When it comes to "Rookie of the Year" in football, (or any sport for that matter) It is never easy to predict who will be the next up and coming star in the NFL. As opposed to seasoned veterans where we know what to expect and from whom. Some rookies come in to the league with a lot of hype while others not so much. But most of the time it is a player who know one even heard about or probably to be more fair and accurate, did not get as much as media exposure as they should have. (i.e. Tom Brady) Some players on this list most likely already had high expectations while others ended up becoming a steal for their team as they have showcased that they can hang with the best!
NOTE: Any and all stats are as of 12-18-13
Eddie Lacy
Lacy was a highly touted prospect that had a lot of teams intrigued in obtaining his services! Oddly enough though, he fell to the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft and landed into the lap of the Green Bay Packers (who so desperately needed a running game). Lacy is big and plows his way through defenders with his size and speed! As of prior to Week 16, Lacy has 1,028 Rushing Yards (Most out of all rookies, 7th most overall in league) on 238 carries (4.1 avg. yards per carry) along with 8 rushing TD's. Lacy also has 31 receptions for 236 yards. Altogether Lacy has 1,264 yards of total offense (1,028 rushing, 236 receiving). One more thing worth mentioning is that Lacy went down with an injury during a game against the Washington Redskins and missed nearly the entire game and the following week sat out due to the injury before coming back the following week to play.
Keenan Allen-
Allen has made his case to be the San Diego Chargers and Phillip Rivers #1 go to Receiver. Allen has hauled in 63 passes for 931 yards and 7 touchdowns, very remarkable numbers! Barring something extravaganza happening, Allen is practically a sure lock to surpass the 1,000+ mark in receiving yards and has a shot at 10 TD Receptions!
Zac Stacy
Stacy started off a bit slow in his first appearance in an NFL Game with just one carry for 4 yards. But a few weeks after being named starter, Stacy began picking up steam and posting some good numbers! Since being named starting Running Back for the St. Louis Rams, Stacy has ran for 100+ yards in 3 games with a total of 854 yards on the ground to date, with 1,000+ very much obtainable and in his reach with still two games left! (He will just need to average 73 yards in his last two games to crack the 1000 yard mark, 1000-854= 146. 146/2 =73!) Stacy has 6 TD's on the ground and on top of that has 1 TD Reception (bringing his TD total to 7) and 113 receiving yards.
Kiko Alonso
Alonso has the most tackles for rookies this season thus far with 137 tackles and ranks third overall behind only Vontaze Burfict (151) and Paul Posluszny (139)! Along with his 137 tackles, Alonso has 2.0 sacks and his registered 4 interceptions and a forced fumble! Also going back to his total number of tackles and to put it into even more perspective, he ranks higher than the likes of Chad Greenway, NaVorro Bowman, DeMeco Ryans, A.J. Hawk, and James Laurinaitis just to name a few!
Ezekiel Ansah
Ansah is slowly right before our eyes becoming a preliminary push rusher in just his first year in the league! The Detroit Lions Defensive End not only leads the team in sacks, but leads ALL Rookies in sacks with 7.0! With his 7.0 sacks, Ansah has registered a total of 27 tackles and has 2 forced fumbles! If he or Alonso do not win "Rookie of the Year", they each at the very least, have made their cases for "Defensive Rookie of the Year!"
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Image Sources: 1. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/eddie-lacy-goes-from-sleep-to-smashmouth-b99138067z1-231238461.html
2. http://www.google.com/hostednews/getty/article/ALeqM5hPvQ4_p4BVHzEgUzxs667V3eDmyw?docId=455664297
3. http://www.profootballrosters.com/2013/11/06/fantasy-impact-the-rise-of-zac-stacy/
4. http://www.registerguard.com/rg/sports/30549265-81/alonso-kiko-nfl-bills-season.html.csp
5. http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/nfl-draft/post?id=1630
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