The most-improved NFL player at every position in 2025

• Two Jaguars break out: Receiver Parker Washington and safety Antonio Johnson are the most-improved players at their respective positions.

• 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time:15 minutes

Improvement isn’t easy. It takes hard work, dedication and time.

Every NFL player strives to get better, but that can’t always happen. Surroundings can change, injuries can occur and luck can go against you. Not these players, though. We’re looking at the most-improved player at every position in 2025, starting with quarterback.

Quarterback: Drake Maye, New England Patriots 

The Patriots had big hopes for Maye in 2025. Mike Vrabel brought in Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator to help elevate an offense that finished 26th in EPA per play in 2024, as well as improved the offensive line and Maye’s options at receiver. New England looked to build upon a promising rookie season for Maye, who completed 66.6% of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 starts while compiling a 70.1 overall PFF grade.

Maye’s improvement in 2025 has been off the charts. The former No. 3 overall pick has been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL in 2025, completing a league-high 71.2% of his passes for 4,662 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading the Patriots to a 13-4 record and their first AFC East title since 2019. His 90.1 overall grade is third among quarterbacks; he’s ninth in big-time throws; and Maye completed the second-most passes of 20 yards or more.

In all likelihood, Maye is either going to end the season as an MVP runner-up or the first second-year quarterback to win the MVP award since Lamar Jackson in 2019.

Running Back: D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

D’Andre Swift (82.7 grade; 9th) has often felt like a case of untapped potential in the NFL. The former second-round pick had just one 1,000-rushing-yard season heading into 2025, and with Ben Johnson stepping into the head coaching role, Swift’s role on the team — especially with the Lions trading away Swift when Johnson was the offensive coordinator — felt under threat. In 2024, Swift earned a 61.3 overall PFF grade and averaged a career-worst 3.8 yards per carry.

However, Johnson trusted Swift behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines in 2025, and the former Georgia Bulldog rewarded that faith with an excellent season. Swift carried the ball 236 times for a career-high 1,141 yards and 10 touchdowns, totaling career-high 30 rushes of 10 yards or more. The one-two punch that Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai (66.1 grade; 50th) created in 2025 was one of the league’s best running back tandems, and greatly helped the Bears make the postseason for the first time since 2020.

Wide Receiver: Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Despite drafting Travis Hunter (62.2 grade; 83rd) with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to pair with Brian Thomas Jr. (65.5 grade; 70th) and trading for veteran Jakobi Meyers (71.1 grade; 41st) to bolster the Jaguars’ receiving room, it was third-year wideout Parker Washington (82.6 grade; 13th) that made the biggest impact on the passing game. Washington caught 58 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season, and carved out a role for himself as Trevor Lawrence’s (83.7 grade; 7th) go-to guy in the slot.

Washington bettered his 59.7 overall grade from a year ago, averaging a career-high 2.19 yards per route run — 14th among receivers in the NFL. He quietly became one of the league top contested catch options, hauling in 19 of 29 contested catches — the fourth-most among receivers. A bit-part play to start the season, Washington came alive in the second half of the year and should be viewed as a valuable part of a Jaguars team moving in the right direction.

Tight End: Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

Every man, woman and their dog has been waiting for the breakout of Kyle Pitts (73.6 grade; 15th) since his rookie season in 2021. Pitts’ talent is undeniable, and the high-end flashes are better than most tight ends in NFL history. But in his first four seasons in the NFL, those moments had been all too fleeting.

That changed in 2025, as Pitts caught a career-high 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns — also his best yet  — while notching an 82.0 PFF receiving grade. Pitts’ 1.71 yards per route run doesn’t stack up against the 2.02 yards per route run he averaged in his rookie season, but he was a more consistent piece of the offense, as opposed to a tight end that could make a big play and then disappear. His 55.0% contested catch rate was a career best, too, and his 11 contested catches were tied for seventh-most at the position.

Pitts now heads into free agency off the back of a strong season, looking closer to the product everyone hoped he could be.

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Tackle: Warren McClendon Jr., Los Angeles Rams

Warren McClendon Jr. (81.7 grade; 12th) had been a backup for the Rams in his first two seasons in the NFL. He struggled in 13 games and five starts in 2024, allowing five sacks and securing a 51.5 PFF pass-blocking grade.

When starting tackle Rob Havenstein (56.4 grade; 75th) went down with an injury ahead of Week 5, there were doubts over whether McClendon was up to the task. Those concerns were erased pretty quickly, and McClendon has been a pillar of the Rams’ offensive line in 2025.

In 10 starts, McClendon has permitted just 17 pressures and a single sack, securing a 71.4 PFF pass-blocking grade. He’s been even better as a run-blocker for one of the best offenses in the NFL: McClendon’s 85.6 PFF run blocking grade is seventh among tackles. The former Georgia tackle could be in line for a big extension in the offseason, especially with Havenstein’s future up in the air. 

Guard: Peter Skoronski, Tennessee Titans

Titans guard Peter Skoronski (79.0 grade; 5th) was tapped to be PFF’s most improved guard ahead of the 2025 NFL season, and the former No. 11 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is right on track in his development. Though the Titans’ offensive line struggled and quarterback Cam Ward (58.5 grade; 37th) was sacked more than any quarterback in 2025, Skoronski was still one of the best guards in the NFL. His 84.5 PFF pass-blocking grade was the second-highest at the position.

Playing 33 more pass-blocking snaps than in 2024, Skoronski gave up two fewer sacks and five fewer pressures, and his 3.5% pressure rate permitted was 12th-lowest among all guards. The jump from good to great is one of the hardest to make, but Skoronski looks to be heading down the right path. He could solidify himself as an All-Pro candidate in the years to come.

Center: Tanor Bortolini, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are the NFL’s offensive lineman factory. Their ability to churn out NFL starters at every position across the offensive line is unparalleled. Lost a key starter? Not a problem, it steps the next man up to play sound football.

The player to fill that role for the Colts in 2025 was Tanor Bortolini (82.6 grade; 3rd), the team’s fourth-round pick in 2024. Bortolini spot-started in place of the oft-injured Ryan Kelly in 2024, generating a 65.1 overall PFF grade while playing steady football. Bortolini didn’t look like a star, but showed he could be serviceable, and a potential option if Kelly moved on.

With Kelly leaving in free agency, the Colts showed faith in Bortolini, and their confidence has been justly rewarded. Bortolini had a breakout season and anchored one of the best offensive lines in football in 2025. The Colts finished the year with the second-best PFF pass-blocking grade and fourth-best PFF run-blocking grade in football. Bortolini allowed just 17 pressures and zero sacks, and ended the campaign as one of the NFL’s rising stars in the trenches.

Defensive Tackle: Quinnen Williams, Dallas Cowboys

It’s hard to call Quinnen Williams (88.8 grade; 2nd) the most improved defensive tackle in the NFL. Since entering the NFL in 2019, Williams has had two separate seasons with an overall PFF grade above 90.0, but his play dipped for the bad Jets defense in 2024. His 57.5 PFF run-defense grade was a career low; he had a 26.8% missed tackle rate, the second-highest among defensive tackles; and he had just 23 stops — also a career low. This wasn’t the dominant Quinnen Williams we were used to.

His 2025 season was split into two halves: what he did with the Jets, and then what he did with the Cowboys after he was traded for a first-round pick at the trade deadline. The results were similar: Williams was back. His 91.7 PFF run-defense grade was dominant, leading all defensive tackles. From Week 11 onward, Williams tallied 32 pressures, the fourth-most among defensive tackles, as well as an 89.6 overall PFF grade.

Edge Defender: Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams

The Rams’ defense emerged as one of the NFL’s top units in 2025, leading all defenses with an 87.6 overall PFF grade while ranking eighth in EPA per play allowed and seventh in success rate. While there’s some excellent top-tier talent on the Los Angeles defense like Jared Verse (84.3 grade; 10th), some lesser-known names also made their mark — primarily Byron Young (85.6 grade; 9th). 

Young, a 2023 third-round pick, had a breakout season in 2025, recording the ninth-highest PFF grade among edge rushers while generating 64 pressures and 13 sacks. He also had the most stops at the position with 47. After two promising seasons, Young finally broke out in Year 3.

Linebacker: Divine Deablo, Atlanta Falcons

Divine Deablo (77.7 grade; 11th) spent the first four seasons in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders and never compiled an overall PFF grade above 63.2, which came in his rookie season. The former third-round pick was always a tough tackler, though not always as adept in coverage.

After joining the Falcons in the 2025 offseason, Deablo had a quiet breakout, accruing a top-15 PFF grade among linebackers in his first season with the team. Deablo’s presence in the middle of the Atlanta defense was a paramount reason for the Falcons’ defensive turnaround in 2025. His 78.6 PFF coverage grade was sixth-highest among linebackers, a career high, and no linebacker had more pass breakups than Deablo’s seven in coverage.

Cornerback: Donte Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers

Donte Jackson (70.8 grade; 24th) landed with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency after a quick, and somewhat underwhelming, pit stop in Pittsburgh in 2024. Jackson garnered a 49.5 overall PFF grade in 2024, the lowest of his career, and his 46.3 PFF coverage grade was the sixth-worst among corners. For a veteran corner, it felt like the end might be near.

However, Jackson had a major bounce-back year in 2025, and one that indicated there’s still a lot of life left in the former second-round pick. Jackson surrendered just 24 catches for 325 yards in coverage and averaged 16.3 snaps per reception, the 12th-highest among corners. His 73.4 PFF coverage grade was also a career high, and Jackson was an influential piece of a defense that yielded the ninth-fewest explosive pass plays in the NFL.

Safety: Antonio Johnson, Jacksonville Jaguars

Antonio Johnson (86.9 grade; 1st) stepped into the Jaguars’ defense as a rotational piece in 2024. He initially failed to make an impact on a unit that ranked 31st in EPA per play and which allowed the second-most explosive plays in the NFL.

However, in 2025, the Jaguars’ defense showed significant improvement, and Johnson’s rise has been meteoric. Jacksonville finished the regular season third in EPA per play allowed and relinquished the third-fewest explosive plays, and Johnson’s 86.9 PFF grade leads all safeties.

Johnson’s calling card is his top-tier play in coverage. He allowed just 23 receptions for 202 yards, a touchdown and five interceptions in 2025, with his yards per reception dropping from 13.6 in 2024 to 8.8 in 2025. Johnson has been one of the best tacklers at the position, too. His 86.7 PFF tackling grade is ninth at the position, and his 4.8% missed tackle rate is the fifth-lowest.