Under-the-Radar NFL Breakout Candidates in 2016

While everyone is focused on NFL draft prospects and second-year fantasy players, there are plenty of athletes already in the NFL who are poised for breakout seasons despite many overlooking them in surface-deep analysis.

Some players may benefit from new coaching staffs, while others could see new opportunities left by outgoing free agents. Some might be rewarded for the work they already have done despite the lack of acknowledgement they have received thus far in their careers.

When looking at the players who will likely break out in 2016, five athletes stand above the rest as candidates in the coming year.

Alejandro Villanueva, OT, Pittsburgh Steelers

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Alejandro Villanueva is a unique story. It's hard to imagine we'll ever see another former military academy receiver start as a blindside bookend in the NFL.

Villanueva left West Point as a wide receiver after playing on both sides of the line of scrimmage earlier in his college career. After a stint with the Cincinnati Bengals as a tight end, the undrafted free agent did two years of service before taking another swing at an NFL career in 2014.

This time showing up as a defensive lineman, Villanueva spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014. After failing to make the Eagles roster, he was later signed by the interstate franchise, the Pittsburgh Steelers, to play on the offensive line.

After Villanueva's weight fluctuation, stemming from military service and suiting up at three different positions for separate NFL franchises, he was finally able to dig his feet in the dirt as an offensive tackle with the Steelers. In the 2015 preseason, his movement, especially for a 6'9", 320-pounder, were amazing. It wasn't until mid-2015, when Kelvin Beachum tore his ACL, that Villanueva was able to prove his talent against first-string defensive tackles and pass-rushers, though.

Beachum signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars this past offseason. It's now up to Villanueva to keep quarterback Ben Roethlisberger out of the dirt.

The 27-year-old is far from perfect, but his rise as a bookend prospect after less than two full seasons playing the position as a professional would suggest that his steady improvement will continue. Villanueva is ahead of the curve, relative to some top-10 selections at the tackle position who haven't been able to reach his success up to this point in their careers.

Brandon Williams, NT, Baltimore Ravens

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Brandon Williams is somewhat of a known commodity. He's not J.J. Watt, but if you've been paying close attention to NFL defensive tackles, he's hard to miss. That being said, he should be even better under Baltimore's new defensive line coach, Joe Cullen.

While no defense is a true two-gapping 3-4 in today's NFL, the Ravens were thought of as one of the more 3-4-leaning squads in the league under general manager Ozzie Newsome. Cullen has an extensive background as a one-gap coach, though, and that should change the philosophy of the team.

In a 3-4 defense, nose tackles line up on the head of centers. In 4-3 defenses, nose tackles line up either on the inside shoulder of guards, called a 1-technique, or on the outside shoulder of the center, called a shade.

This will allow Williams to focus on one gap, and when he doesn't have to spend time deciding which gap to attack, he's going to be more deliberate and explosive. While Williams, who came out of college at 335 pounds, may not look athletic on paper, he's explosive when adjusted for density. Mock Draftable, a site that calculates percentiles for combine drills for different positions, has Williams' top athletic comparison as Vince Wilfork, one of the most dominant players ever to suit up at the position.

Williams is known now as a quality player who has started 30 games over the last two seasons with the Ravens, but under new guidance, he has the potential to join Dontari Poe among the best young, athletic nose tackles in the NFL. If any team is in search of a nose tackle in the near future, Williams, who is in a contract season, should be on its radar.

Preston Smith, OLB, Washington Redskins

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Coming out of Mississippi State in 2015, Preston Smith was the best long edge-bender we had seen in major college football since Robert Quinn was at North Carolina. There was debate as to how important that trait was or what Smith's ideal role was in the NFL, but his best attribute was never a question.

As a rookie, with just two starts in his 2015 campaign, Smith was able to post eight sacks. That was enough to lead the 2015 draft class in its first year. Since 2007, there have been 10 rookies to match or beat Smith's sack mark:

• Aaron Donald, DT, St. Louis Rams (nine sacks, 2014)
• Ezekiel Ansah, DE, Detroit Lions (eight sacks, 2013)
• Bruce Irvin, DE, Seattle Seahawks (eight sacks, 2012)
• Aldon Smith, OLB, San Francisco 49ers (14 sacks, 2011)
• Von Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos (11 sacks, 2011)
• Jabaal Sheard, DE, Cleveland Browns (8.5 sacks, 2011)
• Ndamukong Suh, DT, Detroit Lions (10 sacks, 2010)
• Carlos Dunlap, DE, Cincinnati Bengals (9.5 sacks, 2010)
• Brian Orakpo, OLB, Washington Redskins (11 sacks, 2009)
• Clay Matthews, OLB, Green Bay Packers (10 sacks, 2009)

Outside of Irvin, who was moved from a pass-rushing position at defensive end to an off-the-ball linebacker position in his sophomore campaign, and Sheard, who is finding himself in New England, the list is loaded with superstars.

Trent Murphy, the Redskins' 2014 second-round pick, has started 26 games at outside linebacker, including 14 last season, opposite of Ryan Kerrigan. Murphy is now transitioning to a 3-4 defensive end role, as Smith has seemingly done enough in his short career to unseat the third-year player.

The writing is on the wall. Smith's early-career sack totals correlate to long-term NFL success, and Washington is going to give him space to grow, affording him as many reps as he needs to get there.

Quinten Rollins, CB, Green Bay Packers

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

If there's one general manager who has historically been good at picking up young cornerbacks, it's Ted Thompson of the Green Bay Packers. Tramon Williams and Sam Shields, two staples of Dom Capers' defenses in Green Bay, were both undrafted free agents coming out of college. Williams made the 2010 Pro Bowl, and Shields made the trip in 2014.

When the contracts of Williams, now a starter in Cleveland, Davon House, now a starter in Jacksonville, and Casey Hayward, who signed with the San Diego Chargers this offseason, expired, the Packers bet on themselves by taking a draft-and-develop approach to the position instead of overpaying non-No. 1 cornerbacks.

Green Bay's secondary is unique in that it uses a lot of "big nickel" looks. What that means is that Capers often plays a third safety in sub-packages as a hybrid slot cornerback or linebacker. With Shields and 2015 first-round pick Damarious Randall as the team's clear outside cornerbacks and nickelback Hayward leaving in free agency, there is a vacancy at the position.

The player who makes the most sense to fill that role is Quinten Rollins, the team's 2015 second-round pick out of Miami (Ohio). In limited time as a rookie in 2015, Rollins flashed. According to Pro Football Focus, the defensive back had a plus-3.3 grade in pass coverage for the year, which was good for fifth on the team despite only playing 235 snaps, 157 fewer than anyone above him in the category.

As far as cornerbacks with more than 15 run snaps in 2015, Rollins ranked first in the NFL in terms of run-stop percentage, per PFF. Excluding cornerbacks with 115 fewer snaps in 2015, Rollins was fourth in the NFL in targeted passer rating, according to PFF.

The only names ahead of him were Josh Norman, Darrelle Revis and Trumaine Johnson, who are the first, second and fifth cornerbacks, respectively, in the NFL in terms of total contract value, per Over the Cap. In a short amount of time, Rollins has posted the efficiency of an elite defensive back. With a role opening up for him, we'll see if that translates to full-time success in 2016, but there's no reason to doubt that it will.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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While it's hard to call Mike Evans an under-the-radar player, as the receiver was drafted seventh overall in 2014, he still has plenty of room to hit his ceiling as an NFL player.

Though Evans is halfway through his rookie contract, his age should be noted. He's still only 22 years old, and juxtaposed to some in the 2016 draft class—like Josh Doctson, the Washington Redskins' first-round pick who will be 24 at the end of his rookie season—he's young for his NFL experience.

Quietly, Evans is seventh in NFL history in receiving yardage after a player's first two NFL seasons. The only names ahead of him are Odell Beckham Jr., Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, Josh Gordon, Torry Holt and A.J. Green.

With an aging Vincent Jackson and a subpar start to a career from 2014 second-round pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins, you'd assume that quarterback Jameis Winston and new head coach Dirk Koetter look at Evans as their main vehicle in the passing game. Based on his success at his age, it's hard to not see Evans becoming a force in the league.