Year 2 was when Eric Dickerson set the all-time single-season rushing record that Saquon Barkley just missed out on. But he wasn't far off in his rookie season either. Tallying 1,808 rushing yards, he had the second-most scrimmage yards in league history at 2,212. Moreover, he also had 20 total TDs, including the fourth-highest mark of all-time with 18 rushing TDs.
Turning a franchise around in a season sounds challenging. But that is what C.J. Stroud did in 2023, as he led the Houston Texans to a playoff berth on the back of a league-leading interception percentage and yards per game. On the year, he totaled 4,108 yards passing, along with 167 rushing yards, as he tallied 26 total TDs against just 5 interceptions.
A first-team All-Pro in his rookie season, Jevon Kearse led the league with 8 forced fumbles in Year 1. His impact led the Tennessee Titans all the way to a Super Bowl appearance, as he added 14.5 sacks and a defensive TD to the stat sheet.
Here are the numbers: 112 catches, 1,194 yards, and five receiving TDs. Here is the context: Most receptions by a rookie ever, most receiving yards by a rookie TE ever, league leader in receiving yards for all TEs, franchise record for most receptions by any player in a season in Las Vegas Raiders history. That is the season Brock Bowers had in 2024. But what makes the future far more scary for the league is that he did all of that with subpar quarterbacking. If he is paired with a true franchise QB, it might very well be lights-out.
A fifth-round draft pick shouldn't have made the kind of impact that Puka Nacua did in his rookie season, but 2023 was sublime for the rookie. Totaling over 70-yards in 11 games, he was good for 105 catches and 1,486 yards, setting the NFL record for a rookie in both categories.
3,200 passing yards and 815 rushing yards, to go with 27 total TDs against just 5 interceptions poised Robert Griffin III for greatness from the outset. Injuries may have derailed his career, but that first season with Washington was something to behold for RG3.
His 17 receiving touchdowns are still the single-season rookie receiving record, but Randy Moss passed every metric in the book, from the numbers, to the eye test. One of the most-hyped receivers in history, he was unbelievable immediately, forming an unstoppable duo with Cris Carter, as he totaled 1,313 yards on just 69 catches.
The perfect swiss army-knife, Gale Sayers was amazing at everything you could do on a football field. In his rookie season, he had 867 rushing yards and 14 TDs, 507 receiving yards and 6 TDs, and 2 return TDs as well. All of that in a 14-game season is mind-boggling to imagine, but to do you one better, his numbers from Week 13: 9 rushes, 113 yards, and four TDs, alongside 2 catches for 89 yards and 2 TDs, as well as a punt return TD. That is 11 touches and six TDs. 'Nuff said?
The only rookie to win Defensive Player of the Year, Lawrence Taylor is regarded by many as the greatest defender in league history and for good reason. In his rookie season alone, he had 133 tackles, 9.5 sacks, a forced fumble, as well as an interception.
942 rushing yards and 10 total TDs might not seem like much, but for a 12-game season, it was nearly video game-y what Jim Brown was able to accomplish in his rookie season. To date, he remains the only player in league history to win MVP as a rookie. For many, the greatest athlete ever, he had a 237-yard performance in Week 9 that stands as one of the greatest games by a RB in NFL history.
