Coach Buck NFL All Breakout Team 2016

This is my all-breakout NFL team for the upcoming 2016 season. I only used players that were drafted between 2012-2015 which means players that are between their 2nd and 5th seasons. Sure there are older players that could breakout but I only wanted to focus on the younger guys and I didn’t want to do rookies as I have a separate article dedicated just for them. I did 11 players for offense and defense utilizing all the positions for a 3 receiver offense and a nickel defense, both of which are now the new standard for base offenses and defenses in today’s more modern NFL.

Offense

• QB. Blake Bortles – Jaguars
  • With a ton of talented receivers to throw to in Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Julius Thomas there is no reason why Bortles shouldn’t light it up this year. He’s big, can run, and has a good arm. He must improve his accuracy, pocket presence, and ability to deal with pressure in the pocket but he has the tools and the supporting cast to become a star this year. 
• RB. Duke Johnson – Browns
  • There will be more talent around Johnson this season in Cleveland not to mention better QB play IF (yea I know…) RG3 can stay healthy. With the threat of an explosive passing game once Josh Gordon returns from suspension, and a dual threat QB, things should open up more for Johnson to better utilize his quickness and elusiveness to rack up yards both in the run and passing game.
• WR. Marcus Wheaton – Steelers
  • With Martavious Bryant suspended for the year there will be plenty of opportunity for Wheaton(who will take over as the new starting receiver) to get plenty of balls thrown his way. With all of the other weapons Pittsburgh has on offense, I expect Wheaton to draw a lot of single coverage and from there it’s solely on him whether or not he can take advantage of it. I believe he will.
• WR. Kevin White – Bears
  • The Bears chose White in the 1st round last year with the 7th overall pick hoping to replace Brandon Marshall and lay the groundwork for one of the best receiver duos for years to come between he and Alshon Jeffery. However, things didn’t go as planned in his rookie season after White went down for the year before even playing a single game. If he’s fully healthy I expect him to have a very good season with Jeffery on the other side commanding so much attention.
• WR. Donte Moncrief – Colts
  • Moncrief has shown flashes of legitimate talent throughout his short career in Indy. We all know how good TY Hilton(the team’s #1 receiver) is, but I believe 2016 to be the year that Moncrief potentially comes out of his shadow and establishes a name of his own. He’s 6’4, 220 pounds and he has speed. If Luck can return to form and play injury free there should be nothing preventing Moncrief from breaking out.
• TE. Eric Ebron – Lions
  • The time has come for the former 10th overall pick to show us why he was picked so high. Megatron is gone and Stafford needs a new number 1 target he can rely on. Most are predicting it’ll be Golden Tate. If Ebron can figure it out and be the player he was projected to be coming out of college, there’s no reason it can’t be him. I expect a big season from Ebron in his 3rd year.
• LT. Jake Matthews – Falcons
  • After a shaky rookie year Matthews bounced back and played well in year two. As he enters his 2nd season the major improvement must come in the area of run blocking. I have no doubt Matthews will further excel in year 3 as a pass blocker but if he can make significant strides as a run blocker he can really put himself in that upper echelon of left tackles moving forward.
• LG. Gabe Jackson – Raiders
  • Gabe honestly might not even belong on this list. He had a decent rookie year and played pretty well last year. However, he may be on the verge of becoming a pro bowler and not a lot of people probably even know who he is. So, since he’s so underrated I thought that he belonged on this list. With the Raiders improving overall as a team, if he continues to play well I think people will know all about him after this year.
• C. David Andrews – Patriots
  • I don’t think Andrews is going to be a stud or anything but clearly the former undrafted free agent has made some big improvements to his game since last season. He started 10 games for the Pats last year until Byran Stork returned from injury and instantly got his spot back. However, this offseason Stork was fully healthy and after two preseason games the team decided to trade him to the Redskins for a 7th round pick because they are confident in what they’ve seen so far in Andrews. That’s a big vote of confidence by Bill Belicheck and that’s good enough for me.
• RG. Brandon Schreiff – Redskins
  • The Redskins took Schrieff with the 5th overall pick in 2015 to play tackle. However, Morgan Moses played so well in 2015 that it appears he might honestly be the long term answer there. And obviously Trent Williams is 1 of the elite LTs in the game on the other side. It looks like Schreiff might be playing guard for a while to start his career and after a shaky start he got comfortable and looked good adjusting to the new position down the stretch last year. Now that he’s had a full season and offseason to get used to playing guard I expect the former top 5 pick to breakout this season.
• RT. Rob Havenstein – Rams
  • While the Rams continue to wait for Greg Robinson(the team’s 1st round pick in 2014) to get his act together, it was their 2015 2nd round pick Havenstein who impressed at the other tackle spot. If he can build on what he did a year ago it’s possible he’ll be the driving force of the Rams offensive line in 2016.

Defense

• ED. Preston Smith – Redskins
  • Smith to some degree broke out as a rookie. He had 8 sacks despite not having a full time starting role and is without question on the verge of becoming one of the premiere edge rushers in the NFL. With Junior Gallette already out for the year and Trent Murphy moved down to defensive line, the door is completely open for Smith to be the full-time starting OLB and be a double digit sack guy in 2016.
• ID. Stephon Tuitt – Steelers
  • Much has been made about the play of Tuitt’s teammate Cameron Heywerd who plays opposite of him and has developed into one of the best interior D-lineman in the game. This year it’s Tuitt’s turn. The Steelers’ 2014 2nd round pick didn’t do much his rookie year but showed a lot of potential last year in his 2nd season. I expect him to put it all together in year three and become a force up front for the Steelers defense.
• ID. Timmy Jernigan – Ravens
  • Jernigan is another 3-4 end on the verge of breaking out in the AFC North. In each of his first two seasons Jernigan has accumulated 4 sacks, flashing the pass rushing ability he was known for coming out of college. He can also play the run. With more help around him this year, hopefully due to better health alone, there should be better coverage behind him and more opportunities for him to get even more sacks.
• ED. Jadaveon Clowney – Texans
  • Of all the players on this team this is the guy I expect to be the most successful in 2016. He’s already shown flashes of dominance in the preseason and there is no reason the 1st overall pick of 2014 shouldn’t be able to carry it over to the regular season and establish himself as an elite player. The only reason he hasn’t already is because he’s been banged up in each of his first two seasons. If he can stay healthy, this guy has more natural talent than even guys like Von Miller and Khalil Mack. The sky’s the limit for Clowney, he just needs to stay healthy.
• LB. Kwon Alexander – Buccaneers
  • Alexander had a fantastic rookie year and will look to build on it in 2016, reach another level, and put himself in that top LB conversation. With an all-pro right next to him in Lavonte David, playing the will linebacker spot, he has a perfect mentor in place. He just has to go out and perform.
• LB. Telvin Smith – Jaguars
  • Smith is 1 of the fastest and most athletic linebackers in the NFL. He’s got the potential to have the kind of impact that guys like Thomas Davis of the Panthers or David for the Bucs have. He can fly all over the field, penetrate gaps and make plays for loss and has the speed to cover any position on the field, including receivers. I expect Smith to join the ranks of the elite 4-3 OLBs in the NFL this season.
• CB. Bashaud Breeland – Redskins
  • There’s been a lot of talk about Josh Norman joining the Redksins secondary but honestly the guy to watch is Breeland. Breeland is already a very good man coverage corner. If he can develop into an all-around player and take his game up another notch, he instantly becomes a pro bowl caliber corner and maybe even the Redksins top corner over Norman.
• SS. Calvin Pryor – Jets
  • Pryor has been a quality starting safety over the course of his first two seasons but honestly that’s not good enough. He’s a guy with pro bowl caliber talent and I think year three will be the season he finally puts it all together and becomes one of the best safeties in the NFL. He’s big, he can hit, and he has speed as well as improving instincts. All the tools you need to be a great safety in the NFL.
• FS. Byron Jones – Cowboys
  • Jones was a jack of all trades for the Cowboys secondary in 2015. We saw him used at safety and various cornerback spots due to injuries of other players. Of all the positions he played, he looked the best playing safety which is why the team has made the move to start him there from the jump this year. With a full offseason to play and learn the position in camp I expect Jones to be even better in his 2nd season and have a huge impact on the Cowboys defense.
• CB. Kyle Fuller – Bears
  • The Bears picked Fuller in the 1st round back in 2014 and he enters his 3rd season in the perfect position to break out. He’s the most talented corner on the roster and the Bears desperately need him to be the type of corner that warranted 1st round pick status. They don’t have the most talented roster on defense and the secondary is the weakest position group of the three. If Fuller can take that step forward and become a legitimate number 1 corner in this league, it will go a long way in helping the Bears improve on defense.
• NB. Bradley Roby – Broncos
  • The Broncos secondary is loaded but it’s not just because all 4 of their primary starters are very good, but also because when they have to go to their nickel package they don’t miss a beat at cornerback with him in the game. Roby was a 1st round pick in 2014 and it’s honestly hard to tell just how good he really is. He might have broken out already if he wasn’t relegated to #3 status behind two pro bowl corners in Chris Harris and Aqib Talib. I expect Roby to continue to build on his good play and look even better in his 3rd season. He’s two years away from his contract expiring and Talib is getting up there in age. He can show Denver he’s their guy of the future and make Talib expendable if he continues to get better and play at a high level.