As the NFL preseason is only a few weeks away, it is never to early to start analyzing who are the candidates for this years Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. This years offensive draft class was reasonably stacked with talent, the first two picks were QB's and 4/5 first picks were offensive players. When analyzing our potential ROY candidates, we are going to look both at the talent each man displayed in college as well as the team that are going to be submerged in. So without further adeu, here are Chat Sports way to early Top 5 NHL Offensive Rookie of the Year Candidates.
1) Robert Griffin III
After an outstanding Heisman Trophy campaign at Baylor, Robert Griffin III is our top pick for Rookie of the Year. Out of the top 5 picks on the draft, RGIII is in the most ideal situation because he is surrounded by a team that is most readily geared for short term success.
RGII has great targets at wide receiver in Pierre Garcon and Santana Moss. But most importantly, Griffin has an outstanding organization that is thrilled to have him (they did trade away a bunch of #1 draft picks to the Rams to get him).
2) Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck was arguably the best football player in college football last year. Despite coming up short in Heisman votes, Luck has constantly been deemed the most NFL ready quarterback in this years draft. Luck is by far the smartest player coming out of this years draft and has shown it in his ability to read defenses.
The reason Luck is not #1 on this list is that the team around him was absolutely decimated this offseason, and provides no great weapons for him to utilize. Nevertheless, recent history has shown us that the offensive ROY winner almost always goes to the #1 overall pick (Sam Bradford and Cam Newton were the last two).
3) Trent Richardson
Trent Richardson, the #3 overall pick in this years draft, is another strong candidate for this years ROY award. Richardson is an incredibly agile back, yet has the brute strength to knock over linemen in his way.
Again, Richardson has to be in the conversation of a ROY candidate because he is put in a situation where he can succeed. The Browns also drafted Brandon Weeden in the first round, a smart quarterback who will give Richardson plenty of touches. Richardson will likely be the starting running back for the Browns, and with all of this early playing time, expect him to put up big numbers by the seasons end.
4) Michael Floyd
Michael Floyd may be a surprise to some to crack this list, but like RGIII and Richardson, Floyd is in a position with a lot of room for success. Floyd is a big, strong receiver who has outstanding playmaking ability. Floyd had an excellent year at Notre Dame and proved that he is extremely hard for safeties to cover.
Both the Cardinals and Floyd have a lot to gain because Floyd has an excellent mentor in Larry Fitzgerald, Pro Bowl WR, who plays a very similar game as Floyd. With his veteran guidance, look for Floyd to be a dangerous weapon for Kevin Kolb this season.
5) David Wilson
David Wilson might be the biggest stretch on this list, but hear me out. Wilson was a shifty running back at Virginia Tech who put up 1709 yards over 290 carries. Wilson is a strong candidate for the ROY award because the New York Giants have an incredibly strong offensive line, and a coach who loves to run the ball.
Furthermore, Wilson will be playing with Eli Manning who will put the ball in Wilson's hands in key moments. Given that the Giants are already a strong team (they did just win the Super Bowl) Wilson has a lot of room to succeed on this team. All of the pieces are there for Wilson to become one of the strongest young back in the league this season.
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