NFL Rookies Under Most Pressure to Perform Immediately in 2025

Every year, recently drafted NFL newcomers gear up for rookie minicamps to start their career as professional football players.

Minicamp is their first taste of NFL practices before the veterans join the party. It's similar to a baby learning to crawl before they can walk or run.

Pressure can result from positional value, draft selection and the state of the franchise that picked the prospects. With the draft and rookie minicamps done, let's look at a few prospects who will have plenty of pressure to perform well in their first NFL season.

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/George Walker IV

The No. 1 overall pick and top quarterback drafted, Cam Ward, is walking into offseason workouts and camps as the Tennessee Titans' presumed starting signal-caller.

New Tennessee general manager Mike Borgonzi told The Rich Eisen Show: "Cam Ward will have to compete with Will Levis for the starting QB position." If this came from the head coach, we'd label it "coachspeak" and take it with a grain of salt.

That said, Ward arrives with expectations to help transform the franchise's fortunes. Being the first player selected in any draft comes with lofty expectations, most of which are rarely realistic.

The Miami product is expected to be the future face of the franchise. After experiencing postseason success with Ryan Tannehill, the Titans have been searching for the next long-term answer at the most important position in the game.

Ward was our scouting department's top quarterback prospect in the draft and a top-10 player on the big board. All of the physical tools are in his favor to make every throw from different arm angles. He plays with great strength in the pocket, using it to fight off defenders and make plays.

One of the reasons Ward will face pressure as a rookie is that the Tennessee roster lacks a robust talent pool. He can find himself trying to carry the offense on his shoulders like all of his stops in college. This leads to poor decision-making and a tendency toward playing hero ball.

Another reason is franchise legend Warren Moon brought his No. 1 jersey out of retirement and gave his approval for Ward to wear it. Anytime a shirt number is retired, it becomes sacred, especially when the player is among the immortals in history.

The decision created controversy online and in the media. Some questioned the precedent it set by unretiring Moon's jersey for Ward. The best way to shut down negative press is by going out and performing well on the football field.

There is always pressure on the first overall pick, especially if it's a quarterback. Numerous signal-callers have not lived up to their pre-draft billing as the top pick, such as Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence, Kyler Murray and Jameis Winston. All of those were in the last decade.

Ward has an uphill climb to prove he was the right pick for a rebuilding franchise.

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Veteran quarterback Derek Carr announced his retirement Saturday morning due to a degenerative rotator cuff injury. The shock development alters the landscape of the New Orleans Saints' quarterback battle this summer.

Originally, Carr was expected to miss time, which was potentially significant, but it was never certain how long he would be out.

The Saints selected Tyler Shough with the 40th pick in the second round of the draft, which came as a surprise to many during Night 2.

The Louisville product is a talented passer with the tools and athleticism to be a quality starting quarterback in the NFL. The Saints are essentially swapping out a veteran QB with injuries for a soon-to-be 26-year-old rookie with an extensive injury history through his collegiate career.

Shough enters a highly anticipated quarterback battle with second-year pro Spencer Rattler. Most expect the rookie to receive the nod over Rattler because of the difference in draft capital spent by the Saints when each player was individually selected in their classes.

Rattler was a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft and had a rough first year of playing time, albeit without all of the team's weapons healthy.

Shough is the more physically gifted athlete and player, but the pressure is on him to prove with practice reps from now through training camp that he is the guy to lead this franchise in arguably the worst division in the NFL.

Shough is battling pre-draft concerns regarding his injury history, including his one-year experience as a starter, decision-making under defensive pressure and being an older prospect. The Brandon Weeden jokes are writing themselves.

Mentally, there is a lot to overcome for Shough if he wants to be this franchise's quarterback of the future and fend off next year's potentially loaded 2026 class.

Earning the starting job is one task, but playing at a high enough level to gain long-term trust from the coaching staff, front office and the fans is a storyline to watch.

Abdul Carter, New York Giants

AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis

It was not too long ago that the New York Giants selected Kayvon Thibodeaux as a top-five pick in the 2022 draft. He was viewed as their long-term answer to pressuring the quarterback.

However, the 24-year-old had a slow start in sack production as a rookie before making a big step forward, finishing 2023 with 11.5. After the Giants traded and extended the contract of Brian Burns ahead of the 2024 season, Thibodeaux battled injuries throughout and finished with six less sacks than the year prior.

New York passed on quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the third overall selection, instead adding one of this class's few blue-chip prospects: Abdul Carter.

The 21-year-old is a game-wrecking talent who offers positional flexibility. During his time at Penn State, he played both off-ball linebacker and edge-rusher. He displayed his elite athleticism, ball tracking, pass rushing prowess and pure talent.

Carter can share playing time on the field with Thibodeaux, if he is not traded before the season.

He can line up as an off-ball linebacker on first and second downs before walking down on the edges to rush the passer on key third downs. The pressure is on the former Nittany Lion to elevate this front seven in a tough NFC East that includes the Philadelphia Eagles.

As a top-three pick in the draft, you have expectations of making game-changing plays and being an impact player. Carter must make his presence felt as early as possible for the New York defense.

Ultimately, the Giants' offense will be entertaining to watch with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston as the top two quarterbacks on the roster ahead of rookie Jaxson Dart.

Carter needs to have a consistent impact on the game. His first-step quickness and bend will mesh well with Burns and Dexter Lawrence.

At one point of the pre-draft cycle, Carter was viewed as the best overall prospect in the class. We need to see that level of impact and productivity during his rookie season.

James Pearce Jr., Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

The pre-draft noise surrounding James Pearce Jr. was heard being shouted from the rooftops.

The 21-year-old was expected by some to fall out of the first round altogether...until the Atlanta Falcons made an aggressive move to address an Achilles' heel that had spanned over two decades.

After selecting edge-rusher/linebacker Jalon Walker with their first-round pick, they traded up to add Pearce to bolster their woeful pass rush.

Before proving doubters wrong on the field, Pearce must put his head down to work in the film room and on the practice field and negate any negativity regarding his maturity level and coachability.

Pressure will remain a thing for prospects entering the NFL with off-field concerns and character flaws. If he can nullify those pre-draft notions, he can focus on proving his value on the football field.

In his final year with the Tennessee Volunteers, Pearce finished the season with eight sacks, 43 pressures and four QB hits. He is skilled at getting into the backfield and making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable.

He's an explosive athlete and uses this to his advantage against offensive tackles.

One area to improve is holding up at the point of attack against the run. Pearce will need to prove during summer camps with the Falcons that he is not a liability against the run.

Another reason pressure will be on Pearce is that the Falcons traded back into the first round to select him, but sent their first-round pick for 2026 to the Los Angeles Rams in the deal.

Factoring in the off-field concerns, sending a premium draft pick for the following year left Falcons' fans scratching their heads.

Pearce possesses the physical talent to make an impact; now he has to go out and prove it.

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

The Denver Broncos had a decent 2024 draft, led by impressive quarterback Bo Nix.

Entering the 2025 event, everyone knew they needed a talented running back to alleviate some of the pressure off Nix's shoulders heading into his second year.

With the 28th pick of the second round, the Broncos selected UCF running back RJ Harvey.

It was a pick most did not see coming after they passed on adding a more talented player, Omarion Hampton, who landed within their division with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Essentially, Broncos head coach Sean Payton opted for Harvey over Hampton and a few other more talented backs.

Harvey was one of the shiftiest backs in the 2025 draft. He makes defenders miss with quickness and suddenness at the line of scrimmage. He runs with good patience and vision, following lead blockers to daylight. He is a talented back with pass-catching upside for third-down targets.

That said, if Payton wanted a bell-cow back to physically wear defenses down and keep the great quarterbacks in the division off the field, there were better options.

Harvey will have the pressure of outperforming the running backs ranked higher than him on our scouting department's pre-draft big board. The Steelers selected Kaleb Johnson in the third round, Cam Skattebo went in the fourth, etc.

Harvey will face his share of pass-blocking assignments, which were not his strength in college.

Ultimately, we trust Payton as one of the best offensive minds in the league, but Harvey will have to improve specific aspects of his game to warrant his second-round tag and the Broncos passing on bigger and more talented backs.