Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, who led the NFL in rushing yards, was selected as the 2017 Rookie of the Year and 2017 Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who led all rookies with 14 total touchdowns, tied with Hunt for 2017 Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. It is the first tie for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors since 1988.
New Orleans cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who led all rookies with five interceptions, was selected as the 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year by the PFWA.
Hunt, a third-round pick (No. 98 overall) out of Toledo, rushed 272 times for a league-leading 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season as he was the second Chiefs rookie to rush for over 1,000 yards. He was second in 10-plus-yard carries by running backs with 35 and was third in the NFL in scrimmage yards with 1,782 yards, an average of 111.4 yards per game. He also caught 53 passes for 455 yards and three TDs. Hunt scored 11 overall touchdowns and set a NFL rookie record with 100 or more scrimmage yards in seven consecutive games to begin his career. Hunt rushed for a season-high 172 yards at the Chargers on Sept. 24, and he had six 100-yard rushing games. He was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month for September and December.
Kamara, a third-round pick (No. 67 overall) out of Tennessee, led all rookies with 81 receptions (third-most by a rookie RB in NFL history) and ranked second among NFL rookies with 1,554 scrimmage yards. He rushed 120 times for 728 yards, for a NFL-leading 6.1 per-carry average and eight touchdowns. Kamara also had 826 receiving yards and five receptions for TDs and returned a kickoff return for a touchdown. He is one of four rookies in NFL history to have at least five rushing and five receiving touchdowns, joining three Pro Football Hall of Famers: Doak Walker (1950), Charley Taylor (1964) and Gale Sayers (1964). He rushed for a season-high 106 yards at Buffalo on Nov. 12, and had 101 receiving yards at the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 26. Kamara was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month in November.
Lattimore, a first-round selection (No. 11 overall) out of Ohio State, tied for fifth in the NFL with five interceptions. He finished the regular season with 53 tackles (44 solo), five interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 18 passes defensed, which tied for the most by a rookie in 2017 in 13 games (all starts). He posted a streak of three consecutive games with an interception. Lattimore was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in October and December.
Hunt is the first Chiefs player to be selected Rookie of the Year, and the first to be selected Offensive Rookie of the Year. Kamara is the third Saints player to be selected Offensive Rookie of the Year and the first since running back Rueben Mayes in 1986. The other New Orleans winner was running back George Rogers (1981). Lattimore is the first Saints player to be selected Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The Saints led all clubs with four All-Rookie selections with Kamara, Lattimore, offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk and safety Marcus Williams. The Chiefs, Detroit Lions, New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers were tied for the second-most All-Rookie selections with two each. In all, 21 clubs are represented among the 28 players honored.
The All-Rookie offense includes Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, Hunt and Kamara at running back, Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh’s Juju Smith-Schuster at wide receiver, Giants’ tight end Evan Engram, Minnesota Vikings center Pat Elflein, Dan Feeney of the Los Angeles Chargers, Jermaine Eluemunor of the Baltimore Ravens and Ethan Pocic of the Seattle Seahawks at guard and the Denver Broncos’ Garett Bolles and Ramczyk at tackle.
The All-Rookie defense includes defensive linemen Derek Barnett of the Philadelphia Eagles, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, Carl Lawson of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Giants’ Dalvin Tomlinson, Detroit’s Jarrad Davis, Rueben Foster of the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt at linebacker, Lattimore and the Buffalo Bills’ Tre’Davious White at cornerback and the New York Jets’ Jamal Adams and Williams at safety.
The All-Rookie special teams consist of Kansas City placekicker Harrison Butker, Indianapolis punter Rigoberto Sanchez, Dallas kickoff returner Ryan Switzer, Detroit punt returner Jamal Agnew and Arizona special teamer Budda Baker.
2017 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
2017 CO-OFFENSIVE ROOKIES OF THE YEAR: RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs and RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
2017 DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: CB Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints
2017 PFWA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Offense
QB – Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
RB – Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs; Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
WR – Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams; Juju Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
TE – Evan Engram, New York Giants
C – Pat Elflein, Minnesota Vikings
G – Dan Feeney, Los Angeles Chargers; Jermaine Eluemunor, Baltimore Ravens, and Ethan Pocic, Seattle Seahawks (tie)
T – Garett Bolles, Denver Broncos; Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Saints
Defense
DL – Derek Barnett, Philadelphia Eagles; Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns; Carl Lawson, Cincinnati Bengals; Dalvin Tomlinson, New York Giants
LB – Jarrad Davis, Detroit Lions; Reuben Foster, San Francisco 49ers; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
CB – Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints; Tre’Davious White, Buffalo Bills
S – Jamal Adams, New York Jets; Marcus Williams, New Orleans Saints
Special Teams
PK – Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
P – Rigoberto Sanchez, Indianapolis Colts
KR – Ryan Switzer, Dallas Cowboys
PR – Jamal Agnew, Detroit Lions
ST – Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals
PFWA NFL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: 1966 – MLB Tommy Nobis, Atlanta Falcons; 1967-75 – no selections; 1976 – WR Sammy White, Minnesota Vikings; 1977 – RB Tony Dorsett, Dallas Cowboys; 1978 – RB Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers; 1979 – RB Ottis Anderson, St. Louis Cardinals; 1980 – RB Billy Sims, Detroit Lions; 1981 – RB George Rogers, New Orleans Saints; 1982 – RB Marcus Allen, Los Angeles Raiders; 1983 – RB Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams; 1984 – WR/KR Louis Lipps, Pittsburgh Steelers; 1985 – WR Eddie Brown, Cincinnati Bengals; 1986 – RB Rueben Mayes, New Orleans Saints; 1987 – ILB Shane Conlan, Buffalo Bills; 1988 – RB John Stephens, New England Patriots; 1990 – S Mark Carrier, Chicago Bears; 1991 – OLB Mike Croel, Denver Broncos; 1992-2012 – no selections; 2013 – RB Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers; 2014 – WR Odell Beckham, Jr., New York Giants; 2015 – RB Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams; 2016 – RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys; 2017 – RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs.