Earlier this week, theScore's NFL editors picked their midseason All-Pro roster, spotlighting the dominant players who've stood out at each position through nine weeks of play.
Here we're bringing attention to a different sort of standout: 11 players who've raised their games to a new level.
This list isn't exhaustive - there are many risers around the league - and past Pro Bowlers and rookies who were drafted high weren't considered here. The point is to appreciate some emergent stars and under-the-radar forces whose breakouts have bolstered their teams this season.
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Quarterback: Jalen Hurts, Eagles
The QB who helms the last unbeaten squad has reached stardom in Year 3. Hurts ran or threw for 18 touchdowns and was only intercepted twice as the Eagles surged to 8-0.
His 85.3 PFF passing grade ranks second in the league this season, slotting behind fellow riser Tua Tagovailoa. Metrics that showed Hurts was an average starter in 2021 - such as completion rate, average net yards per attempt, expected points added per play, and completion percentage over expected - all suggest he's now close to top-five caliber.
Hurts was drafted No. 53 overall in 2020, 48 picks after the Dolphins chose Tagovailoa. The Philly offense got more potent when A.J. Brown arrived in an offseason trade. But credit Hurts where it's due: He's become more accurate and done plenty with his legs to lock down wins each week. And Brown, as it happens, is tracking toward a career year himself.
Running back: Tony Pollard, Cowboys
Should Pollard get the majority of carries when Ezekiel Elliott's back at full health? His play suggests yes, even if Jerry Jones disagrees.
Pollard has rushed for 506 yards on 81 attempts, or 6.2 yards per carry; Elliott's gone for 443 yards on 109 attempts, or 4.1 per carry. Pollard has five touchdowns to Elliott's four. Pollard's carries add 0.088 expected points per play, one of the NFL's best marks for a high-volume back, while Titans workhorse Derrick Henry (for comparison's sake) is at 0.011, and Elliott is in the red at minus-0.030.
Elliott ran for 1600 yards at his rookie peak, but his longtime backup has a higher upside now. Pollard leads the league in average yards gained after contact (3.6). In his breakthrough 131-yard, three-score game against Chicago, Pollard sprinted 54 yards for one TD when multiple Bears should have stuffed him behind the line.
Wide receiver: Jakobi Meyers, Patriots
Mac Jones has stagnated and been booed in Foxborough in his second season, but that's not Meyers' fault. He's the only standout receiver on a New England team that's scratched and clawed to rank 16th in scoring.
Meyers' numbers (40 catches for 457 yards) show that he's been reliable as the Patriots' top option. His average output, 65.3 receiving yards per game, ranks 20th in the NFL and represents a career high by a wide margin. By hauling in three of the Pats' nine TD passes, he's already surpassed his previous career total of two. He's a pinpoint route-runner - one of the game's best, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said recently.
While he's less explosive than the likes of Tyreek Hill or Cooper Kupp, Meyers' 76.9% catch rate when targeted is similar to theirs. That's nice company for someone who went undrafted in 2019 because of his middling speed.
Tight end: David Njoku, Browns
Njoku is one of a few first-round picks on this list who are finally actualizing their potential.
Drafted No. 29 overall in 2017, Njoku didn't eclipse 40 receiving yards per game in his first five seasons. He's averaging 59.7 yards in Year 6, fourth-most in the league among tight ends and second on his team behind Amari Cooper.
The Browns' offense revolves around running back Nick Chubb, but Cleveland is eighth in passing DVOA with Jacoby Brissett at the helm, according to Football Outsiders. Njoku's versatility is a boon: PFF grades him as a good blocker relative to other catch-first tight ends. He endured wrist and knee injuries in past years and now has an ailing ankle, but he's started to shine when he's on the field.
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Offensive lineman: Kaleb McGary, Falcons
When PFF criticized the state of Atlanta's offensive line in the offseason, it identified McGary as the weak link. The No. 31 pick in 2019 struggled throughout his first three seasons and allowed nine sacks and 41 pressures in 2021, some of the worst marks in the league for a right tackle.
What a difference half a season makes. McGary's been passable in pass protection - three sacks and nine pressures have been ascribed to him - and dominant on run snaps. The Falcons rank third in per-game rushing yardage and fourth in rushing DVOA, per Football Outsiders, in part because McGary and right guard Chris Lindstrom clear acres of space.
The league's 59th-best tackle in PFF's estimation last season, McGary's risen to ninth in the grades this year and rates third in run blocking. His timing is impeccable: Atlanta declined McGary's fifth-year option back in the spring, so he's a pending free agent.
Interior defensive lineman: Dexter Lawrence, Giants
Several Giants are thriving under first-year coach Brian Daboll's regime. That includes Lawrence. The behemoth nose tackle, who turns 25 on Saturday, is the linchpin of coordinator Wink Martindale's defense.
Twice a national champion at Clemson, Lawrence was drafted No. 17 overall in 2019 and suddenly has made the star leap. He's matched his career highs in sacks (four) and QB hits (11) halfway through the schedule. His PFF player grade, which never cleared 80 in past seasons, is 90.1 and slots him fourth at his position behind Chris Jones, Aaron Donald, and Quinnen Williams.
Lawrence has played 83% of the Giants' defensive snaps, which is substantially more than the Jets deploy Williams (66%) and in line with Jones' workload in Kansas City, according to Pro Football Reference. Martindale has brought the best out of Lawrence, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said in a recent breakdown of his highlights.
Edge rusher: Denico Autry, Titans
Autry is a ninth-year pro in the midst of a career season. He ranks in the top 15 in QB pressures (19) and hits (13) and is on pace for personal highs in both stats. Except for Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett, no defensive lineman has racked up more sacks than Autry's seven.
Defense is the Titans' strength; Autry anchors the unit alongside tackles Jeffery Simmons and Teair Tart, another riser who could have made this list. The AFC South leaders rank first in DVOA against the run, per Football Outsiders, and are 13th in QB pressure rate despite blitzing less frequently than 26 teams.
Undrafted in 2014, Autry used to play for the Raiders and Colts and is making the latter club rue the decision to let him walk in free agency. In Tennessee's first of three divisional wins this season, one Autry sack pried the ball loose from Matt Ryan while another wrecked Indianapolis' potential game-tying drive.
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Linebacker: T.J. Edwards, Eagles
The Eagles have weapons at every level of the defense, but Edwards distinguishes himself as a glue guy.
Undrafted in 2019, Edwards ranks top-10 in tackles this season, and he hits and sacks the quarterback about as often as Roquan Smith, the two-time All-Pro. Accordingly, he owns the third-best PFF pass rush grade for a linebacker and grades out sixth at the position overall.
For the first time in his career, he's excelled in coverage, too. No qualified linebacker has allowed a lower reception rate when targeted (Edwards is at 58.3%), per PFF. He's second in yardage allowed per catch (5.5) and in passer rating against (64.1). Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson tops the NFL in interceptions partly because Edwards leaped to tip this potential touchdown heave from Kenny Pickett.
Cornerback: Tariq Woolen, Seahawks
theScore NFL insider Jordan Schultz's Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite was drafted No. 153 overall this year. Twenty cornerbacks were off the board when Seattle finally took Woolen in the fifth round, banking that the converted wideout with a 42-inch vertical would eventually develop into a good starter.
Woolen beat that timeline. He intercepted passes in four straight weeks - jumping the route to score a 40-yard pick-6 at Detroit - has eight pass breakups, and recovered two fumbles. He's like Richard Sherman, Seattle's No. 154 pick in 2011, only faster and slightly taller at 6-foot-4.
Two rookie cornerbacks, Sauce Gardner of the Jets and New England's Jack Jones, have allowed fewer catches when targeted. But the Seattle DB's 56.4% reception percentage is strong - All-Pro candidate Patrick Surtain has put up the same mark for Denver - and Woolen has emerged as the class' top playmaker.
Safety: Talanoa Hufanga, 49ers
Numerous guys on our midseason All-Pro team, from Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas to Bills linebacker Matt Milano, could have reappeared here. They're playing like superstars in their breakout years.
But Hufanga's ascension is worth celebrating twice. The 2021 fifth-rounder was unremarkable as a rookie until he scooped and scored on a blocked punt in the playoffs. Hufanga raced 52 yards for another TD last month against the Rams when he snared a screen pass that was intended for Kupp.
All told, Hufanga has intercepted three balls and broken up six passes while demonstrating that he's a shutdown safety. His passer rating against this season is 29.0, the best at the position, per PFF. Hufanga hasn't allowed a TD in coverage, and the longest completion he's permitted went for 12 yards. He's one reason the Niners field the league's No. 1 yardage defense.
Punter: Ryan Stonehouse, Titans
This rookie can thump the ball. Stonehouse's average punt is soaring 53.0 yards, putting him on track to obliterate the single-season record of 51.1 (Shane Lechler, 2009).
Only three of his 43 punts have been touchbacks, and 17 have pushed the opponent inside the 20-yard line. Stonehouse ranks third in net yardage, meaning the returns he allows by booting the pigskin so deep haven't hurt Tennessee.
That he flips the field with power and efficiency raises a question: Why wasn't Stonehouse drafted back in April? Four punters were picked, but none of them were as prolific in college. Stonehouse, a Colorado State product, owns the NCAA record for career punting average and is proving he can thrive at lower altitudes, too.
Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.
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