Around 256 rookies are drafted into the NFL each year. While a lot of attention is paid to the top No. 1 overall draft pick each year, the Rookie of the Year is often surprising. Here are the 15 best NFL rookie seasons ever.
15. Mike Ditka, 1961
Before Mike Ditka was a TV commentator and legendary Bears coach, “Iron Mike” won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1961. He was a collegiate All-American and selected by the Bears as fifth overall in the 1961 NFL draft. In his rookie year as a tight end, Ditka caught 56 passes for 1,076 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
14. Cam Newton, 2011
Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy and was the NFL’s No. 1 overall draft pick. He set rookie records for passing, the first to throw for 4,051 yards in a season and 400 yards in a debut. Newton also set a record for rookie rushing yards by a quarterback with 706. His record of 14 rushing touchdowns still stands.
13. Ezekiel Elliot, 2016
Ezekiel Elliot was the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft by the Cowboys. Although still an elite running back, Elliot’s rookie year remains his most productive season. Elliot ran for 1631 yards and rushed for 16 touchdowns. He was named a first-team All-Pro and finished third in MVP voting in his rookie year
12. Eric Dickerson, 1983
Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Rams. In his rookie season, Dickerson rushed for 1,808 yards, 2,212 scrimmage yards (second-most ever behind O.J. Simpson’s 1975 record), 18 rushing touchdowns, and 20 total touchdowns. In his second season, Dickerson set the all-time-single rushing record.
11. Justin Herbert, 2020
Justin Herbert was selected sixth overall by the Chargers and was initially disparaged. But he took over as starter in the second game of his rookie year and remained the rest of the season. Herbert netted 4,336 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, and only ten interceptions. The result was the most statistically impressive rookie passing seasons in NFL history.
10. Devin Hester, 2006
Devin Hester was selected by the Bears in the second round as a wide receiver but moved to return specialist. He’s the only primary return specialist to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and considered the greatest ever. In his rookie season, Hester had 1128 return yards for five touchdowns. His rookie year performance topped the NFL.
9. Randy Moss, 1998
Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss was the 21st pick in the first round. He was unstoppable the moment he took the field. In his rookie year, Moss had 69 receptions for 1,013 yards and 17 touchdowns. He averaged 19 yards per reception. Moss set a rookie record of 17 touchdowns that stands today. No one has come close.
8. Jevon Kearse, 1999
Jevon Kearse was selected in 16th in the first round. Kearse had a 37-inch vertical leap, earning him the nickname “The Freak.” Kearse made 14.5 sacks his first year, which remains a rookie record. He also had 58 tackles and became the first rookie to start in the Pro Bowl. Kearse was also named first-team All-Pro playing defensive end.
7. Ryan Clady, 2008
Ryan Clady was the 12th pick in the first round. Clady allowed just 0.5 sacks his rookie year — the only lineman in the NFL to allow less than one sack. Shockingly, he was snubbed for both Offensive Rookie of the Year (behind Matt Ryan and Chris Johnson) and All-Pro honors.
6. Micah Parsons, 2021
Micah Parsons was selected 12th in the first round. He delivered one of the best rookie seasons as a linebacker ever, earning the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Parsons stacked up 84 tackles and 13 sacks. He also hit the quarterback 30 times and tied for fourth-most in the NFL.
5. Ja’Marr Chase, 2021
Ja’Marr Chase was selected 5th in the first round. His performance surpassed expectations. Chase pulled down 81 receptions for 1,455 yards (a new rookie record) and 13 touchdowns. Chase was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and second-team All-Pro. He helped lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl with 368 yards across four playoff games.
4. Robert Griffin III, 2012
Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy and was the second overall draft pick. He exceeded expectations in his rookie season with 3,200 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 815 rushing yards, and seven rushing touchdowns. He led Washington to the playoffs. However, in the wild-card round, he tore his ACL. Injuries would derail the rest of his career.
3. Gale Sayers, 1964
Chosen fourth overall in the draft, Hall of Fame running back and return specialist Gale Sayers never played a postseason game, as injuries limited him to only five NFL seasons. In his rookie season, Sayers delivered 2,272 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. He rushed for 867 yards and fourteen touchdowns. Sayers had 507 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Read More: The 10 Highest-Paid NFL Quarterbacks of All Time
2. Lawrence Taylor, 1981
The second-overall pick, Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor became the first and only rookie to be named Defensive Player of the Year. He also won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, tallying up 9.5 sacks. It’s hard to reflect the full picture of Taylor’s rookie season because the NFL didn’t start recording tackles as a statistic until 1993.
Read More: Greatest Rookie Seasons in NBA History
1. Jim Brown, 1957
Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown was drafted sixth overall. Brown set an NFL single-game record of 237 rushing yards, which stood for 14 years, and a rookie record that held for 40 years. He accumulated 942 rushing yards for nine touchdowns. Brown broke the season rushing record in 1958 and led in rushing seven times during his career.
Read More: Best WNBA Rookie Seasons of All Time
