Tag: NFL Rookies

Texans C.J. Stroud wins AP 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

Texans C.J. Stroud wins AP 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

In what was ultimately little surprise in NFL circles the number two overall pick in the 2023 draft C.J. Stroud took home the Offensive Rookie of the Year award during last nights awards ceremony.

Stroud won the award in an apparent blowout as he received 48 of 50 first-place votes with Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua getting the other two. Stroud had a historic season with the Texans as he compiled one of the best rookie quarterback performances in NFL history with 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. Stroud helped take what was an awful team the year prior and turn them into legitimate playoff contenders.

We will see if Stroud can build upon this historic season as the only Texan to ever win the award and continue to make the Houston Texans a force within an already stacked AFC conference.

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C.J. Stroud says fellow rookie QB Bryce Young dealt with issues ‘out of his control’

Texans QB C.J. Stroud says fellow rookie QB Bryce Young dealt with issues ‘out of his control’ in Carolina

The top two picks from the 2023 draft in C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young are two quarterbacks who have been and will continue to be attached at the hip for the entirety of their careers. They are familiar with each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and apparently what they dealt with during the season.

Stroud who experienced a breakout rookie performance as he marched his way to one of the greatest first year quarterback seasons of all time, didn’t hesitate for a moment to provide empathy towards his fellow rookie.

“In his shoes, I feel a lot of stuff didn’t go his way that was out of his control,” Stroud said on ‘The Pivot’ podcast. “You know, like, you can’t make a play if someone didn’t make a block. You can’t make a play if someone (doesn’t) catch the ball.

“When you watch the tape, Bryce did a lot of great things, you know what I’m saying? He’s gonna be a great player, but it takes time.”

Later, going on to expand on his comments, Stroud laid out a ton of confidence in his rookie running mate. It goes to show that these players are aware of the narrative surrounding each other, and see the faults within other teams. Time will tell if Bryce Young will succeed to the level of what Stroud put forward, but it will be fun to see how these two quarterback’s careers progress moving forward.

Puka Nacua put exclamation point on season with monster game in postseason loss

Rookie Puka Nacua put exclamation point on season with monster game in the Rams’ postseason loss

Although the Los Angeles Rams season didn’t ultimately play out the way they had hoped given their wild card exit this last weekend, they can’t help but at least view their rookie class and future of their offense as a smashing success.

Fifth-round rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua once again proved to be an invaluable piece to this offense in his first playoff game in the league putting together an incredible stat line versus the Detroit Lions. With nine catches, for 181 yards, and capping it off with a touchdown Nacua expanded on what was one of the most dominant rookie seasons by a wide receiver in NFL history.

With an incredible 105 catches for 1,486 yards during the regular season Nacua secured his place as one of the pieces of the top receiving duos in the league opposite Cooper Kupp. The consistent performances and his dominance in the playoffs prove Nacua is here to stay and that the Los Angeles Rams absolutely nailed yet another late round pick for this ever explosive offense.

C.J. Stroud makes NFL history in playoff win over Browns

Rookie QB C.J. Stroud makes history in the Texans’ playoff win over the Browns

It is fair to say at this point that the Houston Texans nailed their 2023 draft picks. With yet another stellar performance, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud gave Houston its first playoff win since the 2019 season.

There was little surprise to see Stroud perform the way he did given his track record on the season as one of the top quarterbacks across the league, not just among rookies. Against an elite Cleveland defense, Stroud threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw for three touchdowns in the first half of a playoff game, an incredible stat in a huge win.

The story of C.J. Stroud gets bigger and bigger with each win, especially as we crawl deeper into the playoffs. At this point, Stroud has already shoved himself into the conversation for the greatest rookie season by a quarterback ever, and the sky truly is the limit for the young signal-caller. Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans have flipped this franchise around and look ready to compete in the playoffs for years to come.

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C.J. Stroud to return from injury to try and save the Texans season

Rookie QB C.J. Stroud to return from injury to try and save the Houston Texans season

It was heartbreak across the league when Houston Texans rookie quarterback phenom C.J. Stroud went down in Week 14 with a concussion and this whole Texans offense has not been the same since, truly highlighting his importance to this offense and as a team as a whole.

With the race for the AFC South sitting at a three way tie with each of those teams having a record of 8-7 Stroud is in perfect striking position to return this Houston team to form and shock the world by potentially winning the division. What’s even more surprising is Stroud still firmly has a choke hold on the offensive rookie of the year trophy despite missing multiple games. If Stroud handles business and guides his team to the playoffs he will be a lock to win that award despite the odds against him and the missed games.

It’s clear Houston landed multiple superstars in the 2023 NFL Draft, the biggest of which being at the most important position in football. Stroud has already shown he has all the potential in the world to a a franchise savior, and to lead the Texans to the playoffs despite everything will cement him as having one of the best rookie seasons of all time.

Ranking the Week 16 rookie quarterback performances

Ranking the Week 16 rookie quarterback performances

Another week down, another week to evaluate the performances of the multiple rookie starting quarterbacks in the league. We once again saw a mixed bag from all the rookies.

Let’s take a look at each rookie and rank their Week 16 performances from best to worst:

Vikings switch back to rookie Jaren Hall at quarterback

Vikings switch back to fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall at quarterback for their critical Week 17 matchup with the Packers

There will be another rookie signal-caller starting under center in Week 17. The Minnesota Vikings announced Jaren Hall will take over as the starter in Sunday night’s key matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

Hall bumps Nick Mullens out of the starting gig a week after Mullens threw four interceptions in the Vikings’ home loss to the Detroit Lions. It will be Hall’s second career start, and hopefully goes better than his first one.

After filling in relief of Kirk Cousins in the first meeting with the Packers after Cousins tore his Achilles during the game action, Hall got the start in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons. The fifth-rounder from BYU lasted just 11 plays before suffering a concussion and has not played since.

It’s a critical game for both teams. The winner will improve to 8-8 and stay alive for a wild card spot in the NFC, while the loser drops to 7-9.

Aidan O’Connell leads Raiders over Chiefs to stay in the playoff hunt

Rookie QB Aidan O’Connell leads Raiders over Chiefs to improbably stay in the AFC playoff hunt

The Las Vegas Raiders have found renewed life with the combination of rookie interim head coach Antonio Pierce and rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell. The duo have now thrown themselves back into the playoff chase by trouncing their fierce rival in Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

While O’Connell was not necessarily the conduit for their offense’s success, having only thrown for 62 yards on 21 attempts, he did not turn over the football and managed the offense like a veteran. The Raiders ultimately leaned on their heavy run game, churning up over 160 yards on the ground and chewed up the clock against the Chiefs.

The O’Connell era is proving to be one of success in the face of adversity of a new head coach and new offensive system. While this performance wasn’t his best, it followed a performance in which O’Connell showed plenty of promise with four passing touchdowns.  It’s a good sign that O’Connell is progressing, and he could ultimately be the long-term answer at the position should they ultimately make it into the playoff race.

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Detroit Lions rookies show up big in win over Denver

Detroit Lions rookies Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs show up big in win over Denver

The Detroit Lions had high expectations coming into the season after how they finished the 2022 campaign, and they have clearly built on those successes this year with some help from potentially the best rookie class of the 2023 NFL draft.

Heading into a game against a Denver Broncos team that had won six out of their last seven games it was looking like Detroit could be set up for a tough match. Instead, Detroit’s pair of rookies dominated on offense and ended up leading a blowout win over the comeback Broncos.

Both Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta experienced career days on the afternoon where the Lions’ offense looks absolutely unstoppable. Gibbs managed to put together over 100 scrimmage yards and a pair of touchdowns, looking every bit of the explosive runner that Detroit thought they were getting when they took the running back with the 12th overall.

LaPorta was a big part of an excellent day for Jared Goff who ultimately tossed five touchdowns. LaPorta was responsible for three of those end zone visits, and also compiled 56 yards in the air. This puts LaPorta tied for fourth in the league for touchdown passes on the year with nine.

Both of these rookies are really coming into their own in this Ben Johnson lead offense, and they will undoubtedly be key pieces in the Lions’ playoff run. If this offense can keep humming behind them perhaps a Super Bowl visit could be in the cards for Detroit.

Ranking the Week 13 rookie quarterback performances

There were fewer rookie QBs taking snaps in Week 13. Here’s how they stacked up

Another week down, another week to evaluate the performances of the multiple rookie starting quarterbacks in the league. We once again saw a mixed bag from all the rookies.

Let’s take a look at each rookie and rank their Week 13 performances from best to worst: