National Football League

2017 NFL Season: All-under-25 First Team

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:07 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Randy Gurzi/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

The league is full of some great young talent, but which players are good enough to make the 2017 NFL Season All-Under-25 Team?

Athletes are always getting bigger, stronger and faster. Nowhere is that more evident than in the NFL where the younger players are taking over. Each and every season a new crop of young, talented football players enter the league and have a huge impact. Those players start to become the new faces of their franchise as youth is served. The 2017 NFL season will be no different.

The biggest argument against this youth movement will be the fact that two veteran quarterbacks faced off in Super Bowl 51. Tom Brady led his New England Patriots over Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons in that one, but neither team did so without getting some help from the young guys along the way.

New England had some explosive moments in the game courtesy of rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell as well as seeing the game won on a touchdown by just-turned 25-year old running back James White. For Atlanta their defense is led by a slew of youngsters that have been brought to the team over the past couple of seasons since head coach Dan Quinn arrived in town.

Such is true across the league. Each and every team needs to have some youth out there to last these days. To honor those players here is a team made up of all the best players who will be under the age of 25 when the 2017 NFL season kicks off.

Dec 4, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa (99) looks on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Ends: Joey Bosa, Danielle Hunter

We start with the defensive side of the ball because not enough love gets thrown this way. Teams may be able to score points with flashy offenses, but it's the ones with the nasty defenses that find ways to pull out the toughest of games.

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The best way to ever build a defense is with your edge rushers. In 2016 one of the better ones out there was Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers. Bosa started 12 games as a rookie for the Chargers (who were still in San Diego for the 2016 season) and wound up with 10.5 sacks on the season.

He was the third overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and proved he was the right selection with his outstanding year. Bosa was also awarded the NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors for his production.

Opposite him we have Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings. Hunter came into the league with much less fanfare than Bosa. The LSU product was a third round pick of the Vikings and began to show in his rookie season just how good he could be. Hunter finished 2015 with 33 tackles and six sacks in mostly a rotational role.

In 2016 he became one of the better pass rushers in the entire league. Hunter still never technically became a starter on the talented Vikings line, but he spent plenty of time on the field while recording 56 tackles and 12.5 sacks.

December 11, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New York Jets defensive tackle Leonard Williams (92) during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. The Jets defeated the 49ers 23-17 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Tackles: Leonard Williams, Malcom Brown

There wasn't much debate about the first name at defensive tackle. Leonard Williams of the New York Jets is just a force in the middle of their defensive line. He was the sixth overall pick in 2015 despite many believing he was the top rated player overall. He became an immediate starter for the Jets and his impact is easy to see.

Offensive linemen have to focus on Williams throughout the game, but his dominance can still be seen. As a rookie he had 63 tackles and three sacks. He was one of the better run stuffers in the game, a trait which carried over into 2016 when he recorded another 68 tackles and forced two fumbles.

Williams also became a much better pass rusher in his sophomore season. He increased his total number of quarterback sacks to seven for the year and the scary part is he's still learning the game at just 22-years old.

His partner on this team is an AFC East for in Malcom Brown. The New England Patriots defensive tackle enters the 2017 NFL season with some new jewelry as his team was able to win Super Bowl 51. While the offense gets all the glory, the Pats defense was actually just as big of a reason for their success.

Much of that credit goes to the 320-pound Brown, who has stepped in and replaced one of the best players New England ever had in Vince Wilfork. They were big shoes to fill, but so far the youngster has been up to the task. As a rookie, the first-round pick out of Texas had 48 tackles and three sacks. He stayed consistent in 2016 by recording 50 tackles and another three sacks.

Nov 27, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) reacts against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 14-5. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Linebackers: Kwon Alexander, Eric Kendricks, Vic Beasley, Jr.

There are some incredibly talented young linebackers in the NFL right now. The position overall has changed with the league becoming much more pass oriented on offense. The result has been some quicker linebackers that can cover all over the field like Tampa Bay's Kwon Alexander.

The Bucs middle linebacker is built like a safety at 6-1 and 227 pounds, but is able to make game changing plays from the middle of the defense thanks to his incredible speed and nose for the ball. Alexander played in just 12 games as a rookie but nearly hit triple digits in tackles with 93. He followed that up with another 145 tackles, which included an amazing 108 solo tackles.

Another guy who can fly around the field and make plays like Alexander is former UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks. The 232-pound second year player has developed into a force in the middle of the Minnesota Vikings defense. In two seasons he has 201 tackles, 6.5 sacks and has an interception which he returned 77 yards for a score.

Lastly, we go with a linebacker known much more for his ability to harass quarterbacks. The Falcons' Vic Beasley, Jr. is leading a defensive overhaul for the Dirty Birds and after a rookie season which had it's share of struggles, he broke out in 2016. Beasley led the Falcons defense with 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. He's become one of the premier pass rushers in the game on a defense that's starting to look scary under head coach Dan Quinn's guidance.

Dec 8, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (22) breaks up a pass intended for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes (18) during the game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Cornerbacks: Marcus Peters, Jalen Ramsey

At cornerback we have a no-brainer in Marcus Peters of the Kansas City Chiefs. Peters was a great player in college for the Washington Huskies, but found himself dismissed from the team for his issues with the coaching staff. The problems in college made some teams weary of drafting him, but the Chiefs took a chance and to this point it's paid off.

Peters won the 2015 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and was also the interceptions leader in the league as a rookie with eight picks. Peters returned two of those turnovers for touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl as well. In his second season, he added another Pro Bowl nod when he recorded six interceptions.

His counterpart in this roster is one of the runners up for Defensive Rookie of the Year from 2016. Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey came to an atrocious passing defense and in one season the rookie helped them change all that.

In 2015 the Jaguars secondary was a mess. They surrendered 4,291 yards through the air, and to fix it they used a premium pick on the Florida State cornerback. The result was giving up just 3,444 yards on the season and improving to the fifth-best passing defense in the league.
Ramsey finished with 65 tackles, two interceptions and a touchdown for the Jags.

Nov 20, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants safety Landon Collins (21) celebrates with teammates after making a game-ending interception against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Safeties: Landon Collins, Keanu Neal

A second round pick out of Alabama in 2015, New York Giants strong safety Landon Collins isn't just one of the best young safeties in the league, but one of the best overall regardless of age. After being a defensive star for the Crimson Tide, Collins wasted no time making his mark for the G-Men. He's always around the ball and is a turnover machine.

As a rookie he was credited with 112 tackles and had nine pass deflections and a pick. He expanded on all those numbers in year two. Collins finished with 100 solo tackles and 125 total while adding five interceptions, a remarkable touchdown return, and 13 pass defenses. The arrow is only pointing up for this defensive backfield monster.

Another safety to make this list is Keanu Neal of the Atlanta Falcons. A first-round pick in 2016 out of Florida, he joins his SEC colleague Collins here. Neal didn't record an interception during his rookie season but he showed the kind of tackling that takes some years to master.

He finished his rookie campaign with 106 tackles and forced an impressive five fumbles as well. He was still effective against the pass despite his lack of picks. Neal was able to deflect nine passes and surely will see his ability to turn the ball over increase as he learns the game even more.

Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints kicker Will Lutz (3) attempts a 61-yard field goal from the hold of Thomas Morstead (6) on the last play of the game against the Oakland Raiders in the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Raiders won 35-34. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Kicker: Will LutzPunter: Riley DixonReturn Man: Tyreek Hill

Will Lutz of the New Orleans Saints and Andrew Franks were the only real candidates for this award. The other option could have been Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Roberto Aguayo, and after trading up in the second round for his services, they probably were hoping he would be the best young kicker in the game. Instead, they already had to bring in veteran Nick Folk in an attempt to push Aguayo either to improve or out the door.

With him out, Lutz edges out Franks because of a better 2016. Lutz made 28-of-34 kicks as a rookie for the Saints for a respectable 82.4 percent conversion rate. He also had a long of 57 yards and was 49-of-50 on extra points. Great start to a career for the rookie by way of Georgia State.

The punter on our All-Under-25 team is Riley Dixon of the Denver Broncos. They liked the Syracuse punter enough to spend a seventh-round pick on him and he showed why they felt he was worth it. In his first season Dixon had 89 punts go for 4,068 yards with was good for an average of 45.7 per kick. He was also able to pin opponents inside the 20-yard line 28 total times which is gold to the defensive oriented Broncos.

Our return man is the Chiefs Tyreek Hill. The rookie gave the team a spark by averaging 15.2 yards per punt return and had two touchdowns. He wasn't used as often on kickoff returns, but still averaged 27.4 yards on his 14 returns and added a touchdown there as well.

Jul 31, 2016; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (79) warms up during the morning session of training camp at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Tackles: Ronnie Stanley, Jack ConklinGuards: Trai Turner, La'El CollinsCenter: Ryan Kelly

Ronnie Stanley was the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and started 12 games for the Baltimore Ravens as a rookie. The Notre Dame product is looking like an anchor on the line for the Ravens and is on his way towards becoming one of the best in the game.

Two picks later, the Tennessee Titans took Michigan State's Jack Conklin. The Spartan tackle quickly became a fixture in the run-heavy Tennessee offense and after starting all 16 games was named an All-Pro as well as making the Pro Football Writer's of America All-Rookie Team.

The two guards on this list came into the league in a less heralded way than the edge linemen. Trai Turner was a third round pick out of LSU in 2014 and by 2015 he had developed into a Pro Bowl player. He was given the same honor last season as well as the 310-pound Turner has become one of the better interior linemen in the league.

His former teammate at LSU joins him as La'El Collins gets the nod. Collins should have been a first round pick, but when an ex-girlfriend was murdered his name came up as someone to talk to and the NFL executives stayed away until he was cleared. Collins then joined the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent and excels at blocking in the run game as he proved in this clip against Seattle:

Collins may be swinging out to tackle this season, but as of now he has only played guard in the NFL.

The final offensive linemen is Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly. He joined the Colts in the first round last season by way of Alabama and is helping to rebuild what once was an atrocious offensive line.

Nov 20, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron (85) after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Tight Ends: Eric Ebron, Hunter Henry

In today's NFL starting two tight ends happens a lot more often than it used to. Usually the fullbacks are only there for special packages, and therefore two players start inline as tight ends. On this team we follow that trend and give our roster two potential starters at this position.

First there's Eric Ebron of the Detroit Lions. The 10th overall pick in 2014 out of North Carolina. His rookie season was decent, but by the end of his second season Ebron was turning into a reliable player as he had 47 receptions and five touchdowns. Last season, he pulled down 61 receptions and had 711 yards. He had just one touchdown, so he needs to improve in his red zone efficiency, but overall he's a truly reliable starter for the Lions.

Paired with him is 2016 second round pick Hunter Henry. The Chargers tight end didn't blow people away with his 36 receptions, but it was his ability in the red zone that really put him on the radar. Henry had eight touchdowns in his rookie year and should only improve going forward, especially with Los Angeles where they like to throw the ball at a high rate.

Dec 14, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New York Giants wide reciever Odell Beckham Jr (13) runs untouched into the endzone for a Giants touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Duyos-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers: Odell Beckham, Jr., Jarvis Landry

We go back to pairing up some former college teammates here as Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry out of LSU make this All-Under-25 Team. OBJ is the more prolific of the two and entered the league as the 12th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. In his rookie season he showed how great he could be.

After missing the first four games of the year, Beckham went off for the Giants. He wound up with 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns. It was his lowest reception and yardage totals of his three-year career and he has had a minimum of ten touchdowns every season. For his career Beckham has 288 catches for 4,122 yards and 35 touchdowns.

OBJ was awarded the NFL Offensive Rookie of the year award and has been named to the Pro Bowl three years in a row.

Landry was taken in the second round by the Miami Dolphins and has been almost as effective as his former teammate. Landry had 84 receptions as a rookie and added another 110 and 94 after that. For his career he also has 288 catches but he hasn't gotten as many yards or touchdowns. To this point Landry has 3,051 yards and 13 touchdowns and has been named to the last two Pro Bowls.

Jan 15, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) runs with the ball against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional playoff game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Running Back: Ezekiel Elliott

With the fourth pick in the 2016 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys went for the flashy pick and selected Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. Armed with arguably the best offensive line in the game they decided that just plugging anyone in wasn't good enough for them despite getting over 1,000 yards out of veteran Darren McFadden the season before.

Instead the brass in Big D wanted to see what it would look like to put a transcendent star behind that line. The results were phenomenal. Elliott was a workhorse for America's Team and it didn't matter whether or not the opponents knew the run was coming, they simply couldn't stop it.

Elliott led the league in rushing as a rookie, despite the coaching staff resting him in Week 17 as they prepared for the post season. So in 15 games, Elliott had 322 carries for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns. He wound up with an impressive average of 5.1 yards per carry and even single-handedly destroyed the Pittsburgh Steelers chances of a fourth-quarter come back win when he gashed them for two long fourth quarter touchdowns.

Making Elliott even more impressive on the field is his ability in the passing game. Not only was he solid in catching 32 passes for 363 yards and another touchdown, but he also picked up blitzes like a veteran.

Nov 24, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys defeat the Redskins 31-26. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback: Dak Prescott

The signal-caller for this team is none other than 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Dak Prescott. The Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback was a fourth-round pick and wasn't even supposed to sniff the field yet. That changed when backup quarterback Kellen Moore broke his leg, followed by starter Tony Romo breaking a bone in his back. The team turned to Prescott and all he did was win.

After dropping their first game in heartbreaking fashion, Prescott and the Boys reeled off 11 wins in a row. They finished atop the NFC East with a record of 13-3 which also gave them the number one seed in the entire NFC.

They didn't do this simply by running with fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott though. Dak was just as dangerous as he completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 3,667 yards while throwing 23 touchdowns against just four picks. Another part of what made him so dangerous was his ability to take off and run. While Prescott was smart about this and seemed to only run as a last resort, he did wind up with 282 yards and six rushing touchdowns.

He had the poise and leadership of a veteran and the team believed in him enough to keep their original starter in Romo on the bench even after he was healthy. Dak Prescott is the face of the most visible franchise in the league and is the best quarterback in the league under 25 years old.

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