Top 5 Breakout NFL Players To Watch In 2015-2016
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Players don't always come into the NFL as superstars. Sometimes, it takes a couple of seasons for a player to get accommodated to the NFL's fast pace and in-the-spotlight lifestyle.
We compiled a list of the top five NFL players poised to break out this season and soon blossom into superstars.
5. Teddy Bridgewater, quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
Last season, Bridgewater passed for 2,919 yards while throwing 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. After being selected by the Vikings with the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, Bridgewater went on to win the NFL's 2014 Pepsi Rookie of the Year Award.
He was also named quarterback on the 2014 NFL All-Rookie team by the Pro Football Writers of America, despite starting in just 12 of the 16 regular season games.
He had a completion percentage of 64.4, and had an impressive quarterback rating, or QBR, of 85.2.
The Vikings will add a myriad of talent around Bridgewater this season, as All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson will make his return to the football field this season after playing in just one game last season,
The Vikings also added wide receiver Mike Wallace to their receiving corps, which should help Bridgewater establish a vertical passing attack instead of just dumping off screen passes and throwing short passes.
The team also drafted cornerback Trae Waynes in the first round to help their secondary, which was one of the worst in the league last season. Out of Michigan State, Waynes will make an immediate impact with the Vikings and should be the team's starter when the season begins.
Bridgewater got his feet wet in the NFL last season, but with better offensive weapons around him and a solidified defense behind him, he is primed to break out into stardom.
4. Sam Bradford, quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
The former No. 1 overall pick has had an injury-plagued career after being drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2010.
Bradford won the Heisman Trophy during his sophomore season in 2008 as quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. In his junior year, however, he would get injured when playing in the first game of the season against the BYU Cougars. Bradford suffered an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder and was forced to miss the second half of the game.
He would go on to re-injure his shoulder against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry, and it was revealed that he would be forced to undergo season-ending surgery due to the injury.
He declared for the NFL draft despite needing the surgery, and was nonetheless picked first overall by the Rams in 2010.
He started every game as a rookie, but in his sophomore season as an NFL quarterback, he struggled mightily, as he missed six games due to injury, and went 1-9 in the games he did start for the Rams.
He returned the following season playing in all 16 games, and putting up a 7-8-1 record in his third year as the Rams starting quarterback. It was all downhill for Bradford as a Rams quarterback from there, however, as in 2013, despite throwing 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions through the first seven games of the year, he suffered a torn ACL while playing the Carolina Panthers in Week 7 of the 2013 season.
After a long recovery, he was finally able to get back on the field in preparation for the 2014 campaign but promptly re-tore the same ACL in Week 3 of the preseason against the Cleveland Browns.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly surprised most people when he traded his own starting quarterback, Nick Foles, in order to acquire Bradford from the Rams this summer.
Kelly's fast-paced offense has given success to every quarterback that has played in it, including former USC Trojan Mark Sanchez as well as reigning Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
With a change of scenery, a new offense, a new head coach, and the team's fastest-paced offense in the league, Bradford is primed to finally show critics why he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2010.
If he can stay healthy, which is a massive if for him, Bradford can be one of the elite passing quarterbacks in the league this year. Kelly is an offensive mastermind, and there is a reason why he got rid of Foles in order to acquire Bradford.
Again, if he can stay healthy, Bradford could throw for 300 yards a game this season and could end up as one of the top fantasy football quarterbacks as well.
3. Jadeveon Clowney, defensive end, Houston Texans
Everyone has seen the highlight of Jadeveon Clowney absolutely manhandling Michigan running back Vincent Smith during the 2014 Outback Bowl, but if you somehow missed it, here it is again.
Clowney played in just four games in his rookie year last season after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans in 2014. He suffered a torn meniscus on Sept. 7 against the Redskins and went on to miss the rest of the season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee.
He had just seven tackles before he went on the injured reserved list, but when this man is healthy, he is a force and a half.
Let's take a look at Clowney's measurables at the NFL Combine in 2014.
He was measured at 6-foot-5 and came in weighing 266 pounds, with a 10-inch hand size, and 34 1/-inch arm length.
He was able to run the 40-yard dash in just 4.53 seconds, the fastest for any defensive lineman at the draft, and one of the fastest times for any defensive lineman in the NFL.
Clowney is a physical specimen, and when healthy, as seen above, he can absolutely tear open offenses. Now pair him with J.J. Watt, who is arguably the best defensive lineman in the league already, and the Texans have an All-Pro defensive line.
If Clowney stays healthy, expect him to be selected to the Pro-Bowl and have an incredible breakout season. Although Clowney has yet to record his first NFL sack, he is already feared as one of the strongest, most physically talented players in the league.
2. Amari Cooper, wide receiver, Oakland Raiders
Fans could tell in college that Amari Cooper was going to be something special. The former Alabama wide receiver put up record numbers his junior season with the Crimson Tide.
In 2014, Cooper caught a record 124 passes while compiling 1,727 receiving yards as well. He reeled in 16 touchdown passes on his way to being named a finalist for the 2014 Heisman Trophy.
Raiders Nation should be thrilled with the addition of Cooper to their weak receiving corps, but no one is happier to have Cooper around than Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
"[Cooper] is ridiculous in and out of breaks. His style of play is perfect for this league. ... His work ethic is second to none. I was throwing with him as soon as mini-camp was over so we can get more reps in," Carr said.
"The sky is the limit for him, obviously. Hopefully, I just get the ball into his hands so he can make plays," Carr added.
Carr seems to know how special this kid is, and if he can exactly do what he said, get him the ball, then the Raiders' rookie will make a serious push for the Rookie of the Year Award as well as a Pro-Bowl selection.
The hype surrounding Cooper is real, and he could very well be this year's version of Odell Beckham Jr.
1. Carlos Hyde, running back, San Francisco '49ers
The San Francisco '49ers will look like a completely different team than they did last season. The team let go of head coach Jim Harbaugh, who quickly bolted for the University of Michigan, and also lost a flurry of players they did not expect to lose.
The team lost starting offensive tackle Anthony Davis due to retirement, despite being under 30. Davis, however, was not the only '49er to retire this offseason, as he joined linebacker Chris Borland, defensive lineman Justin Smith, and middle linebacker Patrick Willis, who was commonly regarded as the best middle linebacker in the NFL.
The team also lost RB Frank Gore, WR Michael Crabtree, LB Dan Skuta, CB Chris Culliver, CB Perrish Cox, P Andy Lee, and OG Mike Iupati.
Despite the heavy overhaul in San Francisco, Carlos Hyde has the running back job to himself with the departure of longtime '49er Gore.
Last season, Hyde rushed for 333 yards on 83 attempts (4.0 yards per carry), while also scoring four touchdowns and hauling in 12 receptions.
His senior season with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Hyde rushed for 1,521 yards and scored 18 total touchdowns. He averaged an incredible 7.3 yards per carry that season, and established himself as a big, bruising running back who eerily resembled a young Gore.
Hyde is 6 feet tall and weighs 242 pounds and can truck over defenders like they were not even there. Despite his big-bruiser reputation going into the 2014 NFL draft, he fell to the '49ers in the second round.
Hyde is geared and ready to handle the majority of the carries for the '49ers, and with new head coach Jim Tomsula already having been with the team last season as an assistant, he is well aware what Hyde is capable of.
Despite losing two starting members of the offensive line in Davis and Iupati, the '49ers will look to continue to establish the running game and stick to their "ground and pound" style of play.
All the signs point to Hyde being the center piece of the '49ers offense this season, which will help Colin Kaepernick from turning the ball over as frequently as he did last season. He set a career high with 10 interceptions last season and also fumbled the ball five times.
The former Ohio State Buckeye was a dominant force in college, and after a year of learning from the seasoned veteran in Gore, Hyde is in absolutely prime position to take the league by storm and break out into super-stardom.
