Pickett, Willis Offensive Rookie of the Year Co-Favorites

Six of the last 12 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winners have been quarterbacks, so it’s no surprise to see Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett listed as co-favorites to earn the honor. Although the NFL Draft odds find it highly unlikely that a quarterback is the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Willis and Pickett have the potential to make the biggest difference next season.

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OPENING NFL OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ODDS

• MALIK WILLIS +500
• KENNY PICKETT +500
• BREECE HALL +800
• TREYLON BURKS +1000
• GARRETT WILSON +1000
• DRAKE LONDON +1000
• KENNETH WALKER III +1200
• JAMESON WILLIAMS +1200
• DESMOND RIDDER +1400

Malik Willis is expected to be the first quarterback selected in this year’s draft. Willis could go as early as No. 2 to the Detroit Lions, as Jared Goff clearly isn’t the long-term answer for the franchise. We saw Willis thrive under Hugh Freeze at Liberty, and he completed 61.1% of his passes for 2,857 yards (8.4 YPA) with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. It might take some time for him to produce in the NFL though as Willis transferred out of Auburn and didn’t face a lot of tough competition at Liberty.

Is Kenny Pickett a one-year wonder or a star in the making? That’s the big question that NFL teams have to answer before deciding whether to take Pickett in a couple weeks. Pickett was simply an above average quarterback in his first four years at Pittsburgh before setting program records in 2021. He completed 67.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions to lead the Panthers to the ACC title. A lot of Pickett’s hopes will be dependent on where he is drafted.

The non-quarterback with the best odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year is Breece Hall. The Iowa State product is expected to be the first running back off the board, and we have seen four running backs win OROY in the last nine seasons. Hall was a standout with the Cyclones over the last two years, running for 3,044 yards while averaging 5.7 YPC with 41 touchdowns. Running backs have the ability to make instant impacts as rookies, and its likely that we see him taken late in the first round.