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NFL: Predicting this season’s award winners

By Brad Rowland

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) warms up before the start of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) warms up before the start of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Kelvin Benjamin, WR Carolina Panthers

This is an ugly rookie class on the offensive side of the ball. It has been nearly a decade since the league did not sport a rookie starting quarterback, but this season is shaping up just that way as Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater are pegged for bench splinters to begin their respective careers. However, the wide receiver group drew rave reviews during the draft process, and Carolina Panthers wideout Kelvin Benjamin happens to be in the best situation for production.

With Steve Smith moving on to Baltimore, Benjamin enters the fold as the number one (!) receiver for the Panthers, and while it is certainly a run-first offense, the targets should follow. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Benjamin should be a prime threat in the red zone for quarterback Cam Newton, and even with the worries about his lack of speed, volume is always a positive thing with regard to pursuing awards.

Runner-up: Brandin Cooks, WR New Orleans Saints

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