Predicting NFL's Biggest 2019 Breakouts

Welcome to the "quieter part" of the NFL offseason. Quieter, not quiet. It's never really quiet in this business.

But with the heart of free agency and the entire draft now out of the way, we have a chance in May to catch our breath, look over retooled rosters and set our expectations for the upcoming season.

With that in mind, here are a dozen young NFL players who have yet to earn an All-Pro or Pro Bowl nod and have yet to register truly splashy seasons in the pros but could be primed to break out in 2019.

Jump to: 

• quarterback with new weapons
• running back with a clear path to stardom
• running back with a new coach and new expectations
• wide receiver with a QB who might actually be able to throw him the ball
• wide receiver rising on the depth chart
• tight end who gets a boost from a change of scenery and a new QB
• offensive tackle who took over last year and never looked back
• offensive tackle with a new offensive line coach to help
• defensive end being given a chance to shine
• linebacker who is finally healthy
• cornerback who could unseat a veteran starter
• safety who already had success and could become a genuine star

Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield

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Among 33 qualified quarterbacks, Cleveland Browns 2018 No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield ranked in the bottom half of the league in passer rating, QBR, completion percentage and interception rate as a rookie. 

But Mayfield often looked more impressive than his raw numbers would lead you to believe, and those statistics also improved as his maiden NFL season progressed. 

One wonders what the 24-year-old Oklahoma product's 2018 campaign would have looked like had he been coached by Freddie Kitchens all season, because Mayfield turned a corner almost immediately after Kitchens took over for fired offensive coordinator Todd Haley. 

In the final eight weeks (seven Cleveland games) of the season, Mayfield was the league's fourth-highest-rated qualified passer, behind only Russell Wilson, MVP Patrick Mahomes and 2018 passer rating champion Drew Brees. What's more, he was sacked just three times during that span. 

Now Mayfield is entering his first full season as a starter following his first full offseason as an NFL player. He'd be expected to take a major leap forward even if Cleveland hadn't brought in superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and running back Kareem Hunt to work with Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, David Njoku, Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson.

The Browns offense is stacked, which could enable Mayfield to make a Mahomes-like leap in his sophomore season. 

Indianapolis Colts RB Marlon Mack

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Freshly free from the departed Frank Gore's shadow, Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack saw his role increase significantly as a sophomore in 2018. And now, after he experienced late-season and postseason success with the Colts, the 2017 fourth-round pick looks primed to put together the first 1,000-yard season of his NFL career. 

Mack had his moments last season. He was one of just four backs to rush for 115-plus yards on four or more occasions. But he lacked consistency while fighting for reps with fellow young middle-round picks Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins. 

Still, two of those 115-plus-yard performances came in the final three weeks of the regular season, and then he carried the Colts offense in a 148-yard effort in their road playoff victory over the division-rival Houston Texans. The following week, he even fared well in a limited sample and a losing effort against the Kansas City Chiefs, and as a result Mack averaged a splendid 5.9 yards per carry in his first playoff run. 

That bodes well for the still-only-23-year-old's chances of becoming a star in his third season. 

Miami Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage

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Coincidentally, our other potential breakout running back might also benefit greatly from Frank Gore's departure.

One year after leaving the Colts for the Miami Dolphins (where he led the team with 156 carries and 722 rushing yards), Gore is off to the Buffalo Bills. That could mean more work for 2016 third-round pick Kenyan Drake, but don't be surprised if 2018 fourth-rounder Kalen Ballage steals the primary role in the Miami backfield. 

Ballage's 5.3 yards-per-attempt average in 2018 was nearly a yard better than Drake's 4.5 mark, and in the month of December he had four 12-plus-yard runs to Drake's one. 

The sample is small, and a lot of it came on one 75-yard run in one 123-yard December game against the Minnesota Vikings. And Drake is more established, especially as a receiver, but Ballage caught plenty of passes at Arizona State and possesses the explosiveness to become something special as early as 2019. 

Jacksonville Jaguars WR Dede Westbrook

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Wide receiver Dede Westbrook has been teasing fantasy football managers and Jacksonville Jaguars fans alike for the better part of two years. But because the flashy 2017 fourth-round pick has been stuck with little quarterback support, he's lacked consistency since lighting it up in his inaugural preseason. 

It didn't help that a core muscle injury cost Westbrook the majority of his rookie campaign. But he's healthy now, and that quarterback conundrum might finally be solved in Jacksonville. 

With Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles on board and Blake Bortles gone, a number of Jaguars receivers—including 2014 second-round pick Marqise Lee, 2018 second-round DJ Chark and free-agent addition Chris Conley—could break out in 2019. But Westbrook was Jacksonville's best and most reliable receiver in 2018, and Foles relied heavily on Nelson Agholor in the slot during his recent run with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

With that in mind, those two could be the perfect match. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin

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After putting together three triple-digit receiving performances during the second half of his sophomore season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wide receiver Chris Godwin was already seen as an intriguing potential breakout candidate for 2019. 

And then the Bucs hired offensive guru Bruce Arians to replace fired head coach Dirk Koetter. And then they traded starting receiver DeSean Jackson to the Eagles. And then they let slot receiver Adam Humphries get away in free agency. And then they signed zero starting-caliber receivers on the open market. And then they waited until the sixth round to select a receiver in the draft. 

Safe to say Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich have big plans for Godwin, who in his age-23 season should benefit from the presence of first-round studs Mike Evans and O.J. Howard in the passing game. 

We already know the 2017 third-round pick out of Penn State has a strong rapport with Jameis Winston. It's not as though he was useless with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, but Godwin's two best games of the 2018 season came in December, after Winston had reclaimed the starting job from his veteran teammate. 

It helps that our freshest memory of Godwin is him scoring two touchowns on a career-best 114-yard day to conclude the 2018 regular season. While that might not be a sustainable pace in 2019, it's important that Arians believes. 

"I think Chris Godwin is going to be close to a 100-catch guy, especially because I think he can play in the slot," the two-time Coach of the Year said at the NFL annual meetings in March, per Scott Smith of the team's official website. "He's never coming off the field."

Buffalo Bills TE Tyler Kroft

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You could argue that tight end Tyler Kroft experienced at least a miniature breakout when he scored seven touchdowns as a starter with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017. But Kroft still caught just 42 passes for 404 yards that year, and he missed virtually the entire 2018 campaign with a broken foot. 

Healthy and in a new environment after signing a three-year, $18.8 million contract with the Buffalo Bills, the 2015 third-round pick could be in for a true breakout in his age-27 season. 

With veteran Charles Clay gone, the Rutgers product looks to be the clear-cut No. 1 option at tight end in Buffalo, where new receivers Cole Beasley and John Brown should work with Zay Jones, Robert Foster and LeSean McCoy to free up plenty of opportunities for a big-bodied tight end. 

In a perfect world, Kroft could become an ideal safety valve for second-year Bills franchise quarterback Josh Allen, who still has plenty of work to do but possesses the talent to turn a tight end with good hands into a pass-catching machine immediately. 

Kroft should have it in him. The 6'6", 252-pounder was used primarily as a blocker when healthy in Cincy, but he quietly caught more than 70 percent of the passes thrown his way in four years as a Bengal. 

Baltimore Ravens OT Orlando Brown Jr.

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Expectations were low for offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. last season after the Oklahoma product put together an embarrassing showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. But the condominium-sized third-round pick stepped into a starting role with the Baltimore Ravens as a result of an October injury to James Hurst, and Brown never gave the job back. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Brown surrendered pressure on only 4.8 percent of his 378 pass-blocking snaps, good for the league's eighth-best ranking among qualified right tackles. 

But it's possible the 6'8", 345-pounder has only scratched the surface. 

"Orlando came in here really raw, and he's just a big guy," Ravens strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders said last month, per Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun. "I think Orlando's strength gains that he made last offseason, and really the whole way through the season, it was just a week-to-week jump. I couldn't be more excited to have Orlando here for the whole offseason."

Don't be shocked if he becomes a Pro Bowler in 2019. 

Denver Broncos OT Garett Bolles

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Garett Bolles has yet to live up to expectations as a 2017 top-20 pick, but the Denver Broncos offensive tackle did show signs of improvement as a pass-blocker despite taking far too many penalties as a sophomore in 2018. 

Could the third year be the charm for a player who was considered raw coming out of Utah? 

The 26-year-old had few bad games after Denver's Week 10 bye, and now he has more support following substantial changes in the 2019 offseason. Not only could Bolles benefit from having veteran Joe Flacco at quarterback, but it should help that the right side of the line is expected to be better with newbies Ja'Wuan James and Dalton Risner joining the fray. 

Maybe most importantly, the highly respected Mike Munchak has taken over as Denver's offensive line coach. 

As Travis Wakeman of Broncos Wire pointed out: "In the five years that Munchak coached the Steelers offensive line, seven of their offensive linemen were selected to the Pro Bowl. That includes having three of the five starters on the 2018 AFC Pro Bowl roster."

It's possible Bolles is a bust, but it's too early to draw that conclusion. If he's going to finally become the player many hoped would arise, this could be the year it happens. 

Cincinnati Bengals DE Sam Hubbard

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Pass-rusher Sam Hubbard was on the field for just 45 percent of the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive snaps as a rookie in 2018, but the third-round pick out of Ohio State made the most of his limited opportunities. 

Despite starting zero games, Hubbard had six sacks, 39 tackles and a forced fumble, with five of those sacks coming in the final nine games of the season. 

He was even named to the PFF team of the week for Week 15, and he also performed well one week prior against the Los Angeles Chargers and one week later in a loss to the Browns. 

Now he'll have spent a full offseason developing his game to contribute as more than a situational edge-rusher. And with veteran Michael Johnson still unsigned, Carlos Dunlap on the wrong side of 30 and Jordan Willis yet to emerge, Hubbard should have a shot to flourish with the new-look Bengals in 2019. 

Tennessee Titans LB Rashaan Evans

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Rashaan Evans was hamstrung early in his career with the Tennessee Titans. Literally, the 2018 first-round pick was forced to miss the preseason and the start of his debut season with a balky hamstring. But after some September/October growing pains, the Alabama product quickly became a stellar run defender as he improved steadily down the stretch. 

"You really have to remember, Rashaan didn't really get to do anything until the season actually started," Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees in February, per David Boclair of the Nashville Post. "You watch the film on him and the end, as compared to the beginning, it's night and day. What he was doing at the beginning is what he should have been able to do in the preseason and in ITAs and training camp and all those other things, when he was injured."

Now, with a full offseason under his belt, everyone is expecting a healthy Evans to become a force as a sophomore in 2019. 

Pro Football Focus, which called Evans a "second-half star" in 2018, noted that his overall grade of 83.4 between Weeks 10 and 17 ranked first among rookie linebackers. He even started to come around as a pass-rusher despite failing to record a sack. 

Naturally, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel expects Evans to "take some jumps" between his first and second season.

Minnesota Vikings CB Mackensie Alexander

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There's been plenty of speculation that the Minnesota Vikings could consider trading one of their incumbent starting cornerbacks, and that's not because Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes are bad players. It's just that Minnesota is loaded with depth at corner, and 2016 second-round pick Mackensie Alexander is turning into a star before our eyes. 

After a rough start to his third season, the 25-year-old stood out down the stretch both in coverage and as a run defender while working primarily out of the slot. He finished the year with zero touchdowns allowed in coverage, which helped him earn the praise from PFF as Minnesota's most improved player. 

He tied for the NFL lead among corners with four sacks while recording 10 passes defensed, though he still has just one career interception on his resume.

Look for that to change as he becomes more of an impact player moving forward, regardless of whether Rhodes or Waynes remains in Minnesota. 

Houston Texans S Justin Reid

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You might be able to make the argument that safety Justin Reid broke out as a rookie with the Houston Texans. But he didn't win Rookie of the Year like Saquon Barkley or Darius Leonard, he didn't make the Pro Bowl like Leighton Vander Esch, Quenton Nelson or Derwin James, and he didn't stand out quite as much as 12-sack Denver Broncos first-rounder Bradley Chubb. 

So we'll sneak Reid onto this list, mainly because the third-round pick can still become an even bigger force than he was when he intercepted three passes, recorded 88 tackles, recovered two fumbles and registered 10 passes defensed.

In naming him to its all-rookie team, PFF called Reid "the league's surest rookie tackler at safety," noting that he missed just five tackles all season. 

That was enough for the Texans to apparently feel comfortable losing veterans Kareem Jackson and Tyrann Mathieu in free agency, which means Reid is sure to play a much larger role in 2019. 

"He was able to play a lot of football for us and made some big plays," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said earlier this offseason, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "I think you'll see a lot of improvement from year one to year two because of how much he played and how used to the game he is now. He'll be able to go out there and be more comfortable right away."