- Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan will kick off the year in style: The first-round rookies played against each other in college and will presumably battle when the Jaguars host the Panthers in Week 1.
- A rookie quarterback duel could be on the docket: If Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough emerge for the Giants and Saints, respectively, we’ll have a showdown between QB2 and QB3 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
- Subscribe to PFF+: Get access to player grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy football rankings, all of the PFF fantasy draft research tools and more!
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
The 2025 NFL schedule has arrived.
We’re highlighting a few exciting clashes between first-year players, whether it’s quarterback duels, skill-position squabbles or battles in the trenches. Here are five rookie matchups we’re already looking forward to.
WEEK 1, JAGUARS VS. PANTHERS: CB TRAVIS HUNTER VS. WR TETAIROA McMILLAN
The 2025 NFL season starts with a bang — a matchup of two rookies who were drafted in the top 10 of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Panthers will travel to Jacksonville in Week 1, giving us a potential matchup of Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and cornerback Travis Hunter. It’s entirely possible the Jaguars won’t feel comfortable with Hunter playing cornerback and receiver, but if they do give him the option, this is a fun matchup.
This wouldn’t be the first time these two have seen each other. Arizona and Colorado faced off in each of the past two seasons as conference foes, with McMillan recording 15 catches and 150 yards combined with 76.6 and 64.0 PFF receiving grades. Of those 15 catches, three were against Hunter in single coverage, including one touchdown. All came in their 2023 matchup.
WEEK 5, VIKINGS VS. BROWNS: G DONOVAN JACKSON VS. DI MASON GRAHAM
A rookie trench matchup between Mason Graham and Donovan Jackson (assuming both earn starting roles) is set for Week 5. And these two know each other very well from the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry.
Graham fared well against the Buckeyes over the past two years, recording PFF overall grades of 75.1 and 88.4 in their past two matchups. He didn’t see much of Jackson in 2024, as Jackson was filling in at left tackle. But when Jackson was at left guard in 2023, Graham recorded two pressures and a sack against him. We’re excited to see that rivalry renewed in the NFL.
WEEK 5, SAINTS VS. GIANTS: QB TYLER SHOUGH VS. QB JAXSON DART
Derek Carr‘s retirement gives second-round pick Tyler Shough every chance to win the Saints quarterback job — if he’s not the favorite already by default. The Giants have Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, but there’s reason to believe that Dart, even if he doesn’t win the job in training camp, could be the starter come Week 5.
It will be a battle of the draft’s QB2 and QB3 early on in their careers. Dart earned a 91.9 PFF passing grade in 2024, while Shough posted an 87.1 mark. It will also likely feature a rookie showdown of Giants pass rusher Abdul Carter and Saints left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., so there is plenty of first-year intrigue in this contest.
WEEK 13, COWBOYS VS. CHIEFS: EDGE DONOVAN EZEIRUAKU VS. T JOSH SIMMONS
By the time this Thanksgiving matchup rolls around, both Josh Simmons and Donovan Ezeiruaku will likely be key starters for their squads. Simmons was a top-20 player in the 2025 class, even with his injury concerns.
Prior to Simmons’ injury last season, he earned an 82.5 PFF pass-blocking grade and allowed pressure at just a 0.6% clip, including no sacks. Extrapolating that kind of play across a full season would have earned him near-record-high PFF pass-blocking grades.
On the other side, Ezeiruaku was one of the most productive players in college football in recent seasons. He recorded a 90.5 PFF pass-rush grade last year with a 19.6% pass-rush win rate in 2024. Expect him to be a key part of the Cowboys’ pass-rush plan this season.
Donovan Ezeiruaku’s College PFF Grades
WEEK 13, EAGLES VS. BEARS: LB JIHAAD CAMPBELL VS. TE COLSTON LOVELAND
This Black Friday rookie matchup catches our eye, with Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell facing off against Bears tight end Colston Loveland. Zack Baun and Cole Kmet can have their fun as the veteran-on-veteran matchup as long as we get the rookies going one-on-one in coverage a few times.
Michigan faced off against Alabama in each of the past two seasons, but Loveland didn’t play in their bowl-game matchup in 2024. In 2023, Campbell was still a rotational player as just a sophomore, but he did give up one catch to Loveland in a zone assignment where he bit too much on play action and let Loveland get behind him. Loveland earned a 90.6 PFF receiving grade in 2024, while Campbell earned a 77.4 PFF coverage grade.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton exit Twins-Orioles game after outfield collision
Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton exited Thursday afternoon’s Twins game against the Baltimore Orioles after a head-to-head collision pursuing a fly ball.The pair collided while trying to track down Cedric Mullins’ shallow fly ball to start the third inning, a ball Buxton managed to hang onto for an out.Replays showed Buxton’s chin slamming into Correa’s back and the pair also hitting heads. Following a long delay, both players managed to get back to their feet, thoughAdvertisementCorrea immediately left the game.Buxton finished the inning but was replaced in center field to start the fourth inning. Carlos Correa left the game after this collision with Byron Buxton Hoping both are ok pic.twitter.com/f7RNCT6QYw — Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) May 15, 2025The Twins haven’t announced any injuries the players may have sustained on the play. Winners of 10 in a row, the Twins were leading […]
SPFC x Grêmio: onde assistir ao jogo do Brasileirão
SPFC x Grêmio brigam para se afastar da zona de rebaixamento (Foto: Rubens Chiri/Saopaulofc.net) SPFC x Grêmio é uma das partida da nona rodada do Brasileirão Série A, marcada para às 21h deste sábado no MorumBis. O Torcedores.com, através deste guia, mostrará como acompanhar o jogo e tudo o que é necessário saber sobre este jogo. Onde assistir A partida terá a transmissão do SporTV e do Premiere. A exibição da temporada 2025 da Série A será feita nos canais da Globo, com a manutenção dos jogos das noites de sábado. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Tricolores contra o Z-4 O São Paulo sofreu uma dura derrota no clássico para o Palmeiras nos minutos finais e esta deixou o time com nove pontos, dois acima da zona de rebaixamento. No meio de semana, pela Libertadores, o SPFC conseguiu garantir sua ida às oitavas […]
Thunder vs. Nuggets prediction, pick, odds, time: Game 6 best bet as OKC tries to knock out Nikola Jokić
Getty Images The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder have the series lead against the Denver Nuggets for the first time. OKC is up 3-2 after a Game 5 win earlier this week. The Thunder will now try to knock Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets out of the NBA playoff bracket in Thursday's Game 6. The Nuggets, playing at home, will try to reach their second Game 7 of these playoffs.Game 5 was a thriller that saw the Thunder surge in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row. Jokić and MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander traded buckets down the stretch. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting and was one of six Thunder players in double figures in Game 5. Jokić had a game-best 44 points to go with 15 rebounds and five assists, but Denver was outscored by 15 points in […]
Hall of Famer Charles Woodson to buy small stake in Cleveland Browns: Source
An Ohio-born Hall of Famer is set to purchase a small stake in the Cleveland Browns.Charles Woodson plans to purchase a 0.1 percent stake in the Browns from the Haslam family, a league source told The Athletic on Thursday. Jimmy and Dee Haslam have owned the Browns since 2012.Woodson, 48, has spent the last three seasons working as an analyst for Fox after an 18-year playing career that led to his induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. The sale is contingent upon Woodson agreeing to similar broadcasting restrictions to Raiders owner Tom Brady. Going forward, he will also remove his name, image and likeness on packaging for his wine and whiskey businesses, as it violates the NFL’s alcohol policy.Given the skyrocketing value of NFL franchises, Woodson will own just a tiny stake, but he brings major […]
Hall of Famer Charles Woodson to buy small stake in Cleveland Browns: Source
An Ohio-born Hall of Famer is set to purchase a small stake in the Cleveland Browns.Charles Woodson plans to purchase a 0.1 percent stake in the Browns from the Haslam family, a league source told The Athletic on Thursday. Jimmy and Dee Haslam have owned the Browns since 2012.Woodson, 48, has spent the last three seasons working as an analyst for Fox after an 18-year playing career that led to his induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. The sale is contingent upon Woodson agreeing to similar broadcasting restrictions to Raiders owner Tom Brady. Going forward, he will also remove his name, image and likeness on packaging for his wine and whiskey businesses, as it violates the NFL’s alcohol policy.Given the skyrocketing value of NFL franchises, Woodson will own just a tiny stake, but he brings major […]
Players in group chat strategized how to respond to Hockey Canada investigation
A group chat that was created for the players who were in room 209 at the Delta Armouries hotel on the night of an alleged sexual assault in London, Ont., was revealed in court on Thursday.Tyler Steenbergen, a member of Canada’s 2018 national world junior team — and the Crown’s latest witness in the sexual assault trial of five of his former teammates — spoke about the chat, which he provided to investigators, and answered questions from Crown attorney Heather Donkers.AdvertisementThe court heard the chat was started by Dillon Dubé after Hockey Canada opened its initial investigation into the incident on June 26, 2018, and included the four other accused — Carter Hart, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Michael McLeod — as well as Jake Bean, Maxime Comtois, Drake Batherson, Brett Howden, Sam Steel and Steenbergen. (None of the players […]
Related
Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton exit Twins-Orioles game after outfield collision
Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton exited Thursday afternoon’s Twins game against the Baltimore Orioles after a head-to-head collision pursuing a fly ball.The pair collided while trying to track down Cedric Mullins’ shallow fly ball to start the third inning, a ball Buxton managed to hang onto for an out.Replays showed Buxton’s chin slamming into Correa’s back and the pair also hitting heads. Following a long delay, both players managed to get back to their feet, thoughAdvertisementCorrea immediately left the game.Buxton finished the inning but was replaced in center field to start the fourth inning. Carlos Correa left the game after this collision with Byron Buxton Hoping both are ok pic.twitter.com/f7RNCT6QYw — Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) May 15, 2025The Twins haven’t announced any injuries the players may have sustained on the play. Winners of 10 in a row, the Twins were leading […]
SPFC x Grêmio: onde assistir ao jogo do Brasileirão
SPFC x Grêmio brigam para se afastar da zona de rebaixamento (Foto: Rubens Chiri/Saopaulofc.net) SPFC x Grêmio é uma das partida da nona rodada do Brasileirão Série A, marcada para às 21h deste sábado no MorumBis. O Torcedores.com, através deste guia, mostrará como acompanhar o jogo e tudo o que é necessário saber sobre este jogo. Onde assistir A partida terá a transmissão do SporTV e do Premiere. A exibição da temporada 2025 da Série A será feita nos canais da Globo, com a manutenção dos jogos das noites de sábado. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Tricolores contra o Z-4 O São Paulo sofreu uma dura derrota no clássico para o Palmeiras nos minutos finais e esta deixou o time com nove pontos, dois acima da zona de rebaixamento. No meio de semana, pela Libertadores, o SPFC conseguiu garantir sua ida às oitavas […]
Thunder vs. Nuggets prediction, pick, odds, time: Game 6 best bet as OKC tries to knock out Nikola Jokić
Getty Images The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder have the series lead against the Denver Nuggets for the first time. OKC is up 3-2 after a Game 5 win earlier this week. The Thunder will now try to knock Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets out of the NBA playoff bracket in Thursday's Game 6. The Nuggets, playing at home, will try to reach their second Game 7 of these playoffs.Game 5 was a thriller that saw the Thunder surge in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row. Jokić and MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander traded buckets down the stretch. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting and was one of six Thunder players in double figures in Game 5. Jokić had a game-best 44 points to go with 15 rebounds and five assists, but Denver was outscored by 15 points in […]
Hall of Famer Charles Woodson to buy small stake in Cleveland Browns: Source
An Ohio-born Hall of Famer is set to purchase a small stake in the Cleveland Browns.Charles Woodson plans to purchase a 0.1 percent stake in the Browns from the Haslam family, a league source told The Athletic on Thursday. Jimmy and Dee Haslam have owned the Browns since 2012.Woodson, 48, has spent the last three seasons working as an analyst for Fox after an 18-year playing career that led to his induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. The sale is contingent upon Woodson agreeing to similar broadcasting restrictions to Raiders owner Tom Brady. Going forward, he will also remove his name, image and likeness on packaging for his wine and whiskey businesses, as it violates the NFL’s alcohol policy.Given the skyrocketing value of NFL franchises, Woodson will own just a tiny stake, but he brings major […]
Hall of Famer Charles Woodson to buy small stake in Cleveland Browns: Source
An Ohio-born Hall of Famer is set to purchase a small stake in the Cleveland Browns.Charles Woodson plans to purchase a 0.1 percent stake in the Browns from the Haslam family, a league source told The Athletic on Thursday. Jimmy and Dee Haslam have owned the Browns since 2012.Woodson, 48, has spent the last three seasons working as an analyst for Fox after an 18-year playing career that led to his induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. The sale is contingent upon Woodson agreeing to similar broadcasting restrictions to Raiders owner Tom Brady. Going forward, he will also remove his name, image and likeness on packaging for his wine and whiskey businesses, as it violates the NFL’s alcohol policy.Given the skyrocketing value of NFL franchises, Woodson will own just a tiny stake, but he brings major […]
Players in group chat strategized how to respond to Hockey Canada investigation
A group chat that was created for the players who were in room 209 at the Delta Armouries hotel on the night of an alleged sexual assault in London, Ont., was revealed in court on Thursday.Tyler Steenbergen, a member of Canada’s 2018 national world junior team — and the Crown’s latest witness in the sexual assault trial of five of his former teammates — spoke about the chat, which he provided to investigators, and answered questions from Crown attorney Heather Donkers.AdvertisementThe court heard the chat was started by Dillon Dubé after Hockey Canada opened its initial investigation into the incident on June 26, 2018, and included the four other accused — Carter Hart, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Michael McLeod — as well as Jake Bean, Maxime Comtois, Drake Batherson, Brett Howden, Sam Steel and Steenbergen. (None of the players […]
Be the first to leave a comment