Every year in the NFL, under-the-radar players emerge from the shadows and put their names on the map.
Several players showed signs in organized team activities and minicamp that they can be breakout players in 2017.
No. 8: Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Austin Seferian-Jenkins isn’t really underrated because he’s gained notoriety for the wrong reasons.
Seferian-Jenkins caught 21 passes in each of his first two seasons after he was drafted in the second round by the Buccaneers in 2014. Not only was his production disappointing, but the tight end was a head case, and a DUI arrest was the last straw. The Bucs released him last September and the Jets picked him up. Seferian-Jenkins caught a total of 13 passes for the season and checked himself into rehab.
That might have done the trick.
Seferian-Jenkins has dropped 25 pounds while hanging on to enough passes to impress the Jets during spring workouts. He still has to serve a two-game substance-abuse suspension, but when he returns he could be a bright spot for the Jets this season.
No. 7: Paul Perkins
If Paul Perkins’ rushing yardage in his rookie season was drawn on a graph, it might look like an ocean wave.
The fifth-round draft pick was inactive for the first two games, was limited to special teams duty in Week 3 and then increased his rushing yards in each of his first six games. Then his yardage dipped for two straight weeks before rising every week in each of the last six games.
This trend culminated in Perkins’ first 100-yard game in Week 17. He gained 102 yards in a 19-10 win at Washington that kept the rival Redskins out of the playoffs.
Rashad Jennings, who had most of the Giants’ carries last year, is out of the picture. That leaves Perkins as the front-runner in the Giants’ backfield. He showed last season that he can block, and that trait tends to keep running backs on the field.
The Giants’ offensive line could make life difficult for Perkins and probable third-down back Shane Vereen, but the addition of Brandon Marshall and highly-touted rookie tight end Evan Engram could take some attention away from Perkins in his sophomore season.
No. 6: Jonathan Jones
Jonathan Jones, who went undrafted in 2016, primarily played special teams for the Patriots last season.
This spring, he’s competing for the nickel cornerback spot.
Second-year CB Jonathan Jones stood out. Had multiple pass breakups. Got the best of Brandin Cooks on one.
— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) June 6, 2017
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones played 16 snaps against the run last year and had a stop on 6.3 percent of those snaps. That’s the highest rate among rookie cornerbacks who played at least 10 snaps against the run.
Interceptions would get him noticed. Jones, who ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the combine, would have plenty of chances to get his hands on the ball with quarterbacks trying to avoid Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler.
No. 5: Maurice Alexander
Rams safety Maurice Alexander was a breakout candidate before the 2016 season.
And he did break out. A little.
Alexander started 14 games in his third season, intercepting two passes and breaking up four. He was part of a Rams defense that finished ninth in yards allowed but 23rd in points allowed.
New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has a track record of making immediate improvements in his first year on the job. He could coax a real breakout season from Alexander, who has the versatility to play both safety positions and even a little cornerback.
No. 4: Bud Dupree
Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree hasn’t quite had the impact that’s expected from the 22nd overall pick in the draft. He has 8.5 sacks in his two-year career. Two came in his first two games in 2015 and two came in the last two games of the 2016 regular season.
So what happened in between?
Dupree said before his second season that he hit the rookie wall in 2015. That makes sense, considering he never played a bowl game in his four years at Kentucky. All four of Dupree’s rookie sacks came in the first eight games of the season, before he played December football for the first time in at least five years.
Then Dupree spent the first half of last season on injured reserve with a groin injury. That groin must have healed nicely, because he had 2.5 sacks in a 27-20 win at Buffalo in Week 14 before those two sacks in each of the last two regular-season games. Dupree also shared a sack in the Steelers’ 30-12 wild-card win over the Dolphins.
Assuming Dupree has the whole 16-game season thing down, he could harass some quarterbacks in 2017 if he stays healthy.
No. 3: Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs has been trending upward in his career, but that rise hasn’t been as sharp as it looked like it would be after he caught 25 passes in his first four career games in 2015.
Diggs finished with 52 receptions in his rookie season and caught 84 passes last year. Similar to 2015, however, exactly half of those catches came in four games. Diggs caught 16 passes in the first two games then suffered a groin injury in Week 4. He missed three games over the course of the season and vowed to get into better shape.
The way the Vikings foundered to 8-8 after their 5-0 start also might have quieted Diggs’ 84 receptions. He’s also caught only seven touchdown passes since the Vikings drafted him in the fifth round in 2015.
Diggs and Sam Bradford worked well together at the Vikings’ spring practices, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Assuming he doesn’t have to play in three different offensive systems between the preseason and the end of the year like he did in 2016, Bradford should be in a better spot to help boost Diggs’ star power.
No. 2: Cameron Meredith
Even with Alshon Jeffery still around, Cameron Meredith led the Bears with 66 receptions last season. Now that Jeffery is in Philadelphia, Meredith should be the go-to receiver for whoever wins the Bears’ starting quarterback job.
Meredith built up some momentum for 2017 with 28 of his catches coming in the last four games, including nine catches each from Matt Barkley against the Packers in Week 15 and the Redskins in Week 16.
Also building momentum for 2017 were running back Jordan Howard (1,313 yards) and center Cody Whitehair, both rookies. The Bears addressed their quarterback situation in the draft.
A thumb injury that could require surgery might keep Meredith out of the early part of training camp, but he’s an under-the-radar piece in an offense that’s slowly starting to take shape.
No. 1: Mike Gillislee
It’s kind of hard for a running back to show everything that he can do when LeSean McCoy is on the team.
Mike Gillislee did have the edge on McCoy in one area last season, gaining 5.7 yards per attempt. Gillislee led the NFL in that category while McCoy was third with 5.4. It added up to 577 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns for Gillislee.
The Patriots signed the former Bill as a restricted free agent. He joins a team without a bell cow running back, although Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says that Gillislee is the leading candidate to assume the role vacated by LeGarrette Blount.
Blount ran for 1,161 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Anything close to that would be a breakout season for Gillislee even if James White, Rex Burkhead and Dion Lewis crimp the style of Gillislee’s fantasy owners.
When it comes to real football, becoming a Patriot will make Gillislee a household name.
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