Ten NFL players ready to emerge as superstars

Michael Thomas, wide receiver, New Orleans Saints

There’s a reason New Orleans shipped Brandin Cooks off to New England earlier in the offseason. Sure acquiring a first-round pick helped. Cooks’ issues with his role on the Saints also had an impact. But GM Mickey Loomis and Co. would not have moved their top receiver if they didn’t have another player ready to fill the void.

A second-round pick out of Ohio State last year, Thomas was absolutely brilliant as a rookie. He recorded 92 receptions for 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns. The former Buckeye also caught an absurd 76 percent of the passes thrown in his direction and averaged 9.4 yards per target.

Let’s put this into perspective for a second here.

In no way is Thomas up to the level of Odell Beckham Jr. just yet, but those are some amazing splits from such a young receiver. Now set to take on the role as Drew Brees’ No. 1 receiver in what should still be a pass-happy offense, Thomas will break out big time here.

In fact, it would not be terribly shocking if Thomas led the NFL in receptions this upcoming season. A simple uptick of about four targets per game would bring his reception total to 120-plus. Think about that for a second before discounting Thomas as a potential superstar in 2017.