The jump from college football to the NFL is rarely a smooth transition.
Not every NFL player reaches the heights of their capabilities from the jump. For many of them, breakouts happen in second, third or fourth seasons at the next level.
Last year, quarterback Drake Maye and wide receiver George Pickens had massive breakout seasons. The former finished as the NFL MVP runner-up while leading the league in completion rate, and the latter finished third in the NFL with 1,429 receiving yards. Maye was in his second NFL season last year, and Pickens was in his fourth.
Entering the 2026 season, there are several new candidates poised for breakout seasons after underwhelming starts to their careers. Here are nine players in a good spot to break out this year:
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McMillan's career story so far has been one of injuries. Through two seasons, the Buccaneers' wideout has managed to play in just 17 games total. As a rookie, McMillan missed four games with hamstring injuries and settled in as quarterback Baker Mayfield's fourth favorite target behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and tight end Cade Otton. In his second season, McMillan missed the first 13 games of the year after sustaining a scary neck injury in the preseason.
Upon his return, McMillan played well in a limited sample size of four games. He finished the 2025 season with 178 yards on 12 catches (15 targets) for an average of 14.8 yards per reception and 11.9 yards per target. McMillan's best performance – and perhaps one that's a sign of what is to come – was a seven-catch, 114-yard outing against the Miami Dolphins.
McMillan should have less competition for targets in 2026. Evans went to San Francisco in free agency, and Godwin is entering his age-30 season after a year in which his 2024 ankle injury clearly hampered him. Second-year Emeka Egbuka will be competing with McMillan for "breakout" status in the Bucs' receivers room. Still, expectations are that he and McMillan will split the bulk of the target share alongside Otton in 2026.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft had a debut season that was more forgettable than notable. Though Ward finished the year with more than 3,000 passing yards, his completion rate was below 60%, he only threw for 15 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 17 starts and he led the NFL in sacks taken (55) and sack yards lost (410).
Ward can't shoulder all of the blame for his shaky rookie season. The Titans had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, a weak room of receivers missing top dog Calvin Ridley for 10 games with a broken leg, and a bad head coach whom the Titans fired midseason.
This year, Ward enters the season with an overhauled coaching staff – led by head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll – and an overhauled receiving corps that now features Wan'Dale Robinson and No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate. With more competence around him, Ward seems poised to leap forward in his sophomore campaign.
The Cardinals' 16th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft only got to play six games as a rookie thanks to calf and knee injuries knocking him out for more than half of the season in total. In those six games, Nolen looked dominant.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave the Ole Miss product a defensive grade of 74.1 for his rookie season, good for 16th among NFL defensive linemen last year. Nolen's most impressive performances were as an interior pass-rusher, where he accumulated 15 pressures in 99 pass-rush snaps, per PFF, including two sacks. Nolen also had two batted passes in six games as a rookie.
Provided he can stay healthy, Nolen appears set to take the league by storm as a dangerous interior defender in the middle of the Cardinals' D-line. He has not yet recorded his first NFL start, but former Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon had him playing more than 50% of defensive snaps in three out of six games last year. With Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson departing in the offseason, Nolen has room to see more action and step up in a big way for a rebuilding Cardinals squad.
As a 21-year-old rookie in 2025, Scourton led Panthers edge rushers and was tied for the team lead with five sacks. He also led the team with 37 total pressures, according to PFF. Carolina's next-best edge rusher last year was D.J. Wonnum, who tallied three sacks on 31 pressures, per PFF.
Wonnum is now a member of the Lions after signing a one-year contract in free agency, and Scourton's new pass-rushing mate is Jaelan Phillips – arguably the top edge defender on the market this offseason. In addition, the Panthers also brought in linebacker Devin Lloyd, one of the league's best pass-rushers at his position, in free agency.
During the 2026 season, opponents' offensive lines will have to split their attention between Phillips, Lloyd and Scourton. Carolina's upgraded defense means Scourton should have more chances to excel in his second season, and it should not be surprising if he reaches the double-digit sack mark in Year 2.
Few NFL players have been as unlucky as Pearsall has been in the last two seasons. Before his rookie year, the 49ers' first-round pick was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery and wasn't able to play until Week 7 as he recovered. In 2025, the wideout landed on the PUP list before training camp with a hamstring injury, played four games to begin the year, then missed six games with a PCL injury.
When he's been able to play, Pearsall has played well. He has 928 yards and three touchdowns on 67 catches through his first 20 games across two seasons. His 73.2 receiving grade on PFF ranked in the top 50 in 2025, and he was credited with catching nine of his 11 contested targets.
Entering 2026, Pearsall has an opportunity to step into a more pronounced role with the 49ers – should he stay healthy. San Francisco added veteran Mike Evans in free agency but lost Jauan Jennings, their top receiver in 2025. Brandon Aiyuk seems to be on his way out of the Bay Area one way or another. Pearsall is expected to start across from Evans this year and could be in for a big season if his health holds up.
After the Jaguars traded up to the No. 2 overall pick to select Hunter, a two-way starter from Colorado, in the 2025 NFL Draft, he only managed to play seven games before his season ended early with a knee injury. Hunter split his time between wide receiver and cornerback in his first season in Jacksonville, though he played exactly twice as many snaps on offense (324) as he did on defense (162).
In 2026, the Jaguars are expected to prioritize Hunter's cornerback snaps. ESPN's Ian Rapoport reported in April that the team sees the second-year player as a "full-time corner, part-time receiver." That shift in expectations correlates with the level of contribution Hunter made on each side of the ball last year. Despite the heavier offensive snap count, Hunter graded better as a cornerback, per PFF, which gave the rookie a 73.2 defensive grade and 62.2 offensive grade.
A heavier emphasis on defense should fare well for Hunter in his second season. There will be less pressure both mentally and physically on the former Heisman Trophy winner (and his knees) with a narrowed focus on the position he has played better over the last couple of years. The 2026 season could be a real coming-out party for Hunter's defensive prowess if he manages to stay healthy.
TeSlaa was a star for the Lions in the preseason last year, taking advantage of his big frame to haul in 10 passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns – all of which were tightly contested. In his regular season debut, TeSlaa caught a one-handed, 13-yard touchdown pass for his lone catch of the game.
But TeSlaa was not able to parlay his early success into a sustained volume output for the remainder of the season. He finished his rookie campaign with 16 catches for 239 yards. However, he also caught six touchdown passes – third-most on the team – on 27 targets as quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions' offense made TeSlaa a focal point of their red-zone efforts.
The second-year player will still need to compete with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams for targets in 2026, but Kalif Raymond departed in free agency, moving TeSlaa up the depth chart. In addition, early reports from camp are that TeSlaa has made a notable leap in athleticism and strength. It's unclear as of yet how new OC Drew Petzing plans to get TeSlaa involved, but he's unquestionably a player that could excel with more touches in 2026.
What could have convinced the Chiefs that their secondary would be alright after trading away starting cornerback Trent McDuffie and letting fellow starter Jaylen Watson walk in free agency? Perhaps it was the quietly excellent performance of 2025 third-rounder Williams in limited looks.
Williams appeared in all 17 games as a rookie with five starts during the 2025 season. In his 17 appearances, he accumulated 272 snaps in coverage and graded out as the 15th-best coverage corner in the NFL, per PFF, between Bucs standout Jamel Dean and Colts star Sauce Gardner. His 75.6 coverage grade was better than both McDuffie's (74.7) and Watson's (68.4) – albeit in a smaller sample size – and his 20% forced incompletion rate, per PFF, was 10th-best of all NFL cornerbacks with at least 150 snaps last year.
With McDuffie and Watson both in Los Angeles bolstering the Rams' secondary, Williams will have a big chance to step up and show out in Year 2.
After the season Jeanty had to finish his college career – 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in 14 games – his rookie season performance was a disappointment by comparison. The Raiders' rookie finished with fewer than 1,000 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 266 carries.
However, Jeanty also was involved in the passing game – 55 catches for 346 yards and five more touchdowns – that helped buoy the overall production of his first season. Still, an average of 3.7 yards per carry as a rusher – after averaging seven yards per carry at Boise State in 2024 – set a low floor for Jeanty's NFL production.
The good news for the Raiders and their starting running back is his floor should be significantly higher in 2026 thanks to some key offseason changes. Las Vegas has a new anchor on its offensive line with its signing of top free agent center Tyler Linderbaum, and the unit will be boosted further by left tackle Kolton Miller's healthy return. In addition, the Raiders drafted quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed veteran Kirk Cousins to be a bridge.
When paired with new head coach Klint Kubiak and his offense, both quarterbacks should elevate the Raiders' offense and make it more dynamic. Teams will have to respect Las Vegas' passing attack more than they did in 2025, when Geno Smith led the league with 17 interceptions. Jeanty should get more opportunities to shine as a rusher in 2026.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Don't be surprised if these 9 NFL players break out in 2026
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