Every NFL Pretender's Most Exciting Young Building Block Ahead of 2023 Season
While the season hasn't started and every team is technically looking to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February, let's be honest, there are plenty of pretenders heading into the campaign whose 2023 goals are really geared toward next season and beyond.
For those pretending teams, developing the young building blocks of their roster is ultimately more important than wins and losses. But who are the most exciting young players to watch for those squads this year?
Using the reverse order of DraftKings Sportsbook's Super Bowl odds, we'll dive into the most exciting player who is still on rookie contracts for 12 out of the bottom 14 team heading into the season. We'll touch on what each guy has done so far in their career, give an outlook for 2024 and list a few other youngins who were considered for each 'pretender'.
The two teams who were removed were the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. With the Patriots, I'm not one to count out Bill Belichick just yet and Mac Jones should be much improved with Bill O'Brien at offensive coordinator that I think they'll at least be in the playoff hunt. For the Falcons, I don't think they're that far off from the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South, so while that division is bad, I think they could still be a postseason contender.
Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud
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With several top-five picks in recent years, the Houston Texans had plenty of options to choose from as a strong case could be made for their other 2023 first-round selection, Will Anderson Jr. However, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league so we'll stick with the most important position on the field for the Texans' most-exciting young player.
While C.J. Stroud hasn't officially won the starting job yet in the early stages of training camp, Bleacher Report's Scouting Dept.'s QB1 last season has a work ethic that has stood out to head coach DeMeco Ryans per the quote below obtained by the team's website.
"What you see about C.J….the work and the preparation that he does when he's not here," Ryans said. "He's a true football junkie: loves football, always watching football, always asking for extra cutups from our coaches. So, I'm just impressed with the mental part of him and just how much he loves the game of football."
"With the playbook, it hasn't been an issue. He knows the reads, knows the progressions, where he should go. He's making the proper decisions with the ball, so the playbook is not an issue at all."
2024 Outlook: It's definitely a matter of when, not if, Stroud takes over as the Texans' starter. Ideally, that will be by the season opener but regardless, it's expected that he'll face some struggles early as just about every rookie quarterback does.
As long as he continues to show enough promise by making good decisions with the ball--as he already has been doing--and string together a few highlight reel plays, then the organization's faith in him as the future of their franchise will remain intact.
Contract situation: Year one of a one-year, $36.3 million contract
Other players considered: EDGE Will Anderson Jr., RB Dameon Pierce, CB Derek Stingley Jr., DB Jalen Pitre
Arizona Cardinals: Rondale Moore
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While Kyler Murray still technically qualifies as he's playing out the final year of his rookie contract, Murray has already signed an extension so we'll focus on one of his weapons for the Arizona Cardinals' building block.
As a freshman at Purdue, Rondale Moore was an exciting player who logged over 1,200 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 21 carries for 213 rushing yards and two more scores. However, injuries limited his playing time as a sophomore and junior which pushed him into the second round of the draft and continue to haunt him as a professional.
Moore missed a few games as a rookie and got off to a good start in year two with 41 grabs, 414 yards and one touchdown in eight games before ending the year on injured reserve. So, he certainly has potential, but that needs to start coming to fruition this season.
2024 Outlook: With DeAndre Hopkins in Tennessee and a new coaching staff in Arizona, that should lead to more targets for Moore in 2024, especially down the field. It's time for him to start building his case for a second contract by improving upon his ADOT of 5.3 yards last season, per Player Profiler.
A new play-caller should help with the latter, but he also needs to win on deep routes and prove that he can stay on the field.
Contract situation: Year three of a four-year, $6.9 million contract
Other players considered: OT Paris Johnson Jr., QB Kyler Murray, WR Marquise Brown, EDGE B.J. Ojulari
Indianapolis Colts: Michael Pittman Jr.
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The 2021 rushing champion Jonathan Taylor was considered here, but a public feud between his representation and the Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay revealed that the club hasn't offered Taylor a contract extension, according to ESPN's Stephen Holder. Given that, it doesn't seem like the Colts view the running back as a building block, so we'll pivot to another offensive player.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman has had a pretty impressive start to his career, accumulating 227 receptions for 2,510 yards and 11 touchdowns in 46 games (41 starts). What makes those numbers even more impressive is he's done that with a different starting quarterback every year and has caught balls from eight different passers.
Pittman has the makings of a true No. 1 or complete receiver as he can win in all three areas of the field and is good at hauling in contested catches. He's someone who any organization would want to build their team around, especially one that's about to break in a new young quarterback.
2024 Outlook: Pittman really just needs to keep doing what he's been doing this season. As mentioned above, he's already established himself as the Colts' top target and a 90-catch, 1,000-yard campaign should lead to a big payday in the offseason. In 2021, he was two receptions short of the threshold and fell 75 yards shy of the other benchmark last year, so he's been close and it's just a matter of putting it all together.
Contract situation: Year four of a four-year, $8.6 million contract
Other players considered: RB Jonathan Taylor, QB Anthony Richardson, WR Alec Pierce, CB JuJu Brents
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Tennessee Titans: Treylon Burks
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Between his own injuries and quarterback Ryan Tannehill missing a handful of games after banging up his ankle, Treylon Burks had an underwhelming rookie season. He finished with just 33 receptions, 444 yards and one touchdown in 11 games and six starts. However, he's still an exciting player who is dangerous after the catch.
That was Burks' calling card at Arkansas and how he racked up nearly half of his receiving yards as a rookie, via Player Profiler. He's also not afraid to make catches over the middle of the field, making him a very intriguing receiver for years to come.
But what might be most encouraging about the former Razorback heading into the fall, is he's added some down-the-field explosiveness to his game. Back in May, the wideout talked about how he feels faster this season, via the Titans' website, and several training camp videos like the one below have been floating around social media to back up his statement.
2024 Outlook: Barring another unstable quarterback situation in Tennessee, Burks enters a great situation to have a breakthrough campaign. DeAndre Hopkins is now in town to serve as a mentor and take some of the pressure off of him. Between learning from a five-time All-Pro and getting more one-on-one matchups, there's no reason why the second-year pro shouldn't see an uptick in production.
Contract situation: Year two of a four-year, $14.4 million contract
Other players considered: OL Peter Skoronski, CB Roger McCreary, TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, CB Kristian Fulton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tristan Wirfs
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To be honest, the pickings were pretty slim when it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were targeting proven veterans more than young projects or draft picks while Tom Brady was under center, leaving them with an older roster that doesn't have a ton of youthful talent left now that Brady has retired.
That being said, Tristan Wirfs has proven to be an excellent offensive tackle during his short time in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Wirfs has never allowed more than two sacks in the regular season and has fared well in PFF's grading system as a run blocker.
He's played so well over the last three years that the Bucs were willing to let Donovan Smith walk in the offseason and move Wirfs over to left tackle. So far, it sounds like that transition is going smoothly.
"Tristan's a worker anyway," said Head Coach Todd Bowles via Buccaneers.com. "As soon as you challenge him to do something he's going to work his tail off to do that. He's adjusted well over there, I think. There's probably still some kinks he needs to work out, probably when we get in pads, from a hand-placement standpoint, but I think he's done an excellent job so far."
2024 Outlook: Tampa Bay picked up Wirfs' fifth-year option during the offseason, so this year is really about proving that he can be the same player on the other side of the center. If he does that, he'll become one of the highest-paid offensive tackles in the NFL soon.
Contract situation: Year four of a five-year, $34.8 million contract (fifth-year option accepted)
Other players considered: EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, DL Calijah Kancey
Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young
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Unlike C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, the Carolina Panthers wasted little to no time anointing their top 2023 draft pick as the team's starting quarterback. It was never viewed as much of a competition between Bryce Young and Andy Dalton, and head coach Frank Reich pretty much confirmed that by stating Young is the 'QB1' after the first practice of training camp.
From the sounds of it, Young has continued to confirm his coach's decision as Panthers Wire noted that the quarterback was lighting it up in the red zone earlier this week and that Reich continued to be impressed by him.
"I thought Bryce had a good today in the red zone," Reich said. "You know, when you get down there—really tight windows, right? As we all know. And so, we're at a stage where you have to try things out. Like, we're gonna tell him, 'Hey, challenge yourself. See if you can put the ball in that place, in that window, against that coverage. We need to find those things out now. What are we comfortable with? Did you like the way he ran that route?'"
"So, I thought Bryce did a great job at that today as did all the quarterbacks. And you throw enough down there, you're gonna have some good ones and some bad ones. But I thought it was a good day."
2024 Outlook: Much like Stroud, there's a wide margin for error with Young in year one. Expectations are pretty low for Carolina as a whole this season, so as long as he can avoid any repeated major mistakes, his status with the organization will remain intact.
Contract situation: Year one of a four-year, $38 million contract
Other players considered: CB Jaycee Horn, EDGE Brian Burns, OT Ikem Ekwonu, DB Jeremy Chinn
Los Angeles Rams: Steve Avila
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The 'F them picks' strategy helped the Los Angeles Rams win a Super Bowl a couple of years ago, but going seven years without making a first-round selection has left their roster devoid of young talent. There weren't many building blocks to pick from for the Rams, but they do have a very promising offensive lineman in 2023 second-rounder, Steve Avila.
Avila should be able to help fix a few problems in Los Angeles, most notably with their rushing attack.
According to TeamRankings.com, the Rams finished last season 26th in rushing yards per game, averaging 97.7 yards each contest, and didn't have a 100-yard rusher until Week 16. Before running back Cam Akers broke the century mark, L.A. was 30th in the league for the metric at 85.1 yards per outing.
That's where the TCU product comes in to save the day as B/R offensive line scout Brandon Thorn was high on Avila's run-blocking skills ahead of the draft, stating that the guard has "heavy hands to deliver force and jolt at the point of attack in the run game to displace defenders."
Thorn also noted that Avila "excels on inside zone and gap schemes with the girth, brute force and flexibility to out-leverage, dig out and pin defenders on double-team, down and base blocks."
2024 Outlook: The former Horned Frog joins an offensive line that was in dire need of some talent at guard after losing both Super Bowl starters, David Edwards and Austin Corbett, over the last couple of offseasons. Avila should have no issues earning a starting job in training camp, and his impact will be best seen by how the team's rushing attack improves this year.
Contract situation: Year one of a four-year, $9.25 million contract
Other players considered: S Jordan Fuller, RB Cam Akers
Washington Commanders: Montez Sweat
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When the Washington Commanders took edge rusher Chase Young with the second overall pick of the 2020 draft, it felt like Montez Sweat--their first-round pick from the year before--was destined to play second-fiddle to Young during the beginning stages of their careers. However, it's been the opposite circumstance so far during their three years together.
Young had 7.5 sacks as a rookie but has struggled to stay healthy in the two years since then, playing in 12 total games with just 1.5 quarterback takedowns. Meanwhile, Sweat has out-produced his running mate over the last three seasons en route to 22 sacks during that time frame and 29 during his entire career.
A clear line was drawn in the sand as to who Washington's premier rusher is when they picked up the 2019 first-rounder's fifth-year option last offseason and declined the 2020 No. 2 pick's back in March.
Now, Sweat's attention turns to earning a big contract extension with another strong campaign.
2024 Outlook: The Mississippi State product has been a consistent producer in D.C. as the only time he's logged fewer than seven sacks was in 2021 when he missed six games. However, if he wants to maximize his payout in the offseason, stringing together his first double-digit sack performance is the best way to go about that.
Contract situation: Year five of a five-year, $23.1 million contract (fifth-year option accepted)
Other players considered: WR Jahan Dotson, RB Brian Robinson, QB Sam Howell
New York Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux
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The New York Giants are one of two reining playoff teams to land on this list, but one two-possession win and a negative point differential isn't a sustainable formula year-to-year in the NFL, meaning their 2023 postseason hopes are bleak. That, plus the 11th-worst odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to win the Super Bowl is enough to land on the 'pretenders' list.
The good news for the Giants' future though, is their top draft pick in 2022, Kayvon Thibodeaux, looked sharp as a rookie.
After missing the first two games of the season with an injury and sitting out a meaningless Week 18 contest, Thibodeaux finished the year with 49 total tackles, four sacks, six tackles for loss and five passes defended in 14 games.
He routinely filled up the stat sheet, highlighted by a late-season performance against the Washington Commanders where the Oregon product had 12 total tackles, three TFL and a strip sack that he recovered for a scoop-and-score touchdown. His future is certainly bright in the City of Dreams.
2024 Outlook: Thibodeaux really just needs to continue to build on what was an impressive rookie campaign. Staying healthy will play a big factor in that as he should put up some eye-popping numbers by participating in the full 17-game slate.
He and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence should form a fearsome defensive line for years to come in New York, however, that is contingent on the second-year pass-rusher proving that he's capable of stringing together back-to-back impressive seasons.
Contract situation: Year two of a four-year, $31.3 million contract
Other players considered: DT Dexter Lawrence, CB Deonte Banks, LT Andrew Thomas, RT Evan Neal
Las Vegas Raiders: Michael Mayer
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Between Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Martellus Bennett, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels became known for leaning heavily on tight ends during his time as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator. Hence why McDaniels traded up in the second round of this year's draft to take Notre Dame's all-time statical leader at the position.
In South Bend, Michael Mayer became arguably the best tight end in school history for a program that has produced great tight ends. As mentioned above, his 180 career receptions for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns broke the Fighting Irish's record books and give him a bright future in Las Vegas.
So far, Mayer has been as-advertised with the Raiders and drawn rave reviews from McDaniels.
"Michael really is what we thought he was," the head coach said during OTAs. "[He's] a really hard worker, great teammate, tries to get better every single day, very attentive in the meetings, works at his technique very hard, wants to know how he can get better as being a pro. A lot of these rookies come in and everything they're learning for the first time, and Michael is doing a great job of really trying to acclimate himself. "
2024 Outlook: The former Golden Domer should have no problem serving as Las Vegas's top tight end this year, as the only thing standing in his way of being a Week 1 starter is his run-blocking. The Raiders coaching staff has mentioned several times that's where Mayer's biggest room for growth in the NFL as his receiving skills aren't much of a question.
That being said, with Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Jakobi Meyers out wide, the rookie's numbers could be underwhelming in year one.
Contract situation: Year one of a four-year, $9.3 million contract
Other players considered: CB Nate Hobbs, S Tre'von Moehrig, EDGE Tyree Wilson
Green Bay Packers: Christian Watson
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Not too long ago, Christian Watson was an under-the-radar NFL draft prospect out of North Dakota State headed to the Senior Bowl to make a name for himself. He ended up dominating the Power 5 competition he was facing in Mobile and made sure everyone knew who he was.
That helped elevate Watson's draft status as the Green Bay Packers made him the second pick of the second round last year. While he did get off to a slow start, the former Bison finished his rookie season with 41 grabs, 611 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 14 games, while adding 80 more yards and two scores on the ground.
Watson's unique blend of size and speed are big reasons why he's such an intriguing young player. At the NFL Combine, he measured in a little over 6'4" and 208 pounds while running a 4.36-second 40-yard dash.
In other words, he can stretch the field and be a red zone threat, and that's a big reason why he averaged nearly 15 yards per catch and scored so much last season.
2024 Outlook: With Aaron Rodgers now playing for the New York Jets, the North Dakota State product will be breaking in a new quarterback in Jordan Love this season. That could lead to a dip in production during the wideout's sophomore campaign, but there's also a wide spectrum of outcomes as he and Love could form a dangerous duo for years to come.
Individually, Watson's primary focus should be to cut down on the drops from a year ago. That's a big reason why it took him a while to earn Rodgers' trust and was one of his biggest issues coming out of college.
Contract situation: Year two of a four-year, $9.24 million contract
Other players considered: QB Jordan Love, DT Devonte Wyatt, DL Lukas Van Ness, WR Jayden Reed
Chicago Bears: Justin Fields
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From Michael Vick to Lamar Jackson, there's a good case to be made that a running quarterback is the most exciting type of player in all of football. Last year, Justin Fields joined Vick and Jackson as the only quarterbacks to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season with his 1,143 yards on the ground.
Fields' legs make him such a unique weapon even in today's game. Not many quarterbacks are as fast and shifty as he is, opening up the playbook for offensive coordinators to get a numbers advantage in the running game, and forcing defenses to sacrifice their pass rush in the passing game with spy or having contain rushers.
It's been well-documented that the Ohio State product does need to improve as a passer, though. General manager Ryan Poles said as much during the offseason, but the good news is Fields showed off a strong arm and was accurate in college with over 5,300 passing yards, 63 passing touchdowns and a 68.4 completion percentage in two years as a Buckeye.
Now it's just a matter of putting it all together in the pros.
2024 Outlook: Fields enters that pivotal third season for a young player. He needs to become a better and more accurate passer this year as he currently holds a sub-60 percent career completion rate. In a way, it's a do-or-die type of situation for him in 2024 as Chicago will have to decide to pick up his fifth-year option in March.
Contract situation: Year three of a four-year, $18.9 million contract
Other players considered: LT Braxton Jones, RT Darnell Wright, CB Jaylon Johnson
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