5 Players to Watch in 2014 NFL Season

  Every season there are players that make that next-level jump in their game and career. You may see something special in their during mini-camp, in the previous season, or they may just be in a better situation than the previous season. Players like Golden Tate, Eric Decker, Michael Crabtree, C.J. Spiller, Matt Schaub and Alex Smith have all been prime examples of this, and their contracts help prove it.

  As we inch closer to a new NFL season, I've taken the time to go over the five players who will be sure to make that next-level jump in their games, in the 2014 season. These aren't players who I feel were under-the-radar last season, but players that I feel will make a huge statistical leap, in the upcoming season.

1. Emmanuel Sanders-

   

   Emmanuel Sanders

   Take out Eric Decker (now with NY Jets), insert Sanders. As simple as that. With Sanders going from a Pittsburgh team that wasn't the best offensively last season that struggled to score, to a Denver team that was number one in points per game and passing touchdowns. Sanders will have a lot of pressure taken off of him by Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker. In 2013 Sanders had 67 receptions, 6 touchdowns, and 740 yards. I'll look for him to add 20 receptions to that total, 9 touchdowns and 400 yards. 
2. EJ Manuel- Manuel was the only quarterback taken in the first round of last years draft. The Bills wanted him over Geno Smith for a reason. He was believed to be a harder worker and more efficient. Manuel played well for his rookie season, when he was on the field. Injuries may have given him a disadvantage in the rookie of the year race, this past season. However, with it going into a new season, look for Manuel to come in healthy and ready to work. The Bills traded away Stevie Johnson but they traded up on draft day to get the highest graded receiver of this class- Sammy Watkins.  With it looking as if Watkins will be the primary receiver. Manuel still will have second-year receiver, Robert Woods and he will also have running back, CJ Spiller, who had a pretty down season but look for him to bounce right back to the player he was in 2012. In 2013, Manuel only played in 10 games. He had over 1,900 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and completed 58 percent of his passes. In the 2014 season, you can look for his yards to increase by 1,000 or more, he'll add 9 touchdowns, and he should have and increase in completion percentage by at least 5 percent. 

   

   EJ Manuel

3. Oakland Raiders Defense- Lets be honest, the Oakland Raiders defense has looked awful for nearly half of a decade. Last season they focused on upgrading their secondary by signing free-agent and former Raider, Charles Woodson. They also drafted defensive back, DJ Hayden, who looked to be a risk since there was a lot of questions about his health, but showed this season that he was 100 percent healthy and ready to make big plays. This off-season, they've added pass rushers, Justin Tuck and Lamarr Woodley to the roster, and they drafted maybe the most versatile defensive player in this years draft class, Khalil Mack. This Raiders team won't be a top-5 defense or anything but they will make some noise and will give fans a lot to look forward to for the near future. In 2013 the Raiders were second to last in interceptions (9), 18th in sacks (38), and 29th in PPG allowed (28.3). Not to mention they lost 8 of their last 10 games. It'll hurt them mostly because their division is so strong, with 3 of the 4 teams making the playoffs in 2013. In 2014, look for this Raiders team to get more sack and takeaways and i'm giving them 7 wins.

   

   Oakland Raiders

    
4. Andrew Hawkins- The Cleveland Browns have been making a lot of noise this off-season, and I mean A LOT! If it's not what Johnny "Football" Manziel is doing, it's the trouble that star receiver, Josh Gordon is getting into. However, Hawkins was signed as a free agent and I believe that his contract was well deserved. With Hawkins suffering a major injury which only allowed him to be healthy for the final eight games of the season, I don't really feel as if the 2013 season was a fair assessment of his talent/skill. In 2013, Hawkins only had 12 receptions and 200 receiving yards. Much of that was a result of inconsistent packages from offensive coordinator, Jay Gruden, also, from former teammate Marvin Jones coming into his own, last season. In the 2012 season, Hawkins had 51 receptions, 533 yards and 4 touchdowns. That's more of the player that they'll see in Cleveland in 2014. Look for him to have nearly 1,200 yards overall, 8 touchdowns, and 55 receptions or better. No Josh Gordon for the season should equal ample opportunity for Hawkins in the offense. 

   

   Andrew Hawkins

5. Andre Ellington- In 2013 Ellington went into the season not even really knowing if he would see the field that often. By mid-season, Ellington was used in a variety of packages in the Cardinals offense. With the sudden and unexpected retirement of Rashard Mendenhall, you can look for Ellington to be the premiere back in the Arizona backfield. The Cardinals have a lot of offensive talent. Michael Floyd is coming into his own, Larry Fitzgerald is still Larry Fitzgerald and they've added Ted Ginn Jr. Expect for Bruce Arians to have some fun with this offense in 2014. In 2013, Ellington rushed for 650 yards and had 3 rushing touchdowns and added 371 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown to that, showing that he can really do it all. With Ellington more than likely seeing majority of the work load in 2014, look for his rushing yards to increase by 500 yards, rushing touchdowns by four (7 TD), and he should stay around 5 yards per carry. I don't expect to see much of an increase in the receiving department from him, however. 

Andre Ellington