Ranking NFL Rookie of the Year candidates for offense and defense in 2022

With two weeks left in the regular season, awards races are starting to heat up. The MVP discussion is getting tighter and tighter, Coach of the Year is starting to see multiple contenders as well, but the tightest race of them all might be for Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The influx of talent at almost every position in football due to the NFL Draft has made the discussion for this award extremely hard, because there are so many great rookies who are playing at an extremely high level.

So, who will win Rookie of the Year? Let’s rank the top three contenders on both sides of the ball.

1. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

In a season filled with QB controversy for the Jets, one thing has remained constant: Garrett Wilson is a STAR. Wilson has 996 receiving yards with two games left, and four receiving touchdowns. Above all of that, Wilson has shown the ability to be such a dynamic threat in after the catch situations. Wilson has 381 receiving yards after the catch, and when you think of the Jets most explosive plays this season in the passing game involve Wilson. According to Sports Betting Online Wilson is the favorite, and he should be the one to win.

2. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

Right behind Wilson is his former Ohio State teammate, Chris Olave. Olave has 940 receiving yards on 63 catches, despite playing with multiple different QBs and Taysom Hill at QB. Olave has a 71.4% first down rate and averages the same Yards per Route Run as Stefon Diggs. Olave is consistently getting open and if the QB were any better, would put up even better numbers.

3. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

At one point, Walker could’ve been considered the leader in the clubhouse for OROTY. However, an ankle injury and poor performances by the Seahawks offense has put a damper on his resume. Nevertheless, Walker’s big play ability at RB has boosted the Seahawks run game and made their offense even more dynamic. Walker forces missed tackles (first in NFL in Broken Tackle+Missed tackle rate among players with >100 carries) and is in the top 20 in first down rate as well. Walker has 804 rushing yards and nine TDs this season.

Honorable Mention: Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans, Tyler Smith, OL, Dallas Cowboys

1. Sauce Gardner, CB, New York Jets

I mean, where do we want to begin with Gardner? Among all corners with 40 or more targets, he’s fifth in EPA allowed per target, seventh in completion percentage allowed and two interceptions to go along with it. Need anything else?

Gardner has been everything that people wanted him to be, and his play has allowed the Jets to be even more aggressive up front and turned them into one of the better units in the NFL.

2. Tariq Woolen, CB, Seattle Seahawks

Big plays are littered all over Woolen’s film. His completion percentage isn’t as low when targeted as Gardner, neither is his EPA when targeted. What Woolen does have over Gardner is interceptions, and boy does Woolen get a lot of those.

Woolen leads the NFL in INTs with six, and has nine pass deflections as well. Woolen is an exciting player who knows how to get turnovers and explosive plays for the defense. The Seahawks are among the top 15 teams in takeaways this season, and Woolen’s ball production is why.

3. Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions

Hutchinson is on a tear right now, and he has firmly put himself among the leaders in the DROTY race. He leads all rookies in sacks with seven, and his continued improvement on the defensive line has helped the defensive unit as a whole improve. If the Lions make the playoffs, Hutchinson could see his stock rise even higher with bigger performances.