With the 2021 NFL season already in the second half of its regular-season schedule, it’s time to start talking some serious ball. On the one hand, you have betting picks experts already starting to map out what the potential playoff matchups in each conference would look like, with teams that have been favorites from the beginning of the season still making their presence felt in great manners, while others, just trying to find a way to continue on fighting, yes we’re talking about you Kansas City Chiefs. After that, there are conversations of which players deserve to get the nod for the top individual awards in the league like the most valuable player, offensive player of the year, and defensive player of the year. And then we have the Rookie of the Year Award conundrum.
If we take a look back at before the season started, all the buzz around the league regarding favorites for the Rookie of the Year Award surrounded Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and New York Jets, QB Zach Wilson. Since they were touted as two of the best quarterbacks to enter the league from college football in some time, especially Lawrence, it was logical that he would be a crowd favorite. Well, things haven’t necessarily gone so well for Lawrence and Wilson to say the least. So with that said, we bring you our picks for which players look best to make a strong case for winning the 2021 NFL Defensive and Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards.
DROY: Micah Parsons, LB, Dallas Cowboys
If we were to talk about teams that have come out of the gates swinging and with a clear mission to prove to all of their critics and haters that they can be an elite unit, then the Dallas Cowboys would be the frontrunners in that conversation. And while we can talk wonders about how Dak Prescott’s return has been a turning point for the Cowboys’ organization, a lot more should be said about how Dallas’ defense has stepped up, becoming one of the most dominant units in the league this season. And while everyone speaks marvels and wonders of what CB Trevon Diggs has done for the team, the truth is that this defense truly went through a night and day effect once they drafted former Penn State linebacker, Micah Parsons.
Entering a team as notorious and tough as the Cowboys is never easy upon a rookie, but Parsons not only came into the Cowboys and busted all of the doors open, he has single-handedly become one of the leaders of the teams’ defense. While at first, he had stars like Jaylon Smith, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Leighton Vander Esch to help with his initial learning curve in the pros, after Lawrence had to go through foot surgery, Smith surprisingly got released and Vander Esch is getting back to his level of playing, Parsons has taken it upon himself to make this defense as elite as possible. With 5 sacks already to his name, the speed and strength to break through any offensive line, and no real room for stopping in his growth during his rookie season, Parsons seems like a perfect candidate if the DROY award.
OROY: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Everyone thought that when former LSU legend QB Joe Burrow joined the Cincinnati Bengals last season, he would automatically turn the team into playoff contenders. Nobody remembered to tell Burrow that the AFC North is one of the toughest divisions in all of the league and that the Bengals needed some dire help but not just in the QB department. So with that in mind, what did the Bengals do to help his franchise QB out this season? Well, they went and drafted one of his absolute favorite targets from their playing days back at LSU, WR Ja’Marr Chase.
At first, especially during the preseason, Chase did raise some eyebrows as to if he was truly ready for what playing in the pros was like, but as soon as the rolling got real, Chase took flight and hasn’t stopped shining ever since. It seems like week in and week out, Burrow and Chase get the feel as if they’re still playing for LSU because it honestly feels like they just picked up where they left things off once Burrow left to join the NFL and Chase stayed behind one more year. With the way he keeps on piling stats and stats, he is projected to finish out the season with over 1,500 receiving yards, as well as 12 or more touchdown receptions. For a rookie receiver, those are numbers that skilled veterans would love to have, and with how the other projected favorites for the OROY are playing, I think there’s no real point of discussion to be had.
