Midseason Offensive Rookie of the Year award sees Tyler Warren and Emeka Egbuka battle it out for the honor
A look at which offensive rookie from the 2025 NFL Draft class has shined the brightest after the halfway point of their first season.
With the NFL season halfway done, the team at A to Z Sports decided to vote on who should win each of the major NFL awards. Over the next week, we’ll release one article per day, covering each award. This article will cover the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
A panel of four writers was selected for each award, and we attempted to exclude the primary beat reporters for the top-five favorites by betting odds in each category. That way, we’ll minimize bias in the voting as much as possible.
And speaking of voting, we simply copied the NFL’s MVP point system, where first place votes result in 10 points, second place receives five points, third place gets three points, fourth place is worth two points, and fifth is one point.
For the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, our panel included Ryan Roberts, Kyle Crabbs, Rob Gregson, and Tyler Forness.
A to Z Sports midseason Offensive Rookie of the Year voting
Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts
“The battle for Offensive Rookie of the Year really comes down between Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren, and both answers are acceptable in this race.
For me, the vote goes to Warren due to his importance to the entire offense. As a receiver, Warren has been stellar, hauling in 37 receptions for 492 yards and three touchdowns. As long as he stays healthy, Warren should eclipse 1,000 yards on the season.
He is also a key part of their run game as a blocker and occasionally performs some wildcat and creative work in the backfield. Warren is just such a vital weapon for this offense.” – Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports NFL Draft and Notre Dame analyst
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“The tiebreaker between Warren and Egbuka for me goes to who has ended up needing to have more on their plate. Both have been sensational this season. Either is a worthy choice for the award.
But Tampa’s had offensive line injuries, Chris Godwin has struggled to return to form, Mike Evans has been out of the lineup (twice) and is for the foreseeable future, and Bucky Irving has missed time, too. All of that has made Egbuka’s role that much more critical.” – Kyle Crabbs, A to Z Sports NFL analyst
Final voting results
- Tyler Warren: 35 points (3)
- Emeka Egbuka 25 points (1)
- Tetairoa McMillan 10 points
Offensive Rookie of the Year winner: Tyler Warren
“The Colts’ production at TE last season was near the bottom of the NFL. It’s a position that coach and play-caller Shane Steichen likes to utilize in a prominent role, but he didn’t have anyone he could consistently rely on.
Insert 2025 first round pick Warren, and that is already no longer the case, and he’s only played in nine games. He has been one of the top TEs in the NFL and has been a major contributor to the Colts’ high-powered pass game. His impact in the run game has been just as notable, though. He is undoubtedly worthy of this award so far this season, and it’ll be interesting to see how his usage increases as the season progresses.” – Destin Adams, A to Z Sports Indianapolis
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