Under-the-radar AFC players who can be stars in 2024: Steelers, Chiefs boast young TEs; Pats WR set to shine

O NFL The off-season training program is in full swing, with teams bowing to OTAs and beginning to open minicamp ahead of summer break. These training sessions are the initial pieces of the foundation that each club is beginning to lay down and could reveal some unsung heroes who could become household names this season.

In this space, we’ll look at players who are flying under the radar at every AFC club and could burst onto the scene in 2024. We did exactly that exercise a season ago, and while we had a few flaws, we managed to put you on some players who lived up to the billing, including De ‘Von Achane, Jaylen Warren, Tank Dell and George Karlaftis. So let’s dive into this year’s group of players and see who’s catching our attention.

Even after a season in which Lamar Jackson won his second career MVP, a case can be made that Baltimore’s offense could be even better in 2024. It has Zay Flowers entering Year 2, Mark Andrews healthy and Derrick Henry arriving as a free agent . This trio will be the main draw at the skill positions, but don’t sleep on Walker. The fourth-round pick out of UNC put together some sensational games for the Tar Heels last year, and the Ravens could use another start to emerge on offense. Given his upside, Walker will have a chance to play a sizable role.

Tyler Boyd’s departure opens the door for a wide receiver to emerge in Cincinnati. This will only increase if something drastic happens with Tee Higgins and his trade request, which puts even more targets up for grabs. Iosivas was a 2023 sixth-round pick out of Princeton who saw limited action as a rookie (15 receptions for 116 yards) but caught four touchdowns. His size – 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds – could make him a big target for Joe Burrow.

An undrafted free agent made the list! Naturally, we’re getting here as it’s unclear if Robbins will make the 53-man roster, but the Browns’ backfield is still a big question mark heading into the year. Nick Chubb will likely need more time to recover from the devastating knee injury he suffered last year, which creates a window for players like Robbins to get behind Jerome Ford. The BYU product has a beefy back, standing at 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, so he could be the one coach Kevin Stefanski is looking to eat while Chubb is recovering.

Pittsburgh used its third-round pick to land the Georgia product in 2023 and now he’s looking to make the jump to year two. Washington is as big a target as you can imagine, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 265 pounds. He didn’t do much in the passing game last year, but his athleticism suggests he could be a key piece in Arthur Smith’s offense. This combination of size and athletic ability has even resulted in Justin Fields putting him on the same level as former All-Pro Jimmy Graham. If Washington reaches those heights, the Steelers will have quite the weapon.

Benford is entering his third season in the league, and there is reason to believe former sixth-round pick Villanova will enter the picture in 2024. With Tre’Davious White out of the lineup after signing with the Rams in free agency, the opportunity is there for him to secure one of the full-time starting cornerback positions. He started 14 games a season ago and held quarterbacks to an 88.8 passer rating when targeted in coverage.

It’s unclear when Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips will be back after last year’s season-ending injuries, which creates a path for other pass rushers to emerge. Clear. The Dolphins picked Chop Robinson in the first round, and he will be a key factor in this equation, but so could Mohamed Kamara. The club’s fifth-round pick could work behind Robinson and Shaq Barrett on Miami’s pass rushing unit.

After a respectable rookie season, Pop Douglas could end up being New England’s most targeted receiver in 2024. He was the Patriots’ most electrifying pass catcher in 2023, and with a year of experience, he could end up being one of the standout receivers of the league in terms of statistical volume as the club’s slot receiver.

The Jets’ offense returns Garrett Wilson and brought in Mike Williams as a free agent, but Corley could prove to be a factor within the pass-catching unit. The rookie was Aaron Rodgers favorite receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft, so it seems like he’ll have an easy time getting into the quarterback’s good graces. Meanwhile, Williams is coming off a torn ACL he suffered last season and hasn’t been the most durable receiver. If he missed the time again, a bigger goal could come Corley’s way.

Don’t underestimate the Buckeye connection here with Cade Stover. He played with CJ Stroud for a while at Ohio State, so the two must have a bit of a relationship as he now enters the league with the Texans. At 6-foot-2 and 247 pounds, Stover has the ideal size as a pass-catching tight end with athleticism to boot.

Flowers’ rise looked like it would happen in 2023, but a torn Achilles in Week 4 ended a promising sophomore season. In his limited role last year, he allowed just 60% of targets against him to be completed and broke up three passes. As long as he is able to return to full strength, Flowers should secure a starting role to be a key piece in Indy’s secondary.

Spears may be the most recognizable name on this list, but I still think he gets overlooked when you factor in Tony Pollard’s arrival in free agency. Spears is a speedy dual threat for Tennessee, posting 52 receptions during his rookie season. Those opportunities as a pass catcher should remain along with an additional workload as a runner to form a one-two punch with Pollard in Nashville’s post-Derrick Henry backfield.

Travis Etienne is still the leader on Jacksonville’s defense, but Bigsby is the main one to eat up his workload in 2024. As a rookie, Auburn’s third-round pick didn’t have much of an impact on the rushing attack, but he had some spring enthusiasm. around him as he enters Year 2. Both head coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor have praised the back for how he is projecting for 2024 through spring practice.

With Jerry Jeudy traded to Cleveland, there are at least 87 2023 targets up for grabs. Mims likely takes most of them and could end up being Denver’s best receiver. Coach Sean Payton already said this spring that he expects a lot of growth from Mims in year 2and the receiver himself even noted that there is a “night and day” difference in how he feels entering his second season.

Kansas City selected Wiley in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of TCU, and he could prove to be a key piece behind Travis Kelce in the Chiefs’ tight end room. He’s a tall target for Patrick Mahomes at 6-foot-2 and is coming off a college season during which he caught 47 balls for 520 yards and eight touchdowns. Of course, Kelce is the boss here, but Wiley might end up surprising people.

White is now atop the Raiders’ depth chart at the running back position after Josh Jacobs signed with the Packers as a free agent. Now that he’s RB1, White is in line for a huge amount of carries, and judging by what we’ve seen in 2023, he’s ready for the task. In the four games he started down the stretch for Las Vegas, White averaged 4.7 yards per carry and caught nearly 70 percent of his targets. If you project that sample size of four games over an entire season, he would be looking at a campaign in which he rushes for 1,687 yards.

Vidal was selected on Day 3 by the Chargers in the 2024 draft, but he could find himself thrust into a bigger role than expected on Los Angeles’ defense. JK Dobbins hasn’t proven to be the healthiest fielder throughout his career and Gus Edwards never reached 200 runs in a single season. The uncertainty surrounding these two coasts opens up the possibility of someone else emerging. We’re going to release a pamphlet about Vidal, who was a star at Troy.