Last season, it was New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough taking everyone's pre-draft expectations and completely blowing them away during his rookie season.
Who is going to be following his lead in the class of 2026?
It may not even be someone at the quarterback position, and it could come from anywhere around the NFL. We're going to be taking a look at a handful of players from the AFC and trying to call our shot: Which AFC rookies are going to pull a "Tyler Shough" this coming season?
We're going to look at one rookie from each division in the AFC who could absolutely blow away expectations in the 2026 season.
2026 NFL Predictions: 1 rookie from each AFC division who could shock the league
AFC East: Gabe Jacas, EDGE, New England Patriots (2nd round)
There are a lot of really talented rookies on the defensive side of the ball in this year's draft class, including David Bailey, the 2nd overall pick by the New York Jets. While Bailey is a front-runner for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for obvious reasons, he might end up playing second-fiddle in his own division.
The New England Patriots are obviously the reigning AFC Champions, and we know Mike Vrabel has been able to maximize talent in his system in the past. The Patriots are coming off of a rough year where, especially factoring in their playoff run, they were the worst team in the NFL in overall sack differential (sacks allowed offensively vs. sacks on defense).
Their best pass rusher down the stretch was K'Lavon Chaisson, who left for the Commanders in free agency. Gabe Jacas, a second-round pick out of Illinois, has a chance to come in and immediately compete for starter snaps.
Jacas had 19 of his 27 collegiate sacks over the past two seasons, and added 35.5 career tackles for loss. He was the 55th overall pick in this year's draft, and combines excellent production with outstanding athletic traits. It feels like he could really thrive in an environment where most of the team is already well established.
AFC South: Nate Boerkircher, tight end, Jacksonville Jaguars (2nd round)
Now, wouldn't this be hilarious?
If Nate Boerkircher ends up being what the Jaguars think he is capable of being, it would force a lot of folks in the NFL Draft community to eat crow.
Maybe even a lot of fans in Duval County.
The Jaguars were flamed for drafting Boerkircher in the 2nd round when he was a projected 4th- or 5th-round pick at the earliest from most folks. He's obviously got an uphill battle ahead of him to play well enough to prove himself worthy of being this high of a draft pick, but...what if he does?
That would be a really juicy thread to follow all season long. Boerkircher isn't the biggest, most athletic, or most productive tight end prospect we've seen come along. He also didn't even have 40 receptions at the collegiate level. He'll be playing second-fiddle to the now highly-paid Brenton Strange in Jacksonville, but he could still prove a lot of people wrong.
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