NFL
The 5 Best Rookie Quarterback Seasons Over the Last Decade
Which quarterbacks had the best rookie performances in the past 10 seasons according to advanced analytics?

4. Jameis Winston, 2015

Jameis Winston, like Luck, was also the first overall pick in his draft class in 2015. Winston was outperformed by fellow rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota, who threw four touchdowns in their first NFL game against one another, but overall, Winston had a better season than Mariota and earned the fourth-best season among rookie quarterbacks of the past decade.

A highlight of the season came in Week 10 versus the Eagles when Winston threw five touchdown passes, tying Matthew Stafford for the most passing touchdowns in a game by a rookie.

Winston had the fewest rushing attempts among our top five rookie quarterbacks, but he still quietly scored 6 rushing touchdowns to go along with his 22 touchdown passes.

Player Passing NEP Rank Rushing NEP Rank Total NEP Rank
Jameis Winston 70.30 14th 14.72 9th 85.02 14th


Unlike Luck, Winston did very well through the air, almost doubling Luck's Passing NEP. Winston ranked 14th among all passers in Passing NEP and finished in the top 10th in Rushing NEP.

His Total NEP ranked 14th in the league among quarterbacks. To put that into perspective, he outscored Blake Bortles, Aaron Rodgers, and Matthew Stafford in that category. Winston's fellow teammate Mike Evans is destined for another superb season, so the future is bright for Winston.

Prev Next

Related News

An Introduction to FanDuel Research

Jim Sannes  --  Aug 2nd, 2016

The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast, Mailbag 7/21/23

JJ Zachariason  --  Aug 2nd, 2016

The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast, Approaching Unique Leagues

JJ Zachariason  --  Aug 2nd, 2016