Former personnel executive and current NFL Network analyst Marc Ross identifies 10 notable Year 2 players who are poised for a breakout campaign in 2025.
The Patriots have made a concerted effort this offseason to build around Maye, who had a highly impressive rookie year despite working behind a leaky offensive line and with minimal firepower around him. Back in January New England hired head coach Mike Vrabel, who took the Titans to the playoffs in three of his six seasons in Tennessee and was inducted into the Patriots' Ring of Honor in 2023. Vrabel brings some stability to the coaching staff. In addition, the return of Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator should help Maye take more ownership at the line of scrimmage and play to his strengths.
The team wasted no time adding key veteran pieces around Maye this offseason, including WRs Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, OT Morgan Moses, OG Wes Schweitzer and C Garrett Bradbury. New England also selected four offensive players in the first 100 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft -- including blindside protector Will Campbell and running back TreVeyon Henderson -- which helped the Patriots put together one of the league's best draft hauls. The offense appears to be headed in the right direction with Maye likely to take a big step forward in Year 2.
Williams is coming off an up-and-down rookie campaign, as he often had to navigate behind an offensive line that struggled to protect him. Even in those circumstances, Williams showed off his playmaking ability, setting franchise rookie records for completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns during a season in which the Bears fired their offensive coordinator and head coach.
Just four months after the rough end to his first season, things feel entirely different around the quarterback. The Bears hired an exceptional offensive play-caller in head coach Ben Johnson, retooled the offensive line and drafted dynamic playmakers in TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden III. With better protection and a head coach who has a record of building explosive offenses, Williams is set up to fully realize his potential.
Harrison's rookie production certainly wasn't horrible, but considering the massive expectations surrounding him coming into the NFL, he fell short of the hype. He registered 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns, exceeding 90 receiving yards in just three games while being held to fewer than 40 seven times. The offense struggled with consistency in 2024, and the chemistry between Kyler Murray and his No. 1 receiver was not where it needed to be, something they are trying to improve this offseason. Head coach Jonathan Gannon has praised Harrison's mentality heading into Year 2, saying:
"He came up to me -- I normally meet with guys about their developmental plan when we're done with the year -- when I had my meeting with him, he came up to me and he handed me a piece of paper," Gannon said. "It wasn't me handing him a piece of paper. But we knew that. The guy's a ready-made pro. He does all the right things. He was here the whole offseason. He skipped out one week, he went and trained with a bunch of different receivers, but he was here the whole offseason. I think he added a little bit of muscle mass. He looks a little bit bigger. All his numbers, his metrics are all better than when we got him."
With a full NFL season and offseason now under Harrison's belt, it certainly feels like we will see a different version of the 2024 fourth overall pick this fall.
Legette had a slow start to his NFL career, catching 49 passes for 497 yards and four touchdowns last season. Some of the struggles can be tied to his own growing pains -- he had eight drops on 81 targets, according to Pro Football Focus -- but he had also had to navigate the quarterback shuffle between Bryce Young and Andy Dalton early in Dave Canales' first season leading the Panthers. Canales recently said he believes Carolina has a DK Metcalf-like talent in Legette, who had foot surgery this offseason but was cleared to resume work in early April, and that having a full offseason alongside Young, who took a significant step forward in 2024, could lead to a breakout result in 2025. I anticipate it will also help that Carolina invested another first-round pick in a wide receiver, Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, to complement Legette in the pass game.
Fashanu evolved into a bright spot over the course of the Jets' tumultuous 2024 campaign. The team brought the rookie along slowly, as he took over duties along the offensive line when injuries hit the unit. When Tyron Smith's season ended in November due to a neck injury, Fashanu stepped in as the Jets' starting left tackle, allowing only one sack in five starts before sustaining an injury of his own that sidelined him for the final two games of the season.
The Jets enter the 2025 season looking much different than they did when Fashanu arrived as the 11th overall pick in 2024. Aaron Glenn is the new head coach and Justin Fields replaced Aaron Rodgers as QB1. The offense is expected to be more of a run-heavy unit with Fields and Breece Hall in the backfield, which should play to Fashanu's strength as a blocker. In adding Armand Membou with the seventh overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jets are hoping they have solidified their OT pillars for the future.
I thought Latu was the best pass rusher in the 2024 draft, but we didn't see his full potential last season. He posted four sacks as a rotational piece in the Colts' defensive front, which returns Samson Ebukam -- who missed all of last season with an Achilles injury -- and added edge rusher JT Tuimoloau in the second round of April's draft. Latu is surrounded by talent but he has the opportunity to show his skills as a Trey Hendrickson-like force under Lou Anarumo, who's entering his first season as defensive coordinator after six years as the Bengals' DC.
Robinson had a solid finish to his rookie season after a slow start as a role player in Anthony Weaver's defense, totaling six sacks and 56 QB pressures in 17 games (one start). The Dolphins' defensive front should improve after adding first-round DT Kenneth Grant and getting back a healthy Jaelan Phillips, who is coming off an ACL tear. With a year of experience under his belt, Robinson looks poised to become a major presence for the unit as a potential double-digit sack performer.
Turner played just 28 percent of the Vikings' defensive snaps in his first season, finishing with 20 tackles, three sacks and an interception. His path to more opportunities opened when Patrick Jones II, who had seven sacks in 2024, left in free agency. Turner should wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks alongside Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard in Brian Flores' scheme. NFL teams can never have too many pass rushers, and the Vikings clearly took that to heart when they plugged the middle of their D-line with free-agent signings Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. Expect Turner to benefit from all of these moves in Year 2 and make the "huge jump" head coach Kevin O'Connell has predicted.
Arnold posted 10 passes defensed in 2024 but committed 10 penalties, too. He has to clean that up, first and foremost, but Arnold has an opportunity to thrive across from free-agent signing D.J. Reed -- much like Sauce Gardner for the Jets -- and develop into a true No. 1 corner. The Lions have beefed up their defensive front this offseason, re-signing key components like Marcus Davenport and adding DT Tyleik Williams in the draft, which will only benefit Arnold and the secondary.
After beginning his career with limited reps in the Ravens defense, Wiggins quickly became a reliable cornerback for defensive coordinator Zach Orr. Wiggins held his own on the island and made a ton of plays for arguably the NFL's best defense down the stretch in 2024, posting 33 tackles, 13 passes defensed, one forced fumble and a pick-six (against the rival Browns in the regular-season finale). I don't necessarily think the rookie got the credit he deserved last season, and it makes sense considering the players around him in Baltimore's secondary, including perennial Pro Bowlers Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey. It won’t be long until Wiggins stands alongside them thanks to his immense talent.
