Five Early Contenders For The 2012 NFL Rookie Of The Year Award

Published: 12^th May 12 4:55 pm

by Akiva Goldenberg

1 Rant »

Five Early Contenders For The 2012 NFL Rookie Of The Year Award

Eric P. Mull-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been two weeks since the 2012 NFL Draft and many of the rookies are being signed by their respective teams. Last season Cam Newton shocked the NFL and fans a like by establishing himself as a Pro Bowl player, which led to him winning the 2011 NFL Rookie of the Year award.

I’ve watched multiple cutup games of each of the top prospects and have done my background research on each one. Now it’s time I provide five early contenders for the 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year award:

1. Andrew Luck (QB, Indianapolis Colts): in my personal opinion he was by far the best rookie prospect this year. He’s just as athletic as Cam Newton, far smarter than last year’s winner of the award, and is the most prepared rookie quarterback from day one in the NFL ever. The Colts drafted the two best tight ends in the draft and two wide receivers that could contribute as the third/fourth option. Luck’s situation is far better than analysts have been giving him credit for.
2. Trent Richardson (RB, Cleveland Browns): everyone, except for maybe Jim Brown, agrees that Richardson is definitely the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson was drafted in 2007. If Richardson stays healthy, then he should be vying for a spot on the AFC’s Pro Bowl team.
3. Robert Griffin III (QB, Washington Redskins): he’s joining a team with a good wide receiver core and talented tight ends. The problem I foresee for Griffin is that his offensive line is mediocre at best. Hogs fans should hope that Griffin can compensate, for any poor play by the offensive line, with his nimble feet and rocket arm.
4. Doug Martin (RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers): he was clearly the second best running back prospect in this year’s draft and can do anything a player at the position could be asked to do. Martin is walking into the best situation amongst all of the drafted players at his position since Greg Schiano, the head coach of the Bucs, is an expert with the rushing offense and the rest of the line was upgraded significantly. It’s now looking like the Buccaneers with all their upgrades could be a contender to win the NFC South.
5. Stephen Hill (WR, New York Jets): I had to pick one wild card and this award almost always goes to offensive players. Hill is the most athletic rookie wide receiver this year and he’s walking into a situation where has a Pro Bowl level player playing opposite him. I’m skeptical that Hill will be good this year but I was also shocked that Cam Newton and A.J. Green dominated the NFL last year. Consequently he’s my wildcard pick.