Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Justin Jefferson top the stars under 25 who are emerging as protagonists of the season
With the impending start of the 2021 NFL season the time has come to forecast who will be the young stars in the league this year.
For this exercise I chose 10 players under 25 years old that are shaping up to shape the 2021 season, some with a lot of experience in the league and have even won championships already, others will barely make their debut, but there are high expectations for their success at the collegiate level.
Notable absences? Sure there will be some, but they will probably be part of other lists that will be published in the next few days before starting the campaign.
Mahomes He already has under his arm the top three accolades an NFL player can win: Super Bowl title, Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP. At 25 years old, Mahomes made history by signing the largest contract in league history with a 10-year extension and about $ 500 million.
In his three seasons as a full-time starter, Mahomes he accumulates 114 touchdown passes and 13,868 yards, he also has six touchdowns on the ground, and I do not expect a decline in his production, on the contrary, he must be motivated by his defeat in the last Super Bowl, so wait for a Mahomes on from the first week.
Jackson is shaping up to have the next great quarterback rivalry in the NFL with Mahomes, although so far the balance for him is negative.
The athletic ability of Jackson has allowed Baltimore to build a powerful running game with the ability to attack deep down the field when needed, this has resulted in three consecutive playoff appearances, now the next step is to get to at least the American League Championship Game. AFC.
The most interesting in the case of Jackson is that he is already eligible to sign a juicy contract extension with the Ravens that could turn into a massive agreement if he manages to culminate his campaign with a Super Bowl title, will he get it?
If you have to describe the rookie campaign of Jefferson with the Vikings I would definitely use monstrous. The wide receiver stormed the league with 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns and there is no reason to think he will slow down in 2021. The presence of Adam Thielen on the other side of the field opens up spaces for Jefferson, who quickly developed his chemistry with quarterback Kirk Cousins to become one of the most dangerous players in the NFL.
After the painful incident in 2019 when he hit Mason Rudolph’s unprotected head with a helmet, Garrett He seems to have set the course to become one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the league. Last year he had 12 sacks, deflected two passes, caused four fumbles and recovered two. If the Browns broke their 2020 playoff drought, it was largely due to contributions from Garrett, who still appears to be a long way from reaching the peak of his game.
Young he’s another young pass rusher who has the tools to become the next big NFL star in his position. As a newbie, Young he added 7.5 sacks, four deflected passes, four forced fumbles, three fumble recovered and a touchdown, in addition to 44 tackles, 32 of them solo, facing double marks most of the time.
Can you imagine starting your NFL career taking passes from Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, Garrett Gilbert and still catching 74 passes for 935 yards and five touchdowns? Well that’s what he did Lamb last year with the Cowboys after a terrible ankle injury that sidelined starter Dak Prescott prematurely this season. With Prescott back, the season of Lamb It could be spectacular in Dallas.
Fitzpatrick He had star potential when he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins, but since joining the Steelers he has probably become the best safety in the NFL because of his great instinct that allows him to always be close to the ball. In his two years in Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick He has been selected to the first team All-Pro and the Pro Bowl, and he finished 2020 with four interceptions, 11 deflected passes, a forced fumble and a fumble recovered. The last safety with that level of talent to play for Pittsburgh is now in the Hall of Fame, some may remember, he was wearing No. 43 and his name is Troy Polamalu.
It might seem unfair to put so much weight on the men of a quarterback who has never thrown a pass in the NFL, but Lawrence he’s going to have to shoulder that from now on, basically the disastrous Jaguars franchise is in the hands of his young quarterback. Jacksonville has suffered from a lack of talent at the quarterback position, not for nothing has barely won 12 games in the last three years, so all the reflectors will be on Lawrence to change that soon.
I’m very likely to be crucified for this, but when Peyton Manning started his career with the Indianapolis Colts, he had Marvin Harrison as a partner and then they ended up being one of the best quarterback-wide receiver pairs in NFL history. I’m not saying that Chark will be like Harrison and much less than Lawrence It will be Manning, but it is reasonable to think that Chark it may be that young partner that Lawrence he needs in Jacksonville, if he gets it then we could see a great year for the wide receiver who somehow got some pretty good numbers playing alongside Gardner Minshew II and Nick Foles.
Warner He is coming off the best year of his career with the 49ers, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl and his first-team All-Pro selection. In three seasons with the Niners, Warner Amassed 367 total tackles, 21 deflected passes, five forced fumbles, three fumbles recovered and four sacks, sealing the center of defense, his production helped him become the highest paid inside linebacker in history this offseason with a deal. for five years and 95 million dollars, 40.5 million guaranteed. It will be interesting to see Warner week by week retaliating that contract.
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