Note: This is an opinion piece by MLive.com reporter Nate Atkins

ALLEN PARK -- Last year at this time, the Kenny Golladay hype train was bellowing down the race track. Everyone wants a rookie to fall in love with in camp, and after Jarrad Davis was about as expected and Teez Tabor struggled mightily, a third-round Northern Illinois receiver emerged as one of the top darlings of everyone's attention.

His season debut blew those hopes out of the stadium, when he caught a red-zone touchdown and then laid out for a Matthew Stafford bomb. The rest of the year, he looked like a rookie, fading behind the spotlight of better receivers on the team. He finished with 477 yards and three touchdowns.

This year, the train has a chance to gear up for an even better run. Golladay isn't entirely the mystery like he was a year ago, but maybe that's the point. He has some stability for once in his career after a college tenure of two schools and four quarterbacks led him to a rookie year of trying to fit into a passing game that was far more set than he was.

He's not a rookie anymore, and maybe it's time that shows.

Football Outsiders is believing in the potential. The football analytics service published its annual ranking of the top 25 breakout prospects for the new season. It's for players age 25 or younger who were drafted in the third round or later and have yet to make their splash.

Golladay ranks No. 2.

The ranking pointed out that Golladay finished with the second-most defense-adjusted yards above replacement of any receiver targeted less than 50 times, which can also be illustrated by his 17 yards per catch, good for fifth among players with at least 25 grabs.

Detroit Lions training camp practice - August 1, 2018 40 Gallery: Detroit Lions training camp practice - August 1, 2018

But it also points out that he became more reliable down the stretch, raising his catch percentage eight points in the second half of the year.

Golladay's efficiency numbers, as well as his 6-foot-4-inch frame and fit in an offense with Matthew Stafford, certainly make for an intriguing case. But the real leap won't only come with more playing time. It'll happen when he expands his role and repertoire. That means his understanding of plays, which should increase as a second-year player. It also means his route running.

So far in training camp, Golladay has flashed on his same couple of routes -- the fade and the post -- but has been up-and-down coordinating red-zone routes where he has to win with quickness and catch in tight windows. He spent the time after practice on Monday working with Marvin Jones on those routes at the goal line, where Jones walked him through each and every step.

In that sense, the hype is still as unknown as ever with Golladay, who declined to speak after Wednesday's practice. NFL training camps have been littered with the bones of workout warriors who never translated the production against schemed defenses and top-flight opposition, and though that isn't a worry with Golladay after last year, wonders about whether the next step is natural or not are only fair.

What gives him a good chance is the support system in place, from an offensive coordinator and receivers coach who were here last year to a franchise quarterback to two 1,000-yard veteran receivers. The best chance he's ever had to take a leap is the one he's facing right now.

If Golladay wants to be a sponge this camp, he'll have plenty of information to soak up. How it helps flesh out a 6-4 frame of hops, strength and speed is the mystery waiting to unfold.