AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars: Brenton Strange, TE
The Jaguars have a couple of intriguing potential breakout candidates, and the ones I like the most are Brenton Strange and Maason Smith. I chose Strange for this exercise, but you could interchange either name as the most underrated, because nobody is really talking about either guy. The Jaguars cut Evan Engram this offseason, paving the way for Strange to become the team’s TE1, and he could have a huge year.
Tennessee Titans: T’Vondre Sweat, DL
There are few defensive linemen with as impressive combination of size and athleticism as T’Vondre Sweat. The Titans took Sweat with the 38th overall pick in last year’s draft, and while that was considered a big reach at the time, Sweat can really establish himself this year as a crucial piece of the rebuild for this Titans team. He’s got the size and power to be a dominating force on the interior.
Indianapolis Colts: Jaylon Carlies, LB
With a couple of key players departed via NFL free agency, the Indianapolis Colts have a breakout candidate at the linebacker position in Jaylon Carlies, a former fifth-round pick out of Missouri who played in 10 games with six starts last year and wound up with 36 total tackles. The Colts could absolutely get a huge year out of Carlies, who has great size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), range, and athleticism.
Houston Texans: Blake Fisher, OT
The Houston Texans are going to be desperate for anyone on the offensive line to step up in the 2025 season. You can’t fault them for trying to do something different, given how often CJ Stroud was on his back last year, but was going young across the board the right move? They are certainly going to hope so with second-round pick Blake Fisher, a former Notre Dame star who will be the team’s top right tackle this season.