Potential NFL Rookie of the Year Players
Each year there is a rookie that takes the NFL by storm. Last year when Tony Romo went down in a preseason game, a fourth-round rookie quarterback took the helm and led the Cowboys to the best record in the NFC. Here is our list of rookies that will have the biggest impact this season along with their player profiles.
Corey Davis – WR – Tennessee Titans
Corey David makes this list because of his unique combination of speed, strength, leaping ability, and physicality when going up for a catch. The 6’3’’ 209-pound deep threat was a four-year starter at Western Michigan where he amassed 5,285 career receiving yards, and a jaw-dropping 97 catches for 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns as a Senior. Don’t let the Mid-American Conference undermine his athletic abilities, Davis would have been a 1,200-yard receiver at any power 5 conference. The Titans selected him with the fifth pick in the draft and will be Marcus Mariota’s number one receiver. In a depleted receiving corps Davis will surely see multiple double teams, but I project he will have 75 catches for 950 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Deshaun Watson – QB – Houston Texans
The Houston Texans swapped first round picks with the Cleveland Browns along with their 2018 first round pick, so they could take Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson with the 12th overall selection. Watson was the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, two-time Heisman finalist, two-time Davey O’Brien Award winner, two-time Manning Award winner, and National Champion. You couldn’t imagine a better resume from your incoming rookie quarterback. He will be throwing to a stable of speedy young receivers that can take any pass to the end zone. He would be our pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but many NFL teams have a new philosophy that it’s better to sit a rookie quarterback their first year to gain experience and develop their confidence. If there’s one exception to this rule it is Deshaun Watson. I believe he will take over the starting role by week 5, and finish the season with 3,000 yards, 24 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, with an additional 350 rushing yards for 4 touchdowns.
Leonard Fournette – RB – Jacksonville Jaguars
Leonard Fournette is the kind of athlete that only comes around once a generation. He has the breakaway speed to burn any defender, the physicality to break a defender’s sternum while he runs through them, and the athleticism to stop on a dime and spin around opposing players or use his patience to let blocking develop and accelerate through the gaps. When I first saw him run I compared him to Adrian Peterson, but the more apt comparison would be the legendary Bo Jackson. Fournette had the misfortune of being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars and their substandard offensive line. There is some injury concern with Fournette, but I attribute this to typical injuries a running back would play through, but he was smart to realize he would be a millionaire in the NFL, so he didn’t push himself because he was playing for free in college. Jacksonville is a passing team, but with a playmaker like this is the backfield they will get the ball in his hands. I expect him to get 250 carries for 1,250 yards and 14 touchdowns.