For many NFL players, the jump from year one to year two can be astronomical. This is especially true for guys who are drafted high and flash potential in their rookie season. The smart folks at Pro Football Focus looked over the best of the 2019 NFL draft class and put together their list of second-year breakout candidates.
The Pittsburgh Steelers landed two guys on the list, linebacker Devin Bush and wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
Here’s a bit of what they had to say about Bush.
Bush acclimated well in his first year, and so well, in fact, that with a full year in the system, he could kick on and look like one of the best in the league in 2020. Bush surrendered five touchdowns in coverage, two more than any other rookie linebacker, and was also penalized twice as much as any other first-year linebacker. But the plays he did make suggest he could develop into something special, maybe as soon as Year 2.
And Johnson:
Diontae Johnson had 680 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a third-round rookie last year, so you could make the case that he’s already broken out. But when you consider what the quarterback situation was like in Pittsburgh with no Ben Roethlisberger, you will soon appreciate how much more there is to come.
Both players stood out at times in 2019 but I agree they have so much more to give. Bush saw a big dip in his reps mid-season for what the coaches said was a conditioning decision but you could see him struggle to deal with some of the complexity of NFL defenses.
And for Johnson, it’s easy to dismiss his struggles on quarterback play but I’m not sold on him to make a big jump in 2020. There are only going to be so many targets to go around and even with Ben Roethlisberger back, Johnson might not have the chance for a huge statistical jump.
