The 5 Best Rookie Quarterback Seasons Over the Last Decade
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.
