NFL breakout player candidates for 2025 Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Bucs

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Here are our breakout player picks for the 2025 NFC South.

The NFC South is the NFL’s Mad Max division. Nothing makes sense, there’s a lot of explosions and eventually someone is going to have to win the division. However, that’s what makes the division fun, not knowing who could win it and who could just completely fall apart. The Bucs have had a stronghold on the division for the last four seasons, but can the Falcons finally reach the mountaintop? Can the Panthers pull themselves off the floor behind a resurgent Bryce Young? Can the Saints survive? But the biggest question of all, who is going to break out in this division? I got that covered for you, with a breakout player from every NFC South team in 2025.

Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr, QB

I was going back and forth between Penix Jr. and DB Clark Phillips III, but ultimately I had to go with the signal caller here. I wrote about Penix Jr. earlier in the offseason, and I came away impressed with his ability to hit all concepts to the outside hashes and ability to avoid catastrophic plays. With the offensive infrastructure and continuity that the Falcons have surrounding Penix Jr. (I expect a big year from WR Drake London), Penix has the chance to continue developing into a well-rounded passer. He needs to continue improving on his short area ball placement and comfort over the middle of the field, but with the explosive ability in his arm, he could launch himself into breakout star conversations.

Carolina Panthers: Jalen Coker, WR

I’m not sure how the Panthers’ wide receiver room is going to shake out, but every iteration of it should involve Jalen Coker targets. By almost every metric available, Coker was one of the best rookie wideouts in the entire league. He finished the season third among all Panthers wideouts in Yards per Route Run (min. 10 routes run) and second in EPA per target. He also wore a lot of hats for the Panthers last season, making physical, tough catches over the middle and being more reliable than most of the other young receivers on the Panthers’ roster. As Bryce Young continues to grow, having a guy like Coker on the roster as one of his main targets will help both Young and the Panthers’ offense.

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New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga, OT

The Saints have invested heavily in their offensive line, and I think Fuaga could be the breakout star of the group going into 2025. Despite an uneven season for the Saints last year, Fuaga showed some really nice skills in the run and passing game. His movement ability on the backside of zone runs and finishing in the run game. With the Saints retooling their offensive line and taking Kelvin Banks in the first round, Fuaga could be making a move to the right side. On the right side he could be even better, I’m hoping to see a breakout from him in 2025.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Yaya Diaby, EDGE

If I were to tell you that Yaya Diaby finished in the top ten as pressures, would you believe me? The Bucs pass rusher is really growing into his own as a pass rusher, winning with power and burst both through the offensive lineman’s chest and to the inside. He’s a plus run defender as well, rarely losing the edge in Tampa’s defense. Where he can really take off and launch himself into breakout category is with finishing plays. Per SIS, among all pass rushers with at least 40 pressures, Diaby is tied with EDGE Jared Verse for the lowest sack rate among guys in the top 10 of pressure rate. Sometimes he would be a bit unlucky, but if he can remain under control and finish more pressures, he could catapult himself into the top pass rushers conversation.