Pro Football Focus sees New Orleans Saints rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry as the team’s top breakout candidate for next season:
People were somewhat confused when the New Orleans Saints selected a cornerback in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, but it has quickly become a fantastic idea.
Not only was rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry an important part of the team this past season, but he is going to be a massive part of the future. Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker recently listed McKinstry as the Saints’ top breakout candidate for next season.
This is what Locker had to say about the former Alabama Crimson Tide standout:
The Saints’ defensive line was plagued all year long, but McKinstry was encouraging in the team’s secondary. The second-round pick produced a 67.1 PFF coverage grade, permitting a catch on only 57.9% of his targets and racking up five pass breakups. McKinstry’s 84th-percentile PFF coverage grade in single coverage and 79th-percentile PFF coverage grade on passes with no pressure also render him very valuable moving forward.
As a rookie, he accumulated 42 tackles with two for a loss and six passes broken up. Those numbers might not jump off the page, but he is a solid player that had very little help in coverage.
Per PFF’s metrics, he was targeted 57 times and allowed 33 catches for 404 yards this year. There wasn’t really one game that he really got dominated in, but he was consistently giving up around 30 yards an outing.
Overall, he did fine for a rookie and did enough to be excited about his future.
Handing out season awards for the Packers in 2024, continuing with breakout players, best rookies and other player superlatives.
The Green Bay Packers survived an early-season injury to Jordan Love, won seven of eight games after a 2-2 start and clinched a playoff berth at 11-4 but then limped into the postseason, losing back-to-back games to division rivals before falling 22-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles to open the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 7 seed.
While the Packers won more regular season games and improved in almost every meaningful statistical category, the disappointing finish — featuring three straight losses — greatly tarnished the second year of the Love era and left the Packers stuck somewhere between “good” and “great” entering the 2025 offseason.
Last year, an inspired second-half run and a near upset of the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs sent the Packers to the offseason with incredible optimism. The feeling is much different a year later, and Matt LaFleur’s team must now use disappointment — instead of optimism and potential — to fuel improvement in 2025.
The Packers swept the NFC West and AFC South but finished 0-6 against the Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. This was a good team that consistently failed to play well enough in big games to beat a great team.
It was a bumpy ride. Now it’s time to hand out some awards for the 2024 season, continuing with breakout players, best rookies and a few other player superlatives:
Kraft built on a terrific end to his rookie season with a tremendous second year. He ascended to the starting job at tight end and became a legitimate and consistent weapon, both as an on-the-move blocker in the run game and a yards-after-catch machine in the passing game. Kraft caught 50 passes on 70 targets, averaged 14.1 yards per catch and scored seven touchdowns. He averaged over 14.0 yards per catch despite an average depth of target of only 5.0 yards because he lead all NFL tight ends in average yards after the catch (9.3) and missed tackles forced (15). He ended up second in yards per target (10.1) behind only All-Pro George Kittle. Counting the postseason, all five of Kraft’s sneak attempts from under center were successful. In Year 2, Kraft doubled his receiving yards and ranked tied for second on the team in touchdowns. He’ll go into 2025 with a chance to become an elite player at tight end in the NFL.
Breakout player, defense: LB Edgerrin Cooper
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
By the end of the season, one could have made a compelling argument for Cooper as the defense’s most valuable player. He was that impactful, especially down the stretch. A second-round pick, Cooper had an injury during training camp and was eased into the action early in the season. But once he was unleashed, Cooper looked like a true game-wrecking linebacker. He finished with 13 tackles for loss, ranking second among NFL off-ball linebackers. The league named him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 8 (at Jacksonville) and Week 15 (at Seattle) and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for December/January. According to PFF, Cooper had the best overall defensive grade among all NFL defensive players between Week 15-18. For the first time in ages, the Packers have a field-tilting linebacker. It will be on Jeff Hafley and the defensive staff to maximize Cooper’s disruptive abilities and smooth out some of the down-to-down inconsistencies in 2025. If accomplished, Cooper could be a Pro Bowl/All-Pro level player in Year 2.
Best rookie, offense: OL Jordan Morgan
Green Bay Packers guard Zach Tom (50) and offensive tackle Jordan Morgan (77) team up to blocks Arizona Cardinals defensive end L.J. Collier (91)
Third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd played all of one game, Day 3 picks Jacob Monk and Travis Glover barely played, and quarterback Michael Pratt began the regular season in Tampa Bay, leaving options thin on offense. Morgan, the team’s first-round pick, had a chance to start at right guard but suffered the first of several shoulder injuries in training camp. Morgan still ended up rotating into the game at right guard in five games and starting one game at left guard. He was on the field for 186 total snaps. Morgan allowed seven pressures (zero sacks) and committed one penalty. Four of his seven pressures allowed came in his one and only start against the Lions in Week 9. An aggravation of his shoulder injury required season-ending surgery. He’ll go into 2025 will a real chance to start somewhere along the offensive line.
Best rookie, defense: LB Edgerrin Cooper
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Safety Evan Williams looked like a good bet to win this during the season’s first two months, but Cooper’s emergence and a few injuries for Williams down the stretch made this an easy pick. Still, the fact that the Packers had two rookies showcase legitimate playmaking ability and another (Javon Bullard) start at both safety and in the slot is a highly encouraging sign for the future of the defense. If Williams and Bullard can become reliable starters and Cooper can reach his potential as a star linebacker, this will look like an incredible draft class. Cooper, Williams and Bullard combined for 16 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Most underrated player: OT Zach Tom
Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Tom emerged as one of the NFL’s best offensive tackles in his third season but wasn’t even voted as a Pro Bowl alternate. Much like David Bakhtiari in his prime, Tom quietly dominated in pass protection — and he was one of the most improved linemen in football in terms of overall run blocking grades at PFF. While his final performance in Philadelphia was disappointing, Tom was incredibly consistent throughout the regular season. He allowed only 24 pressures across 562 pass-blocking snaps. It’s a shame he wasn’t better in the playoffs because Tom needs more attention from a national perspective. At some point in the next year, the Packers will pay him a lot of money to stay in Green Bay long term.
Most improved player: RB Emanuel Wilson/DE Brenton Cox Jr.
Dan Powers-Imagn Images
Injuries to A.J. Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd opened the door behind Josh Jacobs, and Wilson took full advantage. He averaged 4.9 yards per attempt, and his 59.2 success rate on runs trailed only Bijan Robinson among running backs with at least 100 attempts. Wilson turned 114 touches into 550 yards and five scores while not fumbling and improving significantly as a pass blocker. Defensively, trading away Preston Smith at the deadline opened the door at defensive end, and Cox Jr. — a talented second-year player — created 18 pressures, 4.0 sacks and five tackles for loss over the final seven games. Another leap in performance could turn Cox Jr. into a valuable asset at edge rusher in 2025.
Surprise player of the year: QB Malik Willis
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In late August, the Packers were scrambling to figure out whether or not Sean Clifford or rookie Michael Pratt could be the backup quarterback behind Jordan Love. Neither was up to the task, so general manager Brian Gutekunst swung a trade with the Titans for Willis, and the deal might have saved the season. Willis was terrific in pair of winning starts while Love nursed a knee injury, and he led a game-winning drive in Jacksonville and had the Packers ahead in the final minute of the season finale. Willis completed 74.1 percent of his passes, averaged 10.2 yards per attempt, didn’t throw an interception and finished with a passer rating of 124.8. Under contract for 2025, Willis gives the Packers a legitimate backup behind Love going into next season.
The New Orleans Saints are going to be looking for players to take a step up in 2024, here are three prime candidates to do so next season:
The New Orleans Saints had a tough 2023 campaign, while finishing 9-8 they struggled immensely with consistency and ended up losing the division. However, there were some flashes of high-quality play from younger players, especially those who may not have had a ton of playing time overall.
These types of players are critical to the success of the Saints, as many have started off in a limited role but ended up becoming high-value players. In this article, we will be discussing three players who could end up with bigger roles for the Saints in 2024, why they could see this increase, and whether or not they are likely to break out due to this uptick in snaps.
So without further ado, let’s start with our first player:
The Indianapolis Colts were one win away from competing in the playoffs but instead find themselves sitting at home with the majority of the league preparing for the 2024 offseason.
Even though it was a decent surprise the Colts were in a position to compete for a playoff spot considering the amount of injuries along with the addition of a rookie head coach working with a backup quarterback, there were plenty of bright spots who helped get Indy to that position.
Here are six Colts who exceeded expectations during the 2023 season:
We look at five potential breakout players for the Commanders in 2023. Who are your picks?
Every season, new stars emerge across the NFL. Some are expected, some are not. Every NFL team has breakout players. Which player for the Washington Commanders will have a breakout season in 2023?
When the Washington Commanders selected Minnesota cornerback Benjamin St-Juste in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, many fans said, “Who?”
The 6-foot-3 St-Juste quickly turned heads in his first offseason. During OTAs and through training camp, other defensive players noticed St-Juste and head coach Ron Rivera praised him at every turn.
Unfortunately, St-Juste’s rookie season was cut short after nine games due to concussions.
In 2022, St-Juste played slot cornerback throughout the offseason. He began the 2022 season inside, but once Washington moved around its secondary and St-Juste moved back to outside cornerback, he looked like a different player. St-Juste was physical, used his length well and competed on every snap with some of the NFL’s best wide receivers, including Justin Jefferson.
St-Juste won his share of those battles.
Again, injuries cut St-Juste’s season short; this time, he missed five games.
The Commanders added cornerback Emmanuel Forbes with a first-round pick in April’s NFL draft, giving them three legitimate starting cornerbacks for 2023.
St-Juste brings a versatility to the Commanders’ secondary that allows them to move him around and try different things. He spent extended time both on the perimeter and in the slot in 2022. Now, with Emmanuel Forbes coming in to compliment both he and Kendall Fuller, all of these guys are going to make each other better.
St-Juste finished sixth in the NFL in lowest reception percentage in 2022. With added help in the secondary, as well as a more defined role, the Minnesota product could have a breakout year.
It’s a shame St-Juste was injured in the Week 11 win over Houston last season because he was close to becoming a household name at cornerback.
Who is a potential breakout player for the Washington Commanders in 2023?
Quarterback Sam Howell comes to mind, of course; that depends on who you talk to, as some think Howell is the NFL’s worst starting quarterback, while there are others who are high on his potential.
What about third-year wide receiver Dyami Brown? Howell’s former college teammate had a huge game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 last season and was rarely used again.
We could argue that Curl broke out as a seventh-round pick during his rookie season in 2020. Now in line to receive a contract extension, Curl has quietly become one of Washington’s most valuable defensive players, and his absence was evident in the five games he missed for the Commanders in 2022.
Here’s PFF’s explanation on Curl:
Similarly to Neal, Curl’s breakout would be him being able to play an entire season at the level he’s shown before. Curl was PFF’s second-highest-graded safety in 2022 (82.9), but he has yet to play more than 900 snaps in a season and ranked 58th among safeties in snaps played in 2022 (727).
