New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who led all NFL rookies and set a club rookie record for receiving yards, was selected as the 2014 Rookie of the Year and 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who led all NFL rookies in sacks, was selected as the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Beckham Jr., a first-round pick (No. 12 overall) out of LSU, had 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in only 12 games. His 108.8 yards per game average was the highest figure by a rookie in NFL history. He led the league in game receiving yards in each of his last six contests, the longest streak ever by a NFL rookie. Beckham had 130, 143, 148 and 185 yards in his last four games to become the first NFL rookie to have four consecutive 100-yard games since Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Orr in 1958. He also had 10 or more receptions in a game four times, the first rookie in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
Donald, a first-round pick (No. 13 overall) out of Pittsburgh, led all NFL rookies, set a Rams rookie record and was second among all NFL defensive tackles with nine sacks for minus-68 yards. He also led St. Louis with 17 tackles for loss. Donald was credited with 47 total tackles, 12 quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Beckham Jr. is the first Giants player to be selected Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Donald is the second Rams player to receive the Defensive Rookie of the Year honor since linebacker Isiah Robertson in 1971.
The Rams led all clubs with three All-Rookie selections – Donald, cornerback E.J. Gaines and running back Tre Mason. Six clubs – Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders each had two players on the squad. In all, 19 clubs are represented among the 27 players honored.
The All-Rookie offense includes Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Cincinnati’s Jeremy Hill and Mason at running back, Beckham and Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans at wide receiver, New York Jets tight end Jace Amaro, Green Bay center Corey Linsley, Cleveland’s Joel Bitonio and Dallas’ Zack Martin at guard and Tennessee’s Taylor Lewan and Miami’s Ja’Wuan James at tackle.
The All-Rookie defense includes Donald, Baltimore’s Timmy Jernigan, Carolina’s Kony Ealy and Oakland’s Justin Ellis on the defensive line, Alonso, San Francisco’s Chris Borland, Oakland’s Khalil Mack and Baltimore’s C.J. Mosley at linebacker, Chicago’s Kyle Fuller and Gaines at cornerback and Arizona’s Deone Bucannon and Green Bay’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at safety.
The All-Rookie special teams is Philadelphia placekicker Cody Parkey, Chicago punter Pat O’Donnell, Miami kickoff returner Jarvis Landry, Kansas City punt returner De’Anthony Thomas and Philadelphia special teamer Trey Burton.
2014 PFWA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
2014 PFWA OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
2014 PFWA DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: DT Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams
2014 PFWA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Offense
QB – Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings
RB – Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals; Tre Mason, St. Louis Rams
WR – Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants; Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
TE – Jace Amaro, New York Jets
C – Corey Linsley, Green Bay Packers
G – Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns; Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
T – Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans; Ja’Wuan James, Miami Dolphins
Defense
DL – Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams; Timmy Jernigan, Baltimore Ravens; Kony Ealy, Carolina Panthers; Justin Ellis, Oakland Raiders
LB – Chris Borland, San Francisco 49ers; Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders; C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens
CB – Kyle Fuller, Chicago Bears; E.J. Gaines, St. Louis Rams
S – Deone Bucannon, Arizona Cardinals; Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Green Bay Packers
Special Teams
PK – Cody Parkey, Philadelphia Eagles
P – Pat O’Donnell, Chicago Bears
KR – Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins
PR – De’Anthony Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs
ST – Trey Burton, Philadelphia Eagles
ABOUT THE PFWA: The Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) is the official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public. The PFWA is made up of accredited writers who cover the NFL and the 32 teams on a daily basis. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter, who covers the Atlanta Falcons, is the organization’s president for 2013-15, while ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold, who covers the Denver Broncos, is the PFWA’s first vice-president and long-time national writer Dan Pompei is the organization’s second vice-president. Follow the PFWA at ProFootballWriters.org and on Twitter at @PFWAwriters.
