Dallas Cowboys

PFWA name Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa NFL Rookies of the Year

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Pro Football Writers of America named Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa NFL Rookies of the Year.

Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) got it right by naming Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Rookie of the Year on their respective sides of the football.

Elliott was the No. 4 overall pick out of Ohio State by the Cowboys. He rushed for 1,631 yards and had 16 total touchdowns. Elliott had the second-highest rookie rushing total in NFL history behind Eric Dickerson of the 1983 Los Angeles Rams with 1,808.

Boas was the No. 3 overall pick, also out of Ohio State, by the Chargers. Despite missing his first four games of 2016 due to a contract holdout, Bosa would still finish with 10.5 quarterback sacks in 2012 games.

There were a couple of players that could have challenged either Bosa or Elliott for Defensive and Offensive Rookie of the Year, respectively. However, these were no-brainer selections by the PFWA.

Elliott’s biggest challengers were Cowboys teammate quarterback Dak Prescott and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver/return specialist Tyreek Hill. Bosa had slightly stiffer competition than did Elliott. His challengers included Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey and a pair of Atlanta Falcons in linebacker Deion Jones and safety Keanu Neal.
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It’s interesting how these two players were teammates for Urban Meyer at Ohio State. They both left school a year early after their junior seasons in Columbus. These were also the first two non-quarterbacks taken in the 2016 NFL Draft. Ohio State had five players taken in the first round. Let’s also point out that former Buckeye and current Detroit Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker made the PFWA’s All-Rookie First Team.

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