Getting going in the NFL often requires an adjustment period. While some rookies can hit the ground running from Day 1, it often takes a year until real progress is being made and we can start to see the ability a player has.

Here are 10 players who have taken big leaps toward top-level play in their sophomore seasons.

Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders

Last season, Carr's statistics always looked pretty good. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was healthy for a rookie (21-12) and the raw numbers looked fine, but Carr routinely made poor decisions that put the ball in harm's way. Only Blake Bortles graded worse over the full season, and unlike Teddy Bridgewater, there was no late run of better play.

This season, though, he sits at 16th in the Pro Football Focus QB rankings -- far closer to Bridgewater. His completion percentage has gone up, and his grading has been markedly better. There may still be a way to go, but this is the improvement Raiders fans hoped to see late last season.

Jake Matthews, OT, Atlanta Falcons

There might be no bigger turnaround story than that of Matthews, who was the worst-graded tackle in football last season. Matthews surrendered seven sacks, 55 total pressures and committed 11 penalties in a season that saw him rank 84th of 84 qualifying tackles. This season, he has been grading excellently; he is currently fifth in the rankings and has allowed just a single pressure in 223 snaps. Atlanta had concerns about Matthews entering this season, but he suddenly looks like an All-Pro player.