The 2022 NFL season has produced some surprise contenders (looking your way Detroit Lions) and breakout stars like New York Jets rookie “Sauce” Gardner who may already be the best cornerback in the league.
With two weeks remaining in the 2022 campaign, there are a least two more games for young players across the NFL to solidify their status as breakout stars. But, who are the young players primed to become household names, to emerge as some of the elite at their position in 2023?
Here’s a look at 10 young players to watch over the final games of this season, who could emerge as breakout stars in 2023.
Chicago Bears S Jaquan Brisker & CB Kyler Gordon
The defensive backfield duo of rookies Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon have shown all the trappings of being the missing pieces of a Monsters of the Midway revival.
Gordon, chosen No. 39 overall in the second round of April’s draft, intercepted Josh Allen on Christmas Eve by making a high-point catch in traffic and returning it 33 yards through traffic. Saturday’s contest was the second consecutive game that Gordon pulled down an interception, his third of a strong rookie season.
Meanwhile, Brisker is already a versatile Swiss Army Knife of a safety who has the ability to quickly become one of the more dominant players at the position across the league. Brisker leads the Bears in sacks, with 3.0, has produced 82 total tackles, and opposing quarterbacks have produced a passer rating of just 99.9 when targeting the former Penn State standout.
“Some guys are elite in the passing game but average against the run, or vice-versa,” Brisker’s college head coach, Penn State’s James Franklin told Heavy in August 2022. “Jaquan has a chance to be special in both.”
As Gordon and Brisker continue to develop, it is going to continue to get more difficult to throw on the Chicago Bears’ defense.
Baltimore Ravens S Kyle Hamilton
Somewhat quietly, Kyle Hamilton has had one of the more dominant seasons by a safety this season.
Chosen No. 14 overall in April’s draft by the Baltimore Ravens, the former Notre Dame standout has already produced 48 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, and 1 forced fumble, and is the highest-graded rookie safety in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
“You can’t have a breakout star list and not have Kyle Hamilton,” an AFC South scouting director told Heavy. “He has the ability to cover tight ends that are so prevalent in passing offenses throughout the league today.”
Hamilton, 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, is an imposing presence over the middle of the field, with the versatility to drop into coverage in the slot, as well. Boasting an 80.5 overall grade and 78.2 coverage mark from Pro Football Focus, Hamilton’s rookie season may just be setting the stage for a bright future.
New York Jets RB Breece Hall
The Jets’ 2022 NFL draft haul might go down as the most impressive of any across the league, and has the potential to be the foundation for the franchise’s future. With apologies to Gardner, Hall might be the centerpiece.
Prior to tearing his ACL in Week 7, Hall had already planted his flag as one of the more explosive young backs in the league. Hall’s injury-shortened rookie season finished with the former second-round pick averaging a whopping 5.8 yards per attempt on 8 carries and rushing for 4 touchdowns.
Hall has inspired significant confidence in Florham Park.
“Breece has it all,” a Jets front office executive told Heavy. “Size, speed, athletic ability, vision, run skills, hands … if hadn’t gotten hurt, we wouldn’t be in this tailspin.
“He looked like our best player during camp and was on his way to Offensive Rookie of the Year when he was injured. We are a shadow of what we were even a month ago.”
Hall won’t be back on the field until at least Week 1 of the 2023 season, but when he gets back on the field, there’s a chance that his explosive and slashing running style becomes a focal point of the Jets’ offense once again.
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley
Calvin Ridley certainly showed star receiver upside through his first four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, prior to being suspended for the 2022 campaign after it was discovered he had bet on NFL games.
However, after being traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars at the deadline, pairing Ridley with Trevor Lawrence could unlock untapped potential in the 28-year-old receiver.
Through the first four seasons of Ridley’s career, he’s caught 248 receptions for 3,342 yards with 28 touchdowns, while averaging 13.5 yards per reception.
Arriving in Jacksonville as the headliner of a receiving corps headlined by Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, it isn’t difficult to envision Ridley ascending to the top of Lawrence’s target hierarchy which could lead to an ascent toward the top of the receiver rankings around the league.
Philadelphia Eagles LB Nakobe Dean
There is nothing but opportunity in front of Nakobe Dean, ahead of his second NFL season.
Dean has been limited as a rookie, after a pectoral injury caused him to slide to the Philadelphia Eagles in Round 3 of April’s NFL draft. However, when Dean finally saw the field in mop-up time against the Tennessee Titans, he finished with a game-high 4 tackles.
“He may not be the most physically gifted player ever,” an NFC personnel executive told Heavy of Dean. “But he’s got really great instincts, he’s physical, as tough as they come, and a real leader on the field.”
Given that Kyzir White is set to be an unrestricted free agent following this season, Dean has the opportunity to enter 2023 as the Eagles’ starting inside linebacker, two years removed from posting 72 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 6.0 sacks as a key cog of the Georgia Bulldogs’ National Championship winning defense.
New York Giants DE Kayvon Thibodeaux
Kayvon Thibodeaux has improved each week during his rookie season, under hyper-aggressive defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, as an instrumental piece of a defense powering the New York Giants’ postseason push.
Thibodeaux was the second pass-rusher off the board, following the Lions’ selection of Aidan Hutchinson No. 2 overall, and his 70.7 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus sits 4.6 points higher than Hutchinson’s.
In Martindale’s hyper-aggressive and blitz-oriented scheme, Thibodeaux’s upside gives him a chance to push for double-digit sacks in his second NFL season.
Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams
A torn ACL suffered in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game delayed Jameson’ Williams’ NFL debut until Week 14, but the rookie didn’t waste any time proving how impactful he can be in the Detroit Lions’ offense.
Williams took his first pass from quarterback Jared Goff 41 yards for the touchdown, making an emphatic statement about his capabilities in the Lions’ offense opposite star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“He probably would have been the first wide receiver chosen in the draft, if he were healthy last season,” an NFL pro personnel director recently told Heavy.
Presuming Williams gets through the Lions’ final two games of the regular season and any postseason run unscathed, having a full offseason to build strength in his knee could give him the potential to emerge as an elite receiver with prolific production in 2023.
Buffalo Bills RB James Cook
The Buffalo Bills have begun leaning on James Cook as a crowded backfield’s bellcow, and are beginning to get rewarded.
Saturday afternoon in Chicago felt like the day the Bills officially passed the backfield baton to Cook, and he didn’t disappoint. Cook finished Saturday’s contest rushing for 99 yards, with 1 touchdown, while averaging 9.0 yards per carry.
In an offense that’s built around speed on the perimeter and Josh Allen’s bombs-away passing game, Cook has the potential to be the driving force of a ground attack ready to break out.
With Cook as the feature back, the Bills are going to be even more difficult to beat, moving forward. Especially because of Cook’s aggressive downhill running style combined with his prowess as another weapon for Allen as a receiver out of the backfield.
Washington Commanders WR Jahan Dotson
Some scoffed when the Washington Commanders made Dotson the No. 16 overall pick, choosing the former Penn State star as the fifth receiver off the board in a loaded class at the position, but Dotson has quickly silenced those critics.
Dotson has twice been named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Week, catching 23 of 37 targets, with just one drop, while producing 338 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns.
As a rookie, Dotson has already emerged as a versatile complement to star Terry McLaurin, but also a playmaker in his own right, with the ability to get behind a secondary as well as navigate the slot creating mismatches against opposing slot corners.
Saturday afternoon against the San Francisco 49ers, Dotson pulled down a 4-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Heinicke, marking the third consecutive game Dotson found the end zone.
Commanders quarterbacks boast a whopping 97.7 passer rating on Dotson’s targets. If Dotson becomes a bigger piece of Washington’s target hierarchy next season, he has the skill set to wind up in the All-Pro conversation.
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence
The Jacksonville Jaguars control their own postseason destiny and are banging on the door of the playoffs for the first time since 2017, largely due to Trevor Lawrence tearing down all the walls standing between himself and being recognized as one of the game’s premier quarterbacks.
Jacksonville has won four of the past five games heading into Week 17, with Lawrence completing 67.2% of his passes over that span for 1,415 yards with 11 touchdowns to just 1 interception.
While those numbers are impressive, Lawrence’s hot streak seems more meaningful because he’s led the Jaguars past playoff-caliber competition; beating the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys and a desperate New York Jets team in miserable conditions over that span.
In his second NFL season, Lawrence has made a significant leap, which underscores the importance of playing for a head coach like Doug Pederson who has a strong track record of developing young quarterbacks. Lawrence has already passed for 3,749 yards with 24 touchdowns to 7 interceptions this season, and if he continues to improve in his second season in Pederson’s system, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the MVP conversation in 2023.
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10 NFL Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2023