Abdul Carter, Emeka Egbuka, Tyler Warren top list

Welcome to the first edition of the 2025 rookie rankings! Before we get started, allow me to answer a few questions that could be on your mind.

How is the pecking order decided?

By the amazing power of the human brain — specifically, mine! I watch a lot of football, read a lot of football, research a lot of football, and then spit out takes. It’s a sacred process.

Are the rankings fueled by this season’s play and this season’s play alone?

That’s the goal by year’s end, yes. But in this first installment, with such a small sample size to work with, I’d be lying if I told you my preconceived notions didn’t factor in at all.

To be clear, you do have to earn your keep on the NFL gridiron in order to claim real estate in this neighborhood. I loved Cam Ward, Malaki Starks and Will Johnson as prospects, but at this point, you won’t find any of them below. I don’t think Ward will be offended, given his blunt assessment of Tennessee’s performance. Meanwhile, I’m not blaming Starks for Baltimore’s staggering defensive downturn, but I’m also not completely letting him off the hook. And Johnson looked great in the first couple weeks, but then he ran right back into the injury bug, the pest that plagued his Michigan career and sunk his draft stock.

Can we please just get to the damn list?

Indeed! Without further ado …