Top 10 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Candidates

For a player that hardly saw the field before Week 5, Branden Oliver has made a huge impact on the Chargers’ season in 2014. The undrafted rookie is fourth among rookie backs with 407 yards rushing and two touchdowns to go along with 23 receptions for 172 yards and another touchdown. Unfortunately for him, the return of a healthy Ryan Mathews will limit his role down the stretch.

Many people didn’t like this second-round pick for Cleveland, but so far Joel Bitonio has played like a Pro Bowler in the interior of the Browns’ offensive line. He has played every snap this season and been excellent from Day 1 as part of a physical front that has propelled Cleveland into the division title race this season.

As part of one of the best offensive lines in college football, Zach Martin has stepped in and proven he belongs from Day 1. The interior lineman hasn’t missed a snap this season and has been a major part of the incredible season running back DeMarco Murray, who currently leads the league in rushing.

Jerick McKinnon has proven to be a spark plug for the Minnesota offense in his first season, helping to fill the void left by the suspension of Adrian Peterson. His issue has been getting enough opportunities to really make an impact as he averages just 9.8 carries per game. He is still second among rookies in rushing yards, however, thanks to his strong 4.9 yards per carry average.

Brandin Cooks was a perfect fit in New Orleans with his blend of speed and playmaking ability. While he leads all rookies in receptions this season and integrated himself very nicely in the Saints’ passing attack, Cooks will likely fall out of contention for this award pretty quickly now that he’s on the Injured Reserve list due to a broken thumb.

Jeremy Hill has been the thunder to Giovani Bernard’s lightning this season for Cincinnati and has really taken off in recent weeks while his running mate was sidelined with injury. He leads all rookie running backs with 556 yards rushing this season and five touchdowns as he has provided the muscle for the Bengals’ rushing attack.

After a bit of a slow start, Mike Evans has caught fire in recent weeks as he gets up to NFL speed. He leads all rookies with 794 receiving yards this season on 46 catches with seven touchdowns. Over the last three games, Evans has caught five touchdowns on 21 receptions, surpassing 100 yards receiving in each game, punctuated by his 209-yard, two-touchdown effort in Week 11.

While Oakland has plenty of holes to fill before they can even think about a winning record, they may have found their quarterback of the future. Derek Carr wasn’t the most highly touted QB in this class but he’s been performing like it. Of the three rookie QBs starting, he’s the only one with more touchdowns than interceptions (14:9) and he leads the group with 2,249 yards.

Sammy Watkins has been the game-breaker that Buffalo drafted him to be in 2014. He is currently third among rookies in receiving yards and yards per catch as he has emerged as the No. 1 receiver for the Bills despite playing through a number of injuries this season.

Carolina cleaned house in their receiving corps this offseason and Kelvin Benjamin has stepped in to pick up the slack. He is a tough, physical playmaker that has proven capable of going up and making plays in traffic. He has 52 receptions already on the year for 768 yards, both good for second most among rookies, with a rookie-leading eight touchdown receptions. His complete game gives him the inside track to Rookie of the Year honors.