You never know when a player will make The Leap. For quarterbacks, it can take a couple years, and then, the light comes on. Ask Josh Allen about that. Pass-rushers have historically shown bumps in productivity in their second seasons, as they develop their rudimentary technique and get the hang of NFL-level blocking. Defensive backs can take longer, though there are exceptions when talent and scheme perfectly intertwine.
When teams select players in the draft, they obviously want to maximize first-contract value, so those players who can make The Leap in their second seasons help their teams as much as they help their future value. The players on this list aren’t the guys who hit the NFL in 2020 and found that the NFL hits back hard — more the rookies who showed enough in 2020 to make us believe that as they head into the 2021 season (with an actual offseason to help them get the hang of things), they’ll be able to show their full potential at the NFL level sooner than later.