NFL Future Predictions: Best NFC South in 5 years
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tristan Wirfs
Like Chase Young, Wirfs came into the league and became one of the best young players at his position. It’s no wonder he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Wirfs is just that good, and as I mentioned often in my AFC version of this article: Good, young offensive tackles tend to stay good. Wirfs appears to fit that category.
Tampa Bay has other players I considered on this roster, too. Fellow rookie Antoine Winfield Jr. also played a pivotal role in the Bucs’ Super Bowl run, hence a spot on the All-Rookie Team, too. He could be one of the best safeties in football in a few years, maybe sooner. Whoever is better, I don’t think Bucs fans are too upset about having Wirfs and Winfield.
Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Pitts
Dare I say, Younghoe Koo?
All kidding aside, Atlanta is another team with few promising young players, which may help to explain why they replaced their coaching staff and front office. Grady Jarrett may be their best player, but he’ll be 33 in five seasons. It’s really between Calvin Ridley and Kyle Pitts here. As good as Ridley is, I’d have slightly more faith in Pitts at becoming the Falcons’ best player.
Forget his “tight end” label; Pitts is an offensive weapon. He can line up anywhere on the field. He may very well change the game. That seems to be appropriate expectations for the fourth overall pick in the draft. In all likelihood, Atlanta’s best player in 2026 could be whoever their quarterback is.
Carolina Panthers: Brian Burns
The Panthers have been undergoing some major roster turnover over the last couple of seasons. In the process, they’ve landed some promising players. Derrick Brown and Jeremy Chinn both balled in their rookie seasons; they could be franchise players for Carolina. Christian McCaffrey — who has quietly become one of the more experienced players on the roster — is undeniably good.
However, my reservations about running backs long-term are kicking in here, especially with his recent injury history. Instead, let’s go with Burns. Outside of the Carolina fanbase, Burns doesn’t seem to get the respect he deserves. The second-year edge rusher has posted 16.5 sacks in his NFL career, and he’s only getting better. It’s not unfathomable that Burns is one of the NFL’s top edge rushers in five years.
New Orleans Saints: Ryan Ramczyk
The Saints are commonly pegged as a team on the decline following Drew Brees’ retirement. While few people are expecting Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill to fill Brees’ void, let’s not overlook the young talent on the roster. Alvin Kamara is a dynamic threat to score on every play, Michael Thomas is one of the best receivers in the NFL — much to the chagrin of his numerous haters — and Ryan Ramczyk and Marshon Lattimore have been stalwarts at their positions in their four-year careers.
I’m leaning Ramcyzk over Lattimore here simply due to a higher consistency rate for offensive tackles, which I’ve I’ve brought up countless times throughout this exercise. Admittedly, I wonder if New Orleans would move on from Ramczyk to try to save some much-needed cap space. If he remains a Saint, it’s hard not to envision Ramczyk having a nice, long career.