{"id":409819,"date":"2026-06-04T12:17:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T12:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/?p=409819"},"modified":"2026-06-04T12:17:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T12:17:54","slug":"nfl-players-to-buy-stock-in-for-2026-why-justin-herbert-caleb-downs-are-set-to-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/2026\/06\/04\/nfl-players-to-buy-stock-in-for-2026-why-justin-herbert-caleb-downs-are-set-to-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL players to buy stock in for 2026: Why Justin Herbert, Caleb Downs are set to surge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s not uncommon for players to generate excitement about their potential during the NFL offseason — specifically in these warmer months, when teams get together for OTAs and mandatory minicamps. Think, for example, of the\u00a0praise\u00a0that Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson heaped on second-year receiver\u00a0Luther Burden III\u00a0for the work he’s put in this offseason:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now, just how he’s approached his offseason,” Johnson said. “It’s been electric. He showed up yesterday, had numerous explosive plays. I loved how in Phase 2 he was finishing every single rep that he took, and that really translated over to yesterday as well. So, he’s in a really good spot. He’s still developing and growing his route tree. \u2026 He’s been extremely coachable, so I’m really happy with him.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This won’t be the last time a player is lauded before NFL teams take the field in September. So, inspired by Johnson’s turn of phrase, we ask the question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which NFL player’s stock are you loading up on in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PICK:\u00a0Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike McDaniel is the perfect offensive coordinator to unlock Herbert\u2019s full potential. The same way McDaniel helped\u00a0Tua Tagovailoa\u00a0overcome his early-career struggles to become a Pro Bowler in Miami, he could easily propel Herbert, already all-star caliber, into elite territory. It also doesn\u2019t hurt that the Chargers signed a proven center (Tyler Biadasz), spent a second-round pick on offensive lineman (Jake Slaughter) and are getting bookends\u00a0Joe Alt\u00a0and\u00a0Rashawn Slater\u00a0back from injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PICK:\u00a0Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With future Pro Football Hall of Famer wide receiver\u00a0Mike Evans\u00a0leaving Tampa Bay for San Francisco, the Buccaneers’ second-year wideout is in line for a much bigger role in 2026. In the early part of the 2025 season, while Evans and\u00a0Chris Godwin\u00a0were sidelined by injuries, Egbuka emerged as\u00a0Baker Mayfield\u2019s top target. Even though Egbuka dealt with multiple injuries of his own throughout his rookie season, he still managed to lead the Bucs in targets (127), receptions (63), receiving yards (938) and receiving touchdowns (six). Don\u2019t be surprised if Egbuka surpasses those numbers in Year 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PICK: Caleb Downs<\/a>, S, Dallas Cowboys<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s been a long time since the Cowboys have had a truly impactful safety, and it appears they’ve finally landed one in Downs. It’s early, but the first-round pick is already drawing rave reviews from players and coaches alike, with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker lauding the rookie’s\u00a0“premium instincts”\u00a0last month. In this league, contenders and champions seem to\u00a0always<\/em>\u00a0feature a play-making safety, and Dallas is long overdue for a player with Downs’ skill set; you’d have to go back to the early days of Roy Williams to find the last time a bona fide game-changer lurked in the back end there. Downs will have an opportunity to be\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>guy and, perhaps, become the missing X-factor for a club that hasn’t had a hard time scoring points on the other side of the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PICK: DeVonta Smith<\/a>, WR, Philadelphia Eagles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0trade of A.J. Brown\u00a0alone clears a path for Smith to reach new heights in 2026.\u00a0As perhaps the league’s best WR2, Smith has posted three 1,000-yard campaigns in his career. He now transitions into life as the team’s No. 1 receiver and\u00a0Jalen Hurts’ top target, while the Eagles’ entire offense also shifts to a new scheme under first-year OC Sean Mannion, who is expected to rejuvenate Philly’s stale pass game of yesteryear. The stars are aligning for Smith to put up career numbers and earn his first Pro Bowl nod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PICK:\u00a0Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I admit to being a bit ambivalent about Shough\u2019s potential coming out of college, but he showed me a lot last season. Shough took too many sacks and had some tough fourth-quarter picks, but more often than not, he got better as games wore on. The Saints made some interesting additions this offseason, including running back\u00a0Travis Etienne, rookie WR\u00a0Jordyn Tyson\u00a0and help on the offensive line, and Shough should have more comfort in his second season in Kellen Moore\u2019s system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PICK:\u00a0Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A diamond found in the rough of the 2025 NFL Draft\u2019s seventh round, Monangai had a surprisingly stellar opening act, rushing for 783 yards (fifth among rookie RBs) and five touchdowns. Monangai and\u00a0D’Andre Swift\u00a0could well be one of the most underrated running back tandems in the league. Or, perhaps, the younger Monangai could take more of a leading role. Ben Johnson, as the Lions offensive coordinator, coached Swift for a season in Detroit before the back was traded to the Eagles. In Johnson\u2019s second year as the Lions OC, rookie\u00a0Jahmyr Gibbs\u00a0(945 yards) and veteran\u00a0David Montgomery\u00a0(1,015) emerged as a dynamic duo. There\u2019s a blueprint for running success in Chicago. Though Johnson is already\u00a0on the record\u00a0urging the purchase of stock in receiver\u00a0Luther Burden III, another 2025 draft pick could be poised for a breakout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s not uncommon for players to generate excitement about their potential during the NFL offseason — specifically in these warmer months, when teams get together for OTAs and mandatory minicamps. Think, for example, of the\u00a0praise\u00a0that Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson heaped on second-year receiver\u00a0Luther Burden III\u00a0for the work he’s put in this offseason: “I’m […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12903],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-409819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12903"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409819"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":409820,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409819\/revisions\/409820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}