Nine second-year NFL players under pressure to step up after rough rookie seasons
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Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAYThu, Jun 18, 2026·8 min readThe 2025 NFL Draft class had a rather muted introduction into the professional ranks.
While several first-year players left notable marks with their early contributions, last year's group of rookies lacked any figures who truly took the league by storm right away. That lack of star power was understandable, however, given what many of the top picks faced in the early going.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAn overall lack of structural support doomed several marquee names, including the No. 1 overall pick in Cam Ward and No. 6 selection in Ashton Jeanty. Several others, such as Travis Hunter Jr. and Mykel Williams, were waylaid by serious injuries. And some simply couldn't find consistent reps.
Yet a good number of players still have something to prove after their first impressions left much to be desired.
Here are nine second-year players who need to bounce back after difficult rookie seasons:
OT Will Campbell, New England Patriots
Throughout most of his debut season, the No. 4 overall pick fared better than any other player on this list. But Campbell unquestionably ended his inaugural campaign under higher scrutiny than any other 2025 selection.
Still in recovery mode after a late-season medial collateral ligament sprain, the then-21-year-old went from solid to suspect as a pass protector once the postseason began. Campbell was routinely exploited by some of the league's edge rushers. Next Gen Stats credited him with 29 pressures allowed, 14 of which came in a Super Bowl unraveling by the left tackle and New England's offense.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf fended off questions of a potential move to guard for the short-armed blocker, pinning the postseason problems primarily on Campbell's strength being sapped by his injury rather than his oft-mentioned subpar arm length. With fellow 2025 pick Jared Wilson moving from left guard to center – and veteran Alijah Vera-Tucker stepping between the two – the Patriots could also be poised to better handle some of the more exotic looks that opposing defenses deploy.
Still, the first-round selection of Caleb Lomu – a rangier pass protector most comfortable on the left side – sparked some intrigue. The Utah product might factor into early plans on the right side, where he filled in for 35-year-old starter Morgan Moses during organized team activities. But if Campbell falters in the fall, questions of fit are sure to be reignited.
DT Kenneth Grant, Miami Dolphins
Despite being a physical outlier at 6-4 and 337 pounds, Grant didn't do much to set himself apart in his first professional foray. The No. 13 overall pick notched just two sacks, two tackles for loss and five quarterback hits in 2025. And in steps a new front office that didn't select him.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe organizational shift, however, could easily benefit Grant, who said he's "playing more freely" in new coach Jeff Hafley's system. Hafley has been encouraged by the Michigan product's efforts to set a different tone in Year 2, praising him for slimming down. If Grant continues along with his stated goal, he would reach 325 pounds by the start of the season. A leaner frame more suited to his playing style and an overall enhanced level of comfort could allow Grant to become something closer to the kind of disruptive force that Miami hoped it would be getting when it selected him.
DE Shemar Stewart, Cincinnati Bengals
Developing a finishing touch was an area of concern for Stewart at Texas A&M, where he logged just 4 1/2 sacks in three years despite his impressive blend of size (6-5, 267 pounds) and speed. In the NFL, however, the No. 17 overall pick was weighed down by his inauspicious start. Stewart missed the entire offseason program and the first week of camp before resolving his contract standoff with Cincinnati. Then, after Stewart was hobbled early by an ankle injury, a midseason tear to his posterior cruciate ligament sidelined him for the bulk of the stretch run.
More is clearly needed after his rookie output amounted to just 11 tackles and one sack. But a Bengals defense that finally saw Trey Hendrickson walk hardly stood pat at edge rusher, with Boye Mafe and second-round pick Cashius Howell joining a group that includes 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy. That crowded group could leave Stewart with only so many opportunities until he proves worthy of a featured role. Getting reps for the entirety of the offseason could be significant for his development, but Stewart has to deliver – particularly against the run after Pro Football Focus ranked him last among all edge rushers in that area in 2025.
LBs Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati last season turned the second level of its defense over to its second- and fourth-round draft picks. Their inexperience and inability to establish a level of comfort throughout the year greatly cost the unit, which ceded more yards per play (6.2) than any group. Yet even as the Bengals made uncharacteristically splashy moves to reshape the defensive front and secondary, the team stood by its young linebackers and eschewed outside help.
Three-time Pro Bowl Dexter Lawrence could make a seismic difference by helping keep both Knight and Carter clean. Yet both still have to mature and deliver on the opportunities afforded to them. Each has to be more reliable in wrapping up opponents after posting missed tackle rates of approximately 15%. And neither one looked comfortable in coverage, which allowed opposing tight ends and backs to keep drives alive even when cornerbacks DJ Turner II and Dax Hill did their part.
Any sense of alarm is probably premature, given the extended learning curve at the position and how several recent early draft picks turned things around after early struggles, including All-Pros Jack Campbell and Devin Lloyd. But the urgency with which Cincinnati approached this offseason certainly suggests that patience for Knight and Carter to pick things up is finite.
AdvertisementAdvertisementCB Benjamin Morrison, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Jamel Dean off to Pittsburgh, the Buccaneers' secondary is in a rather precarious place. Cornerback Zyon McCollum is coming off a down year but now finds himself as the veteran leader of an otherwise inexperienced group. Jacob Parrish excelled in the slot as a third-round rookie, to the point that head coach Todd Bowles has given him extensive work on the outside this summer. That could mean yet another change-up at nickel, with fourth-round pick Keionte Scott potentially stepping in as another dangerous blitzer for Bowles to deploy.
That's to say nothing of Morrison, who was selected one round earlier than Parrish but now could be playing catch-up. His recovery from a hip injury suffered in his final season at Notre Dame lingered into Morrison's first offseason as a pro, and hamstring and quadriceps ailments hampered him as a rookie. Now, he's again "nicked up," Bowles said earlier this offseason, and has missed time at organized team activities and minicamp with a leg issue. Having been burned twice for long touchdowns in consecutive weeks last season - first by Patriots rookie receiver Kyle Williams, then by the Buffalo Bills' Tyrell Shavers - Morrison can't count on his draft capital to pave a path for playing time if he doesn't prove to be a reliable presence on the back end.
WRs Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr., Las Vegas Raiders
Neither Bech nor Thornton should be blamed for the wider ineptitude that swallowed the Raiders' offense in 2025. But with Klint Kubiak wiping the slate clean, the second-year pass catchers have to find ways to make their mark on what might be the league's most lackluster receiving corps.
AdvertisementAdvertisementJalen Nailor's arrival could put Bech on the spot, as the second-round pick is most comfortable operating out of the slot. But the TCU product could endear himself to Kubiak with his run blocking, which could allow him to take on a role comparable to the one Cooper Kupp fulfilled for the Seahawks last season. Thornton Jr. has a long way to go to extend his game beyond that of a designated deep threat. But generating explosive plays through the vertical passing game is an integral part of Kubiak's system, and the 6-5, 205-pound target profiles as the kind of downfield mismatch who could open things up for the rest of the offense. A critical step for each in training camp will be fostering a trustworthy connection with Kirk Cousins - and eventually Fernando Mendoza - given that Nailor, Tre Tucker and go-to tight end Brock Bowers have a leg up in establishing more consistent separation.
G Anthony Belton, Green Bay Packers
Many might peg Matthew Golden as a prime candidate for this list, given the limited contributions of the Packers' first-round receiver. Yet Golden's problems were rooted opportunity, not performance. The same can't be said for Belton.
A left tackle at North Carolina State, Belton took over the starting right guard spot down the stretch after initially stepping in at right tackle in Week 2. He finished with seven starts while accounting for 57% of the offensive snaps, but he was hardly a source of stability for a front that was constantly reshuffling. General manager Brian Gutekunst said in February that he believed that the 6-6, 336-pound blocker could become a stout and stable presence on the interior if allowed to grow there. But with almost the entire line looking uncertain as Jordan Morgan takes over at left tackle, Belton will have to better learn to harness his aggressiveness in order to pave holes for Josh Jacobs and safeguard Jordan Love.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rookie reset: Nine second-year NFL players under pressure in 2026
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
