Potential NFC under-the-radar stars in 2025: One player from each team who could make a surprising impact
CBSN
Don't discount these players making an impact in 2025
NFL players who sign one-year, prove-it deals for under $10 million typically aren't viewed as future impact players. PPG allowed 31.4 Last Total YPG allowed 404.5 Last Yards/Play allowed 6.0 Last Rush YPG allowed 179.8* Last Targets 70 T-18th Catches 50 T-18th Receiving Yards 707 7th Yards/Reception 14.1 2nd Yards After Catch 456 5th
However, inside linebacker Zack Baun went from being a former third-round pick the New Orleans Saints let walk in free agency to a 2024 first-team All-Pro, Defensive Player of the Year finalist and Super Bowl LIX champion with the Philadelphia Eagles. He even joined Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks (2000) and San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman as the only players in the 21st Century to register 150 or more tackles and six or more forced fumbles in a season, including the postseason, per CBS Sports Research. As a result, Baun signed a three-year, $51 million contract with Philadelphia that included $34 million fully guaranteed this offseason.
There may not be specific NFL players who will mimic Baun's trajectory with a first-team All-Pro finish, but there certainly are unheralded players who could become impact contributors for their respective squads in the coming season. So who could be next to make a somewhat similar rise for each NFC team in 2025? Let's take a look.
