Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, Players Most Likely to Win 2025 Offensive ROY Award

No matter how talented an NFL rookie is, situation is the most important thing regarding immediate success.

Grading prospects based on college merits is one part of evaluating, and the other is tied to grading their landing spots and how the players fit within their new team and schemes.

Fortunately, favorable situations abound in this class, and that bodes well for chances at immediate success—the kind that can result in the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Here are the players most likely to claim the honor.

Cam Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/George Walker IV

It is rare to see the first overall pick become the forgotten prospect from his draft class. Well, that is precisely what’s happening to Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward. The most gifted thrower in the 2025 class has rarely been discussed since the rookie minicamp began.

The Titans are in a rebuilding phase, and Ward is essential to any turnaround. That being said, it is questionable if the team has enough offensive talent around Ward to reap the full benefits of his abilities.

Ward transferred to Miami from Washington State ahead of the 2024 college football season and ended up elevating the Hurricanes to a near-ACC championship and College Football Playoff berth.

He is accustomed to elevating an average supporting cast and receiving corps. Ward is tasked with repeating this in Tennessee, as Calvin Ridley is his only above-average target.

The weapons around Ward are young and unproven, including three rookie wide receivers and rookie tight end Gunnar Helm. History says don’t count him out, but he’ll need a magical debut to overcome the roster’s limitations.

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Tyler Shough is in a quarterback battle with Spencer Rattler. The consensus believes it’s Shough’s job to lose because he was drafted higher than Rattler was last year. Shough has the greater set of physical tools, as he's more mobile and has a stronger arm.

According to ESPN's Katherine Terrell, Shough was the choice of new head coach Kellen Moore. That instills a different level of hope and belief when the offensive-minded head coach picks the quarterback. Think about how Bo Nix was viewed predraft and after a season working in Sean Payton’s scheme.

Coach Moore seems to have a clear plan for his rookie.

Shough is surrounded by a good offensive supporting cast. The Saints improved the O-line by selecting Kelvin Banks Jr. one year after drafting Taliese Fuaga in Round 1. Former offensive tackle Trevor Penning has been reduced to playing guard. There's also an explosive group of pass-catchers led by Chris Olave, while Alvin Kamara remains a good starting running back when healthy.

If given the full slate of games to start and develop as a rookie, Shough can make the necessary plays to raise the floor of this offense. One thing is for sure: The NFL loves rewarding impactful quarterbacks. Shough can make a strong case if he becomes a catalyst for the Saints franchise turning around in 2025.

Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

During the draft process, Tyler Warren was among the most exciting prospects to study.

This has transferred to OTAs. Warren is already making waves during Indianapolis Colts practices, per radio host Kevin Bowen, becoming a favorite target of quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones as they battle for the starting job.

Warren is a big, physical receiving target who will own the short and intermediate parts of the field. There’s a world where he takes this momentum from practice into the regular season and becomes the Colts' No. 1 option in the passing game.

The Colts have a talented wide receiver room, but they lacked a consistent easy button for Richardson. Warren will be a true safety blanket for their quarterback, and this will allow him to become the offense’s leading receiver.

Richardson is known for attacking defenses vertically to get explosive plays, but their previous tight end room was unreliable at reeling in passes. Warren has big, strong mitts and tracks the ball like a receiver. The Colts should pepper him with high-volume targets early on to establish him as the future of their offense.

Travis Hunter, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/John Raoux

Travis Hunter is trending toward playing more wide receiver than cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. This bodes well for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who will see the electric Hunter paired with last year's explosive star receiver, Brian Thomas Jr.

Hunter should be viewed as the wide receiver 1B to Thomas' 1A. New head coach Liam Coen comes from Tampa Bay, where he displayed his ability to get the football to multiple star receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Hunter is not a polished wide receiver due to playing heavy snaps on both sides of the football in college. That said, he is a high-impact player with elite physical tools—speed, leaping ability and agility. His movement patterns provide hope that Hunter will round into a crisp route-runner.

Hunter and Thomas give Coen alignment-versatile receivers who will win from anywhere in the formation. Hunter will see a high volume of targets. Given advantageous opportunities and high-quality targets, he will elevate the Jaguars passing attack and put up big numbers.

Coen will have an impact on how Lawrence attacks the field, much in the same way Baker Mayfield threw the ball deep down the field considerably less than in 2023 under former OC Dave Canales.

If this trend trickles over to Lawrence, Hunter will be peppered with short/quick passes in space where his natural playmaking ability can shine. The stars aligned for Hunter in this Jaguars offense: He has a quarterback who can get him the football, an established WR1 and a good play-caller. That can all equal a ROY crown.

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

AP Photo/Butch Dill

RJ Harvey was more of a surprise selection on Day 2 of the draft. He lands with one of the league's best offensive minded coaches, Sean Payton.

We have seen plenty of successful running backs in Payton's scheme, including Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and most notably, Alvin Kamara. One of the most significant similarities between these talented ball-carriers was their receiving ability. All of them were threats to catch in space.

Payton dials up running back passes in a variety of ways that best suit the player's skill set. This should be the expectation with Harvey.

He is the best backfield option and meshes well with the passing style of second-year quarterback Bo Nix. Nix is accustomed to dumping/checking the football down to his underneath options as a last resort, and Harvey will excel on those touches.

The rookie is a talented runner with vision, patience and elusiveness to force missed tackles. He ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, displaying his raw top-end speed. The Broncos offense isn't a talent goldmine, which opens the door for ample touches for Harvey.

He could see similar usage to what Kamara saw in his rookie season, when he accounted for 1,554 total yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns. Those numbers earned Kamara the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea

Omarion Hampton was the epitome of a featured back at North Carolina. He joins veteran running back Najee Harris in Greg Roman's run-centric offense with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Some believe Harris could start over the rookie due to the $8 million deal he signed this offseason. This is possible, but it is highly doubtful Harris will keep Hampton off the field for an entire season.

The rookie adds more physicality as a downhill runner who is built like a tank, offering more speed and explosiveness than Harris. Hampton is a volume runner who gets stronger with more carries throughout the game. His power and frame in open space as a receiver will force defensive backs to make business decisions.

If Hampton takes a stronghold on the starting running back position for the Chargers early in the season, expect a heavy dose of runs and play action with the young receiving weapons Justin Herbert has at his disposal.

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/David Becker

There is no 2025 draftee with a more straightforward path to becoming Offensive Rookie of the Year than Ashton Jeanty.

At No. 6, he was the highest-drafted running back since 2018, when Saquon Barkley was drafted No. 2. Jeanty was selected higher than Bijan Robinson (No. 8) and Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 12), a clear sign of how high the NFL was on the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

He joins a revamped and exciting Las Vegas Raiders offense along with Geno Smith, Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. The Raiders offense has explosive playmaking components to give defenses all they can handle in 2025.

Jeanty will be the featured running back in Chip Kelly's offensive scheme under Pete Carroll's leadership. Carroll is known for running the football with Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch during his successful tenure with the Seattle Seahawks.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Jeanty is the odds-on favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was not selected to be a complementary back. His elite contact balance, vision and short-area quickness will create ample opportunities to produce at a high level.

Jeanty is a good receiving option out of the backfield. Boise State did not throw to him often in 2024. But in 2023, he caught 43 passes for 569 yards and five receiving touchdowns. If the Raiders implement Jeanty into their passing offense, his impact will exceed the lofty expectations for the sixth overall pick.