30 players who will avoid bust status with a breakout campaign in 2024

The NFL is a tough league, and it chews up and spits out some of the most talented players we've ever seen. There are dozens of players who are trying to make a name for themselves in 2024, even if it hasn't gone well so far.

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7. Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders

We hate to put a guy on blast in just his second NFL season. Michael Mayer had a ton of hype around him coming out of Notre Dame. Last year was an insane tight end draft. Dalton Kincaid was the first-round pick, and the Lions’ Sam LaPorta looks like a legit star.

In all, 15 tight ends were drafted in 2023. Most are given some leash to make moves, but there’s one major difference between Mayer’s situation and the rest of the tight ends. The Raiders drafted Brock Bowers with the 13th-overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Many expected the Raiders to either target a QB (literally six QBs went before Bowers) or to target a defensive player. Instead, the Raiders took another tight end.

Did Antonio Pierce dislike something about Mayer in his rookie year? Did he do something that caused Pierce to lose faith? One thing is clear: Mayer has to be quite good this year to keep his standing with his team. If he doesn’t earn his way on the field, he’ll find himself on the bench.

Bowers was an incredible prospect that the Raiders probably deemed too good to be true where they were selecting. The Georgia product hopes to be the next great at the position, but there was a chance that Mayer could be that. Will he be considered a bust if he doesn’t break out this season? It’s hard to say for sure, but it could lead to a spiral if it’s not handled quickly.

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