6 Breakout Playmakers Reshaping the NFL Season

Rome Odunze – WR, Chicago Bears (Year 2)

Year 2 is when good receivers often make “the jump,” and Rome Odunze is right on schedule.

Chicago drafted him for size and vertical ability, but he’s become a complete weapon. Through the 2025 season:

• 600 receiving yards (19th of 85 WRs)
• 6 receiving TDs (tied for 5th)
• 15.4 yards per catch (13th)
• PFF receiving grade: 74.9, overall 73.2

Odunze is winning on deep posts, back-shoulder throws, and in the red zone. With top-20 volume in targets and pass snaps, he’s not just flashing potential — he’s functioning like a true WR1playmaker in a developing Bears offense.

Emeka Egbuka – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Rookie)

If Odunze is the classic second-year leap, Emeka Egbuka is the classic “how did everyone miss this rookie playmaker?”

Tampa has thrown him straight into a featured role, and he has responded with top-10 production among all receivers, not just first-year players:

• 83 targets (11th)
• 45 receptions (23rd)
• 717 yards (10th)
• 6 TDs (5th)
• 15.9 yards per reception (6th)
• PFF receiving grade: 71.7

Egbuka combines clean routes with real explosiveness after the catch (5.4 YAC per reception). His 343 routes run (14th) and 371 pass snaps (13th) show the Bucs view him as a centerpiece already.

This is the kind of rookie season that usually launches a Pro Bowl run in year two.

Donovan Ezeiruaku – EDGE, Dallas Cowboys (Rookie)

The Cowboys needed new juice on the edge, and rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku has delivered it.

He isn’t just surviving in his first NFL season — his tape and numbers say he’s already a high-end rotational pass rusher with every-down upside:

• 79.7 overall PFF grade (20th of 117 edge defenders)
• 72.4 pass-rush grade (33rd)
• 66.1 run-defense grade (41st)
• 18 solo tackles, 14 stops
• 22 total pressures, built from
  • 9 QB hits (11th)
  • 11 hurries
  • 2 sacks

On just 350 total snaps, including 198 pass-rush snaps, that kind of pressure and hit rate pops off the page.

With Quinnen Williams collapsing pockets inside in your universe, Ezeiruaku is the perfect playmaker off the edge — and a very real Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.

Nate Landman – LB, Los Angeles Rams (Veteran Breakout)

Not every breakout playmaker is a rookie. Some are veterans who finally land in the perfect role. That’s Nate Landman in Los Angeles.

The Rams ask him to be the heartbeat of their front seven, and he’s answered with high-end production in both volume and impact:

• 74.1 overall grade (14th of 81 LBs)
• 80.5 run-defense grade (15th)
• 66 solo tackles (7th)
• 36 defensive stops (3rd)
• 4 forced fumbles – 1st among linebackers

Landman isn’t flashy in space, but he diagnoses quickly, triggers downhill, and consistently finishes plays. Four forced fumbles is game-changing stuff. In a young Rams defense, he’s become the stabilizer in the middle.

Quinyon Mitchell – CB, Philadelphia Eagles (Year 2)

Corner is one of the hardest spots to transition to in the NFL. That’s what makes Quinyon Mitchell’s breakout playmaker second season so impressive.

The Eagles have left him on the field and trusted him with heavy coverage snaps:

• 587 total snaps (21st of 196 CBs)
• 378 coverage snaps (11th)

Despite that workload, his results are strong:

• 71.7 coverage grade (17th of 108 CBs)
• 71.0 overall grade (20th)
• 26 receptions allowed (42nd)
• 57.6 passer rating allowed

He doesn’t have the interception numbers yet, but he’s sticky in coverage, limits explosive plays (10.8 yards per catch allowed), and rarely looks out of place. For a second-year corner handling this much responsibility, that’s big-time.

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson – S, Arizona Cardinals (Year 2)

In Arizona, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson has quietly turned into one of the most efficient safeties in football in his second season.

The raw tackle totals don’t jump off the screen, but his coverage impact absolutely does:

• 70.8 overall grade (25th of 93 safeties)
• 69.2 coverage grade (24th)
• 2 interceptions (tied for 6th)
• Only 9 receptions allowed
• 32.0 passer rating when targeted

Add in 7 defensive stops and just 3 missed tackles, and you get a safety who plays under control, closes quickly, and punishes mistakes.

For a Cardinals team trying to rebuild its back end, Taylor-Demerson looks like a breakout star and long-term answer in the deep middle.

Why These Breakout Playmakers Matter

What ties all six together:

• They weren’t locked-in stars coming into 2025.
• Their teams are leaning on them with serious volume.
• The PFF grades and rankings back up the eye test — this isn’t just hype.

Rookies like Egbuka and Ezeiruaku are already playing at above-average starter level. Second-year players like Odunze, Mitchell, and Taylor-Demerson are taking the classic Year-2 leap. And a veteran like Landman is proving that, in the right scheme, a “role player” can turn into a core piece.

These are the names that, a year from now, won’t be on breakout playmaker lists anymore — they’ll just be listed with the league’s best at their positions.