2026 NFL Breakout Candidates: 10 Second-Year Players Poised to Make a Leap

We all get caught up in the excitement surrounding the current year's NFL Draft, as the top prospects find new homes to start their pro careers. But with the 2026 NFL Draft behind us, we now get a chance to see which players teams are trusting on their rosters the most ahead of the upcoming season. Many of those players are entering their second season. Not every NFL star finds immediate success, and others need a year to adjust to the pro game before finding themselves and thriving at the highest level. You'll hear that a player's biggest improvement can happen between his first and second NFL season, and we've chosen 10 players across the league who should have opportunities to make such a leap. Some were limited by injuries as rookies, some are stepping into much larger roles, but all of them have a chance to show significant progress in 2026. The Buffalo Bills went 12-5 and had the NFL's No. 1 pass defense in 2025, but Sean McDermott was fired and Jim Leonhard is in as the new defensive coordinator. Maxwell Hairston, the 30th overall pick in the 2025 draft, was derailed early by a preseason knee injury, but he'll go from three starts as a rookie to opening the year as a starting outside corner. The Bills have had a frustrating run of regular-season success with only one conference championship appearance in the last five years. If they're to get there in 2026, they'll need young players like Hairston to step up in a big way. The Jacksonville Jaguars were content to let Travis Etienne leave in free agency, signing with the New Orleans Saints after rushing for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Part of that was a confidence in Bhayshul Tuten, a fourth-round pick from Virginia Tech who had 307 yards and five touchdowns in limited work as the top backup. Chris Rodriguez, signed from the Washington Commanders in free agency, will compete for carries, but has a chance to step into a much larger role in Liam Coen's prolific offense. After a quiet rookie season, could Jack Bech emerge as rookie Fernando Mendoza's favorite receiver? Tight end Brock Bowers might be the offense's primary target, but Bech - who had 20 catches for 224 yards and no touchdowns last year - could easily outpace Tre Tucker and newcomer Jalen Nailor as the Las Vegas Raiders' best downfield threat. He broke out as a senior at TCU in 2024 with 1,034 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, and he has as good a chance as any to benefit from a No. 1 overall pick throwing the ball in Las Vegas. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense was a major part of their second-half collapse, losing seven of eight games and missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. Tampa Bay allowed cornerback Jamel Dean to leave for the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency and hasn't made any significant additions at outside corner, so they're trusting that Benjamin Morrison and Zyon McCollum can be much improved, with the help of an upgraded defensive front. As much as anything, the former second-round pick must show he can stay healthy after missing seven games as a rookie with a hamstring injury. If the Kansas City Chiefs can get back on track in 2026, Josh Simmons will have to be a key part of that, as a first-round pick who was limited to eight games as a rookie, missing four games with a family issue and the last five with a fractured wrist. The Chiefs didn't touch the offensive line in the draft, so it will be Josh Simmons tasked with protecting Patrick Mahomes' blind side once he's back from injury. Kansas City has given up 40-plus sacks in back-to-back seasons and needs to get back to under 30 to preserve Mahomes. For a first-round receiver to go his entire rookie season without a touchdown is a major disappointment, and Matthew Golden finished with 29 catches for 361 yards while playing 43% of the Green Bay Packers' offensive snaps. The Packers' confidence in Golden was seen this spring, when they allowed Romeo Doubs to sign with the New England Patriots and traded Dontayvian Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles. Christian Watson is likely still the Packers' No. 1 receiver, but Golden should challenge him and could easily double his own overall rookie numbers. With Micah Parsons traded away, Donovan Ezeiruaku got to play a ton of snaps as a rookie, mustering only two sacks but nine tackles for loss. With Rashan Gary on board, the Dallas Cowboys have upgraded their overall pass rush from 2025, and Ezeiruaku will benefit from that - he nearly tripled his sack totals from his freshman to sophomore year at Boston College. A young, new defensive coordinator in Christian Parker will improve what was the worst scoring defense in the NFL, and Ezeiruaku could be a central part of that. Omarion Hampton was taken 22nd overall but missed half his rookie season with an ankle injury. In the nine games he played, he rushed for 545 yards and four touchdowns, with another 192 yards receiving. To be the lead back in a Mike McDaniel offense is a huge boost, and the Los Angeles Chargers will benefit from a much healthier offensive line after playing most of 2025 without either starting tackle. The interior of the offensive line has been upgraded, and Hampton should get the largest share of carries ahead of backups Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal. He's a safe bet for a 1,000-yard season if he stays healthy as part of a team poised to make a deep playoff run. After sitting on the bench for the first half of 2025, Shough made a strong impression in the final nine games, leading the New Orleans Saints on a surprise four-game win streak. His overall numbers were modest - 10 touchdowns against six interceptions, with another three scores rushing. What stands out is how he did with a skeleton crew of supporting cast, throwing to receiver Chris Olave and tight end Juwan Johnson, but precious little in terms of depth. This has been a busy offseason, loading up on offensive talent for the Saints, spending big on running back Travis Etienne and adding veteran guard David Edwards. Then, in the draft, not only did the Saints add wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with the eighth overall pick, but they also added third-round tight end Oscar Delp and drafted two other receivers. With an offensive coach like Kellen Moore, Shough has no excuse not to take a step forward in his second year. In the last two years, the Saints have totaled 40 touchdown passes. Only four teams have fewer, and all four (Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants) have gone 8-26 or worse in those two seasons. Shough needs to take a step forward and get this offense back to where it averaged 27 touchdown passes per season in the first three years after Drew Brees' retirement, even while starting six different quarterbacks. The bigger question: Can either of last year's other rookie starters, Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans or Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants, make similar jumps in their second seasons and help their teams get back to competitive football again? The novelty of a two-way NFL player was the allure with Travis Hunter, and the Jacksonville Jaguars believed in him enough to give up their 2026 first-round pick in moving up from No. 5 to No. 2 last spring. But Hunter's debut season was disappointing on both sides of the ball. He had 28 catches for 298 yards and a single touchdown at receiver and had even less production at corner, posting 15 tackles and zero interceptions. After seven games, his rookie season ended early with a knee injury, watching as the Jaguars finished 13-4 and won a division title. Huner's on course to be fully recovered by the start of training camp, and it should be a simpler second season for him. It remains to be seen how much work he'll get on offense - the Jaguars traded for Jakobi Meyers during last season and gave him a lucrative extension, and they've held off on trading third-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr., with Parker Washington enjoying a breakout season last year. Hunter should be an every-down corner, and that side of the ball should be his focus and the best chance for him to shine. Jacksonville let Greg Newsome leave in free agency and didn't draft a corner, setting Hunter up for a central role. Can Hunter get back to being the playmaker who had seven interceptions in his last two seasons at Colorado? That remains to be seen.