The NFL announced the six finalists for the 2022 Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year award.

PLAYER

POSITION

TEAM

Sauce Gardner

Cornerback

New York Jets

Aidan Hutchinson

Defensive Lineman

Detroit Lions

Chris Olave

Wide Receiver

New Orleans Saints

Kenneth Walker

Running Back

Seattle Seahawks

Garrett Wilson

Wide Receiver

New York Jets

Tariq Woolen

Cornerback

Seattle Seahawks

Through the end of the voting period on February 3, fans can learn more about the Rookie of The Year finalists on NFL and Pepsi social media channels.

The award winner will be recognized during Super Bowl Week in Arizona and presented with a specially designed, Pepsi Zero Sugar-themed trophy.

The six finalists were selected for their outstanding performances this season. Each week, six nominees were chosen for the NFL Rookie of the Week and fans voted for the winner on NFL.com. Those results were used to help determine the finalists.

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A look at the finalists:

  • New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner led the NFL in passes defensed with 20, the most by a rookie since 2015, and was one of two players to record at least 75 tackles and 15 passes defensed in 2022.

  • Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson led all rookies with 9.5 sacks this season and became the first rookie since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with at least nine sacks and three interceptions. He also became the fourth player since 1982 with at least nine sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries in a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Dent (1990), Joey Porter (2002) and Otis Wilson (1985).
  • New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave led all rookies with 69.5 receiving yards per game, ranked second in receiving yards (1,042) and tied for second in receptions (72).
  • Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker led all rookies with 1,215 scrimmage yards, 1,050 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns and became the second Seattle Seahawks rookie with at least 1,000 rushing yards, joining Curt Warner (1,449 in 1983).
  • New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson led all rookies and set rookie franchise records with 83 receptions for 1,103 receiving yards. He had at least 75 receiving yards in eight games this season, the most such games of all rookies, and was one of two rookies to record two receiving touchdowns in more than one game this season. 
  • Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen tied for the league lead with six interceptions, tied for second with three fumble recoveries and ranked tied for fourth with 16 passes defensed this season. He became the first rookie since 2000 and first player since 2016 (Marcus Peters) with at least six interceptions and three fumble recoveries in a season.
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