NFC: One potential fast riser on every team’s depth chart

With all NFL training camps open, some players are already making strong impressions.

Could a surprising wide receiver open the season as the Dallas Cowboys’ No. 2 option? Will a rookie running back earn significant playing time with the Los Angeles Rams?

Yardbarker NFL writers identify one potential fast riser on the depth chart for all 16 NFC teams.

NFC East

DALLAS COWBOYS | Wide receiver Jalen Tolbert | Brandin Cooks wasn’t surprised to see his teammate open camp with a spectacular catch. The veteran wideout has trumpeted Tolbert since OTAs. With All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb holding out for a new contract, the little-used third-year wideout could easily open the season as the team’s No. 2 receiver and even surpass Cooks’ 657 yards receiving from 2023.

NEW YORK GIANTS | Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. | New Giants running back Devin Singletary isn’t much of a receiver, but Tracy played 38 games at wide receiver before leading the Big Ten as a running back with 6.3 yards per carry last season for Purdue. If this year’s fifth-round pick can handle pass protection, Eric Gray’s run as New York’s No. 2 back could be over before it starts.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | Linebacker Jalyx Hunt |
According to SI.com’s Ed Kracz, the former college safety-turned-linebacker stood out against left tackle Jordan Mailata during first-team reps on the first day of training camp. Competing with edge rushers Bryce Huff, who played 42% of snaps for the Jets in 2023, and Nolan Smith, who played 16% of snaps for the Eagles last season, Philadelphia’s third-round project could play sooner than expected.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | Tight end Ben Sinnott | Zach Ertz may have a history with new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, but the soon-to-be 34-year-old tight end found himself without a team for the last six weeks of the 2023 regular season. Per Pro Football Focus, Sinnott was the only tight end in this year’s draft to average double digits for depth of target over the past two seasons (10.2) and just one of four 2024 tight end prospects to hit 1,000-plus receiving yards since 2022. The second-round pick from Kansas State is an ideal candidate to surpass Ertz as the team’s No. 1 tight end. — Bruce Ewing

NFC West

ARIZONA CARDINALS | Cornerback Max Melton | Other than free-agent signing Sean Murphy-Bunting, pretty much every cornerback spot, both outside and in the slot, is up for grabs. That means Melton, the Cardinals’ second-round pick, will have an opportunity to earn playing time.

LOS ANGELES RAMS | Running back Blake Corum | The Rams have a starting running back in Kyren Williams, but rookie Blake Corum has already started to win over the coaching staff and could work his way into the team’s running back rotation sooner than expected. Corum, a second-round pick out of Michigan, was one of the top running backs in the 2024 class. 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | Guard Dominick Puni | The 49ers do not have many starting jobs up for grabs, but right guard is wide open, especially with veterans Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano dealing with injuries. That has opened the door for rookie Puni, a third-round draft pick from Kansas, to play his way into a starting job and immediately climb the depth chart.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | Guard Christian Haynes | The interior of the offensive line has been a problem for a couple of years, and the right guard battle is very much up for grabs after Anthony Bradford failed to impress last season. Haynes, a third-round pick from UConn, is going to have every opportunity to win that job as a rookie and become an immediate starter. — Adam Gretz

NFC North

CHICAGO BEARS | Edge rusher Austin Booker | Early reports out of Bears training camp indicate Booker has impressed and looked better than expected. Chicago desperately needs sack production from anyone not named Montez Sweat, and Booker has a chance to rise on the depth chart with an impressive showing during training camp and preseason.

DETROIT LIONS | Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw | Detroit’s defensive backfield is pretty stacked with the additions of Carlton Davis and Terrion Arnold joining Emmanuel Moseley, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. But the coaching staff is impressed with Rakestraw’s versatility. His ability to cover any part of the field and play in most packages could help boost his playing time as a rookie.

GREEN BAY PACKERS | Safety Javon Bullard | With Green Bay’s top three safeties from last season — Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford and Darnell Savage — no longer on the roster, there’s a starting spot open opposite Xavier McKinney. Some scouts thought Bullard could have gone at the end of Round 1 in April’s draft. He could easily be a plug-and-play rookie who could surpass a handful of veterans with a good showing during camp.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS | Wide receiver Malik Knowles | With K.J. Osborn now in New England, Minnesota’s WR3 spot is open for competition. Head coach Kevin O’Connell singled out Knowles during minicamp as a player he’s excited about who will get extra reps, so it sure sounds like the Vikings have big plans for the 23-year-old wideout. — Michael Gallagher

NFC South

ATLANTA FALCONS | Outside linebacker James Smith-Williams | The 2024 free-agent signing has already inserted himself into the first-team defense, usurping Arnold Ebiketie, a  projected starter. Smith-Williams has started 27 of the 41 games he’s appeared in since the start of the 2021 season and quickly appears to have found himself in pole position for a starting spot.

CAROLINA PANTHERS | Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo | The Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye shared recently that the second-year pro had multiple outstanding plays during one practice session, and he was the first player head coach Dave Canales mentioned when asked about the team’s depth behind its projected top three receivers (Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette and Adam Thielen). “They’re really showing who they are … I’ve really seen those guys come through,” said the first-year head coach, suggesting Mingo could potentially be a top-three wideout on the team.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | Running back Jordan Mims | Second-year back Kendre Miller suffered a hamstring injury on the first day of camp, opening the door for others to stand out. Mims was recently named ESPN’s Katherine Terrell’s “underrated player of the week.” She noted he was making the most of his increased work load with Miller sidelined.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | Cornerback Tavierre Thomas | A six-year veteran, Thomas most recently played for the Texans (2021-23). Signed for depth, he has already recorded two interceptions during camp and could earn considerable playing time. — Eric Smithling