Last season, there were budding stars across the NFL. New names had marched on the scene to take their rightful place at the top of the market. Names like Jayden Daniels, Brock Bowers, and Brian Thomas Jr. made the rookie of the year race pretty insane (although they were always going with the quarterback). Some guys finally hit their stride, like Nico Collins, Zay Flowers, Nik Bonitto, and Derek Stingley. Every one of them took a major step forward.
All of those players are considered at the top of their position in 2025, but they were all also first-time Pro Bowlers last season. Each year, we see players move into that upper echelon and get recognized for their work. They can be rookies, or they can be veterans who finally broke that threshold for recognition.
This season, we could see a similar level of star power rise to the top. This wasn’t as heavy a quarterback draft, with only Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart going in the first round, but there is young talent ready to explode on the scene across the league.
There is much we don't know about he Pro Bowl this season, including where it's being held. There are rumors it's going back to Orlando, while some believe it could follow the Super Bowl to Los Angeles. Either way, what we care about most is who is going. Who might make their first Pro Bowl Games once this season is over?
1. Daniel Jones, QB
Indianapolis Colts
The surprise of the 2025 NFL season so far is the play of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. The New York Giants flame out found a home where life makes sense again. Jones has been incredible after beating Anthony Richardson in a position battle in the preseason. Jones pretty much walked away with the job in the middle of training camp, and he hasn’t looked back.
As of this writing, the Colts are undefeated, largely on the arm of Jones. Well, also on the legs of Jonathan Taylor and Spencer Shrader. The Colts were one of those teams that nobody knew what to expect, but they’ve been at the top of their division all month.
Coming out of Week 3, Jones is third in the NFL with 816 yards. On top of that, he has three touchdowns and zero interceptions. During his best season, Jones was one of the accurate QBs in football. If he can find that level of play again, he’s a legit starter in the league.
And he will make the Pro Bowl easily if he keeps this up. He’s on pace for 4,600 yards. One would want him to get a few more touchdowns under his belt, but the yards and lack of turnovers more than make up for it. Heck, at one point, the Colts didn’t punt for the better part of three games. This is a story the league will want to tell wherever the Pro Bowl is being held.
2. Ladd McConkey, WR
Los Angeles Chargers
This one is a little bit of a projection because the Los Angeles Chargers wideout has not put up Pro Bowl numbers to start the season, but this team is electric. The Chargers have become one of the best teams in the league, and Ladd McConkey might be their best player after Justin Herbert. However, the Chargers just haven’t needed him as much. Quintin Johnson and Keenan Allen have been doing the heavy lifting for the passing game.
Just wait. McConkey will be asked to make big plays when it matters, and that gets more play in Pro Bowl voting than stats, sometimes. The Chargers are expected to be in big games all season. They already beat the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos. They still have games against the Commanders, Colts, and Eagles on the calendar. Plus, they have rematches with the Chiefs and Broncos coming, too.
McConkey will have his time to shine, plus he’ll have a chance to rack up stats against the likes of the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Miami Dolphins. There is a nice mix of big matchups and powderpuffs for McConkey to get the right mix of notoriety and stat accumulation to make his first Pro Bowl appearance.
If the Pro Bowl follows the Super Bowl, that also helps McConkey’s case. Playing in front of the home crowd can be something of a tie breaker, although that hasn’t been the case for a few years with the Pro Bowl being in Orlando and Hawaii.
3. Quinyon Mitchell, CB
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t been anything special to start the season, but they are 3-0 nonetheless. They beat the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Rams to start the season. These are really good teams (well, not Dallas). For Philadelphia to come off an offseason of partying and still respond to the early-season slate like this is props to the entire roster.
Now that the Eagles are starting to hit their stride, we could see a lot of players on the team making the Pro Bowl. Many will focus on offensive starters like Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and A.J. Brown, but we want to talk about the defense. That’s what has been shining for the Eagels this season.
Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell has quickly grown into one of the best cornerbacks in the game. This season, he’s good enough to stick to the opposing team’s superstar, ala Darrelle Revis from a previous generation. While Cooper DeJean might get more headlines, Mitchell is the better player, and he should waltz into the Pro Bowl this season.
There are a few young cornerbacks really dominating play, like Mitchell, Derek Stingley, Patrick Surtain, and Christian Gonzalez. It’s great to see this level of play from a position that’s facing the best wide receivers in the game.
4. Rome Odunze, WR
Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams was a trendy “first Pro Bowl” pick across the league, but he’s had a slow start to the season. The Bears are not the team we thought they would be under new head coach Ben Johnson. Don’t get us wrong, this is much better than Matt Eberflus, but it’s going to take time to make Williams a Pro Bowl quarterback.
It does help that he has a budding star at wide receiver. Rome Odunze looks like the man this season. He has 16 catches for 227 yards and four touchdowns. He’s averaging more than one touchdown per game, tied for the league lead after Week 3.
Odunze is averaging more than 14 yards per reception and has 64 yards after the catch. He is making plays happen down the field, and that will get him noticed. He’s well on his way to his first 1,000-yard season of his career, which should be enough to represent the NFC receivers at the Pro Bowl.
He does have two other really good receivers on this roster, which might be a detriment to some. However, D.J. Moore seems to have fallen to number two on the depth chart, and Luther Burden III is still a rookie. There will be plenty of targets for Odunze, who is quickly becoming a favorite of Williams.
5. Jordan Love, QB
Green Bay Packers
There aren’t many quarterbacks who haven’t made a Pro Bowl. Right now, at least 25 quarterbacks have been selected to the Pro Bowl. It includes names like Drake Maye, who played for one season and his team was the worst in the league, Tyler Huntley, Mac Jones, and Andy Dalton (three times). There are some bad quarterbacks who have still made a Pro Bowl.
Yet, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is not on that list. He came into last season with a lot of hype, but an injury impacted his statistics. He finished the season with more than 3,300 yards and 25 touchdowns. His QBR was 66.3, so there is some growth we can see from him.
This season, the Packers are expected to be at the top of the league. After trading for Micah Parsons, Green Bay is expected to at least compete in the NFC Championship Game. Love should easily lead an offense without a true number-one receiver. Love is considered the leader, with Josh Jacobs getting his share of the credit.
This one might be an easy one. Love is going to be considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC, and we think the only reason he wouldn’t go to the Pro Bowl is because he’s going to the Super Bowl.
6. Javonte Williams, RB
Dallas Cowboys
Speaking of Parsons, the Dallas Cowboys basically lost all their hype when they traded him to the Packers. And that lack of hype has shown to be the right route forward for analysts. After surprising everyone by hiring Brian Schottenheimer to replace Mike McCarthy. They did trade for George Pickens, but now they have to play without Ceedee Lamb. This offense and defense look bad, but what if they figure it out?
It would likely come down to the running game. The Cowboys seemed to ignore the running game again this offseason after boasting the worst unit in the league last season. They did sign Javonte Williams, but he was disappointing in Denver and is coming off an injury.
So far, Williams has been a great signing. Against the defending champion Eagles, Williams scored two touchdowns. He scored another touchdown against the Giants in Week 2. Right now, Williams has 227 yards rushing and 59 yards receiving on 13 catches.
If Williams stays healthy, there’s a good shot he gets to the Pro Bowl. There are always replacements taking over at the running back position since those players are usually banged up by the end of the season. He might even get in right off the bat. Dallas isn’t looking at a great season ahead, but there is a shot the offense can wake up once Lamb returns, and that will open holes for Williams.
7. David Montgomery, RB
Detroit Lions
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are the most dominant running back duo we’ve seen since the 1960s. They’ve scored three touchdowns each. Only James Cook has more rushing touchdowns as a running back. Gibbs was celebrated with a Pro Bowl selection last season, but Montgomery was left out. After his performance against the Baltimore Ravens, we see Montgomery taking that spot this season.
He’s coming off a 151-yard, two-touchdown performance on Monday Night Football. The duo was always popular, but that put him on the map.
If Montgomery gets to 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns, how could he not make the Pro Bowl? Montgomery is “technically” a backup running back, which almost never makes it to awards season, but Montgomery is unlike any backup we’ve seen in decades. He would start on at least half of the teams in the league, and with that offensive line in front of him, he could put up incredible numbers.
Montgomery is also going to be on a great team. After slipping up in the first week, Detroit is back to being a competitor for the Super Bowl. That only helps Monty’s case for recognition.
8. Tyler Warren, TE
Indianapolis Colts
The tight end position is going through a major overhaul in terms of star power. Travis Kelce is galavanting with Taylor Swift, while George Kittle can’t stay on the field. Meanwhile, Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Dalton Kincaid, and Tyler Warren have taken the world by storm. Warren, the rookie tight end from the Colts, has been at the top of the league.
He leads all tight ends in receiving yards with 193. Ironically, he’s tied with his teammate Michael Pittman for 21st overall in the league. His connection with Daniel Jones is undeniable, and he might be the next star to make the leap.
Warren hasn’t made it into the end zone yet, but that will come. We wouldn’t be surprised if he has a few multiple-touchdown games this season. He’s so dynamic as a rookie, and the Colts are just now learning how to unlock him as a player.
This is going to be one of those players who gets better as the year goes on. He’s already leading all tight ends in yards, but we can easily see him breaking 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Colts look like an impressive unit on offense, and Shane Steichen finally has a team worth competing.
9. Byron Young, OLB
Los Angeles Rams
Looking at the defensive side, it can be challenging to identify who might take the next step. However, we were amazed that pass rusher Byron Young didn’t make the Pro Bowl. He’s been really good, but his sack numbers probably didn’t get high enough. His rookie year, he had eight sacks, and he dropped to 7 ½ sacks last season. This year, he already has four sacks in three games.
Only Rashan Gary of the Packers has more than Young, and he is sitting at 4 ½ this season. Young’s sacks have caused quarterbacks to lose 34 yards. He also has six tackles for loss. Young is dominating on the defensive line.
Young was probably the Rams’ best defensive player against the defending champion Eagles. This is a good team that could win the NFC West, and Young might usurp Jared Verse as the team’s defensive leader. Young has all the tools, and they are finally turning into statistics.
His motor is unlimited. He will chase a quarterback down to make a loss look too hard to beat. He’s also getting better at stripping the ball, causing a fumble when he sacked Titans quarterback Cam Ward in Week 2. If he remains on this course, he should be able to get 15 sacks easily. That would make him a shoo-in for the Pro Bowl.
10. Cam Skattebo, RB
New York Giants
The New York Giants have completely reformed this offense over the past week. First, Tyrone Tracy went down with what looks like a serious injury, and then the Giants brass decided to bench Russell Wilson and start the kid. Jaxson Dart is the only hope for Brian Daboll’s head coaching career, and he might be the only person in the NFL who can help Joe Schoen keep his GM job.
However, there’s an interesting wrinkle that hasn’t been discussed. With Tracy’s injury, it has opened the door for Arizona State rookie Cam Skattebo to become the starting running back.
Skattebo has been dynamic in limited snaps. After a pretty dreadful debut performance (two rushes for -3 yards against the Commanders), Skattebo has been pretty good. He has 105 yards rushing over the past two weeks, and he showed himself to be a great receiving option last week. He had six catches for 61 yards. He also has two rushing touchdowns.
The hype behind this kid is insane. It helps that he plays right outside New York. Big Blue is searching for answers in Jaxson Dart, but they might have one in Skattebo.