Once again, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye has been labeled as a potential breakout candidate for the 2022 season.
After a solid rookie season in which Paye showed some flashes of dominance for stretches at a time, the former first-round pick is set up nicely to explode in Year 2.
As Pro Football Focus took a look at breakout candidates from the AFC, Paye was one of the six names mentioned. They also listed him as a breakout candidate earlier in the offseason when the focus was solely on Year 2 players.
Paye registered a 77.5 pass-rushing grade in true pass sets last year, a top-35 mark among all pass-rushers. He also recorded a 20% win rate while totaling 20 hurries, three hits and four sacks on those reps — all in his first NFL season.
Paye’s pass-rushing grade was the highest of all Colts edge rushers, and he racked up the second-most pressures on the team (39). With the pre-draft addition of Yannick Ngakoue into the fold, Paye’s numbers could increase this year with a bookend edge rusher on the opposite side.
Paye’s rookie impact went under the radar because he didn’t have the sack numbers of a Micah Parsons. However, he has the potential to build upon that in 2022, and a change in scheme with added reinforcements can elevate him into a prime AFC breakout candidate.
The addition of Ngakoue should help free up the lanes for Paye to see more one-on-one action while the scheme that Gus Bradley brings may be even more aggressive for edge defenders than it was under Matt Eberflus.
Paye has all of the tools in the world to become an elite pass rusher. He has the size, length, speed and bend to wreak havoc consistently on opposing offenses. Putting it all together will be the main objective going into his second season.
It will be interesting to see how Paye’s development takes place in 2022, but there are plenty of reasons to believe he can break out during his second campaign.
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