Breakout candidates, players with most to gain

Deonte Banks is the top breakout candidate on defense this year.

John Schmeelk: Fact – He showed all the traits everyone wanted to see as a young starting cornerback last year. I expect with a year of NFL experience under his belt, he will only get better. I am interested to see how Banks operates in more zone coverages, which Shane Bowen will employ. Banks did get his interceptions while playing zone last season, so there’s a good chance his ball production will improve.

Dan Salomone: Fact – Now wearing No. 3, Banks should only continue to grow and make a name for himself. Longtime defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson knows what sets elite cornerbacks apart from the others. It isn’t the physical attributes – which Banks has – but it’s more about the demeanor.

“He really likes the challenge of, OK, I get the best guy on the games we did match and travel him,” Henderson said. “He likes that challenge. He’s got to still grow into studying and preparing and being ready to go and playing at a high level and understanding how the game changes and what’s happening within the game. But he absolutely likes that challenge, and he’ll get some more of it.”

Lance Medow: Fact – I’ll go with Deonte Banks, but Dane Belton is a sneaky choice because if he earns a bigger role as a safety, he could make the most of his opportunities after showing some flashes in a small sample size. Banks is coming off a promising rookie campaign, and with more games under his belt and comfort on the NFL level, his trajectory should head upwards in 2024, despite having to learn a new scheme.

Matt Citak: Fiction – Banks would be in my top three, but my No. 1 breakout candidate on the defensive side of the ball this year is Brian Burns. Is it unfair to pick a two-time Pro Bowler as a breakout candidate? Maybe. But I believe Burns could take the next step and become one of the top pass rushers in the NFL this upcoming season, especially with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence joining him in the pass rush. While he has totaled 46 sacks through his first five seasons, Burns has reached double-digit sacks in a season only once. I think he will clear that number this season, with Thibodeaux not far behind him.

Wan’Dale Robinson is the top breakout candidate on offense this year.

John Schmeelk: Fiction – I think Wan’Dale Robinson will have a good year, but I also think the Giants will add a wide receiver in the draft, which…