The race to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year looked like a landslide victory for one Houston Texans quarterback at one point, but a record-breaking receiver in Los Angeles put his best foot forward to challenge for the honor.
Who Is Going To Win NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year?
Favorite: QB C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans, 10-7)
C.J. Stroud is the Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner after a terrific debut season in Texas, where he led Houston to the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Ohio State finished the year with 23 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns as well as just five interceptions in 14 games played.
The 22-year-old threw for 4,108 yards and had an interception rate of 1%, joining Aaron Rodgers as the only other player to ever complete the feat in league history.
He had even stuck his nose into the MVP race at one point in the campaign. Stroud tied the single-season rookie record for games with two or more touchdowns without being picked. This former Heisman finalist looks one hell of a player and undoubtedly has a bright future in the league.
Strong Candidate: WR Puka Nacua (LA Rams, 12-5)
First-year wideout Puka Nacua set the NFL record for most catches in a single game (15) by a rookie in Week 2, added another with the most catches in a season (105) by a rookie in Week 18 and topped it off by tallying the most yards in a season by a rookie (1,486).
The LA Rams won the Super Bowl two years ago and they’ll face the Detroit Lions first in the Wild Card round in their bid to win a second championship in three seasons, with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp’s experience on that stage likely to be invaluable.
Nacua played 17 games and acted as the team’s first option wide receiver for most of the year despite sharing the field with Kupp – a Super Bowl MVP and former Offensive Player of the Year winner.
The fifth round draft pick has come up huge for the Rams and looks like a very exciting talent. He leads second place in the rookie yards race by 507 yards. The last time the first place rookie led by that much was Randy Moss in 1998.
According to oddsmakers, the race for Offensive Rookie of the Year consists of two horses. Stroud is priced at -4000 to win the award with NFL betting sites, ahead of Nacua at +900.
The next closest in odds in Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson at +4000, who played just four games before being ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury.
Ultimately, this vote is one Stroud is likely to dominate but let it be known that Nacua put up one hell of a fight.
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