Seemingly every year, a few players in the NFL go from good to great out of nowhere. Here are the top 20 NFL players primed for breakout seasons in 2017.
Not every great player in the NFL figures it out right away. Even some of the best collegiate players will need a year or two…or three to carve out their best role in the NFL. It’s all about the process of maturity, going from a punk college kid to a young, hard-working professional.
Every year, a handful of players come out of the woodwork and become overnight sensations in the NFL. The meteoric rise of a few star players can’t be predicted. However, there are some players that have laid a strong foundation in their early professional years to take off by their mid-20s.
Here are the 20 NFL players primed to have breakout seasons in 2017.
The San Francisco 49ers may unfortunately have the weakest roster heading into the 2017 NFL Draft. However, they aren’t completely devoid of talent. One guy poised to have a breakout season for the 49ers this fall is defensive back Jimmie Ward.
San Francisco took him No. 30 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Northern Illinois. He has bounced around in the 49ers secondary playing both cornerback and free safety. With new head coach Kyle Shanahan coming in, it looks like Ward will be asked to play a huge role in 2017 49ers defense: free safety.
While Shanahan specializes on the offensive side of the ball as a former offensive coordinator, he does plan to use the Cover 3 defense he learned from Dan Quinn these last two years with the Atlanta Falcons. Given that new 49ers general manager John Lynch is a borderline Hall of Fame safety in his own right, San Francisco is going to make sure Ward is in a position to succeed in 2017.
Playing free safety in a Cover 3 scheme is huge undertaking for an adept defensive back. Ward will be asked to cover the middle third of the field, forcing turnovers with great ballhawking ability. He may not gel in this role right away, but Ward is too talented of a player to not get more than a fair shake at that opportunity.
For better or worse, the Cincinnati Bengals are all in on their two young offensive line prospects Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi. The Bengals went back-to-back with the offensive line picks in the first two rounds of the 2015 Draft, taking Ogbuehi out of Texas A&M and Fisher out of Oregon.
Fisher has had the better NFL career through two years over Ogbuehi. He was able to prove that he can play all five positions on the Bengals offensive line. Ogbuehi has had to deal with a pair of injuries in the form of an ACL tear and a torn rotator cuff. However, he does seem to be a project that noted Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander hasn’t given up on just yet.
Alexander teaches different blocking techniques up front in Cincinnati than the way most NFL teams do. Ogbuehi played in an up-tempo spread in college at Texas A&M, the same system that produced Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews. Joeckel failed in Jacksonville, while Matthews has come on in Atlanta.
Ogbuehi needs to rise to the occasion because the Bengals need him to. Keep in mind that their two best offensive linemen from 2016 now play on different teams. Tackle Andrew Whitworth plays for the Los Angeles Rams and guard Kevin Zeitler joined the arch rival Cleveland Browns to be reunited with head coach Hue Jackson. The opportunity for Ogbuehi to succeed is there. Will he answer the call?
Robert Nkemdiche’s rookie season with the Arizona Cardinals was an utter disaster. The former No. 1 high school player in the 2013 graduating class spent three years at Ole Miss before going to Arizona at No. 29 in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Nkemdiche appeared in six games as a rookie and did absolutely nothing on the gridiron. Arizona took a gamble on an immense talent with a troubled past. Needless to say, Nkemdiche has a ton riding on a good 2017 NFL campaign.
This is because the Cardinals lost two huge pieces of their starting defense. While Chandler Jones, Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson remain in the Valley of the Sun, defensive lineman Calais Campbell now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars and safety Tony Jefferson signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
Perhaps drafting Nkemdiche at the end of the first round last spring was done to potentially offset Campbell’s departure from Glendale? Cardinals general manager Steve Keim knew that Campbell would be hitting free agency in 2017. Having a talent like Nkemdiche coming up through the pipeline could allow the Cardinals better financial flexibility this season.
That being said, Nkemdiche has to do something on the field for Arizona to get a third year. He has a huge opportunity to prove to head coach Bruce Arians he was worth the first-round selection. Nkemdiche has all the talent in the world. It would be a shame if he can’t put it together professionally.
Antonio Gates is certainly Canton bound from his great career with the San Diego Chargers. Now that the Chargers play in Los Angeles, it might be time for a change of guard at the tight end position for the Chargers organization.
The Chargers used the No. 35 overall pick on Arkansas Razorbacks tight end Hunter Henry in the 2016 NFL Draft. He quietly had a strong rookie season playing for a befuddled Chargers franchise. Henry had 36 catches for 478 yards and eight touchdowns.
Would Los Angeles use two tight end sets in 2017? It should consider the notion. Ken Whisenhunt is a strong offensive coordinator and creator of a passing game plan. However, new head coach Anthony Lynn has a background as a running backs coach and protection schemes.
He’ll want Whisenhunt to run the football more than the Chargers did last year. Playing Gates and Henry simultaneously could be an interesting way for the Chargers to move the chains vertically while giving the look of a power running game.
Even if two tight end sets aren’t a mainstay in the Chargers passing game, quarterback Philip Rivers sure does love throwing the football to tight ends. He targeted Gates a ton in San Diego. Maybe he can build a great rapport with Henry in Los Angeles before he retires as a Hall of Fame level player?
Paul Richardson has not had a good first three years in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle took a gamble on the former wideout from Colorado with their second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. To date, he has only 51 catches for 599 yards and two touchdowns.
That being said, Richardson actually had a strong end to his 2016 campaign. Apparently something clicked with him around the holiday season. From Week 16 on Christmas Eve, Richardson had at least three receptions for 40 yards in the Seahawks’ final four games of the year, including the playoffs.
Richardson had 15 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns since Week 16. His best game actually came in Seattle’s NFC Divisional Round defeat to the Atlanta Falcons, 36-20. Richardson had four catches for 83 yards.
It isn’t just Richardson finally figuring out the nuances of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s passing game that indicates a strong fourth year for Richardson. Keep in mind that vertical threat Tyler Lockett is dealing with a severely broken leg. Quarterback Russell Wilson will need more than possession receiver Doug Baldwin to make plays this fall. It’s Richardson’s time to shine in the liquid sunshine of the Pacific Northwest.
The Dallas Cowboys had a remarkable 2016 regular season, going 13-3 and getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs. While that didn’t translate to any playoff wins, there is reason to believe that the Cowboys are back….at least on the offensive side of the ball.
We all know that Dallas’ offensive is just better than everybody else’s. However, Dallas needs to build on a halfway decent season from its defense for 2017. The Cowboys could still use a pass rusher and will presumably target one in the draft. That being said, Dallas might have some glaring holes in the secondary.
The Cowboys lost safety Barry Church to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr also went to the AFC. Claiborne went to the New York Jets, while Carr now plays for the Baltimore Ravens. In short, free safety Byron Jones needs to have a monster third year in the NFL to keep the Dallas secondary viable.
Dallas used its first-round pick in 2015 to draft Jones out of UConn. In two years with the Cowboys, Jones has shown a great deal of promise in the middle of the defensive backfield. He has 27 starts, 146 combined tackles and 18 passes defended. UConn has been a dark horse pro factory for secondary players these last few years. Perhaps Jones becomes the AAC school’s first star in recent years? The Cowboys frankly need him to.
The Buffalo Bills’ 2016 first round pick in defensive end Shaq Lawson had to fight through injuries in his first season in the league. He was a former standout pass rusher for Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers. Shoulder surgery in the 2016 offseason limited Lawson’s overall effectiveness in his first year in Orchard Park.
Lawson still played in 10 games for the 2016 Bills and recorded two sacks. We should be expecting big things from Lawson in his second NFL season for several reasons. Most NFL players see their biggest leap forward coming between years one and two. Lawson should have a full offseason to recover and get his body back to good.
Keep in mind that the Bills inherit a new defensive-minded head coach in Sean McDermott. While he specializes in coaching secondaries, he will want a vaunted pass rush to get the Bills defense off the ground. Buffalo largely underwhelmed defensively last year despite having above-average talent across the board.
The middle of the pack in the AFC is totally up for grabs. Buffalo has hovered around .500 the last few years. If McDermott can get the most out of the defensive players that general manager Doug Whaley drafted, Buffalo could win as many as 10 games next year and earn an AFC Wild Card berth. Lawson has to come up big for the Bills to reach the AFC Playoffs.
The Cleveland Browns are young, but could be getting better as soon as 2017. Well, that’s got a lot to do with them going 1-15 last fall. However, there is something about how this organization is rebuilding that football fans even outside of Cleveland can get behind.
Cleveland won’t finish near .500, but could have a few players having breakout seasons. One guy to keep an eye on is second-year wide receiver Corey Coleman. The Browns traded back to No. 13 to take the standout wideout from Baylor in last year’s NFL Draft. He had 33 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games.
Those aren’t terrible numbers, but he’ll have to be better in year two to be worth that mid-first round selection from a year ago. While Cleveland added veteran receiver Kenny Britt to offset the loss of Terrelle Pryor to the Washington Redskins, improvement in the Browns receiving game hinges a great deal on Coleman’s play in 2017.
Fortunately for him and the Browns, general manager Sashi Brown has gone all-in on rebuilding this offensive line. It could resemble the type of front five that was in Cleveland only a few years ago. Quarterback play will have to be better, but Coleman has an outside shot at 1,000 receiving yards this upcoming season.
Rex Burkhead had been sparingly used in his four previous NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. He has a former standout in college with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but hasn’t had his opportunity to shine in the NFL.
Though Burkhead had only 87 carries for 375 yards for three rushing touchdowns in four years with the Bengals, we should expect big things from him. The reason for this is that he now plays for the New England Patriots. Almost every running back thrives playing for the Patriots.
One can connect the dots that head coach Bill Belichick has exhausted the last bit of running back fumes from bruising tailback LeGarrette Blount. He had been outstanding for years in Foxborough, but he may be past his prime in Belichick’s eyes.
Burkhead will be fresher than most fifth-year NFL running backs. He won’t be asked to be the featured back in New England either. Burkhead would play alongside Dion Lewis and James White in 2017. All three offer differing skill sets to the ground game. Lewis is the speed guy. White is the elite pass catcher on third down. Maybe Burkhead can be the battering ram that Blount had been with the Patriots before him?
Though the Philadelphia Eagles had their issues at times in 2016, they should be able to compete for an NFC playoff spot this fall. Sure, general manager Howie Roseman needs to draft well and head coach Doug Pederson needs to get better before year two. However, Pederson has assembled a dynamite coaching staff.
Offensive coordinator Frank Reich projects as a future NFL head coach. Quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo will an offensive coordinator again here soon. Let’s not forget that Jim Schwartz is one of the best defensive coordinators in the business. His biggest project for 2017 is third-year middle linebacker Jordan Hicks.
Hicks had a strong second year with the 2016 Eagles. He started all 16 games for Philadelphia, with 86 combined tackles, 11 passes defended and an absurd five interceptions. His ball skills at middle linebacker could make him a perennial Pro Bowler.
This former Texas Longhorn has the potential to be one of the best inside linebackers in the NFC for the rest of the decade. His vision of the field is tremendous. Frankly, Hicks could not have a better defensive coordinator to learn from in Schwartz. If he stays healthy, Hicks could be become an absolute monster in the middle of the Eagles defense.
The Washington Redskins lost a lot of good men from their 2016 roster this offseason. General manager Scot McCloughan was fired before the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Offensive coordinator Sean McCoy left the nations’ capital to become the youngest head coach in NFL history with the Los Angeles Rams.
Washington’s two best wideouts left town via free agency. DeSean Jackson signed for a big money deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pierre Garcon rejoined former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers. Adding Terrell Pryor from the Cleveland Browns helps and franchise tagging quarterback Kirk Cousins makes Washington competitive, but who else is going to help in the passing game?
Jordan Reed is still an elite NFL tight end. Keep in mind that Washington did use a first round pick in 2016 on former TCU Horned Frogs standout wide receiver Josh Doctson. Though he only had two catches for 66 yards. Washington was still willing to use a first round pick on him while he recovered from an Achilles injury.
The idea is that Doctson would be able to replace Jackson’s undeniable vertical abilities to spread the field. Doctson thrived playing in Sonny Cumbie’s Air Raid offense at TCU. Cousins is an accurate passer, Pryor and Reed are good at what they do and head coach Jay Gruden comes from a sharp offensive-minded coaching family. Look for Doctson to have a breakout second NFL season in 2017.
The Tennessee Titans may be the favorites to win the AFC South thanks to the Houston Texans’ inability to woo Tony Romo. It wouldn’t be all that shocking if Tennessee ends up the No. 3 seed in the AFC in January. Look for the Titans to do a lot of good things next year.
Though Nashville is falling in love with Mike Mularkey’s Exotic Smashmouth, the Titans need to make us believers in their passing game out on the perimeter. While we should expect the Titans to go wideout with one of their two first-round picks this spring, they may have found something special in Tajae Sharpe.
Sharpe was a fifth-round pick out of UMass last spring. He had 41 catches for 522 yards and touchdowns as a rookie. Those aren’t Gigantic numbers, but we know Sharpe’s Mind as a receiver is in a good place. There is a good chance that he becomes the best wideout from UMass since Victor Cruz.
For Tennessee to make noise in the AFC this fall, they will need to improve in the passing game. Sharpe has a former Heisman Trophy winner in Marcus Mariota slinging him the pigskin. Don’t forget that Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie was one of the best wide receivers coaches in football before taking this job. A 1,000-yard receiving season for Sharpe could be in play if the Titans can win 10 or 11 games this upcoming season.
The New Orleans Saints have been often ridiculed for their leaky defense. However when they’re good on that side of the ball, it’s because they’re winning in the trenches. We know that defensive end Cameron Jordan is a total beast of a pass rusher. There is a good chance New Orleans knocked it out of the park with their first-round pick last year.
New Orleans went with Louisville Cardinals defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins last spring. He was expected to do big things in New Orleans year one, but a broken fibula suffered in training camp had Rankins spend half of his rookie campaign on the injured reserve.
That being said, Rankins still played in nine games for the 2016 Saints. He made a big impact right away with 20 total tackles, 4.0 quarterback sacks and a forced fumble. Keep in mind that he did this playing in a division with three strong quarterbacks in Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston.
If New Orleans can get pressure up the middle from Rankins, the Saints have an outside shot at winning the NFC South. Winning in the trenches will be indicative of how the Saints’ season goes. Rankins establishing himself as a pass-rushing threat on the interior is key for the Saints to get back into the NFC Playoffs.
While it remains to be seen what the Chicago Bears have in former first-round pick wide receiver Kevin White, it looks like they nailed their first round pick in 2016. Chicago probably reached to draft Leonard Floyd out of Georgia at No. 9 last spring, but the guy had a productive first year with Chicago.
Floyd exploded off the edge for seven quarterback sacks as a rookie. His sacks usually do come in bunches, but there is no reason to believe that he can’t be Chicago’s version of Vic Beasley. Beasley led the NFL in sacks last year, but Floyd was the superior player as a rookie. The Falcons’ All-Pro pass rusher had only four sacks as a rookie.
Floyd picked up Bears head coach John Fox’s pass rushing schemes quickly inner one. Though Floyd would end up in many SEC backfields in college, bringing the tackler to the ground wasn’t always a sure thing. However, Fox seems to be getting the most out of Floyd’s high-octane pass-rushing motor already.
Chicago has to be better than 3-13 if Fox wants a fourth year in the Windy City. His offensive personnel could be better, but there is a way that Chicago can win with defense in 2017. Floyd will need to be a 10+ sack player for the Bears to have any shot at making the NFC Playoffs.
It’s hard to say that an NFL starting quarterback can really have a breakout season. We all know who all the starters are anyway. This is the most scrutinized position in the NFL by a side margin. However if any young signal caller takes a leap forward in his play this fall, it would have to be Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz.
Wentz held his own during a trial by fire rookie season with the Eagles. Keep in mind that he was supposed to redshirt and be the Eagles’ third-stringer to Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel as a rookie. Well, when Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a gruesome knee injury, Bradford was traded to the Vikings and Wentz became the Week 1 starter for the Eagles.
He completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 3,782 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a rookie. Philadelphia went 7-9 last season, but could be a few wins better in 2017. Wentz has the look and feel of a franchise quarterback. He improved as the season went along under the Eagles’ great offensive-minded coaching staff.
Yes, Wentz will need some help on the outside in the passing game to become a more dynamic passer. Landing Alshon Jeffery in free agency helps significantly. Wentz may not get to his first Pro Bowl this fall, but he has the potential to lead the Eagles to the NFC Playoffs should they be three wins better.
Like with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, NFL people already know who Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is. He had a three-sack performance in Super Bowl LI. Jarrett was instrumental in the Falcons’ improving defense last fall.
He is the son of Falcons great Jessie Tuggle and has been tabbed as the Falcons’ equivalent of Aaron Donald. Though Jarrett will probably never eclipse his father or Donald on the gridiron, he will be key up front for Atlanta if the Falcons want to win a Lombardi Trophy this decade.
Jarrett isn’t massive for a nose tackle, but plays with great leverage concepts and a high motor. Atlanta traded up to grab him atop the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He takes well to coaching and continues to improve with every snap he plays for Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.
Atlanta is still incredibly young defensively, but could build on last season’s success. Jarrett may never achieve star potential in the NFL, but he looks to be a defensive line cornerstone for Atlanta for years to come. The Falcons needed an heir apparent to Jonathan Babineaux up front. Jarrett looks to be that guy.
The Kansas City Chiefs were in a bad spot with regards to the 2017 salary cap. Kansas City had some tough decisions to make. Cutting running back Jamaal Charles was hard and so was letting defensive tackle Dontari Poe walk. However, Chiefs general manager John Dorsey anticipated Poe’s departure and drafted Chris Jones out of Mississippi State last spring.
Jones played in all 16 games for the Chiefs last year, with 17 tackles and two quarterback sacks. He is a big guy at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, poised to take over that starting role vacated by Poe up front. One could argue that Jones could end up being the more productive player at the end of the day.
Poe showed signs of brilliance up front with the Chiefs defensive line for years, but back surgery and uneven play over the past two years kept the team from giving him the franchise tag. He signed with Atlanta for one year and the Chiefs were able to re-sign the guy they wanted to all along in free safety Eric Berry.
Jones will make the Chiefs’ front-seven a bit more malleable. If he can play with a consistent combination of both power and speed, he could be a future Pro Bowl player up front for the Chiefs. In short, Kansas City could afford to lose Poe in free agency because Jones looks to be the real deal on the front.
The Detroit Lions making the 2016 NFC Playoffs wasn’t a fluke. This team is well put together, well-coached, and should be in contention for a playoff berth again this season. The Lions have great coordinators in Teryl Austin and Jim Bob Cooter, as well as a strong franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford.
One player that played well for the Lions last year was tackle Taylor Decker. Detroit drafted Decker 16th overall out of Ohio State. He might end up being the best former Buckeye to play for the Lions since Chris Spielman. Decker did start all 16 games at tackle for the Lions last year.
Most players improved the most from their rookie seasons to their second years in the league. Decker will have need to have a strong sophomore campaign with the Lions up front. He will have to pick up the slack left by former first round pick Riley Reiff’s departure to the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 NFL free agency.
It’s hard to imagine that Detroit was happy to see Reiff leave for a division rival, but the Lions could have something special up front in Decker. In an era of the NFL where offensive linemen are increasingly unprepared coming out of college, Decker shined as a rookie. Look for him to be excellent in his second year in the league for a playoff-contending Lions team.
2016 was not kind to the Carolina Panthers. They were nine wins worse than their NFC Championship season from the year before. The Panthers offense deserves most of the blame for their downfall. However, one player did show a great deal of promise as a rookie in 2016.
The Panthers took cornerback James Bradberry at No. 62 in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Samford University. While Carolina may have been ridiculed last spring for over-drafting Bradberry, his on-field performance as a rookie could lead to a breakout sophomore season in the league.
Bradberry had 69 combined tackles, 10 passes defended and two interceptions in his rookie campaign. He was gradually worked into the Carolina defense, playing in and starting 13 games for them last season. As a rookie, Bradberry played with confidence in the back-end as the season progressed.
With former Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott going to the Buffalo Bills, head coach Ron Rivera will need to pay closer attention to his secondary. McDermott specialized in coaching that area of his defense. In 2017, look for Rivera to lean on Bradberry in his defensive backfield to have a big year.
No team in the NFL does a better job of pro scouting than the New England Patriots. They might know your favorite team’s players than does your hometown front office. When the Patriots traded their 2017 second-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for defensive end Kony Ealy, this looks to be another outstanding move made by the Patriots this offseason.
Ealy played his first three years out of Missouri with the Panthers. He has 43 career tackles, 14.0 sacks and six forced fumbles in 47 NFL games. New England will want a great player coming off the edge now that Chris Long signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Ealy could be that guy.
What makes this deal even better for the Patriots is that they could look to franchise tag him should he have a breakout season in Foxborough. Then again, the Patriots may have to slap that tag on some guy named Jimmy Garoppolo if Tom Brady wants to play deep into his 40s.
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In short, New England looks to be all-in on winning another Super Bowl in 2017. The Patriots won’t have a pick in the upcoming draft until the third round. They just keep getting better and better. Will these short-sided moves help New England win a sixth Lombardi Trophy during the Brady/Belichick era? Ealy will have a big role to play in their repeat efforts.