Carson Wentz takes the top spot in our 2017 look at the NFL's top 25 players under age 25. The second-year Philadelphia Eagles quarterback made the jump from 25th as a rookie to the top spot and is one of four quarterbacks on the list.
I pulled together rankings from four NFL talent evaluators and then spoke with a few others in making final tweaks. Odell Beckham Jr. and Le'Veon Bell were among the prominent players who aged out of consideration. Beckham, who turned 25 on Nov. 5, ranked first last year. He would have ranked lower this year if still eligible, a reflection of his injury status and an influx of young talent that includes promising young quarterbacks.
In addition to the four quarterbacks, there are five defensive backs, five running backs, five wide receivers, four defensive front-seven players and just two offensive linemen. A short list of 10 other players who were near-misses follows the top 25. That list includes the quarterbacks taken 1-2 in the 2015 draft. Alas, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota have lost ground to the field.
The Kansas City Chiefs led the way with three players on the list. Seven teams had two players, but there was one team conspicuously absent.
"All those picks and the Browns didn't have anyone on the list, and you really could not even make a good case for anyone," the evaluator said.
Myles Garrett could become a strong candidate, but with only four games played, two of them starts, he wasn't in the running this time.
The rankings reflect a blend of production and potential, with availability also factoring. Positional value was a consideration, but not an overriding one.
1. Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Age: 24 years, 10 months
Wentz leads the NFL in touchdown passes (24) while ranking fourth in Total QBR (70.5) for an 8-1 team. He leads the league in third-down touchdown passes (10), yards per attempt (9.3), passer rating (125.1) and QBR (91.0). It's not just what Wentz is doing. It's how he is doing it.
"There is an intangible thing I love about Wentz," an evaluator said. "It is just a level of toughness that he plays with. He is not sliding or going down. He might lower his shoulder and try to bull you over in the end zone. There is something about that and putting a team on his back that I love. It does not bode well for longevity, but guys love playing for that."
2. Joey Bosa, DE, Los Angeles Chargers
Age: 22 years, 4 months
Bosa has 20 career sacks, most for any player in his first 21 games since sacks became an official stat in 1982. That includes 9.5 sacks in nine games this season.
"Bosa is a bad man," an evaluator said. "He produces. He wins. He has done it since day one."
3. Marcus Peters, CB, Kansas City Chiefs
Age: 24 years, 10 months
Peters' 17 interceptions rank tied for fourth since 1970 through a player's first 40 regular-season games, edging out contemporaries Richard Sherman (16) and Aqib Talib (15).
"He has an incredible ability to play the ball in the air and find it in his blind spot," a coach said.
4. Jadeveon Clowney, OLB, Houston Texans
Age: 24 years, 9 months
Rams coach Sean McVay called Clowney "special" for his ability to disrupt plays, and the stats do not disagree. Clowney has six sacks while ranking second to the Cardinals' Chandler Jones in tackles for loss with 12. He has bounced back from a disappointing start to his career and has become more available than teammate J.J. Watt.
A coach whose team faced the Texans but not the Chargers wondered what Bosa could do that Clowney could not do. "I just feel him when he's on the field," the coach said of Clowney.
An evaluator called Bosa the better pure rusher and Clowney the better pure all-around player, noting that neither one of those things is bad.
"The J.J. Watt injury helps Clowney because he is always a defensive end now," another evaluator said. "People scheme Clowney. If you want to take the No. 1 guy in the NFL for speed, power, quickness and explosion, he is at the front of the line. Plain athletic ability is off the charts."
5. Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Age: 23 years, 0 months
There's a split among coaches and evaluators over how high to value defensive backs in the draft if those defensive backs are not ball hawks. Ramsey had only three interceptions in three seasons at Florida State. He has four picks in his first 25 NFL games, and is generally regarded as one of the more effective cornerbacks in the game.
The turnovers are one variable to watch as Ramsey strives to rank among the elite, although a coach said a shutdown corner doesn't need interceptions to make a significant impact on the game.
"You've got the two best corners in the league on here in Peters and Ramsey," an evaluator said. "They are just so far ahead. [Marshon] Lattimore is good, but Peters and Ramsey are shutdown corners, and I rarely say that. You can take a receiver out of the game with them. I'm not sure Lattimore can do that yet."
6. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Age: 22 years, 3 months
Elliott leads the league in rushing attempts (513), rushing yards (2,414) and rushing touchdowns (22) since entering the league last season. The NFL's best offensive line has helped his cause. Elliott has averaged 4.3 yards per carry before contact running outside left tackle Tyron Smith this season. The average is 1.7 yards outside right tackle, and no more than 2.5 yards running behind any other position on the line.
7. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Age: 23 years, 3 months
The Rams' offense in 2016 was a disaster for reasons that went far beyond any one individual player. Set aside that lost season as an outlier, and Gurley's statistical production becomes sensational. He has 1,860 yards and 17 touchdowns in the 22 games he has played in the 2015 and 2017 seasons. Only Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson (1,909) has more rushing yards in those seasons. No one has as many rushing touchdowns as Gurley in that span.
8. Leonard Williams, DL, New York Jets
Age: 23 years, 4 months
Williams has not been as statistically productive this season after ranking third on this list one year ago. He broke out a bit against Tampa Bay in Week 10 with four tackles, one sack and three quarterback hits.
"He makes that defense work," a former GM said.
Williams is so good and so versatile that he can play multiple positions on the line effectively.
"He is so good, he can play four positions, but if they stuck him at one spot, he would dominate," an evaluator said.
9. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Age: 24 years, 3 months
Prescott has 50 total touchdowns -- 39 passing, 11 rushing -- with only eight interceptions in his first 25 games. That's three more total touchdowns than Cam Newton scored over his first 25 games. Evaluators will be watching to see how he performs without running back Ezekiel Elliott and left tackle Tyron Smith. The drop from having elite support at those positions to sub-average support appeared to take a heavy toll against Atlanta in Week 10.
"The next several weeks without Zeke [Elliott] are going to tell us a lot," one evaluator said.
10. Marshon Lattimore, CB, New Orleans Saints
Age: 21 years, 5 months
Lattimore has quickly become an effective No. 1 corner for an improved Saints defense. The NFL's defensive rookie of the month for October has two interceptions, one forced fumble and eight passes defensed in his first eight starts. Placing Lattimore this high this quickly feels a little speculative, but there have never been serious concerns about his ability. The hamstring injuries that limited him in college were the real concern.
11. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age: 24 years, 2 months
Evans ranks among the NFL's all-time top 10 in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns before age 25. He will not turn 25 until the offseason, putting him in position to climb well within the top five in those categories. Evans' statistical production has slumped this season, and might not fully recover given quarterback Jameis Winston's injury situation. It's just tough to argue with his production through three-plus seasons.
12. Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Age: 22 years, 9 months
Fournette, Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell and Elliott are the only backs averaging 20-plus carries per game this season. Fournette owns the highest per-carry average (4.3) of the three. He fits how the Jaguars want to play offense with Tom Coughlin in their front office and Doug Marrone as head coach. Fournette also fits how the Jaguars need to play offense in light of their quarterback, Blake Bortles.
With a top defense keeping down scoring for the opponent, Fournette has had opportunities that might not have existed in another setting. Fournette scored points with some for the way he reacted to Marrone benching him for a game as punishment for tardiness.
13. Landon Collins, S, New York Giants
Age: 23 years, 10 months
Collins' breakout 2016 season featured five interceptions and four sacks. Opponents appear to have adjusted this season, which is one reason Collins does not have the same production. An ankle injury has also factored at times. Had teammate Odell Beckham Jr. not aged out of consideration on Nov. 5, this is about where the receiver would've landed.
14. Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Age: 22 years, 3 months
Hunt has 800 yards rushing and 331 yards receiving in his first nine NFL games. Peterson, Elliott and Tampa Bay's Doug Martin are the only players in the past 15 seasons to have more yards from scrimmage in their first nine games.
There was some thought the Chiefs were in serious trouble when they lost Spencer Ware to injury during preseason. Even they could not have known how much better they'd be with Hunt.
15. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Age: 23 years, 8 months
Hill and Hunt have transformed the Chiefs' offense as players drafted outside the first two rounds. Hill has 101 receptions for 10 touchdowns in his first 25 games, but his impact is felt beyond the box score when the Chiefs put him in motion to distract from their true intentions, such as when they fake jet-sweep handoffs to him. Hill also has four touchdowns as a returner.
16. Danielle Hunter, DE, Minnesota Vikings
Age: 23 years, 0 months
Hunter had 12.5 sacks last season and has four through nine games in 2017 while ranking among the league leaders in quarterback pressures, depending upon who is doing the charting. He's a key player at a key position on one of the NFL's strongest defenses, and he's young enough to be back on this list in 2018 as well.
"He definitely belongs on this list," an evaluator said. "He is so, so good."
17. Kevin Byard, S, Tennessee Titans
Age: 24 years, 2 months
Byard leads the NFL in interceptions with six, and ranked as high as No. 12 on one of the ballots submitted by an evaluator. There was some thought Byard still must show greater consistency making the routine plays, but the big-play impact is undeniable.
18. Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Age: 23 years, 11 months
An unstable quarterback situation hasn't stopped Diggs from producing as an inside receiver with the speed to beat top corners deep.
"He is special," an evaluator said. "Diggs can play inside and outside. He has burst, agility. He reminds you of an Antonio Brown-type dude."
19. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans
Age: 22 years, 2 months
An evaluator said he'd take Wentz, then Prescott, then Watson if allowed to pick one of the three quarterbacks on this list. The fact that Watson was able to factor into the discussion after only six starts speaks very well of him. He had 19 scoring passes in less than seven full games before suffering a torn ACL in practice.
"You like the stats of Watson, but when you watch the tape, there are picks and errant balls," the evaluator said. "Watson is, 'The team rallies around you, we feel good, I'm going to make some mistakes, but if we are around in the end, we are going to fight and come back,' whereas with Wentz, 'We can beat you any way we want to beat you -- running the ball, throwing the ball, if we are ahead, if we are behind.' Dak is, 'I make good decisions, I'm sturdy, I'm not flashy, you are just going to get consistent production.'"
20. Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Age: 23 years, 1 month
Goff was too young and inexperienced to qualify as a reclamation project following his seven-start rookie season, but he went from looking lost to directing one of the NFL's highest-scoring offenses with the flip of a coaching staff (and with some key personnel additions). Goff ranked a distant 36th in QBR among the 36 quarterbacks with at least 150 pass attempts last season. He is 16th among qualifiers in 2017. Goff leads the league in yards per pass attempt (8.5) and ranks seventh in passer rating (101.5).
"He is making [Robert] Woods and [Sammy] Watkins look like really good players," an evaluator said. "You are not seeing Marcus Mariota do the same thing. Some of that is coaching. Sean McVay gets a lot of credit. They have figured it out. The ball to Woods he dropped into a bucket about 50 yards downfield was unreal. You can't name three guys who can hit that back foot and throw it like that so the receiver doesn't even slow down."
21. Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears
Age: 23 years, 0 months
There's less "wow" factor with Howard than some other young backs, but the production has been impressive. Howard trails only Elliott and Bell in rushing yards since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2016.
"All he has done is play on a [bad] team and put up great numbers when everyone knows they are running the ball," a coach said. "He breaks tackles and is not afraid. They give him lots of turns at bat, he has to shoulder the whole offense a fair amount of the time and he does."
22. Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders
Age: 23 years, 4 months
Cooper and the Raiders have dipped offensively this season, but he still has a shot at putting together a third consecutive 1,000-yard season out of the gates.
"He was part of the culture change and the talent change in that team," a veteran coach said. "Without a real No. 1, [quarterback] [Derek] Carr doesn't do those things. The real No. 1 allows [Michael] Crabtree to show up, it allows that average tight end they drafted from Miami [Clive Walford] to be a factor. Cooper can win one-on-one like real guys do. There are not a lot of those guys."
23. Jack Conklin, RT, Tennessee Titans
Age: 23 years, 2 months
Conklin has quickly become a solid starting right tackle and was named first-time All-Pro by the Associated Press as a rookie last season.
An evaluator called him one of the rare linemen who can win with both power and quick feet. What were the odds Tennessee would have two players on this list and one would not be their quarterback?
24. Ronnie Stanley, LT, Baltimore Ravens
Age: 23 years, 7 months
It's tough finding worthy offensive linemen younger than 25, but Stanley has shown enough through his first 21 starts to earn a spot on the list. The Lions' Taylor Decker could have been a candidate after also stepping into the lineup as a rookie, but an injury intervened.
25. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
Age: 24 years, 8 months
There was no widespread support for Thomas among the personnel evaluators consulted, but Thomas has produced well enough for the Saints to trade away Brandin Cooks. He has 151 receptions for 1,799 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first 24 games (20 starts).
"There was nothing about him that was a first-round pick because he doesn't have the physical traits -- the speed," a coach said. "But he has the mental toughness and sets a high bar for himself, and I love the guy. They found the right spot for him. He doesn't have to win the one-on-one over and over again like Amari Cooper, but the guy is money."
Just missed
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints: Kamara leads the NFL in yards per carry (6.8) and fills the Reggie Bush/Darren Sproles void for New Orleans.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans: Mariota has the talent to rank high on this list. Injuries have kept him off the field in multiple seasons, and his production has been sporadic.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Winston still throws too many interceptions, and now he is injured. The Bucs' breakout season on offense never materialized.
Jamal Adams, S, New York Jets: The sixth overall choice in the 2017 draft has two sacks, two fumble recoveries and four passes defensed playing mostly as a box safety.
Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars: He's a natural pass-rusher who seems to have a knack for getting sacks at the right time.
Tre'Davious White, CB, Buffalo Bills: White probably should be in the top 25. At age 22, odds are that he will be on this list in the future.
Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins: Landry averages four catches per game on passes traveling less than 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, most in the league for a wide receiver. He ranks 33rd on passes traveling longer than that.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers: He lines up all over the place and is making an immediate impact. Increased production should follow.
Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers: He has 10 touchdown receptions in his first 24 games and should be a productive starter for years to come.