the surface of his ability, and that should terrify opposing offensive linemen.
2. Le’Veon Bell, 24, Running back, Pittsburgh Steelers
His recent four-game suspension for missing a league mandated drug test aside, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who won’t turn 25 until 2017, is arguably the best running back in the game today.
The argument could be made that Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley also deserves some consideration here, but the all-around punch that Bell packs is completely unparalleled. In fact, to this point, the only thing that’s been able to slow Bell down and cap his production has been injuries.
In 35 career games, Bell has rushed for 2,777 yards and 19 touchdowns, while fumbling the ball only once. He’s also added 1,389 yards and three touchdowns through the air, further highlighting his versatility.
Prior to tearing his MCL in a November game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pro Football Focus had Bell as the No. 1 graded running back (95.3) in the league, as well as fourth in elusiveness (71.3) and third in breakaway percentage (44.4).
And despite missing 10 games due to the aforementioned MCL tear, Bell’s peers still thought highly enough of him to vote him into the Top 100 at No. 41 overall.
“He’s one of those ultimate complete backs,” New Orleans Saints linebacker James Laurinaitis said in June.
In 2014, Bell was named a First-Team All-Pro, AFC Co-Offensive Player of the Year and Pittsburgh Steelers MVP. He was also sent to his very first Pro Bowl. In 2015, Bell was well on his way to duplicating those honors before being shut down for the season.
The sky is ultimately the limit for Bell, but he’s got to shake some of the issues causing him to miss games, whether it’s due to injuries or skipping drug tests. That’s going to be the difference between “what might have been” and “one of the best backs ever.”
1. Odell Beckham Jr., 24, Wide Receiver, New York Giants
After only two seasons as a pro, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was the most obvious choice to top this list.
While his shtick tends to rub some the wrong way, there’s no questioning the other-worldly athleticism Beckham Jr. puts on display with regularity. Even beyond the game of football, Beckham Jr. has been seen breaking world records, belting home runs, dunking like LeBron James, bending it like the other Beckham and just because he can, kicking 46-yard field goals.
Back on the field, Beckham Jr. takes things to an entirely different level. His one-handed touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014 is already considered, and will likely go down as, the greatest catch in NFL history.
In his two brief seasons, Beckham Jr. has been named a First-Team All-Pro (2014), Second-Team All-Pro (2015), NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2014) and twice been sent to the Pro Bowl. And his laundry list of NFL records include the most receiving yards in his first two seasons (2,755), most receptions in his first two seasons (176) and fastest to reach 150 career receptions (21 games).
In total, Beckham Jr. already owns an astonishing 28 NFL records to go along with his 24 franchise records. And all of this is despite having missed four games due to injury as a rookie and serving a one-game suspension a season ago.
Earlier this offseason, Beckham Jr. made his second appearance on the NFL Top 100, being voted in at No. 10 by his peers.
“He has, by far, some of the best ball skills that I’ve ever seen and that this game has ever seen,” Washington Redskins defensive tackle Trent Williams said in June.
Having such praise heaped upon you after only two seasons in the NFL would be welcomed by many, but for Beckham Jr., it only provided more motivation. The No. 10 ranking just wasn’t good enough and the morning after his name was called, Beckham Jr. was out at 3 a.m. working to prove he’s even better than that.
The unparalleled athleticism coupled with his relentless desire to not only be great, but to be the very best is what makes Beckham Jr. a once in a lifetime talent.
