Top 5 Rookies

As the NFL season starts to wind down, we have seen the discussions for MVP, DPOY, DROY, and OROY start to heat up. We’ve seen many players separate themselves in most of these categories.

Here are the top 5 rookies in the NFL entering week 12, and where they stand in their respective conversations.

1. Sauce Gardner

This is a no brainer, Sauce has been shut down all year, allowing only 7 receiving yards in man coverage. Not only is Sauce the best rookie, and leader for DROY, but he has solidified himself as a top player in the league. Sauce was a menace in college, and that has translated into his NFL career.

2. Chris Olave

Olave has shined ever since taking over as a top wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, following Michael Thomas’s injury. Olave is in a tight race with Kenneth Walker III for the OROY award. As of right now it appears that Olave has a slight edge over Walker.

3. Kenneth Walker III

Following Seattle’s RB injuries, Walker took over as the main guy in the Seahawk backfield, and he has shined. Seattle has been a shocker this year. A team that was supposed to be rebuilding has a legit shot at making the playoffs. Walker has helped lead them to this point, and he is squarely in the conversation for OROY.

4. Dameon Pierce

Pierce has been one of the only bright spots for the Houston Texans this year. It’s a shock that so many teams passed up on Pierce, given his college resume. Pierce may not be in the OROY conversation, but that does not mean he isn’t an elite RB who will cause problems for opposing defenses for years to come.

5. Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson has been wreaking havoc on opposing QBs all season. He is in the same boat as Pierce when it comes to the DPOY conversation. Due to how elite sauce Gardner is, there isn’t even talk about anyone else winning this award, despite how elite Hutchinson has been playing this season.

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