2021 first round picks Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Micah Parsons, Najee Harris, and Kyle Pitts all chased down some rookie records largely set by titans of the past. Does breaking a record automatically make them some of the best rookies ever? Let's take a look at how these kids stack up against the greatest rookie seasons of all time.
Wide Receivers
Wide receiver is a great place to start, as Ja'Marr Chase made the biggest splash of all the rookies by breaking the Super-Bowl era receiving yardage record of 1400 set by fellow LSU wideout Justin Jefferson just a year ago. Chase (if we stick to 16-game totals) scored 13 touchdowns, 4 less than Randy Moss's historic 1998 rookie year that saw him put up 17, and while he features a 2021 league-leading 18.1 yards-per-catch it trails Moss's rookie average of 19.0. Jefferson had insane yardage in 2020, but his 7 touchdowns keep him out of the "greatest rookie season ever" conversation.
On paper, Chase and Moss had strikingly similar seasons. Both were inconsistent, with stretches of dominance sprinkled with disappointing outings. Both had 3 touchdown games, and both had four weeks where they went under 40 yards. Both even had a game with single-digit yardage. It's almost eerie. What the stat sheet and the eye test shows me is that while both men had ridiculous rookie seasons, Moss still has the slight edge in touchdowns and yards per catch which means he was the more explosive of the two. Its splitting hairs, but Moss still has the best rookie receiving season of all time in my book.
We can't forget about Miami rookie Jaylen Waddle. In 16 games Waddle caught 99 balls, just 4 receptions shy of tying the rookie receptions record of 103 set by Anquan Boldin in 2007. He also sported a near 75% catch rate, which is off the charts for a rookie. Averaging 10 YPC and only 6 total touchdowns subdued what was otherwise a remarkable season considering the rookie saw almost double the targets as the next Miami receiver on his roster.
Micah Parsons
Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is probably the best all-around football player of the 2021 NFL draft. Dallas has him running the defense right out of the gate, active in pass coverage, run stopping, and pass rushing scenarios on a play-by-play basis. Parsons has a nose for the ball, and whether it appears on the stat sheet or not he seems to influence every play. Parsons has 79 tackles on the season, including 18 tackles for loss, 29 quarterback hits, and 3 forced fumbles. Most impressive is the 13 sacks he recorded through 16 regular season games, just 1.5 short of tying the rookie sack record of 14.5 set by Javon Kearse in 1999.
Due to the every-down consistency of Parsons and his undoubted impact on Dallas' playoff run, the 12th overall pick has dominated the conversation for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Even more telling to his prowess are the rumors of consideration for Defensive Player of the Year, an honor only one rookie has ever won...Lawrence Taylor. While Micah Parson has drawn considerable comparisons to Taylor this year, he fell a bit short of the 133 tackles LT posted. LT also made First-Team All-Pro as a rookie, and while Parsons has made the Pro Bowl already he is expected to be a rare rookie first-teamer as well.
Other Notable Rookies
Najee Harris broke the Steelers rookie rushing record set by Franco Harris in 1972 with 1172 yards, joining the other Harris as the only rookie to eclipse the 1000-yard mark in franchise history. On the season Harris is 4th in the NFL in rushing yards, second in carries, and second in first down runs. Pretty impressive for a rookie. His seven touchdowns, largely due to an ineffective Pittsburgh offense for much of the year, keeps him out of the great rookie rushing seasons of all time convo, especially considering Zeke Elliott put up 15 scores his rookie season not too long ago.
Kyle Pitts had a lot of hype around him (I would argue, too much hype) coming out of the draft that saw Atlanta pass on a lot of talent to take the tight end fourth overall. The situation seemed ideal, as Matt Ryan still has some arm talent, Julio left, and tight ends without target competition tend to do well on bad offenses. That didn't really transpire, and Pitts had a slow start to the season. Since week 3 however he has posted three 100+ yard games, and seen less than 6 targets only twice. Through 16 games Pitts is third among tight ends with 1018 yards, and also third with 66 receptions, behind only Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce in both categories. He only has scored one touchdown and that's the real dark mark on his rookie year, when fellow rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth has 7 currently in Pittsburgh and the best to do ever do it, Ditka and Gronkowski, put up 12 and 10 touchdowns respectively in their rookie campaigns.
Mac Jones may very well take the Offensive Rookie of the Year honors as he leads the Patriots to the playoffs after their one-year blip missing the dance. Jones hasn't put up crazy stats, but he is top 5 in completion percentage and considering he touches the ball every play, it's hard to argue he isn't the most valuable rookie to his team in 2021. Ja'Marr Chase is making a case as the season winds down for the Bengals, but Burrow is the clear MVP of that offense. The Patriots are winning behind a stellar rushing attack and stout defense, but Jones has shown supreme accuracy and directs the offense when needed with field general skills beyond his years.
Here are some other notable names from the 2021 draft class that made splashes this year, leaving us to wonder how they will change the game in their sophomore season as we look forward to 2022.
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, CLE
DB Patrick Surtain II, DEN
DE Odafe Oweh, BAL
RB Javonte Williams, DEN
LB Nick Bolton, KC
WR DeVonta Smith, PHI
OL Rashawn Slater, LAC
DB Jaycee Horn, CAR
S Jevon Holland, MIA
C Creed Humphrey, KC
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