Top Five Sophomore Slump Candidates In The NFL By Eric Wagner August 09, 2014 3:18 pm 
5.) Marcus Cooper, Chiefs CB2013 Stat Line: 16 Games, 41 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble, 3 Interceptions, 18 Pass Deflections- The seventh-round draft pick out of Rutgers was cut by the 49ers before the start of the regular season. He was signed by the Chiefs and got substantial playing time due to injuries at the position. While he played well at times, he was too inconsistent in coverage. With Brandon Flowers now on another squad, Cooper will start opposite of Sean Smith. While he will likely have more production, due to more playing time, he will certainly not play up to expectations.
4.) Kenbrell Thompkins, Patriots WR2013 Stat Line: 12 Games, 32 Receptions, 466 Yards, 4 Touchdowns- Thompkins, an undrafted free agent, was a pleasant surprise for the Patriots. In the preseason, he played very well and caught the eye of just about every NFL analyst. He played well in the regular season too, as he started multiple games due to injuries to Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski. With both pass catchers returning, barring injury, Thompkins will not see the field nearly as often. Two other receivers, Julian Edelman and Aaron Dobson, are also expected to start over Thompkins.
3.) Tim Wright, Buccaneers TE2013 Stat Line: 16 Games, 54 Receptions, 571 Yards, 5 Touchdowns- Like Thompkins, Wright was an undrafted free agent, and impressed the coaches enough to win the starting gig. Wright lead all rookie tight ends in yards, above the likes of Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz. Wright is more like a tall wide receiver, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, rather than a tight end, though, and with second-round pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins, 6-foot-5, 262 pounds, coming in, Wright will get much less playing time.
2.) Zac Stacy, Rams RB2013 Stat Line: 14 Games, 250 Attempts, 973 Yards, 3.9 Average, 7 Touchdowns- Picked in the fifth round, Stacy was not expected to get extensive playing time. Recording nearly 1,000 yards on 250 attempts, he surprised many people. The Rams picked up Tre Mason in the third-round, though, who will certainly eat up Stacy's playing time. Mason is very talented, so it would not be shocking if he took over as the featured back midway through the season. Stacy recorded all but 4 of his 973 yards in 12 games - that projects to be 1,292 over a full season. While he may break 1,000 yards, it is unlikely that he passes 1,200.
1.) Mike Glennon, Buccaneers QB2013 Stat Line: 13 Games, 247 for 416, 59.4%, 19 Touchdowns, 9 Interceptions, 83.9 Passer Rating- Due to the horrid play of Josh Freeman, three games in, Glennon was forced to step in. Most people believed that it was too early for him, but he played very well, much better than Freeman at least. In 13 games, he averaged over 200 yards and about 3 touchdowns every two games. The Buccaneers' new head coach, Lovie Smith, though, decided to pick up Josh McCown, who surprised many people in Chicago. With McCown likely to start, Glennon will not be able to repeat or build off of his rookie success.link
