Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Chris Olave
This past April, 6 wide receivers were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. I think a lot of those receivers will have the chance to succeed with their new teams in 2022, but I think that Chris Olave will have the best opportunity to shine. Olave is the perfect fit with the Saints and he can be a key factor in the offense right away. One of the things you notice first about him is his blazing speed, he ran a sub 4.4 40-yard dash and is one of the faster guys from the Draft. A lot of his production at Ohio State was because of this speed and I see it translating to the NFL. Pairing this speed with QB Jameis Winston's tendency to throw the deep ball downfield, will be a match made in Heaven. Jameis is always willing to throw the long ball and I think Olave will come down with it a lot of the time, especially with the uncertainty of Michael Thomas coming off of a 2-year hiatus.
Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Aidan Hutchinson
Call me a homer, but prior to the MCL injury to Giants first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, I had him as my pick for DROY. With him now sidelined for a few weeks and possibly missing Week 1 I changed my pick. Hutchinson being a rookie, there is obviously nothing for me to base this off of but the preseason. Watching him along Lion's defensive line, it appears that he is the real deal. He is very fast off the edge and seems to be comfortable in the NFL already. I think he'll make a real difference in year 1, and this we all know the award is basically the rookie with the most sacks award, and he'll definitely have some of those. So I will play it safe and go with the favorite as my defensive rookie of the year pick.
Offensive Player of the Year:
Lamar Jackson
This pick may come as a surprise, but hear me out. Lamar is one of the most talented players in the entire NFL, and before getting hurt last year he had more yards himself than some entire teams did in total. He was on a tear to begin the 2021 season before he missed time. Although the loss of Hollywood Brown will hurt, I think Lamar will carry this team to a lot of wins and most of that will be done with his legs. Not to mention, this is a contract year for Lamar and I think he lets his actions speak for him and prove what he's worth. Another dark horse candidate for this award is Dalvin Cook. If he can stay healthy I think he can be one of the NFL's top running backs this year and maybe even lead the league in touchdowns. Being that the opposing defense will have to worry about Jefferson, Thielen, and Osborn, Cook will face light boxes and have the chance the dominate in 2022.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Nick Bosa
After missing nearly his entire sophomore season, Bosa came back last year and looked like the guy the Niners drafted 2nd overall. He had 15.5 sacks and was a huge part the 49ers dominant defense that brought them all the way to the NFC title game. For a lot of players in the NFL, the third year is the year they make the leap into becoming elite. As I mentioned, Bosa missed 14 games in his second year, so I think that this is the season were he takes the jump. I could see 20 or more sacks for him and I think with numbers like that he becomes the defensive player of the year.
Comeback Player of the Year:
Jameis Winston
When looking at people who could possibly receive this award this year, I realized how many talented NFL players were hurt last year, and how many could have a big bounceback year. But that is not all that goes into this award, if a player has a great comeback year and leads their team to a playoff birth, they are more likely to receive this award than someone who had a good bounceback year but their team performed poorly. That is the main reason I am choosing Jameis Winston. I think that the Saints have a lot of good pieces and will be a wildcard team in the NFC this year. And if Jameis can do just that, I think he would get the votes. Also with Mike Thomas coming back and the additions of Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry, Winston will have plenty of weapons to throw the ball to which I think will result in a lot of TDs.
Coach of the Year:
Kevin O'Connell
The Vikings are coming off of a 8-9 record in 2021. They did have some very impressive wins but those were overlooked by some very embarrassing losses. I belive that for this years team, things will be much different. After the firing of Mike Zimmer the Vikings hired former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell to become their new coach. O'Connell helped lead the Rams to their Super Bowl victory and, assisted in molding Cooper Kupp into the best reciever in the league. I think he can do the same thing with third year receiver Justin Jefferson. I also expect a career year from QB Kirk Cousins in O'Connell's system. This will bring their offense to the next level, and with an already solid defense, I think this team has what it takes to be a solid playoff contender. I think O'Connell could even take this team to an NFC North title and with that he would be my choice for coach of the year.
Most Valuable Player:
Justin Herbert
Of all the awards this was the toughest for me to choose. The reason for this is that for the past 10 years this has been a QB award and there are a lot of Quarterbacks who I think will dominate this year. My honorable mentions for MVP were Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes. I opted to go with Herbert because of the upside he has this season specifically. This starts with all of the weapons he has at his disposal. We already know how great Keenan Allen and Mike Williams will be, but I expect Joshua Palmer to improve and emerge as one of the main focuses in this offense. In addition to that they have a do-it-all running back in Austin Ekeler that will see a lot of targets as well. I think the Chargers all around will have a great season and J-Herbo will be a huge part of it. If I was a betting man I would take Herbert to win MVP every year because he is going to win it eventually (and probably more than once), but I think he gets his first in 2022.
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