Most surprising stars of the 2023 NFL regular season

From Tyson Bagent to Tommy DeVito, the 2023 NFL season offered a variety of surprising names and storylines, but few played well enough to truly be considered an unexpected star. Here are 11 players who unexpectedly stood out the most during the regular season.

QB Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns

The MVP of Super Bowl XLVII has enjoyed an incredible renaissance unlike anything we've seen before with the team he spent the majority of his career tormenting. Flacco signed with the Browns in mid-November and has given them perhaps the best quarterbacking the team has ever had to help clinch a playoff berth. In five games, Flacco posted a 4-1 record with 1,616 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. 

WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams 

The fifth-round pick wasn't just the best rookie wide receiver this season, he was arguably the greatest of all time. Nacua set new records for the most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) by a first-year player to go along with six touchdowns. Overall, the 22-year-old ranked fourth in the NFL in receiving yards and ninth in receptions. 

QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans 

Who could've predicted that choking away the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft during the final game of last season would ultimately be the best thing that could've happened to Houston? Stroud played like an MVP candidate to lead the Texans to their seventh AFC South title in franchise history, becoming the fifth rookie quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 4,000 yards. In 15 games, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. 

CB DaRon Bland, Dallas Cowboys

A Day 3 draft pick in 2022, Bland led the NFL in interceptions (nine) during his outstanding sophomore season while rewriting the record books in the process. The Fresno State product set a league record with five interceptions returned for a touchdown this season, which is particularly impressive since it only took him 11 games to accomplish this feat. To put his impressive season into even greater perspective, Bland scored more touchdowns than names like Chris Godwin, Jaylen Waddle and Garrett Wilson. 

QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Expectations were low for Tampa Bay entering the first season of the post-Tom Brady era and possibly even lower for Mayfield, who was set to play for his fourth team in three years. Nevertheless, the former No. 1 pick resurrected his career with the Buccaneers and helped them capture the NFC South crown for the third consecutive season. Mayfield set career highs in completion rate (64.3%), passing yards (4,044) and touchdowns (28) this season, cementing his status as the team's quarterback of the future. 

RB Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins 

Mostert, 31, has flashed the potential of being one of the most efficient tailbacks in the league throughout his career, although injuries have often held him back. This season, however, Mostert managed to play in 15 games, setting a career-high in rushing yards (1,012) and touchdowns (18). Not only did Mostert lead the league in rushing touchdowns, but he also tied San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey for the most total scores in the NFL (21). 

TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

Typically, the tight end position is one of the toughest transitions from college to the pro level, but clearly, nobody told LaPorta about that. The second-rounder became the latest ex-Iowa Hawkeye to emerge as a star tight end in the NFL, setting the rookie record for receptions (86) and touchdowns at the position (10). Additionally, LaPorta's 889 receiving yards this season were the fifth-most among NFL tight ends. 

RB Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams 

Nacua wasn't the only formerly overlooked Ram to help the team make an unexpected run to the playoffs. After amassing 215 yards from scrimmage as a rookie in 2022, Williams — who only played in 12 games this season — finished third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,144) and total touchdowns (15). 

QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers 

A mixed first five starts raised questions about Love's potential, but the 2020 first-rounder eventually found his groove and helped Green Bay return to the postseason. Love threw for 3,076 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions over the final 12 games. According to CBS Sports, Love joins Patrick Mahomes and Kurt Warner as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to exceed 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns in their first season as a full-time starter. 

K Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys 

A 28-year-old rookie and first-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, Aubrey established himself as one of the NFL's best kickers for the NFC East champion Cowboys. Before missing two field goals in Week 18 (one of which was blocked), Aubrey converted his first 35 field-goal attempts this season. Per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, that tied Aubrey with former Viking Gary Anderson for the second-most field goals in a season without a miss.

DT Justin Madubuike, Baltimore Ravens

The fourth-year pro couldn't have broken out at a better time, as Madubuike is slated to become a free agent this offseason. Madubuike was a major reason Baltimore led the league in sacks this season, racking up 13 of them by himself and tying an NFL record with at least half a sack in 11 consecutive games along the way.