Every NFL Team's Potential Secret Weapon for the 2015 Season By Ian Wharton Jun 10, 2015 Elaine Thompson/Associated Press As the NFL offseason nears training camp, standout young players will seemingly appear out of nowhere to make an impact. Surprise players might not be an immediate upgrade at a position, but they can produce even in limited opportunities. These potential secret weapons can be on offense or defense.You never know when a player on the bottom of the 53-man roster will get his chance. But that doesn’t mean those individuals aren’t talented football players. Just ask New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, who forced the game-winning interception in the Super Bowl last season.We’re going to identify every team’s potential secret weapon for the 2015 season. Some of these players still have to climb the depth chart, while others are veterans who are looking to re-establish their careers. Either way, don’t be surprised if there’s a breakout player this season from this list.Atlanta Falcons: Grady Jarrett
Tyler Smith/Getty Images The Atlanta Falcons’ 2015 draft class defied what we thought was possible. Their haul was impressive and exemplified why it remains an unpredictable event every year. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was a notable late-round steal.Atlanta’s pass rush was abysmal last season, but the addition of Jarrett and former teammate Vic Beasley will greatly help. Jarrett wins with excellent quickness and a great swim move from the 3-technique position.Jarrett should fight his way into the rotation on obvious passing plays. He’s behind veteran Jonathan Babineaux right now, but as the season progresses, the Falcons will benefit from the rookie's fresh legs.Carolina Panthers: Kony Ealy
Bob Leverone/Associated Press The Carolina Panthers’ 2014 second-round pick couldn’t impact the team last season in a deep positional group. But that sets defensive end Kony Ealy up for a potential breakout season. Incumbent Wes Horton shouldn’t be able to stop him from claiming the starting job this year.Ealy is a power rusher who can man the strong-side end position. His strength at the point of attack should pay off against the run and allow the Panthers’ stellar linebackers to thrive.At Missouri, Ealy was a standout pass-rusher, totaling 14 sacks in three seasons. His game isn’t best suited as a pure pass-rusher, though, so his secret-weapon talent will be doing more of the dirty work.New Orleans Saints: Josh Hill
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press After trading All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks, the New Orleans Saints are putting a lot of stock into Josh Hill. The third-year tight end has yet to make a large impact in the league, although he had five touchdowns last year. Now his task is to play the same role Graham dominated in for years.Hill is a great athlete, but he has yet to fill out the rest of his resume. Coming from Idaho State, he wasn’t drafted or ever considered a great prospect. But there is clear hope that his talent in shorts will stick when the pads go on.If Hill can be even half as good as Graham was in his first season, the Saints offense should be good enough to put the team into the playoff race. He could be the next “nobody” to become a star.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kenny Bell
Chris O'Meara/Associated Press The benefit of drafting a quarterback early is he can develop with young receivers. Rookie quarterback Jameis Winston will enjoy having talented receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. But rookie Kenny Bell can easily make his mark on the Tampa Bay roster as well.Bell was a productive four-year starter at Nebraska. His speed and quickness make him difficult to contain one-on-one, which makes him an ideal option to play in the slot.His biggest issue is drops. He struggled to hold onto the ball in college at times, which could be due to an offense that rarely threw the ball. More involvement in the offense could be big for Bell’s effectiveness.For every team...link
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Posted : Jun. 11, 2015 2:37 am