NFC West
Seattle Seahawks: AJ Barner, TE
The Seattle Seahawks saw some potential TE1 type stuff from AJ Barner last year as the fourth-round pick caught four touchdown passes. Barner might be in line to take over the TE1 job from Noah Fant this year and make him expendable, especially with the arrival of receiving specialist Elijah Arroyo. Barner might end up being the top tight end in Seattle this season, despite a crowded room on paper.
San Francisco 49ers: Renardo Green, CB
The 49ers are going to be calling on a wide variety of young players to step up and be breakout players this coming season, but Renardo Green is in a great position to have some success. Green played all 17 games and had seven starts last year, playing 63 percent of the 49ers’ defensive snaps and racking up 13 passes defensed. With Robert Saleh calling the San Francisco defense again, Green is maybe one of the most slept-on young corners in the NFL ready to break out.
Arizona Cardinals: BJ Ojulari, EDGE
Injury robbed BJ Ojulari of his breakout campaign last year, so maybe he can reclaim it in 2025. Ojulari had four sacks in just over 400 snaps as a rookie in 2023, but after missing the entire 2024 season, his status with the team is up in the air. He’s going to have to beat out guys like Baron Browning for snaps, but if Ojulari is healthy, he has the type of chops to be a really effective tandem player with incoming free agent Josh Sweat off the edge.
Los Angeles Rams: Blake Corum, RB
There was some talk this offseason that Kyren Williams wasn’t as dynamic as maybe his numbers the last two seasons would indicate. I don’t know how much I would agree with that, but there are some who feel like Williams shouldn’t be getting as much of the workload as he is in Los Angeles. Perhaps that’s where Blake Corum, the former National Champion hero of Michigan, can step in. Corum only had 65 total touches as a rookie and could have a much bigger role in year two for Sean McVay and the Rams.