The NFL Hall of Fame Game is in the books, and Week 1 of the preseason is just days away. Optimism abounds at this time of the NFL calendar; every team is 0-0, while every young player with upside could be the league’s next surprise star.
Who are the NFL’s top breakout candidates in 2024? Let’s run through the league and forecast the top ascending players at each position.
Our definition of the term “breakout” can vary. PFN’s 2024 All-Breakout Team doesn’t feature any rookies, but one player on his NFL second contract will make an appearance.
We’ve generally ruled out players who’ve earned end-of-season awards. At the same time, we’ve used discretion to exclude other players — like CBs Derek Stingley Jr. and Christian Gonzalez — whose limited 2023 flashes were enough for us to be all-in on their futures.
Otherwise, we’re using “breakout” relatively loosely. Some of our breakout candidates might turn into All-Pros and become household names; others may simply improve and morph into above-average starters.
NFL’s 2024 All-Breakout Team | Offense
Quarterback | Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Let’s start with an easy one. We’re guessing you’ve seen Anthony Richardson included on quite a few NFL breakout lists, and for good reason. Getting excited about a former top-five pick with Richardson’s physical profile isn’t exactly a challenge.
He only finished two games and appeared in parts of two others before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. While he needs to stay healthy, Richardson’s upside inside Shane Steichen’s Colts offense is almost unimaginable.
Steichen nearly guided Indy to the playoffs in 2023 despite working with limited backup QB Gardner Minshew. Richardson’s arm strength and mobility give Steichen so many more options in the Colts’ rushing and passing attacks, while his gravity as a running threat should help RB Jonathan Taylor find open lanes.
Honorable mention: Will Levis (Titans), Sam Darnold (Vikings)
Running Back | Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
If we’re trying to identify the NFL’s next Kyren Williams, second-year Bengals RB Chase Brown might be the best candidate.
Brown and Williams don’t share similar playstyles, but Brown could follow in Williams’ footsteps as a Day 3 pick with limited rookie year work who breaks out as a workhorse in Year 2. While Brown will face competition from free agent signing Zack Moss, he’s been running with Cincinnati’s first team at training camp practices.
Brown only touched the ball 58 times behind Joe Mixon in 2023 but was electric in his opportunities. In Week 13, he turned a screen pass into a 54-yard touchdown against the Colts; Brown hit 22.05 miles per hour, the NFL’s second-fastest time for a ball carrier last season.
Brown is a weapon as a receiver, but he’s not a scat back. He weighs 215 pounds and handled 328 carries in his final season at Illinois, managing 30+ touches in six of 12 games.
Honorable mention: Tyjae Spears (Titans), Rico Dowdle (Cowboys), Ty Chandler (Vikings)
Wide Receiver | Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
Michael Wilson would’ve gone higher in the 2023 NFL Draft if injuries hadn’t limited his production at Stanford. While the third-round pick got nicked up in his rookie year with the Cardinals, Wilson also showed enough to predict a looming breakout.
Emerging as a viable deep threat while catching passes from Kyler Murray and Joshua Dobbs, Wilson posted a 14.3-yard average depth of target, the 18th-deepest in the NFL. According to TruMedia, 41.4% of his targets came on throws of 15+ air yards, the league’s fifth-highest rate.
For Wilson, those vertical shots weren’t simply calories — he turned 49.2% of his targets into a first down or a touchdown. Only six wideouts — including Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, and Brandon Aiyuk — converted their opportunities at a better clip.
Wilson is third in line for Murray’s targets behind first-round rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and standout TE Trey McBride. Still, he’s shown more than enough hints of production to eventually develop into a high-end WR2 in the desert.
Wide Receiver | Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills
“His consistency as a wide receiver, he speaks so loudly to the quarterbacks the way that he runs routes and just continues to make plays, and Josh [Allen] has the utmost confidence in him.”
That’s what Bills OC Joe Brady said in July about WR Khalil Shakir, who’s been making waves at training camp by effortlessly creating separation. He’s the favorite to lead Buffalo in WR snaps in 2023. Shakir will spend most of his time in the slot but can stay on the field in two-wide receiver sets alongside Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, or Mack Hollins.
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Shakir, a 2022 fifth-rounder out of Boise State, led all qualifying NFL receivers in EPA per target (0.98) last season, per TruMedia. While he won’t maintain that efficiency with increased usage, Shakir projects as a valuable asset in Buffalo’s overhauled offensive attack.
Wide Receiver | Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
It’s hard to think of a worse NFL start for a top-15 draft pick than what Jameson Williams went through to begin his pro career.
He missed most of his 2022 rookie campaign after tearing his ACL in Alabama’s NCAA title loss to Georgia, posting just one catch on nine targets in six games. Then, in 2023, Williams picked up a six-game suspension (later reduced to four) after violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Still, Williams came on near the end of last season and flashed through Detroit’s playoff run. The Lions fully expect him to absorb their WR2 role behind Amon-Ra St. Brown after letting Josh Reynolds walk in free agency.
“We started feeling it towards the end of last year, and he’s taken that to another level in the springtime and so far here in training camp,” Lions OC Ben Johnson said this week. “His route tree has kind of grown; it has developed … I haven’t seen anything that he can’t do, so it’s been fun.”
Honorable mention: Dontayvion Wicks (Packers), Joshua Palmer (Chargers), Jahan Dotson (Commanders), Alec Pierce (Colts), Marvin Mims Jr. (Broncos)
Tight End | Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
After lacerating his kidney in 2023, Luke Musgrave hopes his second NFL campaign isn’t as treacherous as his rookie year. Musgrave, who returned to action in Week 18 before totaling six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in two Packers playoff games, should become a larger part of Green Bay’s offense in Year 2.
At 6’5″ and 250 pounds, he’s an elite athlete who ran a 4.61 40-yard dash with a 1.54 10-yard split at last year’s Combine. There aren’t many tight ends who can move like Musgrave, who might be in line for additional snaps if fellow TE Tucker Kraft (pectoral) isn’t ready for Week 1.
Musgrave is at his best in space, but we’d like to see him more involved in scoring situations. Despite his stature, he earned just five red-zone targets and one end-zone look in 2023.
Honorable Mention: Dalton Kincaid (Bills), Greg Dulcich (Broncos), Colby Parkinson (Rams)
Left Tackle | Alaric Jackson, Los Angeles Rams
The University of Iowa just keeps pumping out NFL offensive linemen. Whether it’s first-round picks like Tristan Wirfs or Tyler Linderbaum or undrafted free agents such as Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson, the Hawkeyes know what they’re doing up front.
Jackson and several other L.A. offensive linemen are dealing with a training camp injury, but we’re guessing he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season.
He made six starts in 2022 but became Matthew Stafford’s full-time blindside protector in 2023. Last year, Jackson thrived against teams with weak pass-rushing units like the Cardinals and Commanders but struggled with pressure when the Rams faced the 49ers and Steelers.
Los Angeles revamped its interior OL this offseason, adding guard Jonah Jackson while pushing Steve Avila to center. If Jackson holds things down on the left side, he could enter the 2025 free agent market as the No. 1 available offensive tackle.
Left Guard | Sidy Sow, New England Patriots
As Pro Football Network’s Dakota Randall has observed at training camp this summer, the Patriots have moved 2023 fourth-round pick Sidy Sow from right to left guard. Sow played exclusively on the right side during his rookie campaign and was more than competent, especially if we’re grading on a curve for a first-year mid-round selection.
Sow already proved more than capable of run-blocking at an NFL level. If he can improve as a pass protector, Sow can help New England rise from the bottom of PFN’s offensive line rankings.
Center | Aaron Brewer, Miami Dolphins
The only player on our list with a veteran contract, Aaron Brewer is a terrific fit at center with the Dolphins, who gave the former Titans player a three-year, $21 million deal in March. Brewer started 17 games for Tennessee at left guard in 2022 before shifting to center last season.
He’s one of the NFL’s lightest offensive linemen, but Brewer’s mobility will be a genuine asset in Mike McDaniel’s offense. He’s explosive and rangy in space, giving him immense value in the screen game. While Brewer isn’t Jason Kelce, he might be the NFL’s most athletic center now that the Eagles great is retired.
Honorable mention: Joe Tippmann (Jets), Brock Hoffman (Cowboys)
Right Guard | Will Fries, Indianapolis Colts
No offensive line positively regressed more than the Colts’ unit in 2023. Indy ranked fifth in pass-block and run-block win rates last season, reverting to form after finishing dead last in pass-blocking and 23rd in run-blocking in an uncharacteristically poor 2022 campaign.
Right guard Will Fries took a significant step forward as a pass blocker last season after putting actively poor reps on tape the year prior. The most anonymous member of the Colts’ O-line, Fries benefits from playing between center Ryan Kelly and right tackle Braden Smith but proved himself as a starting-caliber option in 2023.
Fries might not break the bank when he reaches free agency next offseason, but even decent guards can earn $10 million on the open market.
Honorable mention: O’Cyrus Torrence (Bills), Matthew Bergeron (Falcons), Dylan Parham (Raiders), Daniel Faalele (Ravens)
Right Tackle | Thayer Munford Jr., Las Vegas Raiders
While the Raiders signed veteran offensive lineman Andrus Peat this offseason, the ex-Saint will spend most of his training camp filling in at left tackle and left guard while Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson are out.
That means Las Vegas’ RT job belongs to Thayer Munford Jr., a 2022 seventh-round pick out of Ohio State who has played 14 starts and 891 snaps in two NFL seasons.
After playing primarily left tackle and guard in college, Munford’s pro transition has worked out. He still has some pass-protection inconsistencies, which can be smoothed with experience. Credit the Raiders for finding two viable OL starters — Munford and third-round guard Dylan Parham — on Days 2 and 3 of the 2022 draft.
Honorable mention: Anton Harrison (Jaguars), Darnell Wright (Bears), Spencer Brown (Bills)
NFL’s 2024 All-Breakout Team | Defense
Edge Defender | Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers
Tuli Tuipulotu’s 11.9% pressure rate was the third-best mark among 2023 rookies last season, according to TruMedia. The only first-year players who fared batter? Will Anderson Jr. and Jalen Carter, who finished first and second in last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Tuipulotu went nuts against the Vikings in Week 3 (nine pressures) and the Jets in Week 9 (two sacks, seven pressures), but the USC second-rounder was consistent all season long. With veteran Chargers pass rusher Joey Bosa sidelined for most of the year, Tuipulotu played the third-most snaps among 2023 rookies (852).
Bosa turned 29 in July, while fellow L.A. edge defenders Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree are on the wrong side of 30. Tulipulotu should see plenty of action in his sophomore campaign.
Edge Defender | Odafe Oweh, Baltimore Ravens
Let’s keep having fun with pressure rates. Former first-round Ravens pass rusher Odafe Oweh battled injuries in 2023 but was highly effective when available, posting 51 pressures on 296 pass-rushing snaps, per TruMedia. Only 10 edge rushers — including Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, and Aidan Hutchinson — put up a better pressure rate last season.
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Fully aware that Oweh boasts all the physical tools, Baltimore exercised his 2025 fifth-year option even though he’s managed just 13 sacks through three seasons. The underlying metrics are there; the sacks should come eventually.
Honorable mention: Lukas Van Ness (Packers), Myles Murphy (Bengals), Nolan Smith (Eagles), Keion White (Patriots), YaYa Diaby (Buccaneers)
Defensive Tackle | Levi Onwuzurike, Detroit Lions
The 41st overall pick in 2021, Levi Onwuzurike missed his second NFL season after undergoing spinal fusion surgery. He played sparingly across 10 games in 2023, but the 6’3″, 290-pounder posted 10 pressures on 88 pass-rushing snaps and grabbed a sack in the Lions’ regular-season finale.
Onwuzurike, entering his contract year, has received nothing but praise this offseason. In June, head coach Dan Campbell said the Washington product had a “really good spring“; in July, Campbell said, “It’s clear that (Onwuzurike is) one of the best. It’s just clear.”
It’s not just Detroit’s HC. In August, Lions guard and 12-year NFL vet Kevin Zeitler said, “I think we’re gonna have two $20-plus million D-tackles soon,” referring to Onwuzurike and fellow contract-year Lions DT Alim McNeill.
Detroit free agent addition DJ Reader could miss the beginning of the 2024 season while recovering from a torn quad. Onwuzurike is first in line to pick up Reader’s snaps, and if he thrives, will enter a shallow 2025 free agent DT market and collect the hefty contract Zeitler projected.
Defensive Tackle | Karl Brooks, Green Bay Packers
Although he was drafted two rounds after fellow Packers DT Colby Wooden in 2023, sixth-rounder Karl Brooks wasted no time making an NFL impact. He mostly played on the edge at Bowling Green; transitioning to the interior after facing MAC competition might’ve been a struggle for most Day 3 picks.
Not Brooks. He flashed early and often, generating quick pressures while batting down four passes; he even blocked a field goal against the Vikings in Week 8. While NFL development isn’t always linear, Brooks got better as his rookie season progressed, posting 11 of his 30 total pressures in Week 16 or later.
Honorable mention: Keeanu Benton (Steelers), Gervon Dexter Sr. (Bears), Travis Jones (Ravens), Bobby Brown III (Rams)
Linebacker | Terrel Bernard, Buffalo Bills
We’re bullish on a Bills defense that got much younger over the offseason and ranked fourth in EPA per play from Week 8 onward despite battling numerous injuries and facing high-powered offenses like the Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys, and Dolphins.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard wore Buffalo’s green dot and stepped up after All-Pro LB Matt Milano went down in Week 5. He showed range as a coverage defender, routinely filled his gap in the run game, and posted 20 pressures on just 72 pass-rushing snaps.
Milano is back entering 2024, giving Sean McDermott one of the NFL’s best ‘backer duos entering the 2024 campaign.
Linebacker | K.J. Britt, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although K.J. Britt played fewer than 80 defensive snaps over his first two NFL seasons, the Buccaneers turned to him when it counted in 2023. Tampa Bay benched former first-round LB Devin White for the final four games of the regular season and its two playoff games, installing Britt next to LaVonte David.
“K.J. has been our unquestioned leader since the spring,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said this summer. “He is a heck of a football player. He is a natural leader. He is a very good thumper, and he is a very good communicator. So the communication on the field helps us a great deal. He is kind of my eyes and ears out there, and the more he knows, the more he communicates, the better we’ll be.”
Honorable mention: Micah McFadden (Giants), Trenton Simpson (Ravens), DeMarvion Overshown (Cowboys), Christian Harris (Texans), Nate Landman (Falcons)
Cornerback | Tyrique Stevenson, Chicago Bears
The Bears’ second-half defensive improvement might’ve saved head coach Matt Eberflus’ job, and Chicago could keep ascending in 2023. While we could’ve listed myriad members of an impressive young Bears secondary that includes slot corner Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson might be the unit’s future star.
The Miami product started 16 games last year, leading all rookie cornerbacks in interceptions (four) and pass breakups (16). Stevenson’s 32+ inch arms give him the length required to battle in contested-catch situations, while he demonstrated more awareness as the season progressed.
Cornerback | Clark Phillips III, Atlanta Falcons
While Stevenson has length on his size, Clark Phillips III decidedly does not. Atlanta’s 2023 fourth-rounder is 5’10” and has sub-30-inch arms, making his life as an NFL perimeter corner relatively difficult.
As PFN’s Oliver Hodgkinson wrote in Phillips’ pre-draft scouting report, the Utah alum plays bigger than his frame.
“He’s a physical and aggressive cornerback who doesn’t shy away from battle,” Hodgkinson said, noting that Phillips should have been a first-round prospect based solely on talent. “He’s not afraid to get down and dirty against the run game, with some reps seeing him compete in the box.”
Phillips held his own in five end-of-season starts for the Falcons, limiting quarterbacks to an 88.8 passer rating on 36 targets in his coverage area. He’ll have to fend off Falcons’ free agent addition Antonio Hamilton Sr. in the preseason, but Phillips is poised to start opposite A.J. Terrell.
Slot | Chamarri Conner, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are reconfiguring their cornerback group after trading L’Jarius Sneed to the Titans over the offseason. First-team All-Pro Trent McDuffie is the unit’s best player, but second-year DB Chamarri Conner could become a well-known name if he continues his upward trajectory in 2024.
McDuffie’s versatility gives Kansas City options. When he plays on the perimeter next season, Conner — who played 305 defensive snaps as a 2023 rookie — will likely be in the slot. Can Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo and DBs coach Dave Merritt mold Conner into K.C.’s next great corner?
Honorable mention: DJ Turner II (Bengals), Riley Moss (Broncos), Christian Izien (Buccaneers)
Safety | Tony Adams, New York Jets
The Jets somewhat surprisingly let safety Jordan Whitehead walk in free agency, watching the 27-year-old ink a relatively inexpensive two-year contract to return to the Buccaneers in March.
While Chuck Clark will take over for Whitehead, New York is relying on Tony Adams as its vital presence in the back end. Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed give Gang Green the NFL’s best cornerback duo, but Robert Saleh values Adams as a versatile piece who can line up deep, in the box, or in the slot.
The Jets’ HC said Adams has developed into a leader on what might be the league’s top defense, per Pro Football Network’s Nick Faria.
Safety | Ji’Ayir Brown, San Francisco 49ers
Although Ji’Ayir Brown may never become a star, the second-year safety is on track to serve as a vital cog in the 49ers’ defense in 2024.
Brown, a third-round pick in last year’s draft, entered San Francisco’s starting lineup after Talanoa Hufanga tore his ACL in Week 11. He produced over the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, picking off Baker Mayfield in Week 11 and Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.
Brown’s pre-draft scouting report lauded his ability to play in multiple coverages. With Hufanga returning to spend time in the box, Brown will need to put his ball-productive skills to use as the 49ers’ deep safety in 2024.
Honorable mention: Elijah Molden (Titans), Jason Pinnock (Giants), Jordan Battle (Bengals), Darrick Forrest (Commanders), Markquese Bell (Cowboys)