Which underappreciated Jacksonville Jaguars should have breakout campaigns in the 2022 NFL season?

The Jacksonville Jaguars' 2021 season was a complete failure. One good thing that came out of it, however, was that some of their rookies finished it strong. Under new coach Doug Pederson, fans hope that these same players may progress even more in 2022 as the club strives to surpass its win total.

So far in the offseason, the Jaguars have made significant progress toward becoming a more capable football club, but there is still more to be done.

Through free agency, Jacksonville's offense acquired a number of playmakers, and starting QB Trevor Lawrence, who is entering his second NFL season, should make significant progress. During the offseason and the 2022 NFL Draft, we also decided to strengthen our defense. Now the team seems to be significantly stronger on both ends of the field going into training camp.

Having said that, the Jaguars, meanwhile, still have a ways to go before they'll be vying for a postseason berth. They still need to improve on a number of aspects if they are to turn things around and make a run for the playoffs.

Here are two guys from the Jaguars' 2021 rookie class that could improve in their second year. They should help the club have a stronger season as we wait for what should be an interesting series of training camp practices:

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Jaguars Hidden Gems on 2022 Roster

Trevor Lawrence – Quarterback

Now yes, Lawrence is hardly a “hidden” quantity in Jacksonville, but the No. 1 overall pick from the 2021 NFL draft has to be included on this list for reasons that go beyond just his draft eligibility. While Trevor Lawrence did have a difficult year with the Jaguars, it was a grave error to combine him with erstwhile coach Urban Meyer, who wasn't prepared for the NFL.

Fortunately, they were able to fix the error last December and let Meyer go. Then, in February, they switched him out for Doug Pederson.

Pederson is more relatable. He is a quarterback who played in the NFL, a longtime NFL coaching assistant, and a head coach who has won a Super Bowl. Lawrence does better under Pederson. Recall that Lawrence was once thought to be the best prospect to enter the draft in a while and occasionally showed signs of his talent despite the dysfunctional environment surrounding him, should .

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It's also commonly known that many young signal callers make a significant improvement in their second season. That ought to be the case in particular for a quarterback of Lawrence's talent, even if he is still adjusting to a new offense.

Last year, Lawrence had 12 passing and two rushing touchdowns. He had a 59.6 percent completion rate and passed for 6.0 yards per completion. Expect those numbers to go way up in 2022.

Andre Cisco – Safety

Andre Cisco experienced some challenges last season. Maybe the biggest one was that the Jaguars originally didn't offer him a lot of playing time. This perplexed many people because the Jaguars weren't getting many turnovers, which was Cisco's forte.

A late-season ankle injury to veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins, however, gave Cisco the opportunity to start the last three games. In two of those three games, the youngster capitalized on the chance, earning Pro Football Focus grades of 82.7 (Week 16) and 79.5 (Week 18).

In the end, Cisco played just 247 defensive snaps in all last season. He was, however, responsible for 26 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. Six other players in Jacksonville each had just one forced fumble, while Cisco recorded two forced fumbles.

Simply said, Cisco seems to be a player deserving of more snaps when given the chance. Now, this year's coaching staff, led by head coach Doug Pederson and defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, like that idea.

In fact, Cisco has impressed Caldwell already during camp. Caldwell views Cisco as a very smart and coachable player.

Cisco has a bright future. Caldwell himself will mentor Cisco . This is significant because Caldwell saw Tampa succeed last season with young safety Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield. He hopes to be able to repeat that success with Cisco.