- 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.
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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.
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