Three LSU Football Rookies Voted as Most Likely to Win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
With the NFL training camp right around the corner, a number of former LSU players will get their first crack at life as a professional.
Quarterback Joe Burrow, receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire were the three offensive stars drafted in the first round of April’s draft and are on a short list of being named Offensive Rookie of the Year. On Wednesday, NFL.com released its top candidates to win the award with Burrow and Edwards-Helaire leading the way.
Here’s how writer Lance Zierlein ranked the LSU candidates:
Joe Burrow (No. 1)
Provided his monstrous senior season at LSU was not just a product of then-passing game coordinator Joe Brady's system, Burrow should be the clear-cut favorite for this award. A.J. Green didn't play last season, but assuming he returns to the team on the franchise tag (which he has not signed as of the publishing of this post) or a long-term contract (the two sides have until July 15 to work out a multi-year deal), he'll be back as a top target for Burrow. One thing we saw with Burrow last season is that he loves to isolate slot targets and throw with placement to them. Tyler Boyd fits that bill as a strong, capable safety blanket. Top it all off with rookie Tee Higgins, who can stretch the field and win those tight-window jump balls outside the numbers, and Burrow seems set up to be relatively successful right away, despite some concerns about the Cincy offensive line.
Burrow in just a few short months is already winning over the Bengals organization and figures to be the day one starter. Coach Zac Taylor is particularly impressed with how quick he’s picked up the offense, calling him “as advertised.”
Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan says Burrow has been “so far ahead” that the coaches have asked him to slow down a bit.
"Sometimes he would say things early on and I’d say, we are not talking about that right now, let’s just get through what we need to get through here and then we can revisit that later," Callahan told the Athletic writer Paul Dehner. “We will probably answer that question you have in a day or two days or three days because we are not there yet. I know you are, but we’re not.”
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (No. 2)
The selection of Edwards-Helaire with the final pick in Round 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft shows how serious the Chiefs are about improving their running game. CEH should step into a starter's role with loads of touches headed his way.
If there was a perfect fit in the first round of the draft, it was Edwards-Helaire going to Kansas City. He should get along splendidly with the $500 million man Patrick Mahomes as a versatile running back that runs between the tackles, has deceptive quickness and an innate ability to make plays as a receiver.
It was Mahomes that actually asked for Edwards-Helaire to be drafted when the Chiefs pick came up. It’ll be interesting to see how many touches Edwards-Helaire receives from the jump as Damien Williams is still around and is coming off of a great Super Bowl performance.
Justin Jefferson (No. 7)
Jefferson was good in 2018, but he was great in 2019, showing off improved route running and impeccable ball skills. He steps into a pretty good situation, taking over for the departed Stefon Diggs in a role that should feature accurate, catchable throws coming his way from Kirk Cousins
Jefferson has put in a ton of work in the offseason, most recently working on route running with LSU freshman Koy Moore.
He’ll step in and be an immediate starter for the Vikings and should receive all of the targets he can handle from Kirk Cousins. The big question with him will be how he fits in on the outside after spending much of his time in the slot last year in 2019.
