Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. In today's installment, he explores seven of the game's most confounding players ...
In the NFL, there are established superstars and role players, rising youngsters and declining veterans. But there are also guys who exist in a sort of purgatory state between good and bad, young and old. These are the enigmas -- players who tease us with flashes of brilliance but lack the consistency to stamp themselves as standouts. Heading into the 2025 season, here are seven individuals who fit the bill.
The former No. 1 overall pick is a gifted playmaker with a pair of Pro Bowls and the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year award on his résumé. At times, Murray has played at a high level and captivated the football world as an electric dual-threat quarterback. However, the seventh-year pro sports a 36-45-1 career record and lacks a playoff win as the Cardinals' QB1, having thrown two picks and posted a 40.9 passer rating in his lone postseason appearance. Though his early accomplishments prompted Arizona to sign him to a blockbuster extension (five years, $230.5 million) back in the 2022 offseason, the Cardinals need him to provide more consistent excellence to justify the return on their investment in a league that measures quarterback success by wins and rings.
The big-play specialist has terrorized opponents during stretches as a vertical playmaker with exceptional size, length and leaping ability. Over his first three NFL campaigns, Pickens averaged a whopping 16.3 yards per catch and scored 13 touchdowns despite playing on a team lacking competent quarterback play. And yet, Pittsburgh still traded for DK Metcalf this offseason before dealing Pickens to Dallas. Clearly, the Steelers chafed at the 24-year-old's immaturity and inconsistency, ultimately preventing the team from committing to Pickens as the No. 1 option. But with the Cowboys, Pickens could be the perfect WR1/WR2 hybrid to share the marquee with CeeDee Lamb. Considering the number of 1-on-1 chances Pickens will receive in an offense that is committed to pushing the ball down the field with Dak Prescott at the helm, Dallas' newest pass catcher could take a major step forward in a contract season.
As the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Thibodeaux was expected to take the league by storm as an explosive pass-rushing threat off the edge. Though the fourth-year pro has amassed 21 sacks, six forced fumbles and 46 quarterback hits in 43 career games, the polarizing defender has not blossomed into the game changer some envisioned when the Giants added him to a front that desperately needed an impact player on the edge. With Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and 2025 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter poised to command significant attention from opponents this fall, Thibodeaux will have plenty of chances to show off his pass-rushing prowess against favorable 1-on-1 matchups at the point of attack.
The supersized cover corner earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie in 2022, but he has been unable to sustain that stellar level of play over the past two seasons, sending him into a contract year as something of a question mark. With injuries and inconsistent technique preventing him from dominating on the island, the Seahawks are playing the "wait and see" game before determining whether to sign the former fifth-round pick to a long-term deal. If the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder can regain the focus and form that helped shine as a lockdown defender early in his career, Seattle could build around an ultra-athletic corner with the length and explosiveness to shut down elite WR1s on the perimeter.
The 6-6, 250-pound tight end has failed to play up to the gold jacket projections that accompanied his arrival in Atlanta as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft. Sure, he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving in Year 1, but the production since has been underwhelming. Despite possessing receiver-like route-running ability and ball skills, Pitts has not created or exploited the mismatches many envisioned when evaluating him coming out of Florida. In a contract year with big-armed quarterback Michael Penix Jr. under center, can Pitts showcase "take over the game" ability?
The sixth-year pro has teased scouts with his explosive athleticism and pass-rushing prowess. In 2023, Huff looked like an ascending star after notching 10 sacks and leading the NFL with a 21.8% pressure rate (min. 250 pass rushes, per Next Gen Stats) during his final campaign with the Jets. Though he flopped with the Eagles after inking a three-year, $51 million deal as a marquee free agent last offseason, a trade to the 49ers reunites the edge rusher with his former coach (Robert Saleh), which could help him regain his swagger in San Francisco. Given a chance to play opposite a premier pass rusher who commands extra attention in Nick Bosa, Huff could remind the football world of his disruptive ability this season.
As a freak athlete with exceptional range, Walker is a tackling machine in the middle of the Packers' defense. A first-round pick back in 2022, he has started 43 games and piled up 100-plus tackles in each season. While his 341 total tackles rank second among all defenders from the 2022 draft class (behind only Devin Lloyd's figure of 355), the Packers declined his fifth-year option. Walker has struggled with mental mistakes and has let his emotions get the best of him at times (SEE: two game ejections and a number of inexcusable penalties). He also hasn't produced many turnovers (three forced fumbles, one fumble recover and one pick over three years). Perhaps another season in Jeff Hafley's "see ball, get ball" defense will fully unlock his talents and motivate Green Bay to re-up him on a lucrative extension.