Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Bijan Robinson
There's a reason that the Atlanta Falcons, a team that had a 1,000-yard rusher last year, selected an RB with the 8th pick of the NFL Draft. Because he's special. In his three years at Texas, he put up 3410 rushing yards, 805 receiving yards, and 41 total touchdowns, He's the most well-rounded and talented college running back I have seen since Saquon Barkley came out in 2018, and I think he'll have an immediate impact on his offense just like SB did. Coming from Tennessee Arthur Smith knows how to run an offense around a workhorse back, and the combination of his play-calling creativity and Robinsons' abilities on the field
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| (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) |
Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Will Anderson
This is one of the easier choices for me when it comes to awards for 2023. Anderson had 34.5 sacks in 3 seasons with the Tide, in addition to that he had 58.5 tackles for loss. He was such a force on the D-line that the opposing offenses would only do run plays to the opposite side of the field. And even then he would often find a way to wreak havoc. In the past, except for Sauce Gardner last year, the DROY is often the first-year player with the most sacks. With that said I think betting the 6'4" 240 DE who did it over 30 times in the SEC is a good idea.
Offensive Player of the Year:
Garrett Wilson
OPOY is always a tricky award to try and predict, especially with all of the young talent that has emerged in the last few seasons. Multiple sportsbooks have Ja'Marr Chase favored to win the award, with last year's victor, Justin Jefferson right behind with the second-best odds. I don't want to keep choosing the betting favorite so I'm going to choose another young receiver for this award. Wilson had a productive rookie campaign with 1,103 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Considering he did that with Joe Flacco, Mike White, and Zach Wilson, I think it is reasonable to believe that the addition to Aaron Rodgers will help him improve his game even more. After watching Wilson catch a TD from Rodgers in the final preseason game and seeing their chemistry build during HBO's 'Hard Knocks', I am officially hopping on the GW hype train.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Micah Parsons
Last year I was able to correctly predict the defensive player of the year would be Nick Bosa of the San Fransisco 49ers. Usually, my ideology behind my DPOY pick is a defensive end in his third year who could make a big jump into elite pass rusher status. Although Parsons is already one of the best at his position, I still think there is room for him to improve this year the next step for him is becoming the DPOY. In 2022 Parsons had 13.5 sacks, 65 total tackles, 13 TFL, and 3 forced fumbles. And many believed he deserved to win the award. Another name to watch for this award would be Maxx Crosby. Last season he had his career high in sacks with 12.5 and I foresee an even bigger year for him and think that the sacks will come in bunches. But my official prediction this year will be Parsons because I truly believe he'll be even better than last season and put up sack numbers somewhere in the high teens and maybe even 20s.
Comeback Player of the Year:
Damar Hamlin
After collapsing on the field last January, Damar Hamlin has made incredible strides to come back and play. Last Tuesday it was announced that Hamlin did in fact make Buffalo's 53-man roster for the 2023 season. If and when Hamlin even takes a snap at safety he becomes the surefire CPOY and completes one of the greatest recoveries in sports history.
Coach of the Year:
Doug Pederson
Since Pederson joined the team last offseason, Jacksonville has completely turned around their franchise. The Jaguars went from worst to first in the AFC South and won their first playoff game since 2017. This was largely because of the development of Trevor Lawrence who is clearly striving in Doug Pederson's offense. I think Trevor takes an even more significant leap this year, and with the schedule that Jacksonville has this year, I can see them winning upwards of 12 games. There's a world where the Jacksonville Jaguars are the number 1 seed in the AFC this year and in that world Doug Pederson is your COTY.
Most Valuable Player:
Trevor Lawrence
As I just mentioned, after the firing of former Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer, Lawrence was able to take a big step forward into becoming the QB everyone thought he would be coming out of college. He went from 17 interceptions and just 12 touchdowns in 2021 to putting up 25 pass TDs and only 8 picks last season. The development was clear last year and he was even able to will his team back from a 27-point deficit in a playoff game and win. Not to mention giving (an injured) Mahomes and co. a run for his money in the divisional round. Plus star WR Calvin Ridley is set to return from his suspension and suit up for the Jags for the first time in week 1. This will be T-Law's number one guy from the jump and putting him into an already packed WR with guys like Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and teaming them up with other weapons like Evan Engram, Travis Etienne, and Tank Bigsby, could mean great things down in Jacksonville. I believe with Larence under center this offense can become one of the league's best and earn Trevor his first piece of hardware.
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| (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) |
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