Tennessee Titans: T'Vondre Sweat, DL
Between Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat, the Titans have a little something cooking on the interior defensive line, even if they don't have much else to write home about defensively. Sweat had 51 tackles as a rookie last year and was much better than expected, even as a second-round pick. He can take another step forward in his dominance this coming season.
Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, EDGE
We don't always want to go with the low-hanging fruit for these types of exercises, but Laiatu Latu is too easy of a pick for the Colts. The top defensive player off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft could emerge as one of the most feared young pass rushers in the NFL this season. He had 12 QB hits, 4.0 sacks, and three forced fumbles as a rookie for the Colts.
Houston Texans: Blake Fisher, OT
This might be more of a "manifesting" situation than anything else. Fisher has all of the ingredients of a breakout player. He was a second-round pick last year and is supposed to be stepping into a key starting role this coming season. The Texans are going to have to be patient, because they're the ones who decided to blow up the offensive line and create this opportunity for the former Notre Dame star.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Brenton Strange, TE
You could argue that with 40 catches last season, Brenton Strange already had his true "breakout" year. But this year, there will be no doubt about who is TE1 in Jacksonville after Evan Engram was cut in the offseason. Strange was a second-round pick in 2023 out of Penn State, and has all of the makings to step up and become the type of all-around tight end the league is lacking right now.