Everyone loves a breakout star.

The player who comes from nowhere to not only steal a starting role but helps carry his offense or become a foundational piece for a chaos-creating defense.

Whether it’s a mid-round rookie who steals a starting job in training camp, such as Baltimore Ravens third-round pick Ja’Kobi Lane who has caught everything this summer, or even a first-round rookie edge rusher such as Rueban Bain Jr. who was chosen No. 15 overall but his preseason is leaving people wondering how the heck he slid out of the top-five, there are plenty of Cinderella Stories about to be written in the season ahead.

Now that all 32 teams have set their initial 53-man roster, and with Seattle Seahawks set to unfurl their Super Bowl banner in a season-opening rematch with the New England Patriots just nine days away, we surveyed a handful of NFL front office executives, coaches, and scouts on who they believe will be the breakout star who defines the 2026 campaign.

Each respondent was granted anonymity to speak freely about players who aren’t on their own team.

Here are their responses, with my analysis on why they could be this season’s breakout star in the making:

“I like his skill-set a lot, and he is playing for a coach and in a system that wants to run the ball down people’s throats.” - AFC Pro Scout

Hampton, the Chargers, and Jim Harbaugh’s pedal-to-the-medal run-centric offense were supposed to be a match made in heaven for the No. 22 overall pick last season before injuries derailed his rookie campaign.