Who will win OROY?

By: Jake Rajala

There are a couple of negative reactions to the name: Tyler Shough. He is seen as an old rookie QB that was drafted ahead of Shedeur Sanders. Hence, I’m going to pull him out of this unfair reputation and cast hope for Saints fans from the selection of Tyler Shough. Hence, I’m even going to untwine a few reasons he can win OROY!

• Offensive Line

The Saints ranked 13th in sacks allowed last season. Their anchor was Erik McCoy. Not only did Erik make the Pro Bowl, but he missed 10 games! His full return will provide huge dividends. Furthermore, the Saints drafted Kelvin Banks Jr, who is an absolute bully. He will finish his blocks quite well. He had a PFF grade of 86.2 last season.

• Healthy WRs

The Saints clear-cut WR1 is Chris Olave. Well, he sadly only played in eight games last season. Not only did Olave struggle to stay healthy, but the Saints WR2 Rasheed Shaheed, missed 11 games! The Saints were putting up back-to-back 40 point games with their two WRs on the field. Shough also has an impressive deep-throw, which should go well with each WR that can clock sub-40 yard dashes.

• Schedule

Tyler should be licking his chops at the teams in his division. The Carolina Panthers ranked 30th, the Atlanta Falcons ranked 23rd, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked 17th in PPG allowed. There haven’t been seismic changes to any of the defenses in the NFC South, too. The weather in these games most likely won’t include snow, too.

Honorable Mention:

• Competition at QB

Shough is in the best situation among offensive rookies in my opinion. Cam Ward’s situation is dim, as WR2 Tyler Lockett is washed up and WR3 Treylon Burks has never lifted off. Jaxson Dart may have more upside than any other rookie QB, but he can’t come over a lackluster offense right now. Malik Nabers could be a Top-10 WR, that won’t be enough. Even Calvin Johnson couldn’t save Matthew Stafford.