• Zack Baun has finally found his home: Now one of the best linebackers in football, the former New Orleans Saint spent much of his career at edge defender.
• About to cash in: After signing a prove-it deal last offseason, expect Baun to become one of the highest-paid linebackers this cycle.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
PFF's award winners are selected through a voting process exclusive to 28 senior analysts, contributors and members of the PFF staff, ensuring the decisions reflect the insights and expertise of those deeply involved in the game.
This year’s Breakout Player of the Year is Zack Baun, who earned 16 votes to claim the honor. The runner-up was Sam Darnold with five votes, while Kerby Joseph rounded out the top three with four votes.
To view all 2024 award winners, click here.
Some NFL superstars are ready to take over the league the second they are drafted, such as Justin Jefferson or Micah Parsons. They’re often selected in the first round of their respective drafts because their future stardom is evident dating back to their collegiate careers.
Others take some time to get acclimated to the professional game before making a name for themselves. And they’re frequently selected outside of the first round of their drafts, flying a bit under the radar as prospects. Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun fits that bill, which is why he’s our 2024 Breakout Player of the Year.
Baun was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, where he spent the first four seasons of his career. The former Wisconsin Badger played edge defender in college, rushing the passer as an outside linebacker in Wisconsin’s defense.
He was incredibly productive with the Badgers, finishing fourth among Power Five edge rushers in 2019 with a 90.9 pass-rushing grade. However, Baun’s tweener size (6-foot-3, 238 pounds) had many question where he would play full-time in the NFL. The Saints also had trouble figuring out that answer, playing him at both linebacker and edge rusher. Baun was mainly used in just a rotational role, averaging just 171 snaps a year and a 59.6 defensive grade during his time in New Orleans.
The then-27-year-old searched for a fresh start with the Philadelphia Eagles, signing a one-year prove-it deal with Philadelphia worth $3.5 million. And with the fate of his career likely hanging in the balance, Baun delivered a career year and then some.
He played 656 snaps in the box for Vic Fangio’s defense as an off-ball linebacker, 533 more than any of his seasons in New Orleans. The move paid off, as Baun finished as the league’s highest-graded linebacker with a 90.1 PFF grade. From Week 8-10, Baun was the NFL’s highest-graded defender with a 93.7 grade across three games.
The once-elite collegiate pass-rusher was actually outstanding when dropping back into coverage. His 91.6 coverage grade was over three points higher than the next-closest linebacker, three-time All-Pro Fred Warner. Baun’s 29 coverage stops were also five more than the next-closest defender, regardless of position. He still made plenty of plays downhill for the Eagles as well, sacking the quarterback 2.5 times while tying for second among all linebackers with 13 tackles for loss/no gain. Baun finished as the second-most-valuable linebacker in the league this season according to PFF’s wins above replacement metric, trailing only a future Hall of Famer in Bobby Wagner.
Zack Baun lays out for the interception!
📺: #JAXvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/pzTokw8zIl— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
Once an afterthought in the 2024 free agency cycle, Baun has blossomed into one of the leaders on the best defense in football. He looks like he could become one of the best linebackers in football for years to come at a position that’s in dire need of more stars. After signing a prove-it deal last offseason, expect the former Wisconsin Badger to cash in big this year.
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