There is only one game left in the 2024-22 season – the Super Bowl!
Now that the season is nearly over, people are starting to speculate who the NFL will be handing out awards to this year. Who will be named MVP, Player of the Years, and of course, who will be named Rookie of the Year?
Today, we are going to look at 9 players we think could win this title.
#9 – Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Miami Dolphins
Phillips was the Dolphin’s first pick in the Draft this year – he was the 18th pick overall.
Weeks 9 to 13 were where we saw Phillips shine this season. He ended on 8.5 sacks and 42 combined tackles this season.
#8 – Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence was the first pick of the 2024 Draft and many people were expecting amazing things from him. He was being compared to John Elway and Peyton Manning before he had even played a game for the NFL.
Many in the Jacksonville franchise had been hoping that Lawrence would turn around their fortunes. Particularly after they went 1-15 last season. They ended up going 3-14 this season. But weren’t at the bottom of the pack.
Lawrence put in a solid performance all season but was let down by the people around him.
#7 – Zach Wilson, Quarterback, New York Jets
Wilson is another example of a good player who drew the short straw when it came to the draft.
Wilson was the second pick in the Draft this year and ended up with the Jets. Sadly, the Jets ended up second from last again this year.
Wilson completed 213 passes this season and scored a total of 13 touchdowns. However, he did not perform nearly as well as everyone had expected him to at the start of the season.
Many had predicted that Zach Wilson and Trevor Lawrence would be battling it out for Rookie of the Year this season.
#6 – Javonte Williams, Running Back, Denver Broncos
Williams didn’t start a game until Week 13 this season, but he made a huge difference coming off the bench multiple times.
It was thanks to the hard work of Williams and a few other players that the Broncos didn’t have an awful year. There was clearly something going wrong in their camp this season.
However, this only made Williams shine more. He had multiple games where he racked up over 100 yards. He had a total of 13 touchdowns, 43 receptions, and 203 carries for 903 yards – despite only starting one game this season.
He deserves more recognition than he is getting.
#5 – Mac Jones, Quarterback, New England Patriots
There is one stat of Mac Jones that we should all be talking about more right now – his pass completion percentage.
Mac Jones pulled off an impressive 67.6% pass completion percentage this year. He was the player that got closest this season to breaking Dak Prescott’s rookie season record of 67.76.
He also scored 22 touchdown passes this season and passed for 3,801 yards. He also snuck in 129 rushing yards too.
#4 – Jaylen Waddle, Wide Receiver, Miami Dolphins
7 touchdowns. 2 Rushes. 104 receptions. 1,015 receiving yards. Not bad for a rookie.
The second half of the season was a lot more fruitful for Waddle – but it is not uncommon for rookies to be slow bloomers. In the last 4 weeks of the season, Waddle racked up 321 yards.
He broke the NFL record for most catches in a rookie season with 104 – this record was set by Anquan Boldin in 2003 at 101.
Waddle has made a great pair with his former college quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. We can’t wait to see them play together more.
#3 – Micah Parsons, Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys
We have no doubt that Micah Parsons will be named Defensive Rookie of the Year, however, will he take the overall Rookie of the Year title too?
Parsons led the rookies in tackles with 84 tackles, in sacks with 13 sacks (he was third overall in the league), and tackles for loss – he racked up 20 of those. He also forced 3 fumbles this year.
There are some that think that Parsons might be one of those rare rookies that will be named Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year too!
#2 – Najee Harris, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers
Harris has given us a masterclass in both rushing and receiving this season – just look at his stats.
He racked up 307 rushes, 1,200 rushing yards, and 7 rushing touchdowns. He also managed 74 receptions, 467 receiving yards, and 3 receiving touchdowns this year too.
In Week 17, Harris rushed for 188 yards. He set a new franchise record for rookie rushing yards and quite frankly made everyone else look slow this season.
In any other year, he would have been a shoo-in for Offensive Rookie of the Year, however, he has been unlucky with the quality of his competition this year.
#1 – Ja’Marr Chase, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
If you are surprised to see Chase on at the top of this list then you clearly haven’t watched enough football this year.
Chase has racked up 81 receptions, 1,455 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns this season. Not only that, but he has also helped to take his team to the Super Bowl.
You can find Fanduel.com Super Bowl betting odds on his chances of winning here.
The only real competition Chase has for the title is Najee Harris. Both are worthy winners in our eyes.
We have a feeling that Ja’Marr Chase will be named Rookie of the Year, especially if he and the Bengals go home with the Super Bowl. At the start of the season, everyone was talking about Trevor Lawrence or Zach Wilson winning the award instead. It truly has been one unpredictable season!