Can Steelers’ Najee Harris win offensive rookie of the year?

Rushing yards

Being dominant on the ground is key for any running back to be in contention for the award. Looking over the previous award winners, each running back was great at running the ball during their rookie season. Looking at the averages for the past five winners, a back would have to rush for 1132 yards in order to be on pace with what the previous winners have accomplished.

While averaging over 1000 yards was a common theme among these backs, Alvin Kamara was the only back who didn’t accomplish this feat despite still winning the award. He only rushed for 728 yards during his rookie year, but he averaged an impressive 6.1 yards per carry. While yards per carry isn’t the most important statistic, a 6.1-yard average off of 120 carries demonstrates just how effective Kamara was with the ball in his hands. Add in his work as a receiver, and he was a true weapon for the Saints offense despite not having an insane rushing yardage output.

On the flip side, Saquon Barkley and Adrian Peterson were the standards for successful rushing yards in their rookie seasons they had the two highest numbers, both posting rushing yards over 1300 yards. While that is a jump from the 1132 average, it isn’t a gigantic one. Considering Harris rushed for 1466 yards in his final college season, these rushing yards seem attainable assuming he stays healthy.

To put it in a vacuum, in order for Harris to hit that average number (accounting for the additional game added to the NFL season mind you), he will need to average just under 71 yards rushing a game for the Steelers. In order to be closer to that 1300 mark that Peterson and Barkley averaged, Harris only needs to average just under 82 yards per game. If he can stay healthy, there is a real chance that Harris gets rushing numbers close to those.