Biggest rookie risers and fallers: TreVeyon Henderson, Matthew Golden, Carson Schwesinger and more

It’s still too early to stamp any final verdicts on this rookie class, but 11 games into the 2025 NFL season, we’ve seen enough to know who’s raced out of the blocks and who’s tripped over the first few hurdles.

Here’s a quick look at three rookies on the rise, three stuck in the mud heading into the stretch run, and other deserving mentions.

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Riser: Tetairoa McMillan, WR - Carolina Panthers

Entering Week 11, McMillan had already put together a promising year, with 46 receptions for 618 yards and two touchdowns. The fact that he’d done that in a passing offense still trying to find its groove spoke volumes.

But if he’d been good up to that point, he stepped into the excellent category in Week 11, delivering an eight-catch, 130-yard, two-touchdown performance against a Falcons defense that had, until then, smothered many of the league’s elite wideouts.

With that game, the rookie not only leapfrogged fellow first-year standout Emeka Egbuka in receiving yards but also passed stars like Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

And even if Bryce Young’s big outing ends up being a one-game anomaly, McMillan still looks well on track to clear the magic 1,000-yard mark in his debut season.

The Offensive Rookie of the Year race just became a lot more interesting...

Faller: Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt, RB - Washington Commanders

It’s almost unfair to label Croskey-Merritt a faller, given the modest expectations that come with being a seventh-round pick.

However, after he impressed in camp and stepped into the lead-back role following Austin Ekeler’s injury, there was optimism that he could become the latest example of draft capital not defining a player’s ceiling.

• Read next | NFL Week 11 best performers: Young, McMillan, Garrett lead a stacked list

The flashes were there early with an 82-yard game against the Giants, followed by 111 against the Chargers, but he’s now strung together five straight games with 38 rushing yards or fewer and, more concerning, has averaged just 3.1 yards per carry over that stretch.

We could reasonably point to Washington’s subpar run blocking as part of the issue, but fellow Commanders back Chris Rodriguez has produced more with similar opportunities, and has eaten into Croskey-Merritt’s workload as a result.

Riser: TreVeyon Henderson, RB – New England Patriots

Henderson had his chances early but quickly lost favour to Rhamondre Stevenson, and the low point came when he was almost entirely phased out of the offense against the Titans in mid-October.

When Stevenson suffered a toe injury, Henderson was suddenly thrust into the lead-back role against the Falcons in Week 9. The rookie has not looked back since.

His true breakout arrived in Week 10, when he ran wild against the Buccaneers for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

And after a three-touchdown showing against the Jets last weekend, it is fair to say he has become hot property.

Faller: Matthew Golden, WR - Green Bay Packers

Golden was gathering steam a month ago, stringing consecutive 50+ yard performances together against the Browns, Cowboys, and Bengals.

Then Christian Watson returned to the Packers lineup, and in the four games since, the rookie has fallen away, averaging just over three targets and only 18.5 yards per game.

The victim of a deep group of receivers, Golden will surely become more involved as we head into 2026, but for now, he's not a key part of this Jordan Love-led offense.

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Riser: Carson Schwesinger, LB – Cleveland Browns

Schwesinger’s breakout rookie campaign looked under threat when he suffered a shoulder injury a few weeks ago. Fortunately, he recovered during the team’s bye and did not miss a game.

If his impact was impressive before the injury, it has been remarkable since. He has stacked up 21 tackles, a sack, a pass breakup, and an interception over his past two outings.

With fellow rookies Jihaad Campbell and Abdul Carter fading down the stretch, the Defensive Rookie of the Year award now feels well within Schwesinger’s grasp.

And, at the risk of sounding smug, we saw this coming.

Faller: Elijah Arroyo, TE - Seattle Seahawks

Arroyo showed small signs of life with a 44-yard outing against the Cardinals, followed by a 42-yard performance against the Texans not long after.

Unfortunately, his last two games, with just one catch for five yards, have shown he still has a long way to go to realise the potential he flashed as a college receiving threat.

Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Harold Fannin are performing at a high level, but they are the exceptions at a position that is notoriously difficult to master in year one. There is still plenty of time for Arroyo to find his feet.

Other mentions

Several other players could have easily been included as risers, among them Bhayshul Tuten, Ollie Gordon, Pat Bryant, Jayden Higgins, Colston Loveland, Oronde Gadsden, Malaki Starks, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Woody Marks, Will Campbell, Armand Membou, Josh Simmons, Tyler Booker, Will Johnson, Nick Emmanwori, Jalon Walker, Nic Scourton, and others.

We have not included Jaxson Dart, Omarion Hampton, and Travis Hunter in this list because they have been injured since the last update of this article.

We have also left out the players who have continued to perform at a high level since the previous edition, such as Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin, Quinshon Judkins, and Emeka Egbuka.

The same goes for those who have not slipped any further since last time, including Cam Ward, Dillon Gabriel, Ashton Jeanty, Abdul Carter, Jonah Savaiinaea, and more.