NEXT GEN: Cam Ward and Jayden Higgins EMERGE Among NFL’s Most Exciting Breakout Players in 2026

Locked On NFL Scouting with the Draft Dudes - Daily podcast covering NFL and College Football scouting

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4.6 • 968 Ratings

🗓️ 6 July 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Summary

Breakout candidates could shake up the 2026 NFL season—can Cam Ward lead the Tennessee Titans’ resurgence under Brian Daboll, or will Tyler Shough cement his place with the New Orleans Saints? Joe Marino spotlights emerging talent at every position, from Bhayshul Tuten stepping into the RB1 role for the Jacksonville Jaguars to Greg Dulcich’s chance to become Malik Willis’s go-to target with the Miami Dolphins. Key discussion points include Jaden Higgins’s growing role alongside Nico Collins for the Houston Texans, Alfred Collins anchoring the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive line, and Donovan Ezeiruaku's impact on the Dallas Cowboys' pass rush. Honorable mentions like Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals) and Sonny Styles (Washington Commanders) get their due as well. Who will transform from promising prospect to household name, and which teams are positioning themselves for a breakthrough? Joe Marino breaks it all down with bold predictions and insider analysis.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm declaring my 2026 breakout player for every position right now.
0:11.5	You are locked on NFL scouting with the draft dudes,
0:16.4	your daily podcast for NFL and college football scouting part of the locked on podcast network
0:22.7	your team every day what's better than this it's guys being dudes i'm joe marino and today's
0:32.5	episode is brought to you by odo great organizations because operations matter, and that's why you should
0:39.0	get O-D-O-D-O-D-com slash locked-on. That's O-D-O-O-O-O-O-com slash locked-on. On today's episode, I am your solo host as we take a
0:53.2	quick break from our divisional preview series. We'll finish up
0:58.0	next week, but have some scheduling dynamics with me actually being on vacation. And so we're
1:05.0	going to have a different looking week for you this week, but get back on track with the divisional
1:09.1	previews next week. And so for today, no Kyle Cra week, but get back on track with the divisional previews next week.
1:11.7	And so for today, no Kyle Crabs, but I'm here and I want to have some fun.
1:17.2	I want to declare my breakout player for every position in the NFL.
1:23.5	So we'll do the defensive back seven in segment three.
1:27.9	Segment two will be the trenches.
1:30.0	But we start with the offensive skill positions.
1:34.9	And I'll give you my pick.
1:35.9	And then I do have one honorable mention for each position.
1:40.3	And look, I really want to focus in on true breakout players.
1:44.5	So when I get to tight end and I don't pick Tyler Warren or Colston Lovell and
1:48.5	that's because I think they already broke out.
1:50.6	So I did my best here to make sure these were true breakout players.
1:56.5	Let's start with the quarterback position because where else can you possibly start?
	...

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