Tennessee Titans: 5 Players Poised to Have Breakout Seasons in 2012

In 2011 the Tennessee Titans made great strides with a ton of young starters playing well beyond their years.

Just the Titans' 2011 draft class alone made tremendous contributions to the team despite getting limited time to prepare thanks to the NFL lockout.

Now that the Titans have gotten their "rebuilding" year out of the way with head coach Mike Munchak, they should be set up to make a run to the postseason.

These five relatively unknown players are poised to have a breakout season and make the Titans relevant again in the AFC.

Colin McCarthy

It's expected that Colin McCarthy will be the Week 1 starter at middle linebacker after his solid play as a rookie last season. His success as a rookie went well past his numbers, which were very impressive for a guy that created very little buzz in the draft.

What was really impressive about McCarthy was his leadership during games. There were numerous times when McCarthy was communicating with the rest of the defense during big moments.

McCarthy vastly outplayed his veteran counterpart in Barrett Ruud, and Mike Munchak has said that he has a ton of confidence in making McCarthy a full-time starter.

Karl Klug

You have to be excited about a rookie that leads your team in sacks, even if he did only have seven.

Karl Klug set a franchise record for sacks by a rookie defensive tackle last season, and his motor should serve him well in avoiding a sophomore slump.

With the Titans needing a ton of help currently on the defensive line, it will be vital that Klug keeps improving and making a name for himself in the league.

Jared Cook

Jared Cook has that rare combination of size and athleticism that you love to see in a tight end, but consistency issues have plagued him over his first three seasons.

Cook finally showed what he's capable of last season, which was burning defenses in in the middle of the field. In his best professional year, he tallied 750 receiving yards, and that includes six games where he failed to gain more than 25 yards.

If Cook can become a more consistent threat, he could easily become one of the better tight ends in the NFL.

A 1,000-yard season could happen in 2012 and give him a good chance at his first Pro Bowl selection.

Jason McCourty

If the Titans end up losing Cortland Finnegan in free agency, Jason McCourty could very well end up being his full-time replacement.

He may not have the same feistiness as Finnegan, but he's still a very undervalued defensive back.

McCourty held his own last season with 13 pass deflections to go along with two interceptions and 105 total tackles. That production could easily go up if Finnegan is out of the equation, and that could allow McCourty to have his best season as a pro.

Jake Locker

Jake Locker gave us glimpses of how good he's capable of being as an NFL starting quarterback, but the sample size was still pretty small. That sample size has a high probability of going up in 2012 as he's expected to challenge Matt Hasselbeck for the starting role.

Cam Newton and Andy Dalton had success as rookies last season, and Locker is talented enough to have the same success as soon as he gets the opportunity to do so.