Some NFL fans may lament the fact that some of the game’s greatest players of this generation have recently retired.
Peyton Manning called it quits in 2016, Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season, Ben Roethlisberger called it a career after the 2021 campaign, and just a few months ago, Tom Brady decided to end his legendary career.
But the league is in good hands, as it features many stars and future Hall of Famers who are either young or in their primes.
Pro Football Focus ranked the top players who are under the age of 25, and Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons topped the list.
The Top-10 players under the age of 25, per @TampaBayTre pic.twitter.com/6BwaTkB6na
— PFF (@PFF) May 17, 2023
Parsons was the No. 12 pick in the 2021 draft, and he instantly transformed the Cowboys from a disappointing team that struggled on defense to one of the league’s better teams.
He has had 26.5 sacks, 56 quarterback hits, and 33 tackles for loss in his first two seasons, and in both years he has been named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team.
Parsons also won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year balloting in 2021.
Thanks to him, Dallas has won 12 games and made the playoffs in both of the last two years.
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings holds the second spot in PFF’s ranking, and after leading the NFL with 1,809 receiving yards in 2022, he may have surpassed Davante Adams as the league’s best wideout.
Pro football will also be seeing a talented rookie crop burst onto the scene this fall, headlined by quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud.
