For the second year in a row, a Bengals rookie running back barely missed out on winning AP Rookie of the Year at the NFL honors.
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year at the NFL Honors show Saturday night. He entered the night the favorite to win it over the likes of Bengals running back Jeremy Hill and Cowboys lineman Zack Martin.
The fact that Beckham was such a shoe-in for this category is all the more impressive given that he only played in 12 games, but managed to catch 91 passes for 1,305 yards with 12 touchdowns.
Hill was a strong contender for the award after leading all rookie runners with 1,124 rushing yards and nine touchdowns while finishing second among running backs with 5.1 yards per carry. Making his season even more amazing was that he only rushed for 195 yards and three scores over his first seven games while battling Giovani Bernard for carries. Hill then exploded for 929 yards and six touchdowns over his final nine games.
The rookie out of LSU played a pivotal role in the Bengals' rushing offense improving from 18th overall in 2013 to sixth in 2014. His production carried the Bengals to a 10-5-1 record and a berth in the playoffs.
Last year, it was Bernard who was up for this award, but lost out to Packers RB Eddie Lacy for the award.