Every offseason, Football Outsiders compiles a list of unheralded players who have the chance to become stars or major contributors. We use certain criteria to find the best young players who weren't high draft picks and still haven't had too much playing time but could be on track to become significant contributors.
What would that list look like now, as opposed to in the next offseason?
What follows is the Football Outsiders Top 25 Prospects list, based on which players would qualify right now. Some of these players could play their way off the list as their snap counts rise over the final two months of the season, while others might still be fairly unknown when we get to next year's training camp. But all of them are players to watch in the NFL going forward.
The criteria to make this list:
Third-round pick or lower, or undrafted, from the classes of 2015-2017
500 or fewer offensive or defensive career snaps through Week 10 of 2017 (except running backs, who have a maximum of 300 snaps)
No signed contract extension
Age 26 or younger
In the past, we've found players such as David Johnson, Danielle Hunter and Malcolm Butler on our list. Our 2017 offseason list already has graduates playing huge roles, including Tyreek Hill, Austin Hooper and Michael Pierce.
Here's who we like now:
1. Carl Lawson, EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals
Age: 22 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 279 | Drafted: Fourth-round pick (2017)
It's kind of mind-boggling how the NFL let Lawson fall to the fourth round, as he was rumored to be a first-round prospect for years before he actually declared for the draft. A torn ACL and an injured hip in the years before 2016 likely had him red-flagged by some teams on medicals, despite Lawson tearing up the SEC with 13.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
Drafted by the Bengals, Lawson has been an immediate hit. Sports Info Solutions charting ranks Lawson in the NFL top 10 for hurries despite his low snap counts, and he's also picked up 5.5 sacks. The Bengals have a knack for hitting big on their middle-round picks, and Lawson may very well be the latest in the trend that started with Geno Atkins. While Lawson didn't exactly tear up our SackSEER system, he also lost most of his last three years in college to injuries, so that makes some sense.
2. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
Age: 22 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 243 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
The latest in NFL satellite back technology, Kamara is well-managed by the Saints: The offense that Sean Payton runs helps disguise some warts, but he's a good player in his own right. Per Sports Info Solutions charting, Kamara has already broken 26 tackles on 107 touches through Week 10. He has achieved a 59.3 percent DVOA on his 64 run plays, so he's not just a screens-and-slants back either.
Where Kamara could have trouble going forward is his tendency to fumble; he had seven at Tennessee last season. He has only one so far at the NFL level, but when we're looking at a sample size this small, I'm still trusting the people who spent time breaking down his college tape and expressed concern. But his speed plays well anywhere, and on the turf in New Orleans, he has left both defenders and his own offensive linemen in the dust.
3. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Age: 24 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 413 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
The biggest knock on Kupp coming out was his timed speed at the combine, where he ran a 4.62 40-yard dash. Profiled as a slot receiver and used that way by the Rams, he has flourished, but my belief is that Kupp is more than just your typical slot receiver. Underrated at the catch point and with a much more built body than the Wes Welker archetype of receiver, Kupp might even be able to play outside.
Hooked into Sean McVay's hyper-efficient offense, Kupp is 23rd among qualifying receivers in DVOA, at 7.7 percent. He has done this despite a 59 percent catch rate, which is mostly because of an uncharacteristic four drops. Kupp profiles as a red zone weapon in this offense, and should evolve into a finisher for Jared Goff over time.
4. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Age: 23 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 152 | Drafted: Seventh-round pick (2017)
Out of nowhere came Chris Carson. A relative unknown as the backup tailback for Oklahoma State, Carson was an afterthought in the general draft community when the Seahawks took him in the last round of the 2017 draft. He was stacked behind Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, and measured against players like Troymaine Pope that had their own supporters.
Carson simply came out in training camp and played better than all of them. For the games he was healthy before fracturing his ankle, he was the only thing Seattle had to a functional running game. Behind a terrible offensive line, Carson had 23 rushing DYAR this year. Through Week 9, all other Seattle backs have combined for -89 rushing DYAR. He broke an insane 21 tackles in just 56 touches. And Carson showed off in the passing game as well. Perhaps the injury will harm him, and that's why he's not No. 1 on the list, but it's hard to look at what he did this year and not think he's going to be Seattle's featured back for the rest of his rookie contract.
5. Desmond King, DB, Los Angeles Chargers
Age: 22 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 392 | Drafted: Fifth-round pick (2017)
It's hard to evaluate defensive backs, but someone probably should have looked at King a little more in the process. He started at Iowa as a freshman and was talked up as a potential first-round pick after his junior season, but his reputation declined as a senior and he fell to the fifth round.
Chargers have used King inside, and the early returns have been encouraging. He already has a sack and two breakups, and San Diego has allowed a -32.8% DVOA on deep passes, in the area where King would nominally be patrolling in zone. We still have no idea how he fell to the fifth round, even at 5-foot-10. While King hasn't looked quite this dynamic early on, this sounds a lot like what happened to Tyrann Mathieu a few years ago.
6. Jordan Willis, EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals
Age: 22 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 216 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
This starts with a ridiculously high SackSEER score coming out of college. Willis posted Myles Garrett-like numbers at the combine, running the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.53 seconds while recording a vertical leap of 39 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 5 inches. He combined that with 20.5 sacks in his last two years at Kansas State to have the second-highest projection in the class after Garrett.
But the college and combine results are draped with an inimitable downside: Willis didn't pass the eye test as a college rusher. He didn't bend the edge much in college, and looked a little stiff after beating his man initially. He has just five pressures and a sack so far in his rookie season. The college profile provides reason for optimism, but Willis needs to take the next step in his development.
7. Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, New Orleans Saints
Age: 22 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 185 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
A lesser-talked about part of the defensive resurgence in New Orleans, as Marshon Lattimore gets and deserves the bulk of the attention, Hendrickson has flashed in the edge rusher rotation so far. He already has 10 hurries and two sacks in his paltry amount of snaps.
Coming out, Hendrickson definitely had the profile SackSEER likes, achieving a 90.0 percent rating and being projected for 15.7 sacks in his first five seasons despite a consensus fourth-round projection. Hendrickson is yet another example of a small-school sleeper come to life, and while the dings coming out were about his competition, he isn't having trouble at the NFL level early on.
8. Rasul Douglas, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
Age: 22 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 336 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
A junior college guy who had the light turn on for him, Douglas was heavily recruited but chose West Virginia to stay closer to his home in New Jersey. He led the NCAA with eight interceptions in 2016, and his stellar size and play made him a pretty safe third-round pick.
With rookie corners playing outside, all you're hoping for is for them to be respectable. Douglas has been oft-targeted, but his 56 percent success rate through Week 10 is 24th among all qualifying cornerbacks. Yes, that number is buttressed by the fact that Philadelphia's front seven has been excellent. But even still, it has been an admirable performance.
9. Chris Wormley, DL, Baltimore Ravens
Age: 24 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 115 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
From one Harbaugh to another, Wormley was a run stuffer extraordinaire early on at Michigan. Later in his career, he also developed some pass-rushing moves. Wormley finished with nine tackles for loss and six sacks, and was a first-team All-Big 10 selection. So, to no one's surprise, he was a second-day NFL pick.
Wormley has no sacks, but four hurries in the early going. He has basically replaced Michael Pierce's role as "promising young defensive line prospect" on both the Baltimore roster and on our list. While he probably won't see too many more snaps in the late going now that Brandon Williams is healthy, the Ravens saw early on that they'd picked a good one.
10. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
Age: 22 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 196 | Drafted: Sixth-round pick (2017)
While the backfield situation in Green Bay appears to be fluid at the moment, Jones has definitely put the most production on the field so far. A 25.5% DVOA and 109 DYAR through Week 10 ranked fourth among those backs that didn't have enough carries to qualify for the main leaderboard.
Unfortunately, the injury to Aaron Rodgers won't allow Jones to truly showcase his play for the rest of this season, but his quick change-of-direction style makes him a better fit for Green Bay's regular offense than fellow rookie back Jamaal Williams. Jones has outproduced Ty Montgomery, and Montgomery's work as lead back didn't exactly blow anyone's socks off. Jones is who we'd bet on to lead this backfield in the future, and that remains the case even after his MCL sprain.
11. Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears
Age: 22 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 195 | Drafted: Fourth-round pick (2017)
"The Human Joystick" has already done some impossible things in his first few games in the NFL, showing off a blend of agility and speed that has resulted in 20 broken tackles in his first 84 touches, per Sports Info Solutions' charting. More importantly, he has managed to make John Fox's offense a little fun to watch in spite of Fox's best efforts.
Like Kamara, Cohen is a leader in the young wave of satellite backs. He's so natural catching the ball that the Bears have had no qualms lining him up all over the field. Between you and me, a more modern offensive mind might just try to take him the full Tyreek Hill route. Cohen is already a better trick play passer than Hill, after all.
12. Jourdan Lewis, CB, Dallas Cowboys
Age: 22 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 407 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
Another one from the vaunted Michigan defense, Lewis fell in the draft in part due to a domestic violence allegation. Left unsaid is that he was a lockdown corner at Michigan. Per NFL.com's profile of him, he allowed seven completions in the entire 2016 season, giving up a completion percentage of 23.3 percent.
Lewis has been boom-and-bust early in his professional career. Per Sports Info Solutions' charting, Lewis is 47th of 62 qualifying corners in success rate, but 25th in yards allowed per pass. Dallas would probably have preferred more steady corner play from Lewis this year, but at least he has looked solid since stepping in after Week 1.
13. Dan Feeney, G, Los Angeles Chargers
Age: 23 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 175 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
Feeney was one of the most decorated linemen in last year's draft, a guard who started as a true freshman at Indiana and opened holes for Tevin Coleman and Jordan Howard. There was a split among scouts over whether he was merely a zone-blocking guard or not, but the Chargers believed in the talent and invested early.
In Feeney's first start, the Chargers immediately rushed for more yards per carry than they had all season. If you think that's heavily impacted by a single Melvin Gordon run, you're right! However, even if you take that run out, it was still a much more consistent performance from the running game than the Chargers had seen up to that point. The Jaguars stonewalled the Chargers' run game in Week 10, but that's a tough matchup for any offense.
14. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions
Age: 24 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 134 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
Golladay was a bit of a surprise pick in the third round, a player who was pegged as a Day 3 guy by most public analysts and publications. But Golladay profiles as a perfect outside receiver for the Lions, and he cut into the snap counts early after an explosive training camp and a preseason that put him squarely on the fantasy radar.
Hamstring troubles have kept him out of the lineup, but Golladay has been frisky for the Lions early in his career. Through Week 10 his catch rate was just 50 percent, which has kept his advanced numbers towards the middle of the pack. He has, however, drawn a pair of pass interference penalties already.
15. Dede Westbrook, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Age: 23 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 0 | Drafted: Fourth-round pick (2017)
Westbrook fell to the fourth round on account of domestic violence allegations, kinda like Tyreek Hill. Also, kinda like Tyreek Hill, Westbrook's suddenness and pure speed made him a big-play threat at Oklahoma. Our Playmaker Score projections loved Westbrook, giving him the seventh-highest score in the class despite a fourth-round projection.
While Westbrook hasn't played any snaps yet, he was on track to play in Week 10 as we write this after recovering from a core muscle injury that put him on PUP. With Allen Robinson sidelined and the Jaguars desperately needing another explosive weapon to play within the short game, Westbrook could be a difference-maker down the stretch.
16. Dean Lowry, EDGE, Green Bay Packers
Age: 23 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 428 | Drafted: Fourth-round pick (2016)
A SackSEER special out of Northwestern, Lowry's consensus draft grade was pretty low, but the Packers pounced early. The SackSEER system graded him in the 90th percentile of prospects, giving him a low sack projection because of the draft position projection.
Lowry didn't play much last season, but has been a fixture early for the Packers as part of their edge rotation. Per Sports Info Solutions charting, he has seven hurries through Week 9, as well as half a sack. Lowry may not develop into a star, but edges with his athletic profile that stay healthy are always in demand.
17. Dylan Cole, LB, Houston Texans
Age: 23 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 105 | Drafted: Undrafted (2017)
Not invited to the combine out of tiny Missouri State, Cole came on the draft radar after putting up some eye-popping numbers at his pro day, when he ran a 4.52 40-yard dash and tacked on a 39-inch vertical leap for good measure.
Cole already showed off his ridiculous athleticism by picking two balls for the Texans early in the season, one that saw him run all the way down field from his linebacker spot to undercut a corner route. A grade II hamstring strain has limited his snaps, but he was definitely the pick of the litter next to Bernardrick McKinney early in the year.
18. John Johnson, DB, Los Angeles Rams
Age: 21 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 331 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
Another in a strong line of recent Boston College safeties that includes Justin Simmons, Johnson's calling card in college was his versatility, as he covered some from the slot. The athleticism is more than enough for a starting safety, with an 86th percentile three-cone drill at the combine as his top calling card.
Johnson didn't play much until Week 4, but since then he has been a fixture for the Rams, who are currently 11th in the NFL in DVOA allowed on deep passes. Johnson himself has added an interception and a pair of pass breakups.
19. Andrew Billings, DL, Cincinnati Bengals
Age: 21 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 143 | Drafted: Fourth-round pick (2016)
A player we expected to be a starter right away for the Bengals instead saw his role reduced by Pat Sims. We still remain high on Billings' tools, though. He showed elite strength and nimble feet at Baylor, where he was the co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at 20 years old. He racked up 26.5 tackles for loss in his last two years of college.
And finally, in Week 9, he was able to see the plurality of the snaps. Will he ever be more than a run-stuffing nose tackle? That remains to be seen. He may still be working the creaks out of his surgically repaired knee at this point. But the snap count is so low that we're banking more on his college performance.
20. Xavier Woods, S, Dallas Cowboys
Age: 22 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 222 | Drafted: Sixth-round pick (2017)
Another smaller safety that fell on height concerns, Woods starred for Louisiana Tech and was a draftnik favorite. He was an all-purpose monster with 14 tackles for loss, eight picks, and nine pass breakups over his final two collegiate seasons.
Rotating on defense from Week 2 on, Woods has had his share of early issues, with the Cowboys allowing an absurd 179.2 percent DVOA on deep balls over the middle so far. But the talent is there to play close to the line or deep, and this young Cowboys secondary could develop together in a hurry. Woods did have an excellent diving pick against the Falcons in Week 10.
21. Miles Killebrew, S, Detroit Lions
Age: 24 | Defensive snaps through Week 10: 437 | Drafted: Fourth-round pick (2016)
Killebrew has seen his playing time take a sharp decrease since Detroit's bye, playing only 58 snaps in the three weeks following it. A player in the Deone Bucannon "safety who is really a linebacker" mold, Killebrew has been a pretty sure tackler thus far. Teez Tabor's emergence may throw the entire Detroit DB depth chart into chaos in the short-term.
Still, this doesn't change much of our initial evaluation of Killebrew. Two of those games involved Detroit playing run-first offenses, and we expect Killebrew to be involved more often as the movable chess piece that can check satellite backs and tight ends.
22. Brett Hundley, QB, Green Bay Packers
Age: 24 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 263 | Drafted: Fifth-round pick (2015)
We have featured Hundley on this list for the past two offseasons, and there is no doubt that Hundley has not lived up to that position in his first three NFL starts. The quarterback has struggled to deal with pressure, often sensing a need to step up in the pocket early based on poor footwork. Hundley has been overthrowing players too often as well, but that's not entirely surprising given the lack of first-team reps until the past couple weeks.
However, we stand by our evaluation that he has the talent to be an NFL starter, if not an NFL star. Green Bay's offense under Mike McCarthy has been poorly run for seasons, and has only really been bailed out by the fact that Aaron Rodgers is a force of nature. You're seeing what happens when a quick West Coast passing game without any real wrinkles runs into the modern NFL.
23. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Age: 24 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 420 | Drafted: Fifth-round pick (2017)
Nominally a blocking tight end at Iowa with just 48 receptions, Kittle had a huge offseason for the 49ers, blowing up training camp and getting Vance McDonald traded to the Steelers so they could make Kittle the Week 1 starter.
Kittle has abysmal DVOA numbers -- he's actually second-to-last in qualifying starters in DYAR -- but that's more about his role in a bad offense. There's no reason that Kittle can't emulate another Iowa standout, C.J. Fiedorowicz, and be a block-first, lower-rung receiving option on a good team.
24. B.J. Finney, OL, Pittsburgh Steelers
Age: 26 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 441 | Drafted: Undrafted (2015)
The story remains the same with Finney: Whenever the Steelers' interior line springs a leak, he's there to plug it. Weeks 3 and 7 saw the Steelers start Finney without incident.
The Kansas State lineman was heavily decorated for Bill Snyder's Wildcats, a Remington Trophy finalist in 2014 and a first-team All-Big 12 center. He has the wrestling background that has come to define inside maulers such as former Patriot Stephen Neal. All he has done with these tools so far is slap around interior defenders left and right.
25. D'Onta Foreman, RB, Houston Texans
Age: 21 | Offensive snaps through Week 10: 129 | Drafted: Third-round pick (2017)
Foreman is a size-speed nightmare for defenses who was dinged coming out of Texas for his fumbling and his tendency to flirt with cuts a bit much. But he was the workhorse back and entire offense for the Longhorns, and his talent has been evident in his rookie season. Every time the Texans have played without Deshaun Watson, Lamar Miller has been trudging in mud and Foreman's fresh legs have provided a little more burst.
Long term, there's not any reason for Foreman to not overtake Miller. The question with him is simply how high the ceiling can be. There are holes in his game that still need addressing and the Texans benched him following him skipping out on a Friday practice after Bob McNair's owner's meeting remarks went public.
Honorable mention
Antonio Garcia, OT, New England Patriots
Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carlos Henderson, WR, Denver Broncos
Josh Reynolds, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Derek Rivers EDGE, New England Patriots
Jonnu Smith, TE, Tennessee Titans
ArDarius Stewart, WR, New York Jets
Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Miami Dolphins
Taywan Taylor, WR, Tennessee Titans
Deatrich Wise, EDGE, New England Patriots