5 sleeper NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates

With the NFL preseason coming to a close, fans should get to know Saquon Barkley, Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold.

These guys are the frontrunners for Offensive Rookie of The Year in most people’s eyes. But, just as we saw last year with Alvin Kamara, it’s not always the biggest names from the draft who make the biggest impact.

Let’s look at five potential Offensive Rookie of The Year candidates who aren’t on everyone’s radar but will make an impact and could wind up hoisting the award come season’s end.

5. Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Gallup is slowly but surely working his way onto Dak Prescott’s radar with an impressive training camp and preseason. Gallup is making tough catches look easy and consistently getting better, with even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones getting excited about Gallup.

“I think he’s going to start off opening day, I think he’ll be part of our plan,” Jones said. “He’s really a (much) better player than when he got here.”

Gallup only played two years at Colorado State but made the most of it. With a career total of 176 receptions for 2,690 yards and 21 touchdowns, he was a two-time All-Mountain West selection (2016, ’17) and a Second-Team All-American in 2017. Gallup already has a 30-yard preseason touchdown from Prescott and is consistently showing improvement in his route-running and understanding of the Cowboys system during camp.

With the departure of Dez Bryant from the Cowboys, the No. 1 receiver spot has some question marks. The addition of Allen Hurns looks promising and Terrance Williams is familiar with the system, but there aren’t any clear indications yet of their receiving pecking order. With the way Gallup has been showing off thus far however, don’t be surprised if you see No. 13 at the top of the depth chart.