Brock Purdy, Garrett Wilson among finalists for NFL Rookie of the Year honors
The NFL reveals winners of its individual awards for the 2022 season in early February, and announced Wednesday the finalists for the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards. San Francisco Giants quarterback Brock Purdy, Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III and New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson are the three finalists for the offensive award. Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson and Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen are the three defensive finalists.
The winners take home their awards on Feb. 9, when the league announces winners as part of its NFL Honors show. Only three of the six finalists — Wilson, Gardner and Hutchinson — were first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Wilson posted one of the best seasons among rookie receivers in recent memory, making 83 receptions for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns despite working without a consistent quarterback. The former Ohio State star has been an impact player at all three levels of football, as he arrived in Columbus as a 5-star recruit in the 2019 class. As a junior in 2021, Wilson posted 70 receptions for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns for a Buckeyes offense that was absolutely stacked at receiver. Wilson's former Ohio State teammate, Chris Olave, had a case of his own for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with a 1,000-yard season for the New Orleans Saints.
Hutchinson, meanwhile, was another big name at the college level. Experts widely regarded the former Michigan star as college football's top defender in 2021, and as a result the Lions selected Hutchinson at No. 2 overall. The former 4-star recruit in 2018 came to Ann Arbor as a prized in-state recruit and made good on that potential by leading the Wolverines to their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Hutchinson registered 9 1/2 sacks and nine tackles for loss as a rookie.
Like Hutchinson, Walker dominated the Big Ten at Michigan State. The transfer from Wake Forest ran for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021, leading the Spartans to the Peach Bowl. Seattle drafted Walker in the second round, and he took over as the Seahawks' starting running back midseason when Rashaad Penny suffered a season-ending injury. Walker ran for 1,050 yards and nine scores as a rookie.
Purdy, the most unlikely member of this list, went with the final pick in the draft out of Iowa State and was a run-of-the-mill 3-star recruit out of high school. Thrust into action late in the regular season due to the Niners' injuries, Purdy went 4-0 as a starter prior to the postseason. Purdy will get a chance to lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.
A pair of corners from the Group of Five level, Gardner and Woolen both established themselves as among the top players at the position as rookies — Gardner looks like the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. Gardner signed with Cincinnati in the 2019 class as a 3-star recruit, whereas Woolen went to UTSA as a 3-star recruit in the 2017 class.
