With the start of the 2020 NFL regular season getting closer by the day, it’s that time of year when we start looking at many of the fun-filled, season-long props odds wagers on the board. With that thought in mind, I’m dishing out the top five candidates to win the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds:
- Joe Burrow +250
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire +400
- Jonathan Taylor +900
- Tua Tagovailoa +900
- Jerry Jeudy +1500
- D’Andre Swift +1600
- Henry Ruggs III +1800
- Cam Akers +1950
- CeeDee Lamb +2000
- Ke’Shawn Vaughn +2000
- Justin Herbert +2000
- Jalen Reagor +2500
- J.K. Dobbins +2500
- Denzel Mims +3000
- Justin Jefferson +3000
- K.J. Hamler +3000
- Zack Moss +3000
- Laviska Shenault Jr. +3500
- Michael Pittman Jr. +4000
- Tee Higgins +4000
- Tyler Johnson +4000
- K.J. Hill +4000
- Lamical Perine +4000
- Antonio Gibson +4000
- Brandon Aiyuk +4000
- Chase Claypool +4500
- Jalen Hurts +4500
- Jordan Love +5000
- Joshua Kelly +5000
- A.J. Dillon +5000
- Bryan Edwards +6500
- Brycen Hopkins +10000
- Anthony Gordon +10000
- Antonio Gandy-Golden +10000
- Cole Kmet +10000
- Jacob Eason +10000
- Jake Fromm +10000
- Adam Trautman +10000
- Donovan Peoples-Jones +10000
- Andrew Thomas +15000
Ranking the 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Candidates
No. 5 CeeDee Lamb +1800
While former Oklahoma star CeeDee Lamb was deemed by most experts as the top wideout in this year’s draft, he somehow managed to fall all the way to the 17t overall pick where the Dallas Cowboys quickly snapped him up after the Raiders took Henry Ruggs at No. 12 and Denver nabbed Jerry Jeudy at No. 15. No matter, everyone else’s loss will be Dallas’ gain in 2020 as the gifted Lamb joins a Cowboys offense that is loaded at the skill positions.
The 6-2, 189-pound stud caught 62 passes and scored 14 touchdowns as a junior for Oklahoma last season. Now, he’ll play opposite Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper while star running back Ezekiel Elliott keeps defense honest with his powerful rushing. Quarterback Dak Prescott is good and wants to enter elite status and now, he has a full compliment of pass-catchers that could help him get there.
No. 4 D’Andre Swift +1200
I’ve known about the gifted Swift ever since he was a high school phenom in my native Philadelphia a few years back. More importantly, Swift will move right into the starting running back slot with the Detroit Lions and he should see plenty of action for a team that has been searching for a quality star at the position for years. Swift ran for 1,218 yards and seven scores at Georgia last season while adding 24 catches for 216 yards and another score. He;s elusive and fast and will be joining a unit that should have a solid passing attack with starter Matthew Stafford back under center after missing the majority of the 2019 campaign. Detroit won’t win a whole lot and that could keep him from winning this award, but if he puts up crazy numbers, it might not matter how many games the Lions win.
No. 3 Jonathan Taylor +2000
I don’t care what anyone else says, I fully believe that Jonathan Taylor should have easily gone in the first round of the NFL draft and that he is the most gifted back in this year’s draft class. Taylor rushed for at least 1,977 yards in each of his three seasons at Wisconsin while finishing with 6,174 yards and 50 career TD’s. Not only that, but last season, Taylor showed he could be a pass-catching option in the future after hauling in 26 passes last season for 252 yards and five scores. More importantly, Taylor will be suiting up for an Indianapolis Colts team that has an excellent offensive-mind in Frank Reich and one that will find ways to utilize his talented rookie back, Taylor currently sits behind starter Marlon Mack and backup Nyheim Hines on the depth chart or else he’d be my No. 2 pick over a Clyde Edwards-Helaire who will start right away in Kansas City.
No. 2 Clyde Edwards-Helaire +700
While former LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire wasn’t expected to be the first back taken in this year’s draft, Andy Reid passed on Deshaun Watson a few years back in favor of Patrick Mahomes and we see how that worked out. Anyway, Reid nabbed the former LSU star with the final pick in the draft and it was widely expected that he’d contribute, particularly in passing situations, behind starter and Super Bowl standout Damien Williams. However, that all changed overnight with Williams announcing he would opt out of the upcoming season for personal reasons related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, Edwards-Helaire is suddenly the starter and that means he and his dual-threat skillset will get a ton of work in Kansas City’s absolutely explosive offense. While Edwards-Helaire only stands 5’7” and ran a modest 40-yard time of 4.60, he is exceptionally elusive and is a true three-down back that rushed for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior at LSU last season while adding 55 receptions for an additional 453 yards and a score. Edwards-Helaire will be playing in a high-powered offense centered around the incomparable right arm of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs plethora of gifted skill positions performers like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Make no mistake about it, Edwards-Helaire will have one of the best chances to win this award given his status as the Chiefs’ starting running back, if nothing else.
No. 1 Joe Burrow +200
While I’m not as sold on the overall No. 1 draft pick as some, I do like many of the things he brings to the table for a Bengals franchise in full-fledged rebuild mode. Burrow will have free reign to learn on the job as a rookie and really, no matter how bad the Bengals are, no one’s going to blame the former LSU star unless he has a string of absolutely abysmal performances.
More importantly, Burrow might be a rookie, but he’ll step into a great situation as far as his offensive teammates are concerned. His top target will be perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green and Burrow will also have a handful of other capable receivers including former Clemson star and second round draft pick, Tee Higgins. Burrow will also be handing the ball off to now established starting running back Joe Mixon after he recorded his second straight 1,000 yard season in 2019. No, Burrow definitely won’t light up the NFL the way he did the NCAA in record-setting fashion last year, but he clearly has some time on his side and a ton of talent at the skill positions. Burrow will be given every chance to succeed and that makes him a great pick to win the 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.
2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Honorable Mention List
Tua Tagovailoa +700
The fifth overall pick out of Alabama is clearly the future in Miami, but that future may not start until the 2021 campaign with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick battling to keep his starting job and Miami likely to play it safe for a few weeks as Tua sits and learns while getting more time to get even healthier following his scary hip injury last season.
Justin Jefferson +2500
Former LSU star Justin Jefferson should move into the starting spot once occupied by Pro Bowler Stephon Diggs and that alone means he’ll have plenty of pass-catching chances in an offense that already features star wideout Adam Thielen and tight end Kyle Rudolph extensively. While veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins certainly isn’t elite, he is very solid and he could find Jefferson open more often than not f opposing defenses put too much attention on Thielen and Rudolph.
Henry Ruggs III +1400
The ultra-speedy Riggs will start right away for Las Vegas and head coach Jon Gruden is hounding Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota to actually perform at a high level. If Carr can get back to looking like an elite player and he makes Ruggs once of his favorite targets, it could happen.
Jalen Reagor +2000
The Eagles passed on a couple of wide receivers that were higher rated than former TCU wideout Jalen Reagor because of what they said was Reagor’s speed on the field. Well, the Birds and their fans will find out early on if Reagor has what it takes to make it in the NFL as he’s already scheduled to start opposite DeSean Jackson in the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia has a really good quarterback in Carson Wentz and a quartet of solid running backs, led by starter Miles Sanders. Tight end Zach Ertz is one of the best in the game, so Reagor should have plenty of chances against one-on-one coverage.
