Top five rookies from Week 17 of 2025 NFL season

Tyler Though (YouTube)

Week 17 of the 2025 National Football League regular season is now complete. Here are the top five rookies on winning teams.

5) Jayden Higgins

Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins of South Miami, Florida had the best game of his NFL career on Saturday in a 20-16 Texans win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The second round pick of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Iowa State had four catches for 88 receiving yards and one touchdown. Higgins’s major score was a 75 yard touchdown catch from Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud of Rancho Cucamonga, California one minute and 40 seconds into the game. The touchdown opened the scoring. With the win, the Texans are postseason bound.

4) Charlie Smyth

The rookie phenom kicker from Newry, Northern Ireland, made field goals from 56 and 57 yards and four converts for the red hot New Orleans Saints on Sunday in a 34-26 win over the Tennessee Titans. With the win, the Saints have now won four straight games.

3) Quinn Ewers

The native of San Antonio, Texas won his first NFL game on Sunday in a 20-17 Miami Dolphins win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was a significant upset as the Buccaneers were 5.5 point favourites, and playing a meaningful game. Ewers completed 14 of 22 passes for 172 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with five rushing yards. Ewers’s first touchdown pass was 63 yards to fellow Dolphins rookie wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. of Fresno, California.

2) Jaxson Dart

The native of Kaysville, Utah completed 22 of 30 passes for 207 passing yards, along with nine rushes for 48 receiving yards and two major scores in a 34-10 New York Giants win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Dart’s touchdown runs were for two and 12 yards.

1) Tyler Shough

The Saints are marching and one reason is because of Shough of Chandler, Arizona. On Sunday, the Saints quarterback ripped apart the Titans defense as he completed 22 of 27 passes for 333 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with six rushing yards.