Bengals 2018 season awards: Rookie of the Year

The Cincinnati Bengals needed some immediate impacts from their 2018 draft class, after injuries and ineffectiveness have plagued some important players in other recent classes. Even so, the team opted to hoard their picks, selecting 11 new players in the haul.

Only a small handful had big impacts in 2018 and, not surprisingly, the biggest producers were from the earlier rounds. Cast your vote and sound off on your winner for the Bengals’ 2018 Rookie of the Year!

Billy Price: The Bengals’ first-round pick suffered through uncharacteristic injuries as a rookie, but was effective on many occasions when in the lineup. Though he missed six games with a foot injury, the team’s run game ended on high notes.

With Price back in the lineup, Joe Mixon had three 100-yard rushing performances in the final four games of the year. That’s actually a microcosm of production from when Price was back playing center for the team.

Jessie Bates: The Bengals grabbed Bates in the second round this year because of his play-making abilities. He was second on the team in interceptions with three, and was the co-leader in interception returns for touchdowns with one.

He was also the team leader with 111 tackles, and while impressive, it is a dubious distinction of a poor defense when a safety is the leading tackler. He was also fourth on the team with seven passes defensed. According to Pro Football Focus, Bates only allowed a 59.9 quarterback rating in passes thrown his way last year.

Sam Hubbard: It was a pretty solid year for Hubbard, who really didn’t see substantial snaps at defensive end until a few weeks into the season. Even so, he racked up six sacks, which was third on the team, and had a critical fumble recovery for a touchdown in the win against the Dolphins. Hubbard ranked in the “above average” category, per PFF’s metrics in 2018.