These Ten 2nd-Year NFL Players Are Poised For A Breakout Year

While most of the attention on young players is centered around rookies, these ten 2nd-year players are poised for a breakout season.

The NFL season is right around the corner, with teams now through two of their three preseason games. While most of the focus around young players is on rookies, these ten 2nd-year players are poised for a breakout season.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks

While mostly backing up Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet looked great as a rookie last season, running for 462 yards on 108 carries and adding 209 receiving yards as well.

This year, carries between Walker and Charbonnet are supposed to shared, with a chance that Charbonnet could get the bulk of the work. He has the talent to be one of the league’s better running backs this season.

Lukas Van Ness, Edge, Green Bay Packers

Lukas Van Ness was considered one of the most raw players taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but the Iowa Hawkeye had a lot of potential. He showed some of that talent off last year with four sacks in a relatively limited role in Green Bay.

He is going to get a lot more snaps this year, though Green Bay does have a logjam in terms of versatile pass-rushers. But, Van Ness’s youth and talent should allow him to separate himself from the pack and emerge as one of the NFL’s best young pass-rushers.

Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Dallas Cowboys

Many will be shocked to see a backup tight end here on this list. But, Schoonmaker has been impressing observers at Cowboys camp. And, Dallas is weak at wide receiver, meaning that we should see a lot of two tight end sets with Schoonmaker and Jake Ferguson. Expect Schoonmaker to take advantage of those opportunities and create real issues for teams.

Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots

Christian Gonzalez looked fantastic last season after the Patriots took him with the 15th-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Sadly, that didn’t last very long, as he was injured four games into the season.

He’s healthy now though, and showed the elite coverage traits that had some saying he was the best cornerback in the 2023 NFL Draft. While the Patriots are likely to be bad, Gonzalez should play Pro Bowl-caliber football.

Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Johnston went in the first round to the wide receiver-rich Chargers after a stellar season at TCU in 2023. But, the concerns over an unrefined skillset showed up and limited his effectiveness as a rookie.

But, with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen departed, Johnston is going to get a ton of targets from a healthy Justin Herbert this year after Herbert missed a ton of time in 2023. There’s every opportunity for Quentin Johnston to have a very productive season.

Jack Campbell, LB, Detroit Lions

The Lions stunned many in 2023 when they used their two first-round picks on players at non-premium positions in running back Jahmyr Gibbs and a box linebacker in Campbell.

Campbell was only a part-time player for the Detroit Lions defense in 2023 and it took him some time to get acclimated to the NFL. But, he’s going to start this year, and he’s a really talented linebacker that should be able to stay on the field for all three downs for Dan Campbell and the Lions. Expect a lot of production out of Jack Campbell.

Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers

While most of the focus heading into the season in the Packers receiving room was on then-2nd-year players Christan Watson and Romeo Doubs, it was Jayden Reed who may have emerged as the most talented pass-catcher for Jordan Love. He had 793 yards and 8 touchdowns last year in a really solid rookie campaign.

Assuming he stays healthy, many would be mildly shocked if he didn’t have a 1000-yard season this year for Green Bay. He’s a very talented player with Pro Bowl upside.

Bryan Bresee, DL, New Orleans Saints

The former top recruit and Clemson alum has been a very productive player throughout his college and pro career as long as he’s healthy, which has been a problem for Bresee.

But, he’s healthy now, and he’s a great chess piece up front for Saints Head Coach Dennis Allen. He can play as a traditional defensive tackle, or play as a strong side defensive end, with the quickness and hand-fighting skills to be really productive at both roles. Last year, he had a solid 4.5 sacks while turning 22 during the season.

Charlie Jones, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

While most of the attention for the Bengals receiving corps has been on stars Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the departed Tyler Boyd was a really effective security blanket for Joe Burrow in their time together.

Enter Charlie Jones. The Purdue alum brings many of the same qualities as Tyler Boyd, and will have plenty of room to operate underneath while Chase and Higgins capture the attention of defenses down the field.

Calijah Kancey, DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When the Buccaneers selected Calijah Kancey out of PItt with the 19th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, there was little doubt that he would be able to rush the passer. The question was whether the undersized interior defensive lineman would be able to hold up against the run. The concerns turned out to be valid, as he was a liability in the run game in 2023. But, he did show an ability to get after the passer, tallying four sacks.

This year, Kancey should be much better against the run which will allow him to be on the field more to rush the passer. And, he has elite potential as an interior pass-rusher. Expect a healthy Kancey to approach double-digit sacks this year.