NFC South Breakout Candidates 2015

Atlanta Falcons

Ra'Shede Hageman, DT: This is where I wish I could pick a rookie to breakout or have a way better year than his draft position. Justin Hardy, Grady Jarrett, Jalen Collins and Vic Beasley all should have huge impact years for Atlanta. Alas, here I am with Hageman. This isn't to say I'm settling for choosing Hageman. He is a great talent, and I think he'll have a very big year since he should be getting regular playing time. He is an absolute freak of an athlete for his size (6'6/320 lbs). His ceiling as a player is being one of the best interior disruptors in the NFL, and I think 2015 will be the start of him realizing that potential. He has a terrific combination of burst and power, but he was very raw coming out of college and needs to develop his technique. Dan Quinn is the perfect coach to do just that and develop what Hageman's lacking while utilizing what he has. I'm predicting at least 5 sacks for Ra'Shede, and to show clear development in his technique, which will be key to him reaching his full potential as a player.

New Orleans Saints

Kenny Vaccaro, SS: I am going down with the Vaccaro ship. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, last season was rough. He struggled in coverage, wasn't great against the run, and there were times when he just seemed lost on the field. With that being said, he had a very good rookie season, and he has loads of talent. Jairus Byrd returning will really help him, as his responsibilities on the defense will play more to his strengths while playing next to a ball hawking safety like Byrd. Vaccaro can still be an enforcer, and a playmaker for Rob Ryan's defense. I'm predicting Vaccaro and Byrd to be one of the best safety tandems in the entire NFL.

Carolina Panthers

Bené Benwikere, CB: I feel good about this breakout prediction. Benwikere was a good player last season, but he got hurt and only actually started six games for the Panthers. In his limited snaps, Benwikere showed terrific all around cornerback skills. He is extremely explosive and has terrific leaping ability to make up for his smaller frame, and he is terrific at recognizing the play off of the snap. BB should have a much bigger impact on a fairly thin Panthers secondary if he stays healthy, and he could develop into a very good NFL cornerback. Stats wise, I think he'll get at least 4 interceptions in 2015. This will be the last year where very few people know about him and you can jump on the bandwagon before he gets very good.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, TE: ASJ is in for a big year. Winston might not be an amazing quarterback right out of the gate, but going from Glennon and McCown to Jameis is a massive upgrade. Sefarian-Jenkins is a huge tight end, with a great catch radius and good athleticism too. Jameis' weapons consist of Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and ASJ. They don't have a lot of depth behind those three guys, and Winston is going to sling the ball this season. There will be targets for ASJ to get, and he will produce with them. Alongside Evans and Jackson, those three players will make for terrific red zone targets for the Bucs new QB. I'm predicting ASJ to get 600 yards and 8 touchdowns, which would be an incredibly productive year and put him in the upper tier of tight ends.