Ranking the top 2019 NFL offensive rookie of the year candidates

2. Joshua Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders

Now that they have him under contract, the Oakland Raiders are going to rely heavily on rookie running back Joshua Jacobs this season. Similar to Sanders, Jacobs enters the NFL with fresh legs and a great opportunity to showcase his talents.

As a major part of their rebuild, the Raiders took Jacobs in the first round (24th overall) of the 2019 draft. He was always a complementary player in college, but that had more to do with Alabama’s loaded running back depth chart than his ability as a player. Make no mistake about it, Jacobs is a star NFL running back in the making.

He is a patient and instinctive runner who will give the offensive line time to do their job. Once he finds the hole, Jacobs is decisive, knifing through the gap quickly and picking up immediate yardage. He also finishes low and with a ton of natural power, consistently grabbing extra yardage after contact.

Jacobs is impressive as a runner, but he is even better as a receiver. The Alabama product shows an advanced route tree out of the backfield for a young back and can line up outside and make some plays. He tracks the ball in the air extremely well and always catches the ball away from his body just as we like to see.

Jacobs will enter training camp as the clear number one back for the Oakland Raiders and I fully expect him to see a ton of touches both as a runner and a receiver. He is going to have ample opportunity to pile up stats and has the talent to make the most out of those opportunities.