Cardinals rookies: 2 listed as ESPN Rookie of the Year hopefuls

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 23: Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love poses for a studio portrait during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort focused on the offensive side of the ball in this year’s NFL draft, and rightfully so, with the hiring of Mike LaFleur, an offensive guy who is now the head coach. Out of seven draft picks, Ossenfort selected five for the offense.

That includes the #3 overall draft pick, Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame. The running back was not a huge surprise being taken so early in the draft, as most mock drafts had OT Francis Mauigoa or EDGE rushers David Bailey or Arvell Reese in this spot instead.

But LaFleur wanted Love. That was his guy. Overall, the Cardinals had a good draft and are bringing in some much needed talent to this year’s roster.

Before any practice reps are taken or any nameplate sewn onto a jersey, ESPN has come out with its prediction for this year’s “NFL Rookie of the Year” award. Two Arizona players dot the list.

LINK: ESPN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR PREDICTION FULL LIST

It is of no surprise that Love is listed at the top. He is ranked #2 behind Las Vegas Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza. Yes, the talented QB was taken first overall and is a huge need for Las Vegas. But what ESPN failed to expand upon is the fact that the Raiders also signed in free agency veteran QB Kirk Cousins who should become the starting quarterback in Week 1, and as long as he plays well, should continue in this capacity for a while. This would limit Mendoza’s snaps for the year.

Love is ranked second on the list, which means he has a very good chance of taking home the honor at season’s end. LaFleur will use an offense that will run quite a bit and use lots of tight end sets. During the offseason, Ossenfort gutted the offensive line and brought in several new faces who will transform this wretched group from a year ago, including the best guard prospect in free agency with Isaac Seumalo, a new right tackle in Elijah Wilkinson, and then he selected Chase Bisontis out of Texas A&M in this year’s NFL draft.

Coupled with the league’s best tight end and capable receivers, this will be a fun group to watch this year. Love just amplifies the offense’s ability to move the ball and score more points going forward.

The author of the article, Ben Solak, said this about Love and his path to the top rookie award:

“Love seems like an obvious favorite for Rookie of the Year, and I get it from a talent perspective. He is the earliest drafted running back since Barkley, who is the most recent running back winner. Barkley led the league in yards from scrimmage as a rookie, and while Love is unlikely to be that productive, he does have the receiving chops to be a dynamic three-down player.“

First off, Love will have to win the starting position since the Cardinals not only have a crowded running back room, but the entire group has plenty of talent and something Love doesn’t have yet: experience at the next level. On most Cardinals depth charts, he is listed as the starter, and we will see how that plays out in training camp.

Still, Love is ultra-talented and with a newly built offensive line should be able to get his bulk of carries and have notable holes to run through.

Solak added:

But we’ve seen more receivers than running backs win the award lately because of the changing dynamic at the position. The league doesn’t hammer one back with carries the way it once did. Barkley had 352 touches in that 2018 season, working out to 22.0 per game. In the seven seasons since, only 10 backs have exceeded that number (minimum 14 games played), and they have earned that sort of usage. The only rookie to exceed 2018 Barkley was 2021 Najee Harris with the Steelers (22.4 touches per game). The next closest was 2020 James Robinson with the Jaguars (20.6 touches per game), then 2025 Jeanty (18.9).“

Not that a running back needs 22 touches on average per game to win the rookie award. New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara only averaged 12.6 carries back in 2017 when he took home the hardware.

The second Cardinals player on ESPN’s list is QB Carson Beck out of Miami, coming in at #10. This is somewhat of a surprise because Beck is stuck behind two seasoned veterans in Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. Brissett will most likely start, and he is a very durable athlete. If, for some reason, Minshew is inserted, he is very capable of moving an offense.

This means Beck most likely will hold the clipboard (yeah, we know it’s now a tablet), sit, learn, and develop. Which is to his advantage. Years ago, rookie quarterbacks didn’t play for the first three years after being drafted. And now, since he is a third-round draft pick, there is no rush – or need – to throw him in unless the scoreboard is a blowout either way.

Solar explained his rational concern about Beck:

“I was not a Beck believer predraft, but there is a path for him to be the Week 1 starter if he can beat out two career backups in Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II. If he does, he has a solid group of pass catchers and a head coach stemming off the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan tree in Mike LaFleur. Production — even if it’s composed entirely of empty calories accumulated in trailing scripts — will not surprise me for a 23-year-old with good point guard characteristics.”

The Cardinals will look different this year on offense, but they won’t compete for the division quite yet. The entire group has to settle into LaFleur’s scheme, and that will take some time. Hopefully, Love can remain vertical and have a tremendous year, and perhaps add to his football trophy case.