The term sophomore slump is tossed around quite a bit in the NFL. Every year, we see players that were terrific as rookies just fall off a cliff in year two. Some of them recover and become the same player they were in their first season, but some never quite have the same success they did in their rookie season.

While everyone loves to talk about who the next sophomore slump candidate could be, not many people talk about the second year players that could breakout in year two. And let me tell you, there are a lot of them this year.

There were a lot of rookies that either had disappointing rookie seasons or just didn’t see a lot of playing time that I believe are ready to set the league on fire as a sophomore.

1. Ashton Jeanty

Any time a running back goes in the top-10, they have sky-high expectations right out of the gates. Running back is the position that is easiest to adjust to from college to the NFL, so if you’re picked high, you’re expected to have a lot of success right out the gate. But that wasn’t the case for Ashton Jeanty.

The Boise State standout rushed for 975 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, which isn’t bad, but he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry. But I don’t think that was on him. The Las Vegas Raiders were not even close to ready to draft a running back this high, but after a strong offseason, I see Jeanty having a much better second year.

The Raiders made big improvements to their offense, signing guys like Tyler Linderbaum, Jalen Nailor and Kirk Cousins while drafting Fernando Mendoza. They also brought in one of the best young offensive minds in the league, Klint Kubiak, to be their next head coach.

All signs point to Jeanty having a breakout 2026 campaign.

2. Tyler Shough

If you’re one of those people that’s on X saying “oh Tyler Shough only threw 10 touchdowns in 11 games last year, why is he being hyped up so much?” Just tell me you didn’t watch him play in 2025 and are basing all of your opinions off one bad throw from the combine last year.

I’m a New Orleans Saints fan, so I’m a bit biased, but this dude made incredible throw after incredible throw last year, while working with a bunch of nobodies outside of Chris Olave. There’s a reason Olave went from a bottom-tier WR1 with Derek Carr to an All-Pro with Tyler Shough.

Shough already had a small breakout last year, but with the additions the Saints made to their offense this offseason, adding guys like David Edwards, Travis Etienne, Oscar Delp and Jordyn Tyson, he’s going to take the league by storm in his sophomore year.

The sky is the limit for Shough in 2026, and I’m very excited to see what he can do with a whole bunch of weapons.

3. Abdul Carter

Abdul Carter was hyped up as an incredible pass rusher that you can’t afford to miss on, but his first season with the New York Giants wasn’t all that spectacular. At least on paper.

Carter posted just four sacks in his rookie season, which has the casual fan asking what happened, but if you really watch his tape, you’d know he was much better than the stat sheet indicated.

While Carter only had four sacks, which ranked 88th in the NFL, he actually finished 11th in pressures with 66. That’s more pressures than guys like Byron Young, K’Lavon Chaisson, Montez Sweat, Brian Burns and Maxx Crosby. His 43 pressures also ranked 11th in the league and were just two fewer than Myles Garrett.

If Carter can find a way to turn a few more of those pressures into sacks, he could be one of the best pass rushers in the league next year.

4. Emeka Egbuka

Emeka Egbuka’s rookie season was a bit of a roller coaster. He was great at the beginning of the season, going for well over 400 yards and five touchdowns in his first five games, but as the season progressed, his production fell off a cliff. He still managed to finish the year with 938 yards and six touchdowns, but after those first five games, that was a pretty disappointing ending.

A big reason for Egbuka’s fall off was Baker Mayfield’s injury. Egbuka’s QB1 suffered a shoulder injury pretty early in the season, but he did his best to play through it. However, it really hampered his play, and he went from an MVP candidate to a mediocre quarterback by the end of the year.

If Mayfield can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for Egbuka. Mike Evans is gone, opening the door for Egbuka to take over as Tampa’s WR1 in 2026. I’d try to buy low on him in dynasty while you still can.

5. Cam Ward

Do you think Cam Ward had a good rookie season? If your answer was yes, you know ball. If your answer was no, you’re just a box score watcher.

Statistically, Ward wasn’t all that great. He threw for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for two scores, but if you turn on the tape, you’ll be far more impressed with his rookie campaign. The Tennessee Titans didn’t give him any weapons to work with last year, but with guys like Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson entering the conversation, I expect Ward to take a big step in year two.

Some of the plays Ward was making last season were absolutely insane. He was under pressure pretty much every time he dropped back, and he was still making a ton of big throws that half the quarterbacks in the league can’t make. If his offensive line improves, his new weapons on the outside will help him take a massive leap as a sophomore.

6. Luther Burden III

Back in 2024, Luther Burden III was the consensus top receiver in the 2025 draft class, but after a fairly disappointing final season at Missouri, he ended up sliding to the Chicago Bears in the second round.

But don’t get it twisted, Burden was thought of as the top receiver in that draft class for a reason. He’s an incredibly talented receiver, and he showed flashes of that elite-level player last year, but with D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze ahead of him, it was hard for him to be consistent. Well, Moore is gone now, and he’s going to step into a much bigger role in year two.

Caleb Williams should only get better, Colston Loveland should help take some of the heat off of him and he’s in line to get far more targets than he got a year ago. All signs point to Burden taking a big step in year two. Don’t be surprised if he’s battling Odunze for the WR1 spot by the end of the year.

7. Nohl Williams

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Nohl Williams in the third round last year, and he had a very strong rookie campaign. He didn’t play a ton of snaps, totaling just 273 in coverage, but that’s because he had All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and two-time Super Bowl champion Jaylen Watson in front of him. Now, those two are gone, and he’s expected to take on a much bigger role in 2026.

In his 273 coverage snaps last season, Williams was targeted 35 times, allowing 19 receptions (54.3 percent), 223 yards and one touchdown while breaking up four passes. He earned a very respectable 75.6 coverage grade from PFF, and if he can replicate that same success in 2026 with more snaps, he’ll be considered a well above average cornerback in this league.

Mansoor Delane is coming in to fill that CB1 spot, so all Nohl has to do is hold his own against his opponent’s WR2. And if his rookie season was any indication, he’ll be able to do that quite easily.

The Chiefs’ secondary won’t be as good as it was last year, but they have two very capable boundary corners.

8. Jalon Walker

Jalon Walker was one of the highest-rated pass rushers in last year’s class, and while his rookie season wasn’t super disappointing, it wasn’t as great as many fans expected.

In 2025, Walker totaled 29 pressures, 19 hurries and 5.5 sacks. Again, that’s not bad for a rookie, but when you consider his first-round teammate, James Pearce Jr., logged 45 pressures, 31 hurries and 10.5 sacks, Walker was clearly the worse of the two.

Pearce is currently facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, evading the police and resisting an officer with violence, and the expectation is that he’s going to receive some sort of suspension from the NFL. What that suspension will look like, we don’t know, but it certainly opens the door for Walker to prove he’s the guy in Atlanta.

Walker’s going to have more opportunities to get after the passer early in the season, but he’s also not going to have a big threat opposite of him. I believe he’s talented enough to be a true No. 1 edge, but he has to prove it this season while Pearce is likely out.

9. Omarion Hampton

The Los Angeles Chargers spent a first round pick on Omarion Hampton, hoping he could be the missing piece for their offense, but his rookie season was derailed by injuries.

Hampton’s career didn’t get off to the greatest start. He averaged under four yards per carry in each of his first three games and never had more than 70 yards, but in Week 4, Hampton exploded for 128 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Unfortately, the following week, Hampton suffered an ankle injury which kept him out for over two months, and when he returned, the Chargers’ two best offensive linemen, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, were both out for the year.

In his final four regular season games, Hampton still managed to average over four yards per carry in three of them, with the long exception coming against the Houston Texans. He showed that he can be a true RB1 in the NFL, but every running back needs an offensive line in front of them.

If LA’s two star tackles (and Hampton himself) can stay healthy, the UNC product could easily be a top-15 running back in the NFL next season. They just can’t afford to get hit by the injury bug again.

10. Jaxson Dart

It was hard to put Jaxson Dart this low, because I think he’s a really good player, but I am a bit concerned about his situation entering 2026.

The New York Giants don’t have a great offensive line. They should be better than last year, but there are still some holes across this front. On top of that, this whole Malik Nabers situation is very worrisome. It seems like he’s going to miss some time at the start of the season after getting a second surgery, and the situation is so bad that they felt the need to sign Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios. It appears Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney and Malachi Fields/Calvin Austin are going to be the starters to start the year, and that’s not great.

Dart overcame a lot last season and managed to play well down the stretch, but I’m still a bit concerned for him entering 2026. I still hold out some hope that he’ll overcome it and breakout, but that’s the main reason he’s at No. 10 and not towards the top of this list.