A couple of weeks ago I nominated a crop of offensive players that I think were in line to make a leap this NFL season. Or “breakout players,” if that’s your preferred nomenclature. That label can apply to a role player about to solidify himself as a starter, a starter on the precipice of a Pro Bowl or All-Pro nod, or just a young player about to make a statement that they belong in the NFL. I narrowed it to players entering their second or third season in the NFL (i.e. rookie contract players not quite hitting their extension window but are ready to make sure those extension talks start with a “how much?” rather than “when will it happen?”).
This week, I focused on defensive players, with at least one at every position group, with the same disclaimers and parameters. Let’s get to it.
Edge
I could argue that Hunt already made a leap forward in his second season, but I think 2026 has set him up for his reputation to grow even more around the league and nationally. Hunt finished 2025 ranked sixth among qualifying edge defenders in pressure rate, per NextGenStats. His 17.3% pressure rate stacked up just higher than Myles Garrett (albeit on almost 150 fewer pass rush snaps) and his brief and now former Eagles teammate Jaelan Phillips. Hunt still has to shore up his play strength against the run, as he finished 2025 with only three run stuffs the entire season (his 1.1% stuff rate was tied for the second lowest among qualifying edge defenders), but he has shown the ability to get after the passer on a consistent basis because of his speed and twitchiness. And creating pressures and sacks are always highly valued. He could end up with double-digit sacks this season. If he becomes even a consistently average defender against the run, that’s a very good starting player for Philadelphia.
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Abdul Carter, last year’s third overall pick, seems almost too easy of a selection here. Carter didn’t rack up sacks, but he was still constantly creating a ruckus in opposing team’s backfields (he had 27 quick pressures alone just from week 11 onward!). He has the bend and speed to win instantly, even if he wasn’t always able to finish the plays in which he forced a pressure. His production is in line to take a giant jump this season.
Booker is more of an eye test than any singular underlying statistic I can point at to say he’s better than his six career sacks through two seasons. Booker ranks more around average across the board in terms of pressure and stuff rates. However, when watching the Bears defense, it’s hard not to notice Booker flashing time and again, especially against the run. And I think 2026 is when he finally puts it all together.
If there were one stat to point at for Booker, it’s how many tackles he gets himself involved in (a 14.7% rate that ranked 12th among qualifying edges last year) against the run (while only missing one tackle against the run on the season). Booker has length and flashes some real powerful hands, with enough bend to disengage and make something happen as a counter move as a pass rusher. He still can take a bit too long with his play recognition, but the game does seem to be slowing down for Booker mentally as he has added more moves to his arsenal and overall polish. I predicted a breakout for Booker last season, but he battled through injuries and played only 10 games, so I am still very bullish on Booker and think his arrow is still pointing firmly up after what he put together when he was actually on the field last season. Booker is strong against the run, but it’s hard to not be excited about the 4.5 sacks he racked up the final six Bears games (including playoffs). I think it’s indicative that there’s more to come.
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Others worth a look
The Vikings’ Dallas Turner started to put it together over the second half of 2025. From Week 11 onward, Turner recorded a 17% pressure rate, 6.5 sacks, with four stuffs and plenty of tackles against the run for good measure. That pressure rate ranked 10th among all edge defenders with 100 or more pass rush snaps from Week 11 onward. While Turner benefitted from Brian Flores’ Death Wish Defense, none of the 24 pressures he recorded over those final eight weeks were unblocked, and he actually stacked up among the game’s best in terms of quick pressures (ranking sixth). Turner’s ascension helps soften the blow of trading away Jonathan Greenard to the Eagles, and perhaps that improvement is what even opened up the possibility to do so. Turner gets asked to do a lot of things other than just pinning his ears back and getting after the quarterback in the Vikings defense, but the back half of last year shows he can do that well enough to do real damage.
The final shoutout goes to Nic Scourton from the Panthers. Scourton’s weight fluctuated during college after transferring to Texas A&M, which made his play inconsistent during that final season of college ball and led to his stock dropping a bit during the draft process. Scourton seems to have settled on a better weight for his play style (he has a hell of a spin move) during his rookie season in Carolina. And he looked more like the twitchier athlete that he played like when at Purdue. I’m excited to watch Scourton, who turns 22 in August, continue to develop this season on what should be an improved Panthers defense.
Defensive tackle/Defensive line
Laulu was a former seventh-round pick who was cut in his first season by the Colts, the team that originally drafted him. Surprisingly, Laulu has established himself as a legit starter amid the chaos that we call the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s a solid pass rusher who is also strong and dynamic against the run, with some flexibility in alignment, too. He’s constantly around the ball as a run defender, and moves in space well when he has to track down the ball carrier.
Laulu’s surroundings, although still not amazing, have greatly improved, which should provide even more chances to make plays on the ball that he doesn’t already get playing alongside Maxx Crosby. He’s a fun player who can do a bit of everything from the interior.
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Others worth a look
If a former seventh rounder already on his second team didn’t get the juices flowing, here’s a trio of former first rounders ready to take a step forward with larger roles in their second season. Tyleik Williams is a monster in the middle for the Lions and should form a burly Bash Brothers duo with a (now) fully healthy Alim McNeill. Williams is on the field to be a wall against the run, which complements the other defenders the Lions like to play with up front. And with D.J. Reader now in New York and Roy Lopez back in Arizona, Williams should make his presence known more frequently during his sophomore campaign.
Walter Nolen has constantly flashed his high-end talent whenever he’s been able to stay on the field in college and during his first season as a pro for the Cardinals. Nolen played only 160 snaps in Arizona, per NextGenStats, but on those 160 snaps, he racked up a 14% pressure rate and two sacks. How good is 14%? It ranked first among all rookie defensive tackles and was second overall among all NFL defensive tackles with 150 or more snaps. The Cardinals’ knuckleball defense has attempted to make the most out of its oft-injured group and oddly fitting parts. Nolen can be the long-term ace up front that it’s desperately needed. He can push a sneaky interesting front consisting of Josh Sweat, Roy Lopez and Zaven Collins from “interesting” to firmly “good”.
Derrick Harmon for the Steelers was another oft-injured rookie in 2025. He didn’t rack up any particular stat to point at and say “see!” but there were real stretches of strong play when he was on the field. He’s a big body who can create some disruption against both the pass and run, and has a knack for getting his hands up and on the ball, too. A healthy Harmon who continues to tap into his talent would inject a lot of young life into a defense on the cusp of transitioning away from its older stalwarts.
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Inside linebacker
Sandwiched between larger sections for other positions is my lone off-ball linebacker selection. That’s not to say there aren’t a few interesting young linebackers in the NFL right now, but Gray is one that I wanted to spotlight because, to put it frankly, the Titans haven’t played in a lot of big time games lately. Gray has real range as a defender and has steadily gotten better with his play recognition and overall playing between the tackles and taking on blocks. He was productive last year, too: Gray finished second among all off-ball linebackers in run stop rate (the rate of tackles that led to an unsuccessful play for the offense), only behind the recently extended Jack Campbell. He ranked fourth in stuff rate, which is the rate of tackles that led to a tackle for no gain or for a loss. Even if Gray plateaus as a player, which I don’t think he will, the pieces around him have greatly improved this offseason. The Titans added significant beef to join star Jeffery Simmons up front and even drafted a running mate next to Gray in Anthony Hill Jr. at linebacker. Gray should benefit in a defense that will keep him clean because of the sheer size the Titans have up front and that thrives with speedier linebackers able to attack in space.
Let’s throw in the Falcons Jalon Walker in here, too. Walker is more of a front seven defender than just a true off-ball player because of his ability to line up all over the field. But man is he a good one and plays in a scheme under Jeff Ulbrich that unlocks his versatility and wide-ranging ability to rush the passer and play in space.
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Cornerback
I try to avoid tabbing some of the more obvious selections for breakout players, especially with some players that I feel like have already made that leap to some extent. Having said that, let’s talk about last year’s No. 2 overall selection. Hunter’s usage (or lack thereof) on offense sucks up most of the oxygen that’s spent discussing him. And while there were flashes of his rare ball skills and twitchiness on offense, there was also too many stretches where his rawness on the offensive side of the ball showed as well (it was almost comical to count how many times Hunter looked to the sideline to ask what the play was after Trevor Lawrence changed something at the line of scrimmage). But even with that inconsistency on the offensive side of the ball, Hunter also showed off his high-end ability on defense that indicates all the makings of a real needle-moving player at cornerback. Hunter’s ceiling as a cornerback remains sky high; he has a feel for playing in space and the agility and speed to stay sticky on wide receivers. And those ball skills show up again with his ability to contort his body and attempt to make a play on throws in the air. Don’t be fooled by Hunter’s inconsistencies on offense or hung up on his role, because what Hunter showed on defense, even in an incomplete year, is extremely exciting. I think with his playing time and plan now more crystalized, he should be impacting games early and often in the 2026 season. Albeit on defense.
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Williams saw his playing time ramp up over the final five games of the season after a Trent McDuffie injury, playing 302 defensive snaps after playing only 155 over the first 12 games of the Chiefs season. And his strong play over that last month made me wonder why the Chiefs weren’t giving him playing time earlier in the season (especially after the woes defending the slot the Chiefs constantly had, when it appears they had a solution of bumping McDuffie back inside and putting Williams on the outside. It seems like a fairly easy answer, but I digress). Williams’ play obviously made the Chiefs comfortable in allowing both of their starting cornerbacks to leave to the Rams (McDuffie via trade, Jaylen Watson via free agency). He’ll have a highly drafted running mate across from him in Mansoor Delane, and it should allow the Chiefs to not have too much dropoff after losing two starters and one of their best players.
The last name here is another player who didn’t play a full season, and even at times rotated when he was playing for the Bucs. Morrison had some extremely promising snaps during that off-and-on playing time as he dealt with injuries. Morrison has always had talent, even dating back to Notre Dame he was considered a potential high-end prospect but was dinged because of, well, injury concerns. A healthy Morrison has a chance to be a good starter in the NFL. The flashes were bright and there is now a path to more playing time with Jamel Dean signing with the Steelers. If he’s on the field for more than 14 games this season, I feel safe in him making a leap. It’s still an if, though, as Morrison, of course, dealt with another injury during OTAs. There’s a real player here, though.
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Safety
There are a plethora of young safeties that I’m going to attempt to jam into this section. That includes sound tacklers who fly down to fill the run, like Evan Williams with the Packers, who relishes every opportunity to blow up blockers and trigger downhill.
There’s Jonas Sanker for the Saints, a player who constantly showed off his IQ and awareness during his rookie season. It was a treat to watch Sanker recognize where the ball was going from the backend before quickly closing and making the tackle. Sanker will reportedly be moving to the slot during his second season, a role that should allow his versatility and outright soundness to shine on a Saints defense that was sneakily a pretty good unit in 2025.
There’s Craig Woodson for the Patriots, another smart player who started right away as a fourth-round rookie. It was something that at first seemed like a desperate move by the Patriots to find a playable body at the position but it became apparent quickly that Woodson truly earned his spot in the starting lineup with his ability to read the game and his overall soundness as a player, and especially as a tackler. He’s a classic two-way safety against the run and pass who fit cleanly into the Patriots’ two-high looks with his ability to read the game. Woodson just has a knack for being around the ball and now has a veteran running mate in Kevin Byard. He’s set up to take another step forward this year.
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Xavier Watts had a very strong year for the Falcons defense. He’s another player who showed right away that he has the ability to not only read the game well for a young player, but also take advantage of the situations he puts himself in. He is a playmaker in every sense of the word at the safety position.
The last blurb is left for the safety taken in the first round last year. Malaki Starks is another dynamic player who can fill a variety of roles for a defense. He really rounded into form during his rookie season as the Ravens defense solidified after the Alohi Gilman trade. Jesse Minter’s scheme, with his meticulous game plans and inverting of defender roles, is going to only weaponize his ability to read the game and play multiple spots even more.
