{"id":51625,"date":"2025-05-15T08:37:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T08:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/51625\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T08:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T08:37:11","slug":"nfl-schedule-2025-5-must-see-rookie-vs-rookie-matchups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/51625\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Schedule 2025: 5 Must-See Rookie-vs-Rookie Matchups"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL released the complete 2025 season schedule on Wednesday evening. Some of the most appetizing matchups pit\u00a02025 NFL Draft<\/a>\u00a0picks directly against each other. Comparing one rookie to another, particularly in a head-to-head positional matchup, qualifies as one of the best measuring sticks when analyzing a prospect\u2019s ability to transition from college to the pros.<\/p>\n

With the full schedule now available, we’ve identified our five most anticipated rookie-vs-rookie showdowns.<\/p>\n

Week 9: Tyler Booker (Cowboys G) vs. Walter Nolen (Cardinals DT)<\/p>\n

Two of the more surprising first-round picks were made by the\u00a0Dallas Cowboys<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Arizona Cardinals<\/a>. With these NFC mainstays set to meet in Week 9 on Monday Night Football, Cowboys guard\u00a0Tyler Booker<\/a>\u00a0will be asked to block Cardinals defensive tackle\u00a0Walter Nolen<\/a>. It’s one of the more physical rookie-versus-rookie battles on the 2025 schedule.<\/p>\n

Booker<\/a>\u00a0is expected to fortify the Cowboys’ interior offensive line. If\u00a0Nolen<\/a>\u00a0reaches his ceiling, he could develop into one of the game’s premier pass-rushing 3-techs. Booker’s overwhelming power versus Nolen’s first-step explosion and violent hands is must-watch TV.<\/p>\n

Weeks 13 and 18: Cam Ward (Titans QB) vs. Travis Hunter (Jaguars WR\/CB)<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Tennessee Titans<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>\u00a0will renew their annual AFC South rivalry in Weeks 13 and 18. Miraculously, it’ll mark the seventh consecutive NFL campaign that No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks will square off. With\u00a0Travis Hunter<\/a>\u00a0likely pulling double duty at wide receiver and cornerback, it\u2019s plausible to believe that Titans rookie QB\u00a0Cam Ward<\/a>\u00a0will actually test his coverage abilities by throwing the football in his direction.<\/p>\n

The Titans believe Ward is a legitimate franchise quarterback. Jaguars general manager James Gladstone traded the farm to move up to No. 2 overall to acquire\u00a0Hunter<\/a>. Ward versus Hunter should be entertaining for years to come with an injection of superstar talent in the AFC South.<\/p>\n

Week 13: Abdul Carter (Giants EDGE) vs. Will Campbell (Patriots OT)<\/p>\n

Watching the draft’s top pass rusher compete against the top-ranked offensive tackle is always an exciting exercise. This year, that battle is even more intriguing than usual, with\u00a0New York Giants<\/a>\u00a0No. 3 pick\u00a0Abdul Carter<\/a>\u00a0squaring off with\u00a0New England Patriots<\/a>\u00a0left tackle\u00a0Will Campbell<\/a>\u00a0(No. 4).<\/p>\n

Giants versus Patriots isn’t a common matchup, so we’re fortunate enough to receive a Super Bowl XLII and XLVI rematch in Week 13 on Monday Night Football. The Patriots have remained steadfast in their belief that Campbell can play left tackle despite his less-than-adequate arm length. That resolve will be tested throughout the 2025 campaign, and if Carter meets the potential he flashed at Penn State, he’ll be one of Campbell’s toughest challengers.<\/p>\n

Week 15: Ashton Jeanty (Raiders RB) vs. Jihaad Campbell (Eagles LB)<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>\u00a0selected\u00a0Ashton Jeanty<\/a>\u00a0at No. 6 overall because new head coach\u00a0Pete Carroll<\/a>\u00a0plans on establishing the run. Expect Jeanty to be a high-volume rusher as the early frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.<\/p>\n

Jeanty<\/a>\u00a0will be eager to meet defenders in the hole with aggressive intent. Among the most exciting matchups on his schedule is the showdown with\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>\u00a0rookie linebacker\u00a0Jihaad Campbell<\/a>\u00a0in Week 15. Campbell is a physical, athletic, sideline-to-sideline weapon. He’s an outstanding scheme fit in Vic Fangio’s defense, and will be eager to showcase his range against a specimen like Jeanty.<\/p>\n

Week 15: Matthew Golden (Packers WR) vs. Jahdae Barron (Broncos CB)<\/p>\n

It’s always exciting when collegiate teammates square off head-to-head in the pros. Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver\u00a0Matthew Golden<\/a>\u00a0and cornerback\u00a0Jahdae Barron<\/a>\u00a0likely repped against each other hundreds of times during Steve Sarkisian’s practices. This year, they’ll do it for real as members of the\u00a0Green Bay Packers<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Denver Broncos<\/a>\u00a0in a tasty Week 15 interconference showdown.<\/p>\n

The Broncos took\u00a0Barron<\/a>\u00a0at No. 20 overall and the Packers landed\u00a0Golden<\/a>\u00a0just three selections later. Barron projects as a versatile defensive chess piece. He could be tasked with slowing the speedy Golden down when these unfamiliar opponents meet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL released the complete 2025 season schedule on Wednesday evening. Some of the most appetizing matchups pit\u00a02025…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51626,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[80,7,6,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-51625","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"tag-2025-nfl-draft","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-nfl-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114510944368450893","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}