Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs took the world by storm as a rookie in 2019, and he has been getting a ton of national praise.
During his rookie season, Josh Jacobs became one of the best all-around running backs in the NFL, putting the Oakland Raiders offense on his back time and time again. Even more impressive was the fact that he did it with a fractured shoulder for half the season, but was still able to have a record-breaking first season in the NFL.
As we start to turn the page to the 2020 NFL Draft, and the offseason, we have to take a look back at just what a season it was for Jacobs. He became the first Raiders rookie running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, and his 1,150 yards were the sixth-most ever in a season by a Raiders back.
In their end of the year awards, NFL.com handed out hardware to their choices for Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year to name a few. When it came to Offensive Rookie of the Year, it was Jacobs who took home the honor, beating out Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals), A.J. Brown (Tennessee Titans), and Miles Sanders (Philadelphia Eagles).
Out of a possible 24 votes, Jacobs was selected by 11 analysts, edging out Murray by two votes. He was well worth the first round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and as the team moves to Las Vegas, they have that do-everything running back that this franchise has been lacking for some time now.
While the Associated Press has yet to vote on their awards, which is the outlet the NFL considers to be their official winner, Jacobs has been winning this award all over the place. We will find out if Jacobs won the AP award the night before the Super Bowl, when the NFL Honors program hosted by Steve Harvey will take place.
With a healed shoulder in 2020, you can expect even more from Jacobs, who was an absolute warrior playing through his injury during his rookie season. It is a fun time to be a Raiders fan, and if they can hit on their draft picks once again, and spend some money on the defense in free agency, they could be a team to beat in the AFC as soon as next year.