With NFL minicamps underway, anticipation is building around emerging talent. A few of the league’s newest faces look primed to become stars.
Some players made immediate impacts as rookies and are looking to build off that success in their second season. Others could have a career year this season thanks to an increased role or a change in coaching staff.
Based on their past production and future outlook, the following players are poised to become household names this season.
Last year, Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud established himself as one of the NFL’s brightest rising stars.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams could follow suit this season.
The 2024 No. 1 overall pick is an electric playmaker whose arm talent and creativity drew comparisons to Patrick Mahomes throughout the predraft process. His supporting cast in Chicago won’t hurt, either.
In March, the Bears traded a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen to complement DJ Moore. They doubled down on bolstering Williams’ receiving cast during the draft, when they spent the No. 9 overall pick on Washington wideout Rome Odunze.
Combining Williams’ playmaking prowess with high-end talent on the perimeter should help him rapidly assert himself as one of the NFL’s premier young quarterbacks.
Coming out of Texas, Bijan Robinson was one of the most highly touted ball-carriers in recent years. That led the Atlanta Falcons to spend the No. 8 overall pick on him in 2023.
Robinson had a solid rookie season, finishing with 976 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 214 carries. However, he has all of the tools to become one of the NFL’s top tailbacks.
With new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson in town, the Falcons appear poised to take the training wheels off Robinson this year.
“I’m gonna be more of a runner that does everything else,” Robinson recently told reporters. “Like not as much, I don’t know what the plan is, but it’s like runner first, like I did in college, and then still having that access to go to receivers, having that access to do creative things out of the backfield, more so like how they use Christian [McCaffrey] down there in San Francisco. Something like that. So that’s kind of what their plan is here.”
The ways in which the Falcons’ new offensive coordinator utilized Kyren Williams with the Los Angeles Rams last season should have fans excited about Robinson’s potential in 2024.
As a fifth-round rookie, Puka Nacua was a relative afterthought heading into last season. However, an early-season injury to Cooper Kupp cleared the way for takeoff, and Nacua never looked back en route to setting an NFL rookie record for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486).
As long as Kupp is in L.A., Nacua may continue to play second fiddle behind him. However, he should continue to evolve into a superstar on the outside in the meantime.
Kupp is heading into his age-31 season and has battled injuries each of the past two years. The Rams will need Nacua to build off his rookie-year production to make it back to the playoffs this season.
While Nacua doesn’t have game-breaking speed, his route-running, sure hands and ability to win in contested areas make him one of the NFL’s brightest new stars at receiver.
As a rookie, Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions finished third among all tight ends in receptions (107) and receiving yards (1,065) and led the position in touchdowns (11) last fall. The 2023 second-round pick wasted no time in asserting himself as one of the NFL’s elite flex talents.
LaPorta was an underutilized aerial weapon during his time at Iowa. He finished with only 153 catches for 1,786 yards and five touchdowns across his 46 career appearances with the Hawkeyes, which raised questions about his upside leading up to the 2023 NFL draft.
The Lions, who had traded fellow tight end T.J. Hockenson to the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, were undeterred. They needed a new receiving threat at tight end, and they correctly identified LaPorta as someone who could fill that niche.
He now appears poised to be their next dynamic weapon at the position.
Tackle: Bernhard Raimann, Indianapolis Colts
Bernhard Raimann, a former tight end in college turned offensive lineman, has burst onto the NFL scene after the Colts took him with a third-round pick in 2022. In his first two seasons, Raimann has amassed over 1,700 snaps at left tackle, although he has been called for 15 penalties and allowed 11 sacks over that span, per Pro Football Focus.
He’ll be tasked with protecting Anthony Richardson’s blind side for the foreseeable future as a cornerstone along the front five.
Center: Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens
One of the NFL’s most athletic interior offensive linemen, Tyler Linderbaum is everything teams desire in a cornerstone at the pivot.
Tasked with identifying the “Mike” linebacker and relaying protections to either shoulder on each down, Linderbaum has been nothing short of sensational for Baltimore since entering the league as the No. 25 overall picks in 2022.
Linderbaum, a fleet-footed pass protector with the unique ability to pull from the center spot in the run game, didn’t allow a single sack on 572 pass-protection snaps in 2023, per PFF.
Guard: Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys
Tyler Smith lived at left tackle during his days at Tulsa, but a bump inside to left guard last fall has helped him evolve into one of the NFL’s most dominant linemen.
Tyron Smith blocked him from snaps at tackle, but Smith’s ability to thrive with bumpers to either shoulder has showcased a powerful, fluid complement to future Hall of Fame right guard Zack Martin along the Cowboys front.
Smith, a first-rounder in 2022, allowed only one sack and two quarterback hits last fall on his way to his first Pro Bowl selection, per PFF.
Will Anderson Jr., the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, wasted no time in asserting himself as one of the NFL’s premier young sack artists. He was fourth among his draft class in sacks as a rookie (seven), and he led all rookie-pass rushers in pressures (68).
Anderson showcased his ability to dominate against the run on early downs, only to pin his ears back and wreak havoc in primary passing situations.
Heading into last year’s draft, the former Alabama standout was considered one of the more refined edge prospects to enter the NFL in some time. His ability to quickly translate his success from the SEC to the NFL has him on the brink of becoming one of the league’s most feared 5-techniques.
Byron Young of the Los Angeles Rams, Tuli Tuipulotu of the Los Angeles Chargers and YaYa Diaby of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are among the other young pass-rushers to know.
While Kobie Turner didn’t receive any end-of-year awards from the NFL, we’ll give him his well-deserved flowers here after an electric rookie season.
Turner led all rookie defensive tackles in sacks (nine) and QB hits (seven). He was also tied for first in pressures (50) with Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
Turner often got 1-on-1 matchups working alongside the now-retired Aaron Donald. But even with Donald gone, Turner is a powerful interior presence who should remain a core piece of a retooled Rams front that will include 2024 early-round picks Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, along with the aforementioned Byron Young.
Following a minuscule workload in his rookie campaign in 2022 (110 total snaps), Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard burst onto the scene last season. He racked up a team-leading 143 tackles to go with 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, five pass breakups and three interceptions.
Despite playing only one year’s worth of substantial snaps, Bernard now leads all linebackers drafted since 2022 in solo tackles (96), pressures (20), sacks (eight) and interceptions (three), per PFF.
Bernard was everywhere for Buffalo last fall, and he figures to be even more involved working alongside veteran Matt Milano again in 2024.
Elite linebacker play is often a hallmark of the best defenses in football. Bernard’s success in his second season has created high expectations for him within the revamped Bills defense.
As a rookie, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie primarily lived on the outside. But by the end of the 2023 season, the first-team All-Pro had firmly established himself as one of the NFL’s top nickel defenders.
Over his first two seasons, McDuffie allowed only 63.6 percent of passes thrown his way to be completed and recorded 13 pass breakups, according to PFF. Beyond his elite coverage in the slot, McDuffie was also an aggressive and dynamic blitzer, leading all NFL defensive backs with 19 pressures.
With L’Jarius Sneed now in Tennessee, McDuffie’s role will become even more critical to the Chiefs. His ability to play both inside and outside at an elite level will continue to enable defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to employ unique and varied coverages.
Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton started only four games as a rookie in 2022, but he burst onto the scene this past season en route to Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro nods.
With his 6’4″, 220-pound frame, Hamilton’s alignment versatility, playmaking and instincts make him a unique weapon. After this season, we might begin to discuss him as one of the premier defenders in all of football, regardless of position.
As teams continue to look for ways to counter the high-flying and explosive offenses in today’s game, players like Hamilton have become necessities for defenses. He has played more than 800 career snaps in the slot and more than 340 snaps both in the box and at free safety, per PFF.
Hamilton’s ability to sniff out the run and shut down tight ends up the seam was a key factor in his breakout 2023 campaign. He should be even better in his third NFL season.