The 2015 NFL Draft has blessed us with another large crop of young, talented football players. In less than a full year, we’ll have a pretty good idea which ones are well on their way to great careers. And whether or not that ends up being the case, we’ll at least know which were the best of their class during their rookie seasons.
More importantly, we’ll know who the very best rookie performers are, via the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Years honors. The best overall rookie will stand above the rest, however, and claim the 2015 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2014 it was Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The year before that it was San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen. We’ve seen some guys prove themselves to be the top rookie and go on to do nothing with their careers (Vince Young and Cadillac Williams, to name a couple), while studs like Adrian Peterson, Ben Roethlisberger and Ndamukong Suh were rightfully named the top players in their draft class and really never looked back.
It’s the NFL’s dark period now that we’re in the month of May, so pondering the 2015 ROY award is as important now as it will be when we actually find out who the winner is. Let’s pass the time by taking a look at the top contenders for the crown this year and see if we can’t predict the ultimate victor:
Note: To keep ourselves from finding an argument for every single player, we’ll pick our favorite for each main position that may have a case.
Quarterback – Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Quarterbacks win the award more than any other position and he’s the top pick for a reason. Winston may be a bit of a headcase off the field, but he gets it done on it. He’s going to turn the ball over and lose some games on a bad team, but overall the good will outweigh the bad in year one.
Running Back – Todd Gurley (St. Louis Rams)
Gurley’s knee injury is his lone true obstacle to overcome as a rookie, and by all accounts he’s well on his way back to being 100%. As long as he’s the guy we’ve grown to enjoy watching and he doesn’t miss any action, he’ll be the top running back to watch in 2015. If he can be the Rams’ savior on offense like they seem to think he can be, he might be in contention for ROY honors, too.
Wide Receiver – Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders)
Derek Carr and the Raiders are closing in on a turn around, but they were lacking big plays out of their offense. Cooper follows a long line of immediate impact stud receivers emerging from the draft and should look to open up the Oakland offense in his first season. Depending on how successful he is, he could become the second receiver to win ROY honors in the past three years.
Tight End – Maxx Williams (Baltimore Ravens)
Rookie tight ends don’t usually take the league by storm. Even the likes of Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham took a while to find their footing, while the only tight end to ever win the modern Pepsi ROY award was Jeremy Shockey back in 2002. Williams may be the guy to watch at his own position, but it’s unlikely he’s ever in serious contention.
Offensive Line – Andrus Peat (New Orleans Saints)
The offensive line is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. They don’t get “no” respect. It’s unfair, but it’s the truth. You could make a case for numerous o-linemen to emerge as the top guy in their class, but Peat is going to a Saints team that wants to shove the ground game down opponent’s throats. If they accomplish that, he could be a big reason why.
Defensive Line – Danny Shelton (Cleveland Browns)
Shelton is a bit of a freak, as he’s a meaty space-eater that can sniff out the run, but he also has the quickness and pursuit of a sack artist. That could make him a menace in the middle of Cleveland’s nasty 3-4 defense and if he’s as good as the Browns think he can be right off the bat, he could end up being just the second defensive player (and defensive lineman) to win the Pepsi ROY award.
Linebacker – Alvin “Bud” Dupree (Pittsburgh Steelers)
You could throw any of the versatile rookie edge rushers in this group or consider a stud inside linebacker, but Dupree is the only one operating out of a 3-4 system and that also has the talent to make an immediate impact. He’s unlikely to win, but he could be a terror on the edge from day one.
Defensive Back – Trae Waynes (Minnesota Vikings)
Landon Collins is probably the only safety Waynes has to worry about and he’s easily the most talented corner in this draft class. Add that he’s being inserted into a talented, rising Mike Zimmer defense that will know how to deploy him and he has to be one of the top defensive players to monitor.
The Winner: Jameis Winston
Since 2000 the Offensive Rookie of the Year has been a quarterback six times and the overall Pepsi ROY has been a quarterback six times, as well. History suggests Winston would have a solid chance just by being decent, while he seems to have the offensive set up (Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson) to find success as a rookie. That may not translate into a ton of wins and he does have solid competition, but he’s got the swagger and talent to get it done.
Have another rookie in mind that you think is a lock to win the crown in 2015? Let us hear who your pick is in the comments below!
