NFL Mocks Offensive Rookie of the Year

The 2010 NFL regular season has come to an end and its time to start evaluating team performances.  While other team oriented sites will take a look at the overall performance of a team we focus on evaluating the rookies.  This season showed that the 2010 NFL Draft class has some star potential but may lack in overall depth.  We had the pleasure of watching some later round and undrafted players make an impact as well as top of the draft players live up to expectations.  While making my way to my decision of Offensive Rookie of the Year I mainly focused on the following 4 candidates: Sam Bradford, LeGarrette Blount, Mike Williams, and Maurkice Pouncey.  I had some thoughts about including Rob Gronkowski to that list but his impact didn’t quite match up with the rest of the list.  Keep reading to find out who is this year’s NFL Mock’s Offensive Rookie of the Year!

I am going to do a quick run down of my top 4 and the thinking that went into my decision.  Feel free to disagree or add your thoughts and opinions.  The breakdown is in reverse order of my final standings meaning the last name is our Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Maurkice Pouncey–  With Pouncey the first thing I considered is how tough it is to play the center position.  As a rookie, Pouncey was the leader on this offensive line  handling all the line calls and shifts in blocking.  The next thing I took into consideration was the fact that the Steelers offensive line suffered several key injuries and yet they still were able to establish a running game.  Pouncey was one of the few that remained healthy while opening holes for Mendenhall.  Ultimately, Pouncey had a very good rookie season but in this touchdown loving world it is going to be hard for an offensive lineman to get a significant award.

Mike Williams– Williams has enjoyed one of the best wide receiver rookie seasons in recent memory.  He was the top and lone threat on a surprising Tampa Bay team.  The most telling stat for Williams is his 11 touchdown receptions; showing that the has the ability to get points on the board.  Heading into the 2010 draft many people felt that Williams was a high risk/high reward player and his in-season DUI arrest highlighted some of the risks.

LeGarrette Blount– The Buccaneers struck gold with to risky additions; both Williams and Blount had character concerns but they were able to overcome and contribute.  I cannot imagine the numbers Blount would have put up if he would have received more carries.  Blount didn’t get more than 10 carries until week 7 yet he was ranked #17 among the league rushing leaders.

Sam Bradford (Offensive ROY Winner)- While others have put together impressive seasons none have matched what Bradford was able to accomplish.  The #1 overall pick started every game and put the Rams in contention for a division title.  He was able to complete 60% of his passes for 3,512 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.  What was more impressive was the fact that Bradford was successful without a real stand out weapon.  I have said all year that the future is bright for this Rams football team and its all thanks to Sam Bradford.

So there you have it folks, Bradford to me was very impressive and had a great rookie season.  Lets see some feedback and thoughts on the selection!