NFL Pre-Season Awards Watch: Offensive Rookie of the Year

The NFL Preseason is set to kick off tonight, giving fans, coaches and the media a first glimpse at this year’s draftees on a professional football field. Let’s take a look at which first-year players have a shot at being named Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Before doing so, though, it’s worth noting that in the 44-year history of the award, it has never been won by an offensive lineman (though 1968 winner Earl McCullouch was listed as an “offensive end”, whatever that is.) So, despite the fact that tackles Derek Sherrod (Green Bay), Tyron Smith (Dallas), or Nate Solder (New England) could be making important contributions as full-time starters on winning teams, they’re extreme long shots.

1. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons gave up a ton of draft picks to move up and take Jones out of Alabama, intent on giving Matt Ryan a potential star second receiver to pair with Roddy White. With White drawing extra defenders and Tony Gonzalez roaming the middle of the field, Jones should see plenty of single coverage. He should manage between 55-65 catches (many of the highlight-reel variety) and seven or eight scores. Putting up those kinds of numbers while playing for a legitimate Super Bowl contender should put Jones in the driver’s seat for ROY.

    

2. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals – Green was actually drafted higher than Jones, and with good reason. He’s an extremely polished receiver with great hands, a big body and good athleticism. The only reason he’s below Jones on this list is the fact that he’s trapped on what should be a miserable Bengals offence. Rookie Andy Dalton is set to start under center, troubled (and mediocre) running back Cedric Benson will get the majority of the carries and the other receiver is someone named Andre Caldwell. Green will be defensive coordinators’ No. 1 priority in 2011, so it’ll be a tough slog for him early in his career. The Bengals will be near the bottom of the NFL standings, but he’ll still be amongst the league’s leading receivers.

    

3. Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints – The 2009 Heisman winner slipped to the late part of the first round because he’s not an exceedingly big or fast runner. He is, however, a smart runner with great vision and surprising power. The explosive Saints offense hasn’t had a true workhorse back for a few years and Ingram should get plenty of opportunities to fill that role. He should have a realistic shot at 1,000 yards as a rookie.

    

4. Daniel Thomas, RB, Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins have been a run-heavy squad under Tony Sparano. With Chad Henne and Matt Moore as their only options at quarterback, they’ll continue to be that way in 2011. The ‘Fins brought in Reggie Bush and seem to be prepared to give him a shot at being their lead back, but that’s an experiment likely to end in failure and/or injury. If/when Bush falters, second-round pick Daniel Thomas could see 18-22 carries a game behind a solid offensive line. (RB Ryan Williams of the Cardinals could be in a similar situation if Beanie Wells gets hurt.)

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers – Four of the last seven ROYs have been quarterbacks, and the standard of acceptable rookie QB performances has seemingly been lowered. If a highly-touted passer can play OK and his team wins a few games, he seems to become an award candidate. Newton will more than likely suck in 2011, but if he manages to merely be good and the Panthers expensive group of mediocre free agents play well enough to win seven or eight games, he could thrust himself into the conversation.