All of Florida State's rookies made contributions to their teams in 2025. While they didn't have many rookies, the three rookies they had showed serious potential.
The Florida State Seminoles had three rookies on NFL rosters during the 2025 season. While the Noles rookie class didn't have the numbers, a couple of guys really stood out, and one in particular might be one of the biggest steals of the draft class.
Azareye’h Thomas, Cornerback, Third Round
Thomas was a third-round pick for the New York Jets in 2025. The 73rd pick in the draft had success on special teams and as a cornerback. He had five starts in the secondary, which is good seasoning for a rookie third-rounder. Before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 14, the FSU alum had seven pass break-ups and 22 tackles. The 6-foot-1 corner is known as a physical player, and is considered a promising young player for the Jets. Thomas is the fourth player to be drafted by the Jets in the last five years.
Joshua Farmer, Defensive End, Fourth Round
In the fourth round, with the 137th pick in the 2025 draft, the New England Patriots selected Florida State defensive lineman Joshua Farmer. Appearing in 13 games for the Pats, Farmer started three games and totaled 15 tackles. Farmer injured his hamstring in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens. Farmer tried to get healthy as he practiced with the team during the playoffs, but was declared inactive going into the Super Bowl.
Ryan Fitzgerald, Place Kicker, Undrafted
You could argue the best rookie season of all the FSU alums was undrafted free-agent kicker Ryan Fitzgerald. The former Seminoles All-American started every game for the Carolina Panthers in 2025. The highlight of his season was being named NFC Special Teams Player for Week 6. Fitzgerald started the season going 5-for-5 on field-goal attempts and converting all five extra-point tries through the first three games. He’s established himself as a clutch kicker who kicked multiple game-winners for the Panthers this past season. This includes wins at home against the Dallas Cowboys, and against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
As a program FSU has produced 302 NFL players, including 250 during the Bobby Bowden era (1976-2009).
The Noles had the No. 15-ranked recruiting class in 2026, and they are currently ranked 15th for 2027.
The Noles have talent, but can they develop their talent into players good enough to win games and good enough to get FSU back to being the NFL factory it once was?
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