5 Atlanta Falcons Players Poised for a Breakout Campaign in 2015

Having multiple breakout players is how the Atlanta Falcons are going to have a big turnaround from their 6-10 2014 campaign. They need break outs from multiple players in order to have the big turnaround to get back to the playoffs that their talent level says they should be at.

Atlanta has quite a few potential candidates to break out. The best ones come along the defensive line, at running back and at tight end. The final one is competing to be Desmond Trufant's running mate in the secondary and could be a surprisingly good player in the new scheme.

Ra'Shede Hageman

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One of the players with the most raw potential on the roster is Ra'Shede Hageman. The massive Hageman has lost a good bit of weight over the offseason trying to fit the 3-technique under tackle role for the defense much better than he fit the 5-technique role for the 2014 defense.

By losing the weight but still getting quicker and stronger, the Falcons should have someone who could be a rich man's Tony McDaniel. He's bigger and more powerful than McDaniel with similar quickness. If Hageman explodes within the role and has a breakout year, it will come in the form of improved pass rush.

Hageman is already a solid run defender who will do much better attacking one gap than he did as a two-gapping 5-technique in 2014. If his only job is to explode through and maintain a low pad level and leverage, he'll be much better for Atlanta in 2015.

Add in that he'll have one of the best defensive line mentors in the game in Dan Quinn as his head coach, and the Falcons could have a surprisingly good player on the interior of their defensive line. If the Falcons get that breakout year from Hageman, eight or nine sacks isn't out of the question.

And if that happens, the Falcons could easily be one of the best pass-rushing teams in the NFL in 2015. After the abysmal 2014 season getting after the quarterback, the Falcons could use an interior presence collapsing the pocket from the inside and forcing poor throws to anchor the pass rush.

Levine Toilolo

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This may sound a bit crazy, but Levine Toilolo has the potential to be a 60-catch, 800-yard, five-touchdown receiver within Kyle Shanahan's offense if the offensive coordinator can correct some of the mistakes that Dirk Koetter made in using the 6'8" receiver within the offense.

Toilolo has the speed and natural athletic ability to attack the seams and run post and corner routes that force the defense to put 6'0"-6'2" 200-215 pound safeties on the 6'8", 265-pound Toilolo. Toilolo also has unique quickness for his position that should allow him to work well in Shanahan's offense.

In Koetter's offense Toilolo was asked to run too many in-, out- and comeback routes and had trouble creating separation from defensive backs. He was being asked to be the next Tony Gonzalez instead of being the first Levine Toilolo, and it really threw him off.

Shanahan's offense will create open looks for Toilolo as well as have him as an early-progression option. By featuring the young tight end, Atlanta will give Matt Ryan a safety blanket early in downs. Shanahan also likes to run a lot more two-tight-end sets and base-type personnel with an H-back like Jacob Tamme.

The additional tight end or H-back will help Toilolo run games and route combinations on the interior with another player to confuse the defense. Atlanta needs someone to step up at the position, and Toilolo has all the tools to explode this year.

Robert Alford

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A switch to a scheme that emphasizes physicality and fast play should be a great fit for Robert Alford who bases his whole game around being highly competitive, very physical and making plays on the ball. Alford is a smart cornerback who would thrive in pure press-man coverages like Dan Quinn wants.

Alford was the Falcons' 2013 second-round pick and despite the fact the Falcons took another corner in the second round in 2015, it makes more sense to have Alford out there due to his NFL experience and faster play throughout his career.

There are few fits for Quinn's defense better than Alford. His length and speed at cornerback is tough to duplicate. He also is a great fit for the nickel as he can match up with receivers big and small and should be able to capitalize from the amount of targets he will see.

With Desmond Trufant coming into his own as a top cornerback in the NFL, people will test Alford all day. If Alford can make the necessary improvements to his game, the Falcons could have someone who is a true ball hawk and playmaker. Alford getting five-plus interceptions isn't out of the realm of possibility.

And if Alford is intercepting a ton of passes, it makes teams want to attack different parts of the Falcons defense because they know that they can't get anything done on the outside. Taking away the outside is what makes the Seahawks defense so good, and it's something that should be a goal for Atlanta.

Devonta Freeman

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Devonta Freeman was the Falcons' fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft and looks like a better fit for the 2015 scheme that will be a true zone-blocking scheme under Kyle Shanahan. Freeman played in a zone scheme as a college player at Florida State and had over 1,000 yards on just 173 carries his junior year.

If that's any indication of the potential that Freeman has, he could somehow start over Tevin Coleman—Atlanta's 2015 third-round pick—at running back. He could also wind up forcing Coleman into that third-down running back role that Freeman played in 2014.

Freeman does have some potential as a receiver as well as a runner. If he plays to his potential, he could wind up being a guy with over 250 touches and over 1,500 yards on the season when all is said and done. For a guy who's as small as he is, that'd be insane production. 

Atlanta needs a running game to help base their offense and with Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme, they should have it. Whether Freeman or Coleman starts, the Falcons should have a much better running game due to the simplifying of the offense and running game.

Mike Tice had the Falcons running a lot of trap and man-style blocking in 2015, but they had their biggest runs when they ran inside-zone and wide-zone plays. Dan Quinn must have seen something there otherwise, the Falcons wouldn't have brought in Shanahan.

Malliciah Goodman

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The surprise of the list is Malliciah Goodman. He seems like a true 5-technique defensive end in some schemes, but he did his best work in college when he was allowed to play around 265-270 pounds and could attack off the edge like a pure 6-technique or 7-technique end.

His role within Dan Quinn's scheme would be something similar to what Michael Bennett had. Goodman has the speed, strength, agility and long frame to attack quarterbacks from multiple angles like Bennett. He also has the versatility to align in any technique from 3 to 7 along the defensive line and create pressure.

Goodman understands pass rush and how to use his hands. He's also entering his third year. After being forced to bulk up to close to 290 pounds during his second season, he should love being a much lighter player during his third year. 

During his senior year, Goodman was a bit of a revelation as a pass-rusher and went from having one sack his first season starting to 2.5 sacks during his second season. Then, in his third season starting, he finally broke out and had seven sacks his senior year. 

In 2014, he was essentially the starting defensive end for the Falcons on one side with his 594 snaps per Pro Football Focus to be second on the team from their defensive ends. Goodman could legitimately start over Tyson Jackson in 2015 and should that happen, his emergence could cause Jackson to be cut.

All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats, ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He's also the Featured Draft Analyst for Pro Football Spot.

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