Todd Gurley, Marcus Peters headline Pro Football Writers of America’s 2015 All-Rookie Team
The PFWA has released its 2015 All-Rookie Team, with Todd Gurley and Marcus Peters taking Rookie of the Year honors.
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
The Pro Football Writers of America has released its Rookie of the Year selections and St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley was honored as both the Rookie of the Year and the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters was named the PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Gurley was selected by the Rams with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He began the season on the sideline as he continued to recover from a knee injury he suffered during his final college season at the University of Georgia. Once Gurley was able to take the field in Week 3, he was very productive, finishing the season with 1,106 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Gurley was the first rookie in league history to surpass 100 rushing yards in four consecutive games. He was named to the Pro Bowl this season and received second-team All-Pro honors.
The Chiefs drafted Peters with the 18th pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. His eight interceptions as a rookie tied Reggie Nelson of the Cincinnati Bengals for the most in the league this season. Peters returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns and also forced one fumble during the 2015 season. He was also tied for first in the league with 26 passes defended this season.
Peters earned a Pro Bowl nod and was named a second-team All-Pro selection.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had four rookies named to the PFWA's All-Rookie Team: quarterback Jameis Winston, guard Ali Marpet, tackle Donovan Smith and linebacker Kwon Alexander. The first overall pick in the draft, Winston completed 312 of 535 passes for 4,042 yards and 22 touchdowns this season, and he was sacked just 27 times. This was due in part to Winston's ability to extend plays, but his protection was also very good, which is why Marpet and Smith both were recognized by the PFWA as well. Alexander had three sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in his rookie season.
The Seattle Seahawks had two players named to the All-Rookie team, but return specialist Tyler Lockett had the rare honor of being selected at three different positions. Lockett was identified as the kick returner, punt returner and special teams player on the All-Rookie team. Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie team.
On Monday, the Pro Football Writers of America also released its All-NFL Team roster this week. Leading MVP candidate Cam Newton was one of four Carolina Panthers players named to the All-NFL team.
The entire PFWA All-Rookie Team roster can be found below.
Offense
QB - Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB - Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams; Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks
WR - Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders; Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings
TE - Will Tye, New York Giants
C - Mitch Morse, Kansas City Chiefs
G - Ali Marpet, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Brandon Scherff, Washington Redskins
T - Rob Havenstein, St. Louis Rams; Donovan Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Defense
DL - Malcom Brown, New England Patriots; Eddie Goldman, Chicago Bears; Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings; Leonard Williams, New York Jets
LB - Kwon Alexander, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Stephone Anthony, New Orleans Saints; Eric Kendricks, Minnesota Vikings
CB - Ronald Darby, Buffalo Bills; Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs
S - Adrian Amos, Chicago Bears; Landon Collins, New York Giants
Special Teams
PK - Josh Lambo, San Diego Chargers
P - Matt Darr, Miami Dolphins
KR - Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
PR - Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
ST - Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
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