NFL Awards Predictions

Nick’s Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Coming off a Seattle Seahawks season that may have been surprisingly successful to most, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has shown that he can lead an offense to some of the greatest heights. And because of the year that he’s had, this pick may not serve as a surprise to many.

After all, he led the league in receiving yards, with almost 1,800. He finished fourth in receptions, with almost 120, and scored 10 times.

And to think he still achieved these numbers after a severely limited number of targets per game towards the end of the season.

While all of these stats are extremely impressive, especially for such a young player, the thing that I like most about the year Jaxon Smith Njigba has been able to have is because of the immense improvement he's had in such a short time.

Just two years ago, as a rookie, Njigba had less than 650 yards on only about 60 targets.

However, in just two years, he has nearly tripled his yards and doubled his receptions and stands out as not only the best on a Super Bowl-contending team, but as the best in the entire NFL.

This is also coming in a year that has been completely dominated by wide receivers on the offensive side, with almost 20 different guys receiving for 1,000+ yards, making this achievement stand out even more.

Nick's Dpoy: Miles Garrett

With another pick that may not surprise most, it would simply be incorrect not to have Miles Garrett as the best defender of the year.

Coming into the year with some complications about his contract and what team he would be playing for, the Browns made the right decision to re-sign him.

Even though Miles Garrett has always been a beast on the defensive line, and one of the most prominent Defensive Ends of this era, this season was obviously different than anything we have ever seen before.

Despite having just 14.0 total sacks in the 2024 season, which is already an amazing accomplishment, Garrett was able to climb to an astonishing 23.0 just one season later.

This amazing season led to him achieving the record for most sacks in a season by any player in NFL history, passing all-time legends like Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt, who are tied for second with 22.5.

To put this more into perspective, New York Giant Brian Burns, who came in second place this season, was still 6.5 sacks behind Garrett, despite this being the best year of his career by far, as his previous record was 12.5 sacks back in 2022.

Such a rare and historical achievement like this is truly something we may not see broken for many years to come, and shows why he is such a special talent and deserving candidate for this prestigious award.

Brady’s MVP: Matthew Stafford

This year’s MVP race is going to be one for the ages. Either Matthew Stafford or Drake Maye will be taking home the award, and there’s a great argument to be had for both.

Although Maye and the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl, I’m going to give the edge to Stafford from a statistical standpoint, with his longevity also playing a huge factor.

The 37-year-old Stafford just finished up his 11th season in the NFL, and it was his best one yet, throwing for 4,707 yards and achieving career highs in passing touchdowns (46) and passer rating (109.2).

While having the highest expected points added on pass attempts in the NFL, Stafford also led the Rams offense to the highest points per game in the league, the only team to be above 30.

While Maye has a strong case with a higher completion percentage, higher QBR and passer rating, I ultimately think it will come down to the fact that Stafford is in his late 30s, has a solid case for the Hall of Fame, but is still without an MVP to his name to seal it. His Super Bowl championship in 2021 and his soon-to-be MVP this season will solidify Stafford earning a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio, one day.

Brendan’s Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tetairoa McMillan

This season has been a wild ride in terms of determining the best rookie offensive player.

It’s common to see the first quarterback taken in a draft class win the award handily. This year was not the case, as Cam Ward did not put up eye-popping stats, mainly due to a terrible offensive environment in Tennessee.

By mid-October, it looked as though Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka had the award locked up, but a drastic fall off in the second half of the season took him out of contention.

Other rookie quarterbacks like Jackson Dart and Tyler Shough looked great when they did play, but for reasons such as injuries and limited opportunities, their excellence was not sustained for long enough.

I’ll shoutout rookie tackles Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks Jr. for phenomenal seasons on the O-Line, but this award biases skill-position players, which leaves Tetairoa McMillan.

The Arizona product quickly became the focal point of the Panthers' passing attack this season. McMillan posted a 1,014-yard season, the most of any rookie, on 70 catches, ranking third amongst rookies.

Tet also caught seven touchdown passes, both the most of his rookie class and the most on the Panthers, helping Carolina make their first playoff appearance since the 2017 season.

In a season where many rookies flashed greatness, this award should go to the one who maintained consistent, high-quality performance all season. Tetairoa McMillan will be your Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Brendan’s Defensive Rookie of the Year: Nick Emmanwori

This is one of the most tightly contested races for DROY we have seen in a while.

In one corner, there’s Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger. Schwesinger recorded 156 total tackles this season (sixth in the NFL) and two interceptions while playing on the fourth-ranked defense.

In the other, there’s Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori. The 35th overall pick out of South Carolina has 81 tackles and 11 passes defended this season.

There should be no contest, right? Schwesinger has nearly double the tackles and was a high-impact player on an already great defense.

Not so fast. Emmanwori has played a pivotal role in the Seattle secondary this season. At 6-foot-3, 227 pounds, he has shown a special level of quickness and instincts that allow him to be both excellent in pass coverage and a great downhill tackler.

Tangible statistics are harder to come by for a safety in the NFL. If you’re doing your job in coverage, you’re less likely to have to make a tackle.

Emmanwori put all of his coverage skills on display against the Rams in the NFC championship. He allowed just two catches for eight yards on five targets, breaking up three passes while covering the likes of Puka Nakua and Devante Adams. Emmanwori also recorded two tackles for loss in this game.

Now, I know the playoffs have no bearing on who wins this award. However, this performance was a microcosm of what Emmanwori can do and has done for this Seahawks defense all year.

His versatility in the secondary makes him a high-impact player on all three levels, and also makes him my pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Brady’s Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey

In what seems like the most obvious pick for any award this season, Christian McCaffrey embodies comeback player of the year. After missing most of 2024 with bilateral Achilles tendinitis and a right knee PCL sprain, the future was looking bleak for the soon-to-be 29-year-old.

Multiple leg injuries to a running back in their late 20s, especially with McCaffrey’s lengthy history, usually mean they will never be the same, but in 2025, he proved that theory to be dead wrong. McCaffrey touched the ball a career high 413 times, racking up 1,202 rushing yards and another 924 yards receiving, over 100 more yards than any other running back.

He simultaneously did this while being eighth in rushing yards and scoring the third most total touchdowns in the NFL with 17. His performance also currently has him as a top-five MVP candidate, where he was in 2023, a huge milestone that most people never thought he would get back to after last season.

McCaffrey’s reemergence as San Francisco’s top offensive weapon loomed large in their ability to overcome their injury-riddled roster. He would wind up carrying the team to a 12-5 record, a postseason berth and catch two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the wild card game in Philadelphia to pull off an impressive upset of the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles.

All that McCaffrey has done this season is otherworldly and the chances of someone else taking home comeback player of the year instead of him is slim to none.

Brendan Kern is a second-year majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email bwk5372@psu.edu

Brady Welsh is a second-year majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email bdw5435@psu.edu.