2025 Dynasty IDP Rookie Rankings: Who's Moving Up?

Let's Get to Know the New Class

Abdul Carter looks like a lock to go top-3 in the NFL Draft -- and sit high in our IDP rookie rankings. But there aren't many locks after that ...

How many other edge players will follow him in Round 1? How many LBs will actually be worth your attention in dynasty rookie drafts? And might a safety wind up as the next-best IDP target?

Before we get NFL Draft landing spots, lets get familiar with the top options.

2025 IDP Rookie Rankings

1. Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
2. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
3. Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina (UP)
4. Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
5. Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado
6. Mike Green, Edge, Marshall (Down)
7. Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA (UP)
8. Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma (UP)
9. Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College (UP)
10. J.T. Tuimoloau, Edge, Ohio State (UP)

Dropped out: James Pearce Jr., Nic Scourton, Malaki Starks

Of course, scoring formats vary widely. So the rankings for your league might look different from everyone else's.

(Fortunately, the 3D values in your dynasty draft war room will sort that out.)

This class looks strong at edge, which would help many a fantasy roster. But it might be even stronger at DT, led by guys who look like more valuable NFL players than fantasy contributors.

We might also see a better batch of CBs than we got the past two years (also meh for fantasy), while the non-edge LB group looks a bit nebulous.

For now, here are some players to know …

Early Top 10 IDP Rookies

1. Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State

If we’ve learned anything, it’s that you should go ahead and draft defenders who wore No. 11 at Penn State. Carter followed:

• LaVar Arrington
• NaVorro Bowman
• Brandon Bell
• Micah Parsons

Bell made no NFL impact, but he also went undrafted. So we knew what to expect. The other three became high-impact players for their NFL teams and our IDP lineups.

Of course, we’re not targeting Carter for his jersey number. We’re chasing a guy who delivered 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and 4 passes defensed as a true-freshman starter. Carter finished his third (and final) season leading the Big Ten in TFLs (22) and sacks (11).

2. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

We might wind up seeing a sizable split between the top couple of LB options and the rest of the group. For now, at least, Campbell looks like the best bet to join Walker among the top 2.

Campbell barely saw the field as a 2022 true freshman but became a starter early in his second year. He wound up third on that team in tackles but passed draft classmate Deontae Lawson to rack up 41 more tackles than his nearest teammate in 2024.

Campbell also led the team in sacks (5) and tackles for loss (12), while adding 2 forced fumbles and 2 passes defensed.

He might be more ready than Jalon Walker for an immediate three-down role in the pros.

Learn more about the LB class (and the next guy on the list) in this video) ...

3. Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

Despite arriving as a three-star recruit, Emmanwori spent all three of his South Carolina seasons starting. He led two of those teams in tackles and improved both his overall PFF grade and coverage grade each of the past two years.

Last season found Emmanwori tying for 16th in coverage grade among 200 FBS safeties who played at least 200 snaps. He also grabbed 4 INTs and returned two of them for TDs.

And then he blazed a 4.38-second 40 time at the Combine (91st percentile among DBs) and crushed other testing. All that in a 6’3, 220-pound package? Sounds like a safety for IDPers to get excited about.

4. Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia

Walker doesn't look like your typical edge prospect at 6'2, 245 -- but good luck finding an evaluator you favors him playing a non-edge position.

That said, Walker's actual role could look different from other edge guys.

He spent just one of three Georgia seasons as a full-timer and rushed the passer on mere 52% of his pass snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Georgia dropped him into coverage nearly as often, so we'll see exactly how Walker's deployed in the pros.

5. Travis Hunter, CB (and WR), Colorado

I wouldn’t normally put a corner anywhere near this high. But there’s nothing normal about Hunter.

The Heisman winner just finished leading the Big 12 in receptions (96) and TD catches (15), and yet most people expect him to land at CB in the NFL.

It sounds as though he's going to play plenty of WR in the pros -- perhaps primarily there. That alone could make him a game-changing play in your CB/DB slot, as long as your league awards him the offensive points.

Check your settings closely before your rookie draft.

6. Mike Green, Edge, Marshall (Down)

Green led the nation with 17 sacks in 2024 and led all FBS edge players in Pro Football Focus overall defensive grade, ranked second among the group in run-defense grade, and tied for sixth in pass-rushing grade.

Green posted just the one year of good college production but sports intriguing burst off the edge. His 76th-percentile speed score in pre-draft testing backed that up.

Unfortunately, NFL teams will also have to dig into the sexual-assault allegations that were at least related to Green transferring from Virginia to Marshall -- and which he denies.

“There’s accusations out there. I’ve never been questioned,” Green told reporters at the Combine. “I’ve never been asked. Nobody ever asked me a question about what happened before I departed from Virginia. It was just accusations that caused me to leave.”

7. Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA (UP)

Oklahoma's Danny Stutsman was the second off-ball LB in these rankings initially. And we've got plenty of sorting still to do at the position (as I mentioned in that initial post).

Schwesinger jumps into our top 10 in this update, though, primarily because he now ranks second at the position on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board.

Schwesinger delivered an FBS-leading 90 solo tackles in 2024, along with 4 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, and 2 INTs.

We'll see how Combine testing and the draft help sort out a still muddled -- but intriguing -- LB class.

8. Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma (UP)

Stutsman started inside the top 10 of these rankings. Then I dropped him out because there wasn't much early love from draft analysts.

Stutsman ranked just 10th among non-edge LBs on the Mock Draft Database consensus big board at the time of my last update. He's now up to fifth there, but I'm also just comfier with the prospect.

The three-year starter topped 100 total tackles in each of three starting seasons – leading the Sooners by double digits each time.

Stutsman also averaged 0.95 tackles for loss per game over those three years, a particularly strong rate for an off-ball LB.

His pass-rushing reps decreased each of the past two seasons. But Stutsman will arrive with loads of experience in all phases. His coverage play will likely need development. But there's speed to build on (91st-percentile speed score).

9. Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College (UP)

Ezeiruaku has risen throughout the predraft process ... but that might just have been delayed public awareness to how good he is.

The four-year BC edge brings suboptimal size: 6'2.5, 248 pounds. But he proved terrific against the run in college, which helped him rack up 215 career tackles -- an extraordinarily high total for the position.

His 85th-percentile wingspan helps make up for 19th-percentile height, and Ezeiraku proved disruptive in the pass rush. His 30 career sacks included a conference-leading 16.5 last season -- as well as 8.5 in his 2022 sophomore campaign.

The ex-Eagle also racked up 47 tackles for loss, including two seasons of 15+.

10. J.T. Tuimoloau, Edge, Ohio State (UP)

Tuimoloau arrived as a five-star recruit and then started for three seasons at Ohio State.

He delivered 11 tackles for loss as a first-time starter in his sophomore season. And then senior year brought a conference-leading 12.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. That was nine more TFLs than anyone else on the team.

Tuimoloau sports enough size (6'4, 265) to play multiple spots along the line. But he also posted a 65th-percentile 40 time for an edge player, giving him a 78th-percentile speed score.

There's sleeper potential here amid a crowded class littered with smaller dudes. Shane and I discussed that potential in a recent podcast on the edge-DL prospects.

More Prospects to Watch

Let's start with guys who dropped from our previous rankings ...

James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee

Pearce led the SEC with 10 sacks as a 2023 sophomore and averaged more than a tackle for loss per game over the past two years.

He then delivered an elite, 97th-percentile speed score at the Combine.

The problem: He's a wispy 245 pounds at 6'5. Even in college, Pearce topped out at just 55.5% playing time on defense. It's tough to imagine him playing a larger share of defensive snaps against bigger, stronger players in the pros.

That figures to limit Pearce's fantasy-scoring potential. Even if he hits as a pro, Pearce could prove perennially more valuable to his NFL team than to your fantasy squad

Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M

Scourton led the Big Ten with 10 sacks as a 2023 sophomore. 

That sack total fell by half after a transfer to Texas A&M. But Scourton still generated pressure on 11% of his pass rushes in his lone SEC season, according to Pro Football Focus. Scourton also averaged a strong 1.26 tackles for loss per game over the past two years.

He sports the size-athleticism combo to play inside and outside, and Scourton won't turn 21 until Aug. 25. So there's likely lots more development coming.

Pre-draft season, however, has found him moving well into Round 2 for expected capital, though. That's why he falls out of this top 10.

Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

Shane has Starks in Round 1 of his seven-round mock draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranks Starks 19th overall among this year's prospects. So why would I move him down this list?

Well, part of the reason I included Starks originally was to highlight him as a defensive prospect. He looks like one of the safer bets in this class to land a starting gig and hold it for a long time.

But he also looks like more of a deep safety than the kind who spends a lot of time "in the box." If that proves true and his NFL team limits his time in the slot, then Starks might have a tough time providing regular fantasy production.

That keeps him from standing out as a top rookie-draft target for now.

Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia

I included Williams in the original top 10 despite my own reservations.

Williams looks like a consensus top-20 pick (maybe top 15). He brings the size (6’5, 265). And he played right away in the SEC.

But Williams never ranked higher than 112th nationally among edge players in total pass-rushing snaps (per PFF), despite playing 12+ games each season.

His pressure rate also dipped each of the past two years. And he topped out at 9 tackles for loss and 5 sacks in his final season.

More Names to Know

Edge

• Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
• Landon Jackson, Arkansas
• Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss

DT

• Mason Graham, Michigan
• Kenneth Grant, Michigan
• Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
• Derrick Harmon, Oregon
• Tyleik Williams, Ohio State

LB

• Demetrius Knight, South Carolina
• Barrett Carter, Clemson
• Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss
• Deontae Lawson, Alabama
• Lander Barton, Utah
• Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon

DB

• Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame
• Kevin Winston Jr., S, Penn State
• Hunter Wohler, S, Nebraska
• Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas

 

Win the Offseason

If you're a dynasty player, then you know that right now just might be the most important time of year for building your championship roster.

Our Dynasty Trade Calculator is a game changer, and it's ready to help you. Watch this short video to learn more:

Play