Home Articles/Editorials KIRS Choice – 2014 NFL Defensive & Offensive Rookies Of The Year

KIRS Choice – 2014 NFL Defensive & Offensive Rookies Of The Year

Rob: Of all the awards categories we will be doing, Offensive Rookie of the Year was my toughest spot. Leaving Teddy Bridgewater off the top five was heartbreaking, and I had him in the fifth spot right up until I sent the email to Stan. Bridgewater should have been the third overall pick to the Jaguars. I think he will be terrific, and had he played earlier, he might have vaulted up this list. Still, 2014 was the year of the rookie receiver, and this list should reflect that.

Also, a nod to Jeremy Hill, Jordan Matthews, Brandin Cooks, Jarvis Landry, Joel Bitonio, and Derek Carr who all had really fantastic seasons as rookies. Kelvin Benjamin, Martavis Bryant, Donte Moncrief, Taylor Gabriel, and John Brown weren’t too shabby themselves.

Stan: As you’re starting to notice, this is one of the better rookie classes in a while, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively there were some gems to be found as well. So much so that I had to leave some off the list. Guys like Ryan Shazier and Aaron Lynch were very good this year and I’m mad at myself for leaving off Chris Borland. I was a little disappointed in guys like Jadeveon Clowney (say what you want, part of being a pro is staying healthy), Brock Vereen, Justin Gilbert, and DeMarcus Lawrence.

 

Stan – DROY

5. Anthony Barr, OLB, Vikings

I had a feeling Barr was going to be a huge part of the defense in Minnesota, especially with a defensive minded guy like Mike Zimmer taking over as head coach. I think he’s only scratched the surface and I can’t wait to see him develop into a more well rounded linebacker.

*Rob’s note: Barr looks like he is going to be a good player, and he was a leading candidate early in the year. He didn’t drop off as much as a few rookies came on strong late.

4. Kyle Fuller, CB, Bears

Fuller had a good start to the season and his production tapered off a little because he was given more responsibility after some injuries to his teammates. He held his own some weeks and looked like a rookie in other weeks.

*Rob’s note: Fuller was probably the best rookie through four games. However, injuries and a bad Bears defense put him in the tank fast. I didn’t think he even looked like a passable player at times in the second half of the season.

3. CJ Mosley, ILB, Ravens

Mosley is the only one in this group still in the playoffs and thats worth something. He’s played really well this season and he’s fit into the Ravens defense really well. I’d give him more of a nod but he’s playing around some really solid talent. He isn’t relied upon like some other guys. Playing with Terrell Suggsand Haloti Ngata has to make his job a lot easier.

2. Aaron Donald, DT, Rams

Donald was a guy I wanted the Giants to draft. While I’m glad they took Odell Beckham Jr, seeing the impact that Donald had really made me wish he was wearing blue. He’s so quick off the snap and causes so much chaos for opposing offenses. He’s a manimal.

1. Khalil Mack, OLB, Raiders

At no point in this season did Khalil Mack look or play like a rookie. He wins rookie of the year because not only was he productive enough to make the Pro Bowl, he did it with a mediocre supporting cast. Outside ofSio Moore, there isn’t another reliable defender on this team still in his prime. Once guys like Justin Tuck and future first ballot Hall of Famer Charles Woodson retire, the Raiders will have to build around their stud in Khalil Mack.

Stan – OROY

5. Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills

Coming into the season, I thought either Watkins had the best chance to win this award because he looked so awesome coming out of Clemson. To be fair, he had a pretty good year but he missed some time and he really didn’t have a huge impact in Buffalo. They ran the ball a ton and the defense was essentially the reason for any of Buffalo’s success.

4. Mike Evans, WR, Bucs

Evans got better as the season went along and was basically the number one option by the end of the year, but a guy on a 2 win team can’t possibly win Rookie Of The Year, right?

3. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Vikings

Rob and I have brought it up all year. How did this guy drop to 32 in the draft? He was the best quarterback coming out of college in terms of guys that were NFL ready. He’s won big games at Louisville, he can make every throw and he’s a natural leader. The Browns have to be kicking themselves that they traded their way into Johnny Manziel. We talked about “tanking for Teddy” but one bad pro day and people lose their minds. Most years he might be rookie of the year, but we saw some really impressive rookie seasons from a lot of guys, especially the next two guys.

2. Zack Martin, G, Cowboys

I know Rob has Martin as his number one guy and I totally understand why he does but the reason he’s the runner up for me is that he’s surrounded by talent on the best offensive line in football. Doug Free, Travis Frederick Tyron Smith and Ronald Leary are all really good guys for Martin to be around. Corey Linsley is really good and he deserves to be on this list too but just like Martin, he’s part of a good collective line

**Sidenote** It really annoys me to see how good Corey Linsley’s become because the Giants needed a center and took Weston Richburgin the second round when Linsley went to Green Bay in the fifth. Richburg can still turn out to be solid but he’s looked overwhelmed this year. Maybe its because he’s playing with some underachievers on the line.

1. Odell Beckham Jr, WR, Giants

ODB wins the award because not only is he the most dynamic playmaker as a rookie but he did what he did in just over half a season. I don’t like to be one of these guys that says, “imagine what he could have done in a full season” but I have to think it would have been insane. Also take into consideration the roster around him. There really wasn’t anyone on the offense good enough to take the attention away from him and he still put up sick numbers. And can we really forget that he made the greatest catch in the history of televised football?

**Sidenote** In high school, I played with a kid named Scott Gallo. He wasn’t great by any stretch but this kid made one of the greatest catches I’ve ever seen. First off, he sexed the cornerback on a hitch and go then toasted him up the sideline. The quarterback under threw him so Scott had to come back and jump for it. This kid laid out for the pass and was parallel to the ground for like four seconds. He floated y’all.

Rob – DROY

5. Aaron Lynch, OLB, 49ers

Life is unfair sometimes. For example, imagine a dead to rights first-round pick pass rusher decides to transfer out of Notre Dame, probably because they won’t let him cheat on tests or because girls wear too much bulky clothing to keep warm. He then goes to South Florida, plays on a bad Bulls team, albeit one that has placed a number of high-end defensive players into the NFL. Instead of being a first round selection, he drops all the way to the fifth round, because to some NFL teams, the Internet doesn’t exist. There, the freaking 49ers grab him and he needs Aldon Smith,Patrick Willis, and Navarro Bowman to all be injured/suspended simultaneously to get on the field, where all he does is dominate.

4. C.J. Mosley, ILB, Ravens

Mosley was a really good prospect at linebacker and a really good player for the Ravens this year. He has some claim to being 1 on this list, it just isn’t a claim I am prepared to make.

3. Chris Borland, ILB, 49ers

Borland, however, is an interesting case. In my favorite running joke of the season, Bill Barnwell of Grantland.com said he could be 85% of Bowman, to which he was met with ridicule. Three quarters of the way through the season, Borland was the most dominant run-stopping linebacker in the NFL. Mosley played 614 more snaps than an injured Borland, and that counts for something, but Borland only finished with 25 less tackles, and was equal or better in coverage.

2. Aaron Donald, DT, Rams

Donald was terrific. The Rams brought him along slowly, but he ended up as a Pro Bowler and a phenomenal penetrating defensive tackle. He has help along that defensive line, but he is as quick off the ball as they come.

1. Khalil Mack, OLB, Raiders

Mack was wasting away on a terrible Raiders team all year, and he lacked in conventional pass rushing numbers. However, his 40 hurries were second only to Von Milleramong all 4-3 outside linebackers. He would be tied for fourth among all linebackers, despite 3-4 edge rushers having far more opportunities, and finish top 10 overall in rushing the quarterback. Before the draft, there were murmurs that Mack might besecretly better than Jadeveon Clowney. I thought they were laughable. I was wrong.

Rob – OROY

5. Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills

Watkins edges out Bridgewater here in my toughest omission across all nine categories we plan on looking at. It wasn’t until I had the email to Stan written that I went back and changed it. I thought about impact plays from this group, and none were more important than Watkins. Sammy caught a terrible pass he tipped to himself against the Lions for a 20 yard gain with :14 seconds left to give them a game winning field goal. Even more dramatic was the catch he made against the Vikings, scoring his second touchdown of the day with :01 second left to secure a 17-16 win. Injuries and an epically good crop of rookies keep him down at 5, but he was fantastic this year.

4. Corey Linsley, C, Packers

The easy way out was to put Watkins at 4 and Bridgewater at 5 and keep out Linsley who most people didn’t realize was a rookie anyway. Well, the fact that most didn’t realize he was a rookie is why I couldn’t leave him off. According to Pro Football Focus he was the fourth best center in the league, on a 12-4 Packers team that has been haunted by bad offensive line play.

3.Mike Evans, WR, Bucs

Evans was my favorite player in this draft class before the draft. Through 12 weeks, he had this award locked up. If I had to take one receiver going forward, it would be Evans. He finishes 3 because frankly, there are two candidates that didn’t just have great rookie years, but otherworldly rookie years.

2. Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, Giants

Yes, Beckham had the catch. Yes, he put up numbers in 12 games thatbring up mentions of Randy Moss’ rookie year. Beckham dropped in a great situation and was the beneficiary of a career resurgence from Eli Manning as well as a key injury to Victor Cruz. I am splitting hairs here, and I might be penalizing him because I don’t think it should be a unanimous vote, but there was one other great candidate for this award, and he impressed me just a little bit more.

1. Zack Martin, G, Cowboys

Will Martin win it? Absolutely not. Should he win it? Probably not. But he should be considered for it, and what Dallas’ offensive line did pass blocking and run blocking this year was masterful. Everyone on the line gets a bump because of it. Martin made the All-Pro team as one of the two best guards in the league. Pro Football Focus has Bitonio ahead of both Martin and Linsley, but he was playing between Alex Mack and Joe Thomas. Once Mack went down for the year, the Browns couldn’t throw or run. Everyone remembers the Beckham highlights, but Martin played 1,076 snaps, and I am guessing any one of those could be a highlight.

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