NFL Rookie of the Year rankings: Justin Jefferson takes over No. 1 spot
There are just three weeks left in the regular season, and the rankings for the NFL's offensive and defensive Rookie of the Year awards have changed drastically since the start of the year.
Here's a look at the top five candidates for each honor ahead of the campaign's final stretch.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
5. Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers
Several rookies have strong cases for the fifth spot on this list, but Claypool gets the nod thanks to his importance to the Steelers' offense throughout the season. Granted, Pittsburgh has struggled to score in recent games. But that could have been a season-long issue if not for Claypool.
The Notre Dame product leads the Steelers - and all rookie wide receivers - with 10 scrimmage touchdowns this year. He also entered December leading the league in defensive pass interference penalties drawn and yards gained on those penalties. Overall, Claypool has caught 50 passes for 664 yards, including the season's longest catch (84 yards).
4. Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team
Washington's offense has scored 29 touchdowns this season, and Gibson has provided almost half of them (11) despite being sidelined for his team's last two games. The first-year runner has saved Washington from complete disaster, providing the necessary offensive support for a team led by a solid defense.
Before suffering his foot injury, Gibson scored at least one touchdown in five straight games to help Washington go 3-2 after starting the year 1-5. He leads all first-year players in total touchdowns while ranking fifth with 892 scrimmage yards.
3. James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars' awful campaign has overshadowed Robinson's impressive freshman season, but don't sleep on the undrafted rookie out of Illinois State.
The 22-year-old is one of three players with 1,000 yards on the ground after Week 14, trailing only Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook with 1,035. He also tops this year's rookie class with 1,361 scrimmage yards. Robinson is one of the few good things to happen to the Jaguars in 2020.
2. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers fans have more reason to get excited about Herbert with each passing week. His arm potential is already unquestionable, and the quarterback has shown resilience early in his pro career: He bounced back from an awful Week 13 performance by completing over 80% of his passes and leading the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14.
Herbert has thrown for 25 touchdowns this season and is on pace to break Baker Mayfield's rookie record (27). He's also averaged 288.9 passing yards per game while tossing 10 total interceptions.
Though Herbert's overall production is impressive, his numbers have declined in recent outings - and that hurts his ranking here. Los Angeles hasn't topped 20 points in three straight games, and Herbert has just one multi-touchdown outing in that span after amassing seven straight from Week 4 to Week 11.
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Joe Burrow's season-ending injury and the Chargers' recent struggles on offense have set the stage for a new No. 1 in our Offensive Rookie of the Year rankings.
Forget first-year wide receivers - Jefferson currently ranks among the NFL's elite pass-catchers regardless of age or experience. The rookie was one of just seven wideouts to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards by Week 13, and his 1,078 yards currently rank seventh in the league. He's also scored seven touchdowns while averaging 16.6 yards per reception.
The former LSU stud has given the Vikings chances to win even when their established stars are unavailable or underperforming; Jefferson had 13 targets and two touchdowns in Minnesota's comeback victory against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12 when Adam Thielen was sidelined and Dalvin Cook was held to 61 rushing yards.
Herbert might be the favorite to win the award because he's a quarterback, but no offensive rookie has been better than Jefferson through 14 weeks.
Honorable mentions: Joe Burrow (Bengals), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Chiefs), CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys), Jonathan Taylor (Colts).
Defensive Rookie of the Year
5. Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have plenty of reason to believe they have a star in Blackmon, who recovered from a torn ACL during the offseason. Despite missing Indianapolis' season opener, he's already established himself as a crucial starter in one of the NFL's most improved secondaries.
The third-round safety has been excellent in pass coverage and has three takeaways this season. All of them happened in the fourth quarter or overtime to guarantee the Colts a win, including a forced fumble against the Green Bay Packers that set up the game-winning field goal in Week 11. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 68.7 when throwing in Blackmon's direction.
4. Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
November wasn't a great month for Winfield, who was once considered the front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Inconsistencies have plagued the Buccaneers' secondary as a whole lately, and Winfield's struggles have caused him to drop a few spots on this list.
While it's unfair to blame Winfield for all of Tampa's defensive flaws, he might be the key to getting the unit back on track. The first-year defensive back amassed one sack, one forced fumble, and a career-high 12 tackles against the Vikings in Week 14, helping the Buccaneers post their best defensive performance in weeks.
3. Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens
Post-draft analyses pegging Queen as a great fit for the Ravens' defense are turning out to be fairly accurate. The first-round linebacker has flaws in his game - which is to expected for a rookie shouldering a significant workload - but his overall athletic ability and speed are exactly what Baltimore wants from its defenders.
The LSU product snagged his first career interception on a great diving effort against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago, and his importance to the Ravens' run defense has translated to 92 combined tackles, second-most among rookies. Queen has also recorded two sacks, six quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles while starting every game this season.
2. Jeremy Chinn, Carolina Panthers
What can't Chinn do?
The first-year defender had already impressed the NFL with his versatility, tackling ability, and coverage instincts, and now the second-round pick has added impressive touchdowns and a sack to his resume.
Chinn has racked up 21 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, one sack, and two touchdowns in his last two games. He leads the Panthers - and all rookie defenders - with 95 tackles this year. Players aren't supposed to have such stat lines so early in their careers.
1. Chase Young, Washington Football Team
Young likely won't even top 10 sacks in his rookie season, which might seem disappointing given all the hype around the 2020 second overall pick. But despite relatively modest stats, the former Ohio State star has made an absurd impact for Washington this year.
In Week 13 against the Steelers - Washington's biggest win of the season - Young finished with just two tackles and one quarterback hit. Bad game, right? Not exactly. One of those tackles came on fourth-and-goal at the goal line, and the other stymied a third-down conversion inside the two-minute mark. The latter play helped Washington get the ball back to score a field goal before halftime.
The 21-year-old is also coming off arguably his best pro performance after recording one sack, one forced fumble, and a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers.
Opposing blockers often double-team Young, which eases individual matchups for his teammates. That might explain why Washington boasts nine players with multiple sacks this season, including four defenders with at least five. Overall, Young has notched 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and 35 tackles in 2020.
Honorable mentions: Jaylon Johnson (Bears), Derrick Brown (Panthers), Jordan Fuller (Rams).