Best 2021 NFL breakout candidate from every team

By Randy Gurzi | Jun 28, 2021

ASHBURN, VA - JUNE 02: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the Washington Football Team hands the ball off to Antonio Gibson #24 of the Washington Football Team during the organized team activity at Inova Sports Performance Center on June 2, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – JUNE 15: Sam Darnold #14 high-fives Stephen Sullivan #84 of the Carolina Panthers during mandatory minicamp at Bank of America Stadium on June 15, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Carolina Panthers: Sam Darnold, Quarterback

It’s no secret that Sam Darnold hasn’t lived up to his draft status. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC was expected to go first overall that season until Cleveland showed everyone they weren’t throwing out “smokescreen” by showing interest in Baker Mayfield.

Of course, the idea of a team with the first pick trying to trick everyone is confusing anyway because it’s not like they need to worry about being leap-frogged but for some reason, people thought the Browns were kidding about Mayfield and the Arizona Cardinals were only playing around with their Kyler Murray hype the following year. Anyway, that’s for another article entirely.

Darnold lasted three seasons in New York and it was a mess. That led to his departure this offseason as he now starts for the Carolina Panthers. There’s concern that he will continue to disappoint but there’s also a chance that he will prove that the issue in New York wasn’t him — something that could be very believable since he worked with Adam Gase.

One example of a quarterback getting better when they leave Gase was when Ryan Tannehill went to Tennessee after playing for Gase in Miami. Darnold could have just as bug of a leap now that he has a coach who doesn’t run players into the ground with his overbearing style.

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