Mel Kiper Lists Chiefs Jonathan Baldwin As NFL Second Half Breakout Candidate

Rookies are often labeled boom or bust and in the 24-hour news cycle, it's common to hear that about guys who've only played half a season. But as Mel Kiper notes in his latest column, some rookies begin to find their footing in the second half of their rookie year as they finally begin to learn the playbook and gain the confidence that comes with playing at the highest levels. That said, Kiper recently listed his picks of players who could break out.

Near the top of that last is the Kansas City Chiefs' Jonathan Baldwin. Baldwin missed most of the first half with a thumb injury that kept him out after a reported locker room fight with Thomas Jones. But he finished the first half of the season with 7 catches for 108 yards and 1 touchdown. Even in limited duty, he showed just what he can do.

Kiper writes, "He couldn't have started worse, breaking his hand in a locker-room altercation. But Baldwin is simply a perpetual mismatch on the outside, and he is the deep threat the Chiefs were craving when they got him in Round 1 in April. He has the size to win jump balls and the good speed to stretch the field, and he offers the Chiefs a dimension they don't have otherwise."