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The Young Standouts in the NFL
By Mike Detillier
Here is my look at the top 45 players in the NFL 25 years old and younger
1. Khalil Mack - Defensive End/Outside Linebacker - (Oakland Raiders)
Mack is 25 years old and one of the three most dominating defensive players in the league along with J.J. Watt and Von Miller. His next contract will be the largest ever given to a defensive player. He posted 15 quarterback sacks in 2015.
2. Luke Kuechly - Middle Linebacker - (Carolina Panthers)
Simply put, Kuechly at 25 years old is the best middle linebacker in the NFL. Terrific versus the run and a superb pass cover linebacker.
3. Odell Beckham, Jr. - Wide Receiver - (New York Giants)
New age version of what Lynn Swann (Steelers) was in the 1970’s. OBJ’s eye-hand coordination is at the top rung of the ladder. He’s just 23 years old.
4. Tyron Smith - Offensive Tackle - (Dallas Cowboys)
25 years old and Smith is the best left tackle in the NFC.
5. Aaron Donald - Defensive Tackle - (Los Angeles Rams)
Aaron is undersized, but quick and dominating. The 25-year old was in on 11 quarterback sacks and 63 tackles in 2015. Donald is the most disruptive interior player in the NFL.
6. Todd Gurley - Halfback - (Los Angeles Rams)
Gurley is on the verge of being the best halfback in the NFL. If healthy the 22-year old Gurley is a workhorse back with great power and speed.
7. Fletcher Cox - Defensive End/Tackle - (Philadelphia Eagles)
Cox is the most underrated big man athlete in the pros. The 25 year old Cox can play end, tackle or on the nose.
8. Derek Carr - Quarterback - (Oakland Raiders)
Carr is a gunslinger QB. with a strong arm, excellent leadership skills and he is an accurate passer from the pocket. Carr is 25 years old and getting better each season.
9. Zack Martin - Offensive Guard - (Dallas Cowboys)
Zack is 25 years old, but he plays old-school. Martin is the best offensive guard in the NFC.
10. DeAndre Hopkins - Wide Receiver - (Houston Texans)
He’s just 24 years old and Hopkins has already caught 239 passes for 3,533 yards and 19 touchdowns.
11. Le’Veon Bell - Halfback - (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Troubled off the field, but when tuned-up just right the 24-year old is the most complete back in the league. Bell is fast, powerful, sure-handed and has great stamina.
12. Marcus Peters - Cornerback - (Kansas City Chiefs)
Had a lot of issues with authority figures at Washington, but the 23-year old Peters is now focused and his length and drive to the ball are 1st rate.
13. Terron Armstead - Offensive Tackle - (New Orleans Saints)
Armstead is the most athletic left tackle in the business. Terron is 25 years old and he is a dominant pass blocker and crushing run blocker.
14. Tyrone Mathieu - Free Safety/Cornerback - (Arizona Cardinals)
Yes, he is undersized, but you can’t measure heart, football smarts and instincts to the ball. The 24 year old Mathieu has the best ball skills in the NFL.
15. Sheldon Richardson - Defensive Tackle - (New York Jets)
Richardson has the quickest initial step off the line as any interior player in the league. Richardson is 25 years old and had some off the field issues, but he is a dominating player in the middle.
16. Tyler Eifert - Tight End - (Cincinnati Bengals)
Eifert is a very tall wide receiver playing tight end. The 25 year old is very athletic and a huge target over the middle.
17. Jameis Winston - Quarterback - (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
If the 22 year old Winston can keep himself grounded he will be the next star quarterback in the game.
18. Marcus Mariota - Quarterback - (Tennessee Titans)
Mariota has all the skills to be a standout signal-caller in the NFL. The 22 year old has a strong arm, excellent mobility skills and he is accurate throwing from the pocket. Can the Titans keep him upright all season?
19. Leonard Williams - Defensive Tackle/End - (New York Jets)
Williams is scary good for a 22 year old defensive lineman. The former USC standout flashed dominating traits as a rookie.
20. Amari Cooper - Wide Receiver - (Oakland Raiders)
The 22 year old former Alabama star will occasionally drop an easy throw, but he is normally sure-handed, sneaky fast and has a knack for getting open downfield.
21. Allen Robinson - Wide Receiver - (Jacksonville Jaguars)
The 23 year old Robinson caught 80 passes, averaged 17.5 yards per catch and scored 14 touchdowns in 2015. He can jump through the roof.
22. Jason Verrett - Cornerback - (San Diego Chargers)
The 25 year old Verrett is one of the few bright spots on a bad defense for the Chargers. Verrett is just 5-10 and 180 pounds, but he is a very skilled one-on-one cover guy and he has leaping ability that stuns you.
23. Jarvis Landry - Wide Receiver - (Miami Dolphins)
Overshadowed by OBJ at LSU, but the 23 year old Landry has caught 194 passes in his first 2 seasons in Miami. He doesn’t have Beckham’s speed, but he is as tough as you will find going over the middle and his eye-coordination is on the same level as Beckham.
24. Anthony Barr - Outside Linebacker - (Minnesota Vikings)
Barr emerged as a complete linebacker in 2015. The former UCLA star is 24 years old and he has great athletic gifts, rare speed and range and he is a terrific cover man.
25. Sammy Watkins - Wide Receiver - (Buffalo Bills)
Just 23 years old and Watkins is considered one of the deluxe playmakers in the game. The former Clemson standout has great speed and 1st rate make–you-miss skills. He averaged an eye-catching 17.5 yards per catch in 2015. If only he played in a more sophisticated offense.
26. Trai Turner - Offensive Guard - (Carolina Panthers)
Turner is 23 years old and he made the Pro Bowl in 2015. Turner is a dominating run blocker and a tenacious pass protector.
27. C. J. Mosley - Inside Linebacker - (Baltimore Ravens)
Mosley is one of the few bright young spots on a defense overhauling personnel. The 24 year old is a major league playmaker versus the run and also a good cover linebacker.
28. La’el Collins - Offensive Guard - (Dallas Cowboys)
There were moments last season in which Collins was the best offensive lineman on one of the most dominating O-Lines in football. The 23 year old from LSU is a monster run blocker and a good pass protector.
29. Kony Ealy - Defensive End - (Carolina Panthers)
If the Panthers had somehow found their offense late on Super Bowl Sunday Kony Ealy is the MVP of that game. The 24 year old Ealy is long, lean and he has great pass rush potential. That is all the Panthers need… another top front-line defensive player.
30. Olivier Vernon - Defensive End - (New York Giants)
The 25 year old Vernon racked up 25 ½ QB. sacks over the last three seasons and 7 ½ in 2015 for the Dolphins. It earned the speedy Vernon a 5-year, $85 million dollar deal with the New York Giants. Timing is everything in life.
31. Travis Frederick - Offensive Center - (Dallas Cowboys)
Frederick is the 3rd member of the Cowboys O-line to make the list. At 25 years old Travis has mastered one of the toughest spots to play in the NFL and made 2 Pro-Bowls. He is super smart and super tough.
32. Zach Ertz - Tight End - (Philadelphia Eagles)
Ertz is 6-5, 250 pounds and runs like a wide receiver. The 25 year old from Stanford will have an occasional dropped pass, but he is a nightmare to match up against downfield. Caught 75 passes for 853 yards and 2 scores in 2015.
33. Mike Evans - Wide Receiver - (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Just 23 years old and this king-sized end (6-5, 232) caught 142 passes for 2,257 yards and 15 TD’s in his first two seasons. Evans averages almost 16 yards per catch. Evans, Winston and Martin make the Buccaneers a tough “out” in 2016.
34. Blake Bortles - Quarterback - (Jacksonville Jaguars)
The 24 year old Bortles forces too many throws in tight coverage sets-which leads to interceptions, but he has steadily improved his accuracy skills. The former Central Florida standout is not quite there yet, but he has a strong arm and a superb set of young receivers (Robinson and Hurns) to work with.
35. Darius Slay - Cornerback - (Detroit Lions)
The former Mississippi State standout has developed into one of the top one-on-one cover cornerbacks in the game. His excellent play earned the 25 year old Slay a new four-year, $50.2 million dollar contract extension with the Lions.
36. Telvin Smith - Outside Linebacker - (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Smith is emerging as a big-time defensive player for the Jaguars. The 25 year old former Florida State Seminole has great speed and range and he has his radar locked in constantly for the man with the ball.
37. DeVonta Freeman - Halfback - (Atlanta Falcons)
Freeman emerged last season as one of the top all-purpose players in the game. The 24 year old from Florida State has a nose for the goalline and at times he looks like another former FSU Seminole and Atlanta Falcon in Warrick Dunn.
38. Allen Hurns - Wide Receiver - (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Hurns went undrafted coming out of Miami (Fla.). The 6-3, 205 pound speedster caught 64 passes for 1,031 yards and 10 TD’s in 2015. The 24 year old Hurns has great size, excellent speed and times his leaps just right to rip the ball out of the hands of a defender.
39. David Johnson - Halfback - (Arizona Cardinals)
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has raved about the 6-1, 225 pounder from Northern Iowa. The 24 year old is an all-purpose weapon running the ball at a clip of 4.6 yards per carry, as a receiver (36 catches for 457 yards) and he averaged 27.2 yards per kickoff return as a rookie.
40. Brandin Cooks - Wide Receiver - (New Orleans Saints)
Cooks won’t turn 23 years old until September 25. Super quick end who has sprinter’s type speed out in the open. Cooks has caught 137 passes for 1,688 yards and 12 TD’s in his first 2 seasons.
41. Kwon Alexander - Middle Linebacker - (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
All this speedy former LSU Tiger did was rack up 93 tackles, he forced 2 fumbles and intercepted 2 passes as a rookie and he was suspended for 4 games due to a PED violation. He just turned 22 years old. Kwon has superb range and he is very instinctive to the football.
42. Stephon Gilmore - Cornerback - (Buffalo Bills)
The former South Carolina star is a quality cover-cornerback with excellent speed and recovery ability. Gilmore is 25 years old and ready to become one of the elite cornerbacks in the game.
43. Jordan Matthews - Wide Receiver - (Philadelphia Eagles)
The 24 year old from Vanderbilt is not a flashy end, but he is super productive just like he was for the Commodores. He is sure-handed and a superb route runner. Matthews has caught 152 passes for 1,869 yards and 16 TD’s with spotty quarterback play over the past two seasons.
44. Kelvin Benjamin - Wide Receiver - (Carolina Panthers)
Benjamin is coming off a torn ACL in 2015, but few WR’s can match his size (6-5, 240) and leaping skills. The 25 year old caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and 9 TD’s in 2014. If he is healthy, watch out.
45. Desmond Trufant - Cornerback - (Atlanta Falcons)
Trufant has blossomed into one of the top cover-cornerbacks in the NFC. The 25 year old from Washington has excellent ball skills and great length. If only he was aided by a pass rush.
Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDetillier