By Staff
We concentrate on college football here but we are fans of the sport in general, so we are always keen to see how those who excelled at the NCAA level get on in the pro game. There is no guarantee, even for the Heisman Trophy winner, that the NFL will bring further awards and championships – even if the money might soften the blow of any failure.
Everyone wants to see a rookie fresh out of college hit the ground running, of course. There is nothing more satisfying for a college football fan to see an athlete you have been watching – and telling people all about – for three or four years, go on and become one of the stars of the NFL.
All the best online sports betting sites will already be predicting how the 2025 pro season will go, so as we wait for the NCAA kick-off at the end of August, we thought we would take a punt on predicting which rookies fresh out of college will become immediate fan favorites in the professional game.
Tyler Booker, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys might not have won a championship for quite a while but they do have the highest-paid quarterback and have been doing a pretty good job of strengthening his protection in the last few years. The latest addition to the O-line is Tyler Booker, out of Alabama, and he looks set to become a model pro straight away.
Booker has undoubted talent that will be a key asset for Dallas this year but it is his attitude that makes him stand out among the NFL’s new rookie class. Even though he has the skills to be a pro, he seems more than happy with learning the job and taking advice from his peers. The fact that he will be lining up with others who have recently made the jump puts him in good stead.
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Malaki Starks, Baltimore Ravens
It is the way the draft goes that the top college players usually end up on the weakest NFL teams. That puts so much pressure on these young men that the first few years in the pro game can be very demanding. Going into a team that is considered a Super Bowl challenger already makes the transition much easier.
The Ravens secondary is one of the best in the league but there has been a hole at safety recently. Being able to take Starks with the 27th pick of the first round should be considered something of a steal, as he was probably the best in the college game last year. Becoming part of a top defensive unit should suit Starks down to the ground and we should not be surprised if the Ravens do go far in the playoffs this season.
Jack Bech, Las Vegas Raiders
There are a variety of reasons why a rookie can be expected to do well in his first year in the NFL and Jack Bech is fortunate to be joining a team that probably won’t use him that much. The Raiders will be a running team once again next season, with Brock Bowers and fellow rookie Ashton Jeanty seeing a lot of the ball.
Every team needs a little bit of variety, however, and that means that when the Raiders look to go long it will invariably be Bech who comes up with the ball. He is possibly already the best receiver on the roster and will be more than ready to contribute when asked. The Silver and Black might well improve more than some pundits expect this year.
Abdul Carter, New York Giants
New York football has been largely forgettable in recent years. Aaron Rodgers was supposed to make the Jets a contender but that plan backfired spectacularly, and the Giants were pretty terrible even before Saquon Barkley understandably jumped ship for the Eagles. There has been one relatively bright spot though.
The Giants defensive line had the eighth most sacks in the league last season and now the top edge rusher in the draft is calling the Empire State his home. Carter is already being considered as the second coming of Lawrence Taylor and even though those shoes will be incredibly hard to fill, he does have a wide range of skills that could trouble more than a few opposing QBs next season.
