5 Green Bay Packers Players Poised for a Breakout Campaign in 2015

Part of the fun of being a draft-and-develop team is that in any given season, rookies, undrafted free agents and little-used veterans alike can emerge as some of the most important players on a team.

That's certainly the case for the Green Bay Packers, who build through the draft and as a result frequently have not only spots on the 53-man roster, but starting jobs open for rookies. 

In 2015, both rookies and players who have been with the team for a few years but haven't earned many snaps could find that there are opportunities for them to explode onto the scene and play key roles for the Packers. These opportunities exist on both sides of the ball, as well as on special teams. 

Let's break down five players who could become starters, or at least earn more snaps than ever before in their careers, in 2015. 

ILB Sam Barrington

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Sam Barrington wasn't a household name outside Green Bay in 2014, but he continued to earn snaps and starts from since-cut starters A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones.

Barrington started seven games in 2014 and could start a full season in 2015. 

The inside linebacker got his first start in Week 7 of the 2014 season. Though his snaps dropped back down to an average of 13.7 in Weeks 10-12, per Pro Football Focus, as the Packers began to use Clay Matthews inside, Barrington started again in Week 13 against the New England Patriots and would start every game after that through the postseason.

In 2014 Barrington had 53 combined tackles, a sack and a pass defensed. He graded out 34th out of 60 inside linebackers with 25 percent or more of snaps, per Pro Football Focus, which was better than Hawk and Jones. 

Now, Barrington is all but a lock for the starting middle linebacker spot through training camp, and the Packers will rotate in players in the inside linebacker spot next to him until, hopefully, they find a full-time starter there as well. 

Given that they didn't address the position in free agency or in the early rounds of the draft, it's clear the Packers expect big things from Barrington in 2015. 

TE Richard Rodgers

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Second-year player Richard Rodgers started only five games in 2014, per Pro Football Focus, compared to Andrew Quarless' 11. 

However, Rodgers improved on his skills throughout the 2014 season, especially his blocking, and made a critical touchdown catch in the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys. He has a good chance to surpass Quarless in training camp this summer and become Green Bay's No. 1 tight end in 2015. 

"He's got incredible hands; I dare say the best hands on the team," Aaron Rodgers said about the tight end, per Robert Zizzo of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "He went through a stretch in training camp where he didn't drop a pass. Yeah, he's an exceptional player with great potential for us."

Through Week 8, Rodgers was the sixth-worst tight end in the league in run blocking and the 19th worst in pass blocking among the 63 tight ends, per Pro Football Focus. In Weeks 10 to 17, however, he improved to 48th among tight ends in run blocking and 20th in pass blocking. 

He finished the season with 25 receptions, 273 yards and three touchdowns, including the playoffs. He could double, or more, his numbers in all those categories in 2015. 

WR Ty Montgomery

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Rookie wide receiver Ty Montgomery may not earn the No. 3 (or 4, or 5) receiver position on Green Bay's depth chart this summer, depending on how well he does against his competition in Davante Adams, Jared Abbrederis, Jeff Janis and Myles White. 

However, there's no question Montgomery should make a name for himself in 2015, even if he doesn't see that many snaps at receiver. Look for him to be used out of the backfield, and, of course, in the return game. 

Measuring 6'0" and 221 pounds at the combine, Montgomery is like "a bigger Randall [Cobb]," Packers area scout Sam Seale said, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. His "body type resembles that of a running back with well-defined, muscular legs," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote in his draft profile. 

That makes him a prime candidate to be used out of the backfield the way the Packers have used Cobb. 

Montgomery earned consensus All-American honors as a kick returner in 2013, averaging 30.3 yards per return and two touchdowns for Stanford. The former was second most in the nation.

In 2014, Montgomery played 11 games with six starts. He led the Cardinal with 12 punt returns for 238 yards (averaging 19.8 yards per return) and two touchdowns in his first year returning punts.

In kick returns, he had 17 for 429 yards, 25.2 yards per return on average. 

The Packers have had a subpar return game (and special teams unit overall) for too long now. Expect Montgomery to help blow that open in 2015. 

DL Josh Boyd

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The Green Bay Packers feature defensive sub-packages so frequently that the two starting defensive ends aren't the be-all,end-all of the line. Though defensive end Mike Daniels is a stalwart, others can be rotated in and out based on their strengths and the situation on a given down. 

That's where Josh Boyd comes in. 

Boyd had 21 combined tackles in 2014, including three for loss, and a pass defensed over 421 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He played in 15 games and started four. His task last season, which could lead to more snaps in 2015, was to prove that he could be just as effective as a run defender as a pass-rusher.

Though he took some snaps away from Datone Jones in 2013, Boyd was used mostly in pass-rushing situations, and as the two continue to compete for starts, Boyd has tried to show that he can be a complete defensive lineman. 

Slowly, Boyd has proved to be solid against the run as well, whereas Jones has continued to be used primarily as a pass-rusher. That could lead to more snaps for Boyd, a former fifth-round pick looking to take snaps away from a first-rounder in Jones, in 2015. 

ILB Jake Ryan

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Though they'll list one officially on the depth chart, the Packers may not feature a true starter at inside linebacker next to Sam Barrington in 2015.

More likely, they'll rotate Clay Matthews along with the other players on the roster, including Carl Bradford; Nate Palmer; Joe Thomas; Josh Francis and Tavarus Dantzler if they make the roster; and, of course, rookie Jake Ryan.

Though he may not start many games in 2015, Ryan could be a promising breakout player for the Packers in 2015.

Ryan started 41 games for Michigan, including 12 starts in 2014 at inside linebacker. There, Ryan amassed a career-high 112 total tackles, as well as single-game career highs in tackles (14 against Maryland), solo tackles (10 against Northwestern) and assists (10 against Maryland). He also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. 

In 2014 overall, Ryan had 112 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception in 12 games. 

In addition to his ability to play downhill against the run, Ryan is also solid in zone coverage, with the speed to chase sideline to sideline. He has the diverse skill set to become a three-down linebacker in the NFL.