3 Rookies Who Will Break Out in the NFL Playoffs

As the NFL playoffs are just days away, history has shown that rookies can heavily impact playoff games—just ask the 2023 Rams, who relied on first-year receiver Puka Nacua who had 181 receiving yards including a touchdown. As we head into this year’s playoffs, three rookies are primed to do the same and become household names.

Firstly, in the absence of Chris Godwin, rookie receiver Jalen McMillan has stepped up in massive ways as the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South for the second straight season. McMillan has served a large role in the Buccaneers offence in the second half of the season including his 74-yard and receiving touchdown performance in their playoff-clinching game against the New Orleans Saints in week 18. What makes the Buccaneers a dangerous team heading into the postseason is their double-edged sword ability to play up and down to their opponent's level. For instance, the Buccaneers have victories this season over the Eagles and Lions which are the NFC’s top two seeds but also have multiple losses against the Falcons and lost an important game to the weakened Cowboys. It seems like the Buccaneers can beat any team if they are playing at their best and as the third seed with a guaranteed home game in the wildcard round, rookie receiver Jalen McMillan will be heavily relied on this postseason. 

As Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield loves throwing the ball an enormous amount of times per game, in addition to teams taking severe precautions in guarding star Bucs receiver Mike Evans, there will be opportunities for McMillan to succeed on plays where he is lined up against opposing teams worse cornerbacks and safeties. For context, in their first playoff game against the Commanders, Mike Evans will likely be guarded by newly acquired star cornerback Marshon Lattimore and can be double-teamed too. As for Jalen McMillan, he will go against their weaker outside cornerback Benjamin St-Juste who is extremely worse than Lattimore. McMillan will also be left in single coverage on many plays and heavily targeted if their safety does not help St-Juste over the top on any coverages. Expect McMillan to get a lot of touchdown opportunities as in his short stint with the Buccaneers, he already has eight receiving touchdowns in eight games as a starter.

Moving on, the Los Angeles Rams are notorious for drafting incredible rookies who can make an immediate impact on their team. With Puka Nacua being their latest example, Rams first-round pick Jared Verse is due to help this Rams team go on a deep playoff run. Drafted 19th overall in the 2024 NFL draft, Jared Verse has been an absolute monster for this Rams defence this year. In their attempt to fill the large void they have after Aaron Donald retired, the -1000 favourite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year per Sportsbook Review, has caused a lot of mayhem playing on the edge. As an outside linebacker, Verse uses his incredible speed and athleticism to blow by and beat slower tackles through the outside which generates quarterbacks to step into a collapsing pocket or force the quarterback to make a bad or inaccurate throw. With 4.5 sacks this season, the statistics completely undervalue Verse’s importance to his defence. As the Rams secondary has been extremely weak with only rookie safety Kamren Kitchens playing well, the Rams have had to rely on their front seven led by Jared Verse to force turnovers and get stops. With two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, Verse has been outstanding in creating turnovers. Verse has also been able to stop outside runs on the edge in addition to making heroic tackles that would have led to bigger games as the rookie has 66 total tackles this season.

Going into the wildcard round, the Rams will host the Vikings in Sofi Stadium for the second time this season. In their previous matchup, Verse had an outstanding game as the outside linebacker finished the game with an amazing 1.5 sacks. In the rematch, expect Verse to be guarded by Vikings star tackle Christian Darrisaw as Verse got his 1.5 sacks when being blocked by opposing tight ends and running backs in their previous matchup. Even when Darrisaw was blocking Verse, Verse was still very successful in stopping their run game by consistently tackling Aaron Jones at the line of scrimmage. In their matchup come Monday night, expect Verse to succeed in creating chaos in the pocket forcing Darnold to make uncomfortable plays. To limit the mismatch Justin Jefferson has on the Rams secondary, Verse will be relied upon to create pressure on the outside and try to force Darnold to make a mistake if it is making a bad read or forcing a dangerous throw, Verse’s impact on the Rams will be on display and will prove why he deserves to win defensive rookie of the year.

Lastly, Bills rookie receiver Keon Coleman is set to help the Buffalo Bills go on a deep playoff run to potentially win the Bills their first-ever Super Bowl. While the second-round rookie did not have the best rookie season that many were expecting, the second-round pick from Florida State has shown that he can be relied upon when his name is called. With offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s “everybody eats” mentality, Keon Coleman has had a limited volume of having to share targets with Mack Hollins, Amari Cooper, Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, and even the Bills running backs too. Additionally, Coleman has missed four games this season with a wrist injury sustained at the end of the game drawing a crucial pass interference call against the Dolphins which ultimately led them to win that game. With limited time and volume, the NFL truly does not know the danger that the Bills have with their physical receiver. Throughout this season, Keon has shown with his 6”4 frame that he can catch any pass if Josh Allen throws it up to him. Keon’s best plays this season have come from Allen launching deep passes which Keon has always caught in addition to yards after the catch as he has been phenomenal in that aspect even as a slower receiver. Keon is also relied upon in the red zone running fade routes and having Allen lob passes to Keon allowing him to beat opposing cornerbacks on jump balls. 

Heading into the postseason, the Bills will host the Denver Broncos in the wildcard round. The Broncos defence is going to be very difficult to beat as their best player Pat Surtain II has been sensational for them limiting opposing receivers to quiet games. Fortunately for Keon Coleman, Surtain will likely have the responsibility of guarding the Bills newly acquired receiver Amari Cooper. With Amari pleasantly being supportive of having to serve as a decoy in the Bills offence unlike the past with Stefon Diggs causing issues during his tenure with the Bills, Keon Coleman will have opportunities against Broncos worse starting cornerback Riley Moss to create big-time plays using his large frame and extreme athleticism. Expect the Broncos to consistently send blitzes in an attempt to limit Josh Allen using his feet to extend plays. This will only further allow Joe Brady to call passing plays for Josh Allen to link up with Keon Coleman if it is deep one-on-one routes or even fade balls in the red zone. Either way, opposing teams will be busy trying to limit Josh Allen, James Cook, Amari Cooper, and even slot receiver Khalil Shakir, which will allow Keon Coleman to help the Bills succeed with a more favourable matchup. Expect the Bills to throw plenty of deep balls and allow Keon Coleman to use his unique contested catching ability to positively impact the game for the Bills.

As it has been seen in the playoffs before, rookie players can become their team's most important asset in the postseason and I believe that Jalen McMillan, Jared Verse, and Keon Coleman will all be rookies who will positively impact their teams during the 2024 NFL playoffs. Let me know your thoughts on this article in the comments below. If you enjoyed reading this article, feel free to check out my other NFL-related blogs where I go over everything football especially during playoff season. Stay tuned for daily NFL and UFC articles being posted on the official Blitz & Brawlers page. Keep updated with the official X account of Blitz & Brawlers too!