2025 NFL All-Rookie Team: Cam Ward or Tyler Shough? CBS Sports unveils league's best first-year players

12 former first-round picks litter this year's All-Rookie team

The 2025 NFL regular season comes to an end in a matter of days. It is time to reflect upon the season and how the rookie class fared. The majority of the midseason All-Rookie team remains intact, but there were some newcomers on the backs of strong regular-season finishes. 

The conversation starts with the game's most important position. Flashing back to April, Miami quarterback Cam Ward was the unanimous top quarterback prospect. Colorado's Shedeur Sanders was the favorite to be the second quarterback drafted with Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart surging late. As the story unfolded, Sanders fell to the fifth round behind the likes of Dart and Louisville's Tyler Shough. 

Each of those players started this season and had varying degrees of success, but only one could be the quarterback on the All-Rookie Team.

Quarterback

Dart and the Giants have lost some of their steam since the midseason point. Second-round pick Shough has come along strong during the second half of the season leading the Saints to four consecutive victories. His play has been commendable given the limitations of the supporting cast and there was serious consideration to making him the choice. 

However, Ward has had a strong finish to the season as well, in addition to a larger volume of work and more elite flashes. His collection of pass catchers features three rookies: wide receivers Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, as well as tight end Gunnar Helm. 

Moving forward, Ward needs to make better decisions with the football, but it is encouraging to see a young quarterback move around so well in the pocket. According to PFF, he has a 74.4% adjusted completion rate over his past three games. 

Midseason selection: Dart

Running back

There has not been one running back consistent from the beginning of the season to the end. Cleveland's Quinshon Judkins was the selection at the midway point, but he will end the regular season on injured reserve. If the Browns and Raiders were able to create run lanes, then maybe Judkins or Ashton Jeanty would have been the All-Rookie representative. Among running backs with at least 100 carries, those two players finished dead last in yards before contact -- 0.40 and 0.55 yards, respectively, according to TruMedia. By the same metric, Henderson ranks No. 9 at 1.66 yards before contact. 

Henderson has rushed for at least 50 yards in eight of the past nine games, including 295 total rushing yards against the Buccaneers and Bills in the past two months. 

In general, it has been a strong rookie running back class with Cam Skattebo (Giants), Omarion Hampton (Chargers), Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Commanders), RJ Harvey (Broncos), Kyle Monangai (Bears) and Woody Marks (Texans) among the others to make an impact. 

Midseason selection: Judkins

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Wide receivers

McMillan was one of two easy selections for the All-Rookie team. The Arizona product will have an opportunity to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards on the year in Week 18 against the Buccaneers. His seven touchdowns also lead all rookies. It is interesting that most of his yardage came during the first half of the season when Carolina struggled whereas the majority of his touchdowns came during the second half of the season. 

Egbuka was the other easy candidate. Ironically, McMillan and Egbuka will play in Week 18 for the right to move on to the playoffs. In the past seven games, he has eclipsed 50 receiving yards just once. In the first nine games, he went over 100 yards three times. All six of his touchdowns were also during that time frame. 

Only four rookie wide receivers reached 500 receiving yards through Week 17 and Houston's Jayden Higgins only did so by 2 yards. Chicago brought Burden, a second-round pick, along slowly this season, but has he was incorporated more in the offense, he showed an ability to get open and stretch the field. 

In his first seven games, he recorded 178 yards. In his most recent seven games, he has 439 receiving yards, including 138 yards last week against the 49ers. If he had played this way all season, he would be among the top contenders for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Midseason selections: McMillan, Egbuka, Travis Hunter, Jaguars

Tight end

There was ample consideration for Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Each has been the go-to outlet in their respective pass games at one point or another this season. It could be argued that Fannin has been more consistent and Warren has not had to split touches and snaps at his own position with a player like David Njoku. 

Warren has not gone over 50 receiving yards in a game since the Berlin game Nov. 9, which corresponds with the Daniel Jones injury. In the first 10 games, he went over 50 receiving yards seven times. 

Four rookie tight ends have achieved at least 500 receiving yards this season. Colston Loveland has come along as the season has progressed as well: Warren, Fannin, Loveland and the Chargers' Oronde Gadsden II. Buffalo's Jackson Hawes has been the best blocking tight end of the bunch.

Midseason selections: Warren

Offensive line

Will Campbell of the Patriots and Banks were the two candidates at midseason. It could have gone either way, but Campbell has since been added to injured reserve. Banks' performance is not to be undersold, however. He exercises good patience and technique working through his pass arc. 

Seattle has improved running the football from last year to this year, but pass protection has improved exponentially. The offensive scheme has been a boon to the operation but so has the addition of Zabel. The former North Dakota State left tackle helps set the tone. 

Zabel has allowed two sacks this season, according to TruMedia. 

There are no centers from the 2026 NFL Draft class, so an executive decision was made to include another standout guard. Ratledge was actually the selection at right guard midseason. He has certainly not been perfect and his former Georgia teammate, Dylan Fairchild of the Bengals, was also under consideration, but the rookie has handled a tough situation with two veterans moving on well.

Ratledge has allowed two sacks this year, according to TruMedia. 

Dallas has always done well developing offensive linemen and Booker is no exception. The Alabama product has been more consistent in the second half of the season. One of the criticisms of him as a prospect was his limited athleticism, but he wins with power and technique. The Cowboys may be destined for more difficult decisions this offseason, but the future at right guard is not among them. 

Membou has been an above average starter at right tackle, but a large percentage of his pressures (28) have turned into sacks (9) this season. New York will be adding a new quarterback this offseason so it has to be encouraging to find a lynchpin of the offensive line already in place. 

Midseasons selections: Banks Jr., Zabel, Jared Wilson, Patriots, Ratledge, Armand Membou

Edge rushers

Carter holds a considerable edge in pressures (61) created by a rookie this season. His 13.7% pressure rate is the highest among edge rushers this season, according to TruMedia. There have been some well-documented complications with him showing up to meetings and being held accountable, but there is no denying the impact Carter brings to the football field. 

Ezeiruaku has the third-highest pressure rate among rookies, according to TruMedia. He has not been a liability in any aspect of the game, which is a welcomed development following the trade of Micah Parsons. The production has not necessarily been there but his well-rounded game is ultimately what earned him the nod over the Falcons' duo of James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker.

Midseason selections: Carter, Ezeiruaku

Defensive tackles

Graham was a part of the midseason All-Rookie team, but the defensive tackle group had been uninspiring. He has been better during the second half of the season. His 34 pressures lead all rookie interior defenders by a considerable amount and the sack numbers would be more impressive if Myles Garrett was not engulfing the opposing quarterback in record time. 

The second defensive tackle spot was more competitive. Jamaree Caldwell of the Chargers was the other midseason selection and remained a viable option for the end of the regular season. Truthfully, Walter Nolen of the Cardinals likely would have run away with the honor if he had been available for the regular season, in its entirety. 

Buffalo has dealt with injuries along the defensive line this season and Walker has been asked to take on a larger role at times. He can physically overwhelm his opponent in a way most others are incapable. Walker can quickly upfield and move the quarterback off his spot. 

Midseason selections: Caldwell, Graham

Linebackers

Schwesinger is a strong contender to be Defensive Rookie of the Year. He looks like a player who has studied for the test each week and understands what the opposition is trying to do on offense, which allows him to operate at a faster rate than his peers. He has played 16 games despite being diagnosed with a high ankle sprain at one point this season. The second-round pick has 156 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and three pass deflections. 

Not only is Schwesinger the best rookie linebacker, but he has become one of the game's best.

Campbell flashed as a rookie delivering several big plays, including three turnovers. Neither the consistency nor the playing time has been there to match Schwesinger. Philadelphia has Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean to play the position, so Campbell has only played extensive snaps when Dean has been unavailable. 

Midseason selections: Schwesinger, Campbell

Cornerbacks

Only seven cornerbacks have played more than 400 snaps this season. It is a volatile position, which is even more true of rookies. Johnson leads all rookies with 10 pass breakups as the primary defender, according to TruMedia. He has also given up the second most touchdowns among rookie defenders. Moving forward, he will need to do a better job of finishing plays in space as there are too many missed tackles, but Arizona should be optimistic about the young cornerback room. 

Maxwell Hairston flashed in Buffalo. Denzel Burke led all cornerbacks with three interceptions. Trey Amos trailed off a bit in the second half of the season. There are reasons to believe Riley's success in New Orleans is sustainable. The Saints have done well identifying defensive backs beyond the first round, such as Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo. Riley is only the latest. 

The slot cornerback position boiled down to the same two players who were there midseason: San Francisco's Upton Stout and Parrish. Parrish has a quick trigger downhill in run support and was valuable as a blitzer. He is a physical player relative to his size and brought more energy to the Tampa Bay secondary. 

Stout embodies the 49ers defense. Although undersized, he is physical and plays with his hair on fire. 'SWARM' is a mentality DeMeco Ryans had instilled as the team's defensive coordinator and it has carried over to Robert Saleh. 

Midseason selections: Johnson, Amos, Parrish

Safeties

Emmanwori is second among all rookie defenders with seven pass deflections as the primary defender. He is an ideal fit for Mike Macdonald's defensive scheme, because he can move around the formation and crowd pass lanes. Emmanwori has been an impactful player on one of the league's best defenses this season.

Jonas Sanker (Saints), Craig Woodson (Patriots) and Starks were all under consideration for the second safety spot. Starks has certainly been out of position at times, but he has also erased mistakes in that Baltimore defense. His two interceptions are second most among all rookie safeties behind Xavier Watts of the Falcons. 

Midseason selections: Emmanwori, Woodson