Atlanta Falcons: EDGE Arnold Ebiketie

Last year, Ebiketie had a strong showing as a pass-rusher with six sacks, 28 pressures and a 70.1 pass-rush grade, according to Pro Football Focus. What makes those numbers even more impressive is he did that on just 175 opportunities, per PFF.

The Penn State product only logged six starts in 2023 but he’s in line to receive more playing time now that Bud Dupree is out of the picture. So, look for the former Nittany Lion to be even more productive during his third season.

Carolina Panthers: QB Bryce Young

Young’s rookie season couldn’t have gone much worse as the situation around him was terrible and he played poorly as well. However, Carolina hit the reset button in the offseason and gave its young quarterback a lot of help.

Dave Canales is taking over as head coach after helping revive Baker Mayfield’s career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, and the team’s interior offensive line should be much improved with the additions of guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt. Also, Austin Corbett is healthy and moving to center.

All of that combined with signing Diontae Johnson and drafting Xavier Legette at wide receiver creates a much better supporting cast for Young heading into year two. Now it’s just a matter of him holding up his end of the bargain.

New Orleans Saints: CB Paulson Adebo

In a way, Adebo “broke out” last season by recording four interceptions, 18 passes defended and a 69.9 passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Focus, to earn an 80.5 coverage grade from PFF. However, that didn’t result in any post-season recognition, making the corner eligible for this column.

Look for the 2021 third-round pick to continue to build on that strong performance, especially with the addition of pass-rusher Chase Young which should make the entire secondary’s life easier, and become a Pro Bowler or All-Pro this fall.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C Graham Barton

Barton will be switching from college offensive tackle to NFL center which could be a bumpy transition, but it’s not as if he has no experience at his new position after lining up and playing well at center during his freshman year at Duke.

In the Blue Devil’s scouting report, offensive line scout Brandon Thorn described him as a “stubborn, sticky blocker with the short-area quickness, play strength and competitive toughness to make a successful transition inside and become a solid, dependable starter right away at guard or center.”

That’s a strong endorsement, suggesting the rookie can easily hit the ground running.