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Ever since his first game as an Oakland Raider, Josh Jacobs has looked like a special talent. He’s only gotten better and better as the season has gone on. He’s absolutely blown up in October and has been named the AFC Rookie of the Month.
It’s not a surprise that Jacobs has been tearing up NFL defenses. He was an early favorite to win Rookie of the Year when the Raiders drafted him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Through seven games, Jacobs has piled up 620 rushing yards with four touchdowns. He’s currently sixth in the NFL in rushing yards and has more than Ezekiel Elliot. If he keeps it up, he’s going to be winning more awards when the season’s over.
Will Josh Jacobs Win Rookie of the Year?
According to Sports Betting Dime, Josh Jacobs is now the favorite to win NFL Rookie of the Year. His biggest competition is three quarterbacks: Gardner Minshew, Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones. It’s starting to look like those guys are going to have a hard time beating the phenom at running back. Jacobs and the Raiders just finished an unprecedented road trip that saw them away from their home stadium for five games – mostly against teams with winning records.
Oakland’s schedule eases up significantly for the rest of the season. They have three straight home games and only play one more team that currently has a winning record. The team’s playoff chances have fallen due to a two-game losing streak, but the season is far from over. They can definitely turn things around and Jacobs will be a huge part of that. If he breaks 1,000 rushing yards and is a big part of a Raiders playoff run, it’s going to be really difficult to make the case that he’s undeserving of Rookie of the Year honors.
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Looking at Raiders Draft Class Halfway Through the Season
There’s no question that Jacobs has been the star of the 2019 draft for the Raiders. Johnathan Abram could’ve also been a star had he not gotten injured in Week 1. The biggest disappointment of the draft class has no doubt been Clelin Ferrell.
According to Josh Dubow at the Associated Press, Ferrell only has one quarterback pressure through six games played. That’s definitely not what the team had in mind when they made him the fourth-overall pick ahead of guys like Josh Allen and Brian Burns. Even the biggest Ferrell detractor couldn’t have seen this lack of production happening. He was excellent at getting to the quarterback while at Clemson. He was seen as a pro-ready player, who would make an impact rather quickly.
With that said, it’s still too early to put a “bust” label on Ferrell just yet. He’s only played six games and there’s still plenty of time for him to develop. There’s a reason the Raiders drafted him so high. There’s no doubt the team is disappointed with the fact that he’s only pressured the quarterback one. Plus, he’s been out staged by fourth-round pick Maxx Crosby, who has two sacks on the season.
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