NEW YORK — There were quarterbacks aplenty at the top of the 2023 NFL draft, with three of the first four picks going to signal callers Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson.
But which of the three new QB1's will take home the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award? Or will it go to another rookie, perhaps a running back like Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs?
That's the question Locked on NFL hosts Christopher Carter and Qiant Myers attempted to answer on the latest episode, with Carter turning his attention away from the star-studded quarterback class.
"I'm going to go with a player who I think is going to get a lot of touches and a lot of big plays, and that's Bijan Robinson," Carter said. "I think he's going to be in a system with the Falcons where they are going to get him a lot of feeds and he's going to be a really good playmaker."
The Falcons were criticized for taking a running back in the top ten of the NFL draft, with many feeling running backs are replaceable and therefore not worthy of such a high selection. However, Robinson is one of the most exciting backfield prospects to enter the NFL in a long time and there is little reason to believe he won't make a huge impact right away at the pro level.
On defense, the expectation is one of the top five picks - EDGE Will Anderson for Houston or defensive back Devon Witherspoon for Seattle - will take home the award, but Myers has a dark horse pick:
"I was going to go with Devon Witherspoon but then I remembered there was a guy I actually liked better because he's going to make more plays on the ball, and that's Emmanuel Forbes," Myers said. "He went earlier than most people expected. He's going to be in a similar mold to what Sauce Gardner was last year, and I think he comes up with five interceptions his rookie year."
Forbes should get plenty of chances to wow people in Washington, although taking the award from Witherspoon, Anderson, Jalen Carter, or even Christian Gonzalez will be a tough task.
The NFL season is still over three months away, but this 2023 rookie class is set to make a big impact on the league when things kick off in September.