From a player point of view, there’s plenty NFL fans can be sure of ahead of the 2019 season.

We know Tom Brady and Drew Brees are all-timers, destined to be fitted for mustard jackets at an exclusive ceremony sometime in the near future.

We know that if healthy, the LA Rams’ Todd Gurley is the league’s pre-eminent running back, with a massive $57.5 million contract to match.

At wide receiver, we know that if he had to, DeAndre Hopkins could catch passes blindfolded.

On defence, the likes of Von Miller, Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald are known quantities with insatiable thirsts for quarterback destruction.

Yet, heading into the season there’s also so much we don’t know, particularly in the realm of which players are set to break out and become household names.

This time last year, JuJu Smith-Schuster existed as a funny named late second round draft pick, way down on Pittsburgh’s wide receiver depth chart.

In just 12 months he’s emerged as one of the league’s most dynamic talents off the back of a 1,426 yard, seven-touchdown campaign. His production eclipsed that of 4-time All-Pro Antonio Brown, making the Steeler’s decision to trade him to Oakland this off-season much easier.

On defence, the Indianapolis Colts started a little known second round linebacker out of South Carolina State last season. By the end of the year, everyone knew Darius Leonard’s name, with his 163 tackle, seven-sack season good enough for Defensive Rookie of the Year and All-Pro honours.

With the NFL season just over a week away, here are five names to look out for from a breakout perspective.

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DJ Moore (Carolina Panthers)

The Carolina Panthers haven’t had a legitimate downfield threat since Steve Smith’s 12,197 reception yards, and 67 touchdowns left Charlotte in 2013.

Since then, the Panthers have drafted no less than four first and second round receivers, and bought in a host of free agent talent in the hope of providing their star quarterback Cam Newton with some lethal weapons.

While Christian McCafferey has emerged as serious talent for Carolina, DJ Moore promises to provide the deep threat the Panthers have long craved.

The former Maryland speedster is a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s multifaceted, diversified attack, operating as an ideal complement to Newton’s skillet.

And if the second half of last season is anything to go by, Moore is absolutely ready to break out and become one of the NFL’s leading receivers.

Through weeks seven through 16 last season, the 2018 first round pick emerged as a serious NFL talent, catching 41 passes for 545 yards. Look for Moore’s star to continue to rise in 2019.

DeForest Buckner (San Francisco 49ers)

When the 49ers took their six foot seven defensive line disrupter, DeForest Buckner, with pick seven in 2016, they were coming off a franchise worst 2-14 season, while their once formidable defence had slipped to dead last in the league for both points and yards conceded.

And while the wins haven’t exactly been piling up in the three seasons since Buckner’s arrival, the 49ers defence has sharpened considerably, with the former Oregon Duck anchoring their line.

Last season, the Hawaiian’s sack total exploded from three to 12 while his 20 QB hits led the team. Meanwhile San Francisco leapt to #7 in the league where rush defence was concerned, conceding just 4.1 yards per carry. In the year Buckner was drafted, they were ranked dead last on rush defence, conceding a league-high 4.8 yards per carry while conceding a staggering 25 touchdowns on the ground.

Since coming into the league Buckner has consistently improved. In fact, only Jacksonville’s Yannick Ngakoue has had more QB hits among players drafted in 2016, while his 21 sacks are bettered only by Ngakoue, the LA Charger’s Joey Bosa and the Chief’s, Chris Jones.

Buckner’s progression was last year recognised with a Pro Bowl call-up, while the next level will be All-Pro status as well as what will likely be a gargantuan new contract.

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Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)

The advanced stats world piled on the Bills for taking Josh Allen with their first pick, seventh overall, in the 2018 draft.

While nobody was questioning Buffalo’s desperate and undeniable need for a quarterback, many were pondering if Wyoming’s Josh Allen was the right man, pointing to his 56% college accuracy as the kind of number which rarely correlates with a healthy pro career. 

And while Allen’s rookie season certainly didn’t blow anyone away, there was enough evidence to suggest that the Bills might have actually found themselves an excellent, unique starter, with quite an upside.

While Allen’s traditions quarterback numbers were concerning, evidenced by throwing more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (10) and posting a lowly 67.9 QB rating, where Allen did excel was with his legs and with his improvisation.

In fact, Allens’ 631 rushing yards constituted the fourth most ever recorded by a rookie QB, while his eight touchdowns placed him third all-time.

His mobility was one of the chief reasons too that the Bills caused one of the shocks of the season when they went into Minnesota in week 3 as 16.5 point underdogs and emerged 27-6 winners.

Allen had precious little offensive talent to work with in his first season at Orchard Park, however if he can maintain his skills as a modern, unorthodox QB, while expanding upon the more traditional components of his game, the Bills may well have a franchise QB on their hands after all.

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Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns)

The Cleveland Browns hype train has gained significant traction after years spent in the competitive wilderness.

Led by one the game’s most dynamic, and potentially very best quarterbacks, in Baker Mayfield, coupled with the off-season trade for the esteemed Odell Beckham Junior, the Cleveland Brown’s are on the cusp of something quite profound.

Yet hidden beneath all of the excitement around Mayfield, Beckham Junior and the promise of promoted head coach Freddie Kitchens, sits Nick Chubb, who put together a mightily impressive rookie season in 2019.

When the Browns picked Nick Chubb at selection 35 in the 2018 draft, the Browns were so far behind the competitive eight ball that it seemed like it would be exceptionally hard sleighing for Chubb to make any genuine impact during his first season in Cleveland. 

Yet, like so many Browns in the second half of last season, he positively exploded after head coach Hue Jackson was relieved of his duties.

Chubb reeled off 678 of his 996 rushing yards in the second half of the season while also becoming part of the Browns passing game, catching 20 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Under Hue Jackson, Chubb was targeted just three times for no catches where the passing game was concerned.

The surface of Chubb’s immense talent has only been scratched. Expect Kitchens and the arrival of Beckham-Junior to launch the former Georgia Bulldog into the kind of territory only a handful of NFL running backs reside in.

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Sam Darnold (New York Jets)

The Jets have had precious little to be excited about this decade, with just one winning season since 2010, which was also the last time they made the playoffs.

Yet there’s once again a sense of hope in New Jersey with the hiring of head coach Adam Gase, and the potential of what he might be able to extract out of second-year quarterback, Sam Darnold.

After a distinguished college career at USC where he was responsible for putting the Trojans back on the map, the Jets felt comfortable taking Darnold at #3 overall at the 2018 NFL draft.

His rookie season at the Jets was neither a failure nor a ringing endorsement of the gamble the Jets took, with Darnold posting just a 77.6 QB rating while also tossing 15 interceptions.

Yet while his numbers didn't jump off the page, Darnold flashed his potential, putting together an excellent start to his career where he posted a 83.7 QB rating through his first six games (where the Jets went 3-3) while completing his passes at 59.7% accuracy.  

While the Jets aren’t expected to content for a play-off spot this season, there is a feeling around the league that Gase could be a perfect match with Darnold.

Meanwhile the four year, $52 million free agent acquisition of former Steeler Le’Veon Bell at running back should ensure that not only will Darnold have an extra weapon, but defences will be much more occupied by the threat he provides.

If Darnold can become the franchise QB the jets have invested so much in, then the clouds of gloom which have hovered over them this decade could soon be lifted.

Some other players to watch from a breakout perspective include Denver's Bradley Chubb, Washington's Jonathan Allen, Cincinnati's Sam Hubbard, Seattle's Chris Carson and Tennessee's former #5 overall pick, Corey Davis.

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