NFL: Best 10 players 25 or younger

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Nov 24, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) runs with the ball as New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson (96) defends at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens won 19-3. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, New York Jets

Muhammad Wilkerson, who will be 25 on Oct. 22, has progressed steadily each season since the New York Jets took him out of Temple with the 30th overall pick in the first round in the 2011 draft.

Last season, Wilkerson posted a career-high 10.5 sacks, had his first career interception and forced a pair of fumbles while notching 63 tackles.

That came after having eight sacks combined in his first two years.

Wilkerson missed the Pro Bowl last season, but was No. 42 on this year’s list of the 100 top players in the NFL, as voted on by the players.

Wilkerson is listed as a defensive end, but the role he plays for the Jets is much more of a defensive line hybrid, moving inside and outside based on the scheme and situation.

What Wilkerson was to the Jets front seven was, well, almost everything in 2013. He was on the field for 1,067 defensive snaps, more than any other defensive end in the league, even as he continued to emerge as a legitimate pass rushing threat.

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