Latest news with #OROY
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Falcons undrafted free agent listed as Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate
Undrafted wide receiver Nick Nash listed as Falcons' Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate for 2025 NFL season The Atlanta Falcons went into the 2025 NFL draft with a clear goal to upgrade their defense. Four of the team's five draft picks were used on defensive players, including both first-round selections. Next season, the Falcons could have as many as three rookies starters on defense. Offensively, the team returns 10 of 11 starters from last season. Center Drew Dalman signed with the Chicago Bears in free agency, leaving the job to former undrafted free agent Ryan Neuzil. The Falcons offense has top-10 upside, and while there aren't many new faces, the team did add some intriguing undrafted free agents. Pro Football Sports Network listed one potential Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate for each team. Since the Falcons only selected one offensive player in the 2025 NFL draft, the options were limited. Offensive tackle Jack Nelson was a seventh-round pick with little chance to play this season. Instead of just going with Nelson, PFSN looked to Atlanta's undrafted free agent class for a better solution. Wide receiver Nick Nash was listed as the team's Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Falcons WR Nick Nash named OROY candidate by PFSN Nick Nash joins the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent. Nevertheless, his college production and athletic traits could have an instant impact on the passing offense in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Nash led all college football receivers in receiving yards and touchdowns with the San Jose State Spartans in 2024, accumulating 1,382 yards and 16 touchdowns, transitioning to the position full-time. A former quarterback recruit, Nash has the instincts and natural game feel to impact the field in multiple situations. He could even be used in specialized situations as a passer or rusher. -- Owain Jones, PFSN Nash might be a project, but the former quarterback-turned-wide receiver has a ton of potential. Lance Zierlein projected Nash as a fifth-round prospect ahead of the 2025 NFL draft. The former San Jose State wideout has good size (6-foot-2, 203 pounds), speed (4.57 seconds in 40-yard dash) and ball skills (16 touchdowns last season). "Nash's competitiveness, ball skills and football character give him a chance to become a productive three-level slot receiver in the pros," Zierlein wrote in Nash's scouting report. The fact that Nash went undrafted was a bit of a surprise, but he has a real chance to make the team. In our most recent Falcons 53-man roster projection, Nash snuck in as our final wide receiver. Keep your eyes on the rookie wideout once training camp begins in July.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Which players can beat out Cam Ward and Ashton Jeanty for Rookie of the Year?
Cam Ward is a quarterback drafted No. 1 overall. Ashton Jeanty is an elite running back prospect drafted sixth. That already gives them an edge in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year race. Voters love quarterbacks, and Jeanty already has gotten a ton of attention (and he'll get plenty of touches from the Las Vegas Raiders too). Both are co-favorites at BetMGM to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at +250, and rightfully so. Advertisement That doesn't mean they're locks. Ward is joining a bad Tennessee Titans team that might not be able to support an award-winning quarterback. Jeanty should be good with the Raiders, but they were remarkably bad running the ball last season and maybe that was due to factors other than just subpar running backs. The door isn't closed for someone else to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Here are some possibilities, with odds from BetMGM: Jaguars WR Travis Hunter (+600) The one thing Hunter will have in his favor is publicity. He's going to be a big story this season if he can pull off a two-way act on offense and defense that has been incredibly rare in NFL history. Hunter playing productive snaps at cornerback shouldn't impact the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, but it probably would. The issue Hunter might have is volume. Brian Thomas Jr. is coming off a great rookie season and he'll be a huge part of the passing game again. Will there be enough targets for Thomas to put up another 1,250 yards and Hunter do do enough to push him ahead of someone like Jeanty? Probably not, but Hunter is too talented to ignore that possibility. Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan (+1300) McMillan was a bit of a surprise pick by the Panthers at No. 8 overall. Not that he wasn't worth the pick, but the Panthers had one of the worst defenses in NFL history last season. The fact that they passed on defensive needs to take McMillan is a clear indication of how much they like his talent. The Panthers could be in a lot of high-scoring games this season due to that defense, which will help McMillan's numbers. Carolina doesn't have anyone standing in his way of being the team's top target earner either, like Hunter does in Jacksonville. It's a little challenging to talk yourself into McMillan being the OROY this season, but he has a path to it. Chargers RB Omarion Hampton (+1400) The odds on Hampton keep dropping, and for good reason. He is an excellent contrarian pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Yes, the Chargers have Najee Harris, but did they really draft Hampton 22nd overall to play the average Harris over him? Hampton was productive at North Carolina, has all the traits of a feature back in the NFL, is with a team that really likes running the ball and should be in the playoff mix. Hampton is going to have a really good rookie season, and he'll be in the mix for the OROY award. Running back Omarion Hampton should have a big role for the Los Angeles Chargers as a rookie. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) (MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images via Getty Images) Broncos RB RJ Harvey (+2000) It's a good year to be a rookie running back in the AFC West. Harvey was a second-round pick so he doesn't have the draft capital of Jeanty or Hampton. But he will have opportunity. The Broncos don't have anyone blocking him from being the clear No. 1 all season. Sean Payton usually likes using more than one back and maybe that cuts into Harvey's production, but the Broncos also might reach a point in which it's clear Harvey is their best back and the other backs fall back into minimal roles. Giants QB Jaxson Dart (+2500) Dart is behind Tyler Shough and Shedeur Sanders in the OROY odds. Shough is a quarterback who might start all 17 games, so he'll have a shot, but he's also going to be on a Saints team that everyone believes will be terrible. Sanders shouldn't be anywhere near the 22-to-1 odds he has, considering he's likely to begin training camp as the fourth-string quarterback and his best case scenario is probably getting a start in the second half of the season for a bad Browns team, if he ever gets a start. He's 10th in the odds only because he has name recognition. Advertisement Dart at 25-to-1 is much more interesting. Right now he doesn't have a path to start early in the season, but it could change quickly. He is a first-round pick and could make things interesting with a good preseason. It's not like anyone in New York is dying to see Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston start games. He plays in New York, which helps his visibility in an award race. It's at least reasonable to imagine a scenario in which Dart starts early on and generates some excitement for a big-market team, leading to plenty of hype that would keep him in the OROY race. At least there's a more viable lane for Dart than there is for Sanders. Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue (+5000) OK, this one is way down the list. But there might be opportunity. The Cowboys didn't do too much to improve at running back this offseason. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders are two unexciting veterans at the top of the depth chart. Blue was a fifth-round pick but many late-round running backs have emerged to be productive rookies. The Cowboys' offense is good enough; Rico Dowdle had more than 1,000 yards rushing in it last season. Whether it's Blue or someone like Jaguars rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten, if there's a true long shot that will win OROY it's probably a mid- to late-round running back.
Fox Sports
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 NFL odds: Bettors backing Shedeur Sanders to win OROY
National Football League 2025 NFL odds: Bettors backing Shedeur Sanders to win OROY Published Jun. 2, 2025 5:33 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Shedeur Sanders has already made a big splash in NFL betting markets — and that's all without having played one snap of professional football. At BetMGM, the quarterback out of Colorado is the book's biggest liability for Offensive Rookie of the Year. In this spot, Sanders has both the highest ticket (10.5%) and the highest handle (23.5%). But when you look at the board, his odds are nowhere near the top to win the award. Currently, Ashton Jeanty and Cam Ward are the favorites at +250. Shedeur's Colorado teammate Travis Hunter rounds out the top three at +600. Tetairoa McMillan at +1300 and Omarion Hampton at +1400 are fourth and fifth. So where is Shedeur? He's 10th at +2200. But that hasn't stopped bettors from believing that he can bring home the hardware, and that could partially be because of the incredible stats he put up while starting at QB for the Buffaloes. In 2024, Sanders racked up 4,134 passing yards and had 37 touchdowns. Over the course of 24 games in Boulder, he went 651-for-907 passing with a total of 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Despite those lofty numbers, Sanders unceremoniously fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns ended up selecting him with the 144th pick, and that was after quarterbacks like Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe and Dillon Gabriel came off the board. ADVERTISEMENT For added context, Cleveland grabbed Gabriel off the board with the 94th pick. According to "The Herd" co-host Jason McIntyre, Sanders' draft stock likely took a hit because of his father Deion's big personality. "I'm now thinking, NFL teams and front offices were like, 'No thank you,' precisely because of this," McIntyre said regarding Hall of Famer Deion Sanders' comments on a podcast about how his son was handled during the draft. But it's not where a player falls in the draft that decides if they can earn an accolade like Rookie of the Year. Instead, it's where you end up during the season. Should Shedeur Sanders start for the Browns? And "The Herd" host Colin Cowherd likes Sanders' chances to be named QB No. 1 in Cleveland. "Despite the fact that Shedeur Sanders had the fewest attempts, he was the most efficient with the fewest reps," Cowherd said as he compared quarterbacks on the Browns' depth chart. "By a landslide, Shedeur Sanders should be starting. "I think [Joe] Flacco is going to win the starting job initially. But I'm calling it for Shedeur," he continued. "With very average personnel [at Colorado] outside of Travis Hunter, against the very best teams he played, he was highly productive." Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! share
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN analyst makes bold prediction for Chargers rookie in 2025
ESPN analyst makes bold prediction for Chargers rookie in 2025 Expectations are high for Omarion Hampton heading into his rookie season. The former North Carolina product was the second running back selected behind Ashton Jeanty, who was taken by the Raiders with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. While Jeanty was the top back in this year's class, some believe Hampton will have a more productive season in Year 1, including ESPN's Benjamin Solak, who is predicting Hampton to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. "Omarion Hampton will win Offensive Rookie of the Year. I think he will quickly out-touch Najee Harris, and I think the Chargers want to go back to a more run-heavy approach after turning pass-heavy out of necessity late last season. He'll outproduce fellow first-rounder Ashton Jeanty, too. I see a 1,200-rushing-yard season incoming," Solak wrote. Hampton's current odds to win OROY are +1000, which is tied with Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter and Saints QB Tyler Shough, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The only two players ahead of Hampton are Jeanty (+250) and Titans QB Cam Ward (+350). Hampton will share the backfield with veteran Najee Harris, but he should still have a sizeable role in the offense. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman are going to emphasize running the football. And given his talent, a system tailored his skill set and an improved offensive line, Hampton could make some serious noise in his rookie season.
USA Today
18-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson ranked top-15 in latest Offensive Rookie of the Year odds
Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson ranked top-15 in latest Offensive Rookie of the Year odds The Steelers' newest bruising running back — third-round pick Kaleb Johnson — just broke into the top-15 odds to win 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Johnson is exactly what any NFL team would want out of their workhorse back: power, size, strength, contact balance, and explosiveness — which is why many regarded him as one of the best RBs in the draft class. Despite film proving his incredible game speed, a poor 4.57 40-time likely caused his draft stock to take a hit — which is ideal for the Steelers, who needed additional RB help after Najee Harris signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. According to BetMGM, Johnson is tied for 15th most likely to win OROY with TE Tyler Warren at +3500, behind these other top offensive rookies: Ashton Jeanty, Cameron Ward, Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan, Omarion Hampton, Tyler Shough, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, RJ Harvey, Colston Loveland, Matthew Golden, Jaxson Dart, and Shedeur Sanders. There are no guarantees that Johnson will outperform the other top RBs selected before him in the draft, as he will still have to compete for rushing opportunities with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell — but don't let his placement fool you, as the Steelers will depend on Johnson to lead the rushing attack for years to come.
