The 2016 NFL playoffs feature several of the game’s next legends

Twelve months ago, David Johnson was a FCS running back prospect hoping to catch the attention of NFL teams at the Senior Bowl. Now he’s a multi-threat star for the Arizona Cardinals and a key piece on offense in their push toward a Super Bowl.

Johnson has 1,038 combined rushing and receiving yards and 12 touchdowns this season, plus another score on a kickoff return. Most of it came after taking over the lead running back duties following an injury to Chris Johnson. Despite being a rookie thrust into the spotlight, Johnson didn’t have any jitters heading into his first playoff game on Saturday. In fact, those were gone by his second start.

“I started getting calm and once I started letting the game come to me, once I started getting a little more comfortable in the offense, I think I had more confidence in myself that I can do stuff that I do on the field,” Johnson said last week.

If the first handful of his starts are any indication, Johnson is already a star for the Cardinals at 24. If he keeps this up, Johnson is on the fast track to legendary status.

It should come as no surprise that several of the teams remaining in the NFL playoffs feature these young future stars like Johnson.

For Denver Broncos pass rusher Shaquil Barrett, the future is now. Barrett was undrafted out of Colorado State in 2014 and spent a season on Denver’s practice squad. That meant any team could have stolen Barrett, but none did. This season Barrett has broken out as a future playmaking pass rusher in Denver.

Barrett, 23, got his first start in Week 6 of this season when veteran Demarcus Ware was injured. In that game, a win against the Cleveland Browns, Barrett led the Broncos in tackles with six, had a sack and a half and forced a fumble. He finished the season with 50 tackles, 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Barrett’s breakout season makes him look like a future star for Denver more than this year’s first-round pick, Shane Ray.

The future’s bright for the teams that have already been eliminated, thanks to the presence of some future stars.

In Kansas City, 23-year-old rookie cornerback Marcus Peters is a clear star moving forward for the Chiefs. When the Oakland Raiders’ season ended with a loss on Jan. 3 to the Chiefs, legendary defensive back Charles Woodson was quick to find Peters after the game for an embrace.

As Woodson approached, Peters bowed as though to say he was not worthy. In his rookie season, that feeling of not being worthy was practically the only thing Peters did wrong.

He finished his first regular season in the NFL with eight interceptions and an invitation to the Pro Bowl. After that Week 17 game, Woodson clutched Peters in a hug that signified a passing of the torch from a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer to the rookie.

Seattle Seahawks rookie Tyler Lockett can one-up Peters’ Pro Bowl berth with his spot on this year’s All-Pro first team. Lockett was named to the NFL’s most prestigious all-star squad for his play on special teams, where the only thing as impressive as his speed is his shiftiness in space. The only rookie first team All-Pro this season, Lockett had two return touchdowns while averaging 25.8 yards per kick return and 9.5 yards per punt return.

“There’s so many people who played this game for so many years who do an outstanding job and they never get nominated as an All Pro, and for me to be able to do that as a rookie, that’s really big,” Lockett said on a Seattle radio station recently.

To go along with his return numbers, Lockett caught 51 passes for 664 yards and six touchdowns. In that regard, he keeps some legendary company. He’s the first player since Gale Sayers to have a punt return touchdown, kick return touchdown and at least five receiving touchdowns in a season. As the season progressed, Lockett, 23, got better as a pure wide receiver. Over the first six games he had just 12 catches for 138 yards. He finished the rest of the season strong and obviously has a bright future.

One first-round pick who is living up to the hype is Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, 23. Injuries slowed down Shazier in his rookie season, and even some this year, but the 2014 15th pick is fully healthy and looking like a star. That was evident last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, his second career playoff game.

Shazier’s stat line of 13 tackles and two forced fumbles is impressive. Changing the tone of the game is much more so. Shazier delivered a somewhat dirty and seriously brutal hit on Bengals running back Giovani Bernard. The hit amplified the aggression in the game, and it ultimately played into an advantage for Pittsburgh as Cincinnati self-destructed. Shazier also had the climatic play of the game, stripping the ball away from Jeremy Hill late in the fourth quarter.

Shazier’s explosiveness and his speed show why he’s the ideal modern day NFL linebacker. It’s why he’s a future star of the game, and one of many in this year’s playoffs.