#rookie-evaluation

#rookie-evaluation

We're four weeks into the 2025 NFL season, which can mean only one thing: It's time for my quarter-season NFL awards. (Well, technically my 23.5%-season awards in the 17-game era.) We're still trying to figure out whether most of the league's teams are actually any good, but with most starters having played 150 snaps of football or more, we can start making preliminary insights into who's playing at a really high level in 2025.

Football is a complex game with many moving parts, and the influence of a star quarterback or a genius head coach only reaches the water's edge. Wins and losses also can be found in the key late sack from a pass rusher; the running game powered by a bolstered offensive line; and the secondary or tertiary target that shines when the primary is double-covered. We call these players X factors.

Will Campbell has received high marks in preseason action, showcasing exceptional blocking skills while enduring growing pains as a rookie left tackle for the Patriots.