After five weeks of the NFL regular season, RotoWire.com analyzed the Round 1 picks from the 2025 NFL Draft to determine the "rookie index" to show which of those rookies has brought the most positive impact to their new team. We factored in RotoWire.com's NFL player rankings, total fantasy points, total box score statistics for the individual, whether they were starting, Google Trends search interest score, and total volume of articles, along with their sentiment.
2025 NFL Round 1 Rookie Impact Rankings
Rank | Player (Team) | Score |
1 | Emeka Egbuka (TB) | 276 |
2 | Tyler Warren (IND) | 220 |
3 | Ashton Jeanty (LVR) | 213 |
4 | Omarion Hampton (LAC) | 175 |
5 | Tetairoa McMillan (CAR) | 156 |
6 | Jaxson Dart (NYG) | 154 |
7 | Jihaad Campbell (PHI) | 142 |
8 | Abdul Carter (NYG) | 139 |
9 | Travis Hunter (JAX) | 136 |
10 | Mason Graham (CLE) | 101 |
This analysis comes from RotoWire.com, where the best sportsbook promo codes are available.
Which 2025 1st Rounders Have Made The Most Impact So Far?
Through five games, 19th overall pick Emeka Egbuka of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been a one-man wrecking crew at wide receiver. He had hauled in 25 catches for 445 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 17.8 yards per catch and becoming a string target early on for quarterback Baker Mayfield.
This season, Egbuka ranks fourth in the NFL in receiving yards and tied for second overall for receiving touchdowns, on the 17th most targets across the NFL (alongside Deebo Samuel of the Washington Commanders and Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr.). All of that has helped the Bucs rookie post the top score among qualified players, with 276 points, 56 ahead of No. 2 Tyler Warren of the Indianapolis Colts.
Warren, the tight end out of Penn State, has 307 yards on 23 catches with a touchdown, scoring 220 points by our metrics. Former Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty ranks third among rookies with 213 points, having carried the ball 82 times for 349 yards and two TDs for the 1-4 Las Vegas Raiders.
Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (175 points) has 314 yards and two TDs rushing on 66 carries. Former Arizona Wildcats wideout Tetairoa McMillan (24 receptions, 351 yards) rounds out the top five of our list.
Who Is The Top First-Round QB?
The top quarterback across our metrics for first-round picks is Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants. He has 154 points to rank No. 6 on our list, having thrown for 313 yards and three touchdowns (to two interceptions). Fart also has run for 109 yards and a TD.
The NFL rookies that round out our list through Week 5 are linebacker Jihaad Campbell of the Philadelphia Eagles (142 points), defensive end Abdul Carter of the Giants (139), two-way phenom Travis Hunter of the Jacksonville Jaguars (136) and defensive tackle Mason Graham of the Cleveland Browns (101).
Which NFL Rookie Has The Best Shot at Offensive ROY?
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook list Egbuka as the runaway favorite as of Oct. 8. The Buccaneers star holds -125 odds of taking home the honor, ahead of Jeanty (+430), Dart (+750), McMillan (+1000) and Warren (+1200).
Egbuka could be the first non-QB named Offensive ROY since WR Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets in 2022. QBs C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans and Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders earned the honor the past two NFL seasons.
Since 2010, eight quarterbacks have won the award. RBs Eddie Lacy, Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara and Saquon Barkley did the same, as did WRs Odell Beckham Jr., Ja'Marr Chase and Wilson.
This year, there's still plenty of ground to be made when it comes to succeeding Daniels as this year's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. But Egbuka has made a strong case to be this year's honoree, based on the way he has thrived out of the gate in Tampa Bay.
Q&A
Q: What is RotoWire's Rookie Index?
A: A data-driven ranking of Round 1 rookies using RotoWire rankings, fantasy points, box scores, starting status, Google Trends, and media volume/sentiment (normalized and weighted).
Q: Who leads the rankings through Week 5?
A: Top 10: Emeka Egbuka (TB) 276; Tyler Warren (IND) 220; Ashton Jeanty (LVR) 213; Omarion Hampton (LAC) 175; Tetairoa McMillan (CAR) 156; Jaxson Dart (NYG) 154; Jihaad Campbell (PHI) 142; Abdul Carter (NYG) 139; Travis Hunter (JAX) 136; Mason Graham (CLE) 101.
Q: Which players are included in this scoring system?
A: Only picks from the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft were ranked against one another for this story. While there are other rookies making splashes so far this season, RotoWire.com wanted to see how the first picks were making an impact on their new teams.
