5 most improved players of 2021 NFL season

Trevon Diggs seen during a November game (Photo: Getty)

As the 2021-22 NFL season reaches its end, awards of both the amateur and professional variety are being distributed across the league in celebration of the first 17-game season.

SK gets in on the action, looking back at the five most improved players of the campaign, with a particular focus on those whose rises have left their teams contending for or locked into a playoff berth as the final Sunday of regular season action kicks off...

Whose breakouts have most affected the 2021-22 NFL season?

JAMES CONNER. TD MACHINE.

His third TD of the day and 11th total TD of the season! #RedSea

📺: #AZvsSF on FOX
📱: NFL app https://t.co/8H9yh4AHBu

#1 - RB James Conner, Arizona

Injuries rendered Conner a slight afterthought in the grand NFL picture. His departure from Pittsburgh generated little fanfare across the league and he went on to sign a one-year deal with the Cardinals.

But he went on to become one of the resurgent Cardinals' most dangerous offensive weapons, coming through in the clutch with 16 total touchdowns this season.

Another free agency period awaits Conner this spring; there are few certainties in the modern NFL, but it's safe to say that he should have more suitors with bigger checkbooks this time around.

Outlier #2: Positive

Yes, the play just before the incredibly lucky Kendrick Bourne touchdown was a lucky Trevon Diggs INT. What should have been a 7 yard gain results in a pick 6.

https://t.co/ven7hX8bOU

#2 - CB Trevon Diggs, Dallas

One can talk until they're blue in the face about Diggs' skills in coverage, his advanced statistics, etc.

But they can't deny that the former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back led the league with 11 interceptions for the 2021-2022 NFL season.

Yes, the Dallas defense has allowed its share of big plays, but possessing a defender able to work one side of the field is an invaluable weapon come playoff time: just ask the Legion of Boom that shut down Peyton Manning.

Tee Higgins is a magician!

https://t.co/Ni24P0K5Rd

#3 - WR Tee Higgins, Cincinnati

With Ja'Marr Chase arriving in Cincinnati, it would've been easy for Higgins to fade into the background, especially after he had already established himself as a strong receiver for the future when Joe Burrow went down in their shared rookie season.

Instead, Higgins rose even further to the occasion, getting both stronger and faster to become one of the most reliable receivers in the league. Higgins has improved in all major receiving categories and is set to rep the AFC North in the playoffs next week as a division champion.

This is one of the best plays of the season by Jalen Hurts!!!

What a play! 🔥
#Eagles

https://t.co/K5ZAIvxVcG

#4 - QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia

For the second consecutive season, Hurts was benched during the Philadelphia Eagles' regular season finale...but, this time, it was in the name of a much worthier cause.

Hurts is one of the reasons the Eagles are back in the playoffs, cementing himself as an NFL franchise quarterback with a strong sophomore season that saw him tally 32 touchdowns as a dual threat both through the air and on the ground.

The Eagles may need to have others step up if they're going to truly contend, and Hurts ensures that they don't have to worry about the situation under center.

BUILT DIFFERENT. @19problemz FOR THE TD!

#HOUvsSF on CBS/49ers App https://t.co/g7NHN2YT2r

#5 - WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco

A player with a name plucked from the movie "Friday" has made a huge impression on Sundays. Though the 49ers are trapped in a quarterback conundrum that won't be solved even if they clinch an NFL playoff berth today, Samuel's emergence as a reliable, big-play target.

In addition to his receiving antics (currently fifth in the NFL with 1,310 yards), Samuel also established himself as a formidable rushing threat with 320 yards on the ground, which comes nearly two years after he set a Super Bowl record for a receiver's rushing yards in the 49ers' loss to Kansas City.

Samuel has been responsible for 13 total touchdowns this season and ranks second in the NFL with 13.2 yards per touch.