Projection season continues as hope is at an all-time high around the league during mandatory minicamps, which will soon close to make way for the NFL's real offseason.
Which players are in line to improve in 2025? Who's positioned to level up? Last month, I discussed rookies in the best situations to succeed and second-year players poised to break out, so you won't see the likes of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Marvin Harrison Jr. in today's mix, for the sake of avoiding redundancy.
Today, I am identifying seven players who I guarantee will improve on their 2024 output in the 2025 season.
Burns played well in his first season in New York, registering 8.5 sacks, 66 QB pressures and a career-high 71 tackles while forming a solid pass-rushing duo with Dexter Lawrence (nine sacks). But I guarantee the two-time Pro Bowler's production will vastly increase with Abdul Carter's arrival. The No. 3 overall draft pick is the most talented pass pusher to enter the league since Micah Parsons in 2021, and Carter's impact on the Giants defense is likely to be similar to the one the four-time Pro Bowler has made in Dallas. New York's defensive front was one of the league's fiercest units a season ago with Burns, Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux leading the charge. Now with Carter joining the fray, which player will opponents double-team? It's a pick-your-poison situation that won't be fun for the opposition. Burns will surely face his share of double-teams, but he should regularly feast when presented with one-on-one matchups, leading me to think a double-digit sack and Pro Bowl campaign are on tap for the seventh-year pro.
Despite being banged up in training camp and missing three games during his rookie season, it was easy to see why Cooper was my favorite player coming out of the 2024 NFL Draft. He collected 3.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, an interception and 77 tackles while playing just 45 percent of the team's defensive snaps last season. He was an absolute menace, and that was before adding about 10 pounds of muscle this offseason. Think of what Cooper -- who looks as explosive as ever, per head coach Matt LaFleur -- can do in a full-time role for Jeff Hafley's unit. He has the ability to become an All-Pro player and should take the defense to the next level in his second season if he can stay healthy.
The third-year cornerback has already shown he can play at a high level. After a promising rookie season ended due to injury just four games into the year, Gonzalez proved why he was a first-round pick by routinely shutting down his side of the gridiron in 2024. Gonzalez allowed only one reception for 58 yards on 13 deep targets (20-plus air yards) last season, per Next Gen Stats. He was one of only three cornerbacks to not allow multiple deep receptions (minimum 10 targets). He enters the 2025 campaign with a proven cornerback playing opposite him in veteran Carlton Davis III, who won a Super Bowl in Tampa and was a playmaker for Aaron Glenn's unit in Detroit last season. This tandem should also benefit from the talent New England brought in along the front seven (SEE: Milton Williams' section below). I'm prepared to watch Gonzalez, who's been showing off his skills this summer, take his game to an elite level this fall.
Despite his declining production over the last couple seasons in San Francisco, Samuel has been one of the most productive wide receivers since 2021, ranking ninth in scrimmage yards, tied for fifth in scrimmage TDs (35) and first in rush yards (958) and rush TDs (17) among wideouts. Yet, for as good as he was with the 49ers, an argument could be made that the seventh-year veteran is entering the best situation of his career after being traded to Washington this offseason. The change of scenery puts Samuel in an offense that is led by an MVP-caliber quarterback in Jayden Daniels. Also, he'll pair with a true No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin to form a dangerous tandem in Kliff Kingsbury's passing attack.
Stroud was not as strong in 2024 after claiming the Offensive Rookie of the Year award the year prior, throwing for more than twice as many INTs and taking 52 sacks last season. Even so, the Texans still won 10 games, the AFC South title and a playoff game. That's the gravity of having a quarterback as talented as Stroud. Yes, he's dealing with shoulder soreness -- not ideal -- but Stroud heads into his third campaign with perhaps the best supporting cast he's had to date. General manager Nick Caserio has rebuilt the front five to better protect the franchise quarterback following Houston's finish last season as PFF's 29th-ranked offensive line. The Texans traded away Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green, signed tackles Trent Brown and Cam Robinson and guard Laken Tomlinson to one-year deals and traded for guard Ed Ingram. Houston also bolstered the run game with the signing of veteran Nick Chubb and gave Stroud another playmaker in the pass game by trading for Christian Kirk. Not to mention, the Texans drafted two receivers (Iowa State's Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel) and an offensive tackle (Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery) with their first three picks.
Williams was my colleague Gregg Rosenthal's top free agent this offseason, which speaks to Williams' impact given he played fewer than 50 percent of Philadelphia's defensive snaps in each of his four seasons with the team. In a backup role behind first-round draft picks Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, Williams totaled a career-high five sacks and 35 QB pressures in 2024 (both third on the team). His 12.9 percent QB pressure rate was highest among NFL defensive tackles, per Next Gen Stats. He saved his best performance for last with two sacks in the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX victory.
It can be risky paying part-time players big-time money like the Patriots did this offseason with Williams (four-year, $104 million deal). He will be tasked with turning around a defense that ranked 22nd in yards and points allowed in 2024. The Patriots signed a slew of defensive veterans, including Harold Landry, Robert Spillane and Carlton Davis III, for new head coach Mike Vrabel to deploy, and it's clear early on that Vrabel is looking for Williams to set the tone in his revamped D-line. He brings the experience to a front that features some young but talented disruptors in now healthy Christian Barmore and third-year defensive end Keion White, who has already drawn praise from Williams. The 26-year-old defensive tackle is positioned to build on his 2024 breakout season.
Young took tremendous strides in 2024 after returning to the starting lineup in Week 8 following his benching. He looked far more comfortable in his return and produced with consistency, as he threw for 2,104 yards with 15 TDs and six INTs in the final 10 contests. Most important perhaps is Young's confidence grew immensely down the stretch, leading Carolina to either a game-tying or game-winning drive in six of those games. Now he enters his second season in Dave Canales' system with his best supporting cast to date. The Panthers drafted wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall to pair with Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette, who I also believe is poised for a breakout campaign this fall. The 18th-ranked rushing attack from a year ago added Rico Dowdle to complement Chuba Hubbard, giving the team a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. The Panthers have taken the necessary steps to ensure Young's third season will be the best of his career, and now it's up to him to not only continue to grow as a player but prove why he was worthy of being taken No. 1 overall in 2023. I believe that's what he will do.
