Posted 10 hours ago | By Chris Mueller
One of the most fun parts about any NFL season is watching new stars establish themselves. Occasionally, players come completely out of nowhere – think Kurt Warner in 1999 – but more often, the emerging superstars are guys who were showing signs of greatness the previous season, then put it all together the following year. Let’s take a look at some players who might make the jump to superstardom in 2021.
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Cam Akers
The 52nd pick in the 2020 draft, Akers had a slow start to his pro career, carrying the ball just 50 times for 201 yards in the Rams’ first eight games, two of which saw him not even touch the ball. Things changed down the stretch, as he ran for 424 yards in Los Angeles’ final five regular-season games, then exploded for 131 rushing yards, and 176 overall in a playoff win over Seattle. Akers acquitted himself well in the Rams’ divisional-round loss to Green Bay, and his skill as an occasional pass-catching threat should be more on display now that Matthew Stafford is around.
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Jaire Alexander
Alexander, the 18th pick in the 2018 draft, finally came into his own in his third season after making steady improvement in 2019. He was rarely targeted, seeing only 80 passes thrown his way all year, and it’s understandable why opposing quarterbacks avoided him; they had just a 67.4 passer rating when targeting him. Alexander made his first Pro Bowl this year, and while he doesn’t have the name recognition of Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard, or other elite cornerbacks, it is clear that he absolutely belongs in their class; next year, it’s a good bet that his play will force everyone to take notice.
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Jessie Bates III
Playing in Cincinnati is tough because, well, it’s the Bengals. The franchise’s status as a near-annual laughingstock – even when their record is good – means that some of the league’s better players go relatively unnoticed and underappreciated. Bates is one of those players, as he was Pro Football Focus’s highest-graded safety this season, yet still doesn’t have so much as a single Pro Bowl nod after three years in the league. Bates allowed a passer rating against of just 70.7 this season and has been a consistent ball hawk since entering the league, posting three interceptions in each season. Crazy as it sounds, his best chance to be recognized as a star next year might actually rest with Joe Burrow. If the Bengals are good, Bates’ excellence will be recognized.
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Brian Burns
After a promising rookie campaign in 2019, Burns’ numbers went up across the board in 2020, as he racked up nine sacks, 21 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and eight tackles for loss for the Panthers’ defense. Burns’ Pro Football Focus grade jumped from 63.7 in 2019 to 76.8 in 2020, despite switching from outside linebacker to defensive end. Whatever your preferred nomenclature for his position – the catch-all “edge rusher” is now the trendiest way to put it – Burns’ first two seasons suggest he has a good chance to be one of the league’s premier sack artists for years to come.
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