To reach the NFL playoffs, the Los Angeles Rams needed everything to break right. 

And it all did. 

Most notable in the Rams' success has been the production of the rookie class. Wide receiver Puka Nacua broke the rookie receiving record in Week 18, and defensive tackle Kobie Turner, a third-round pick, came on late in the season. 

ESPN's Bill Barnwell put together his ballot for league awards, which include offensive and defensive rookie of the year. 

Turner made Barnwell's list for Defensive Rookie of the Year, finishing No. 2. Nacua also made the list for Offensive Rookie of the Year, finishing No. 2 behind Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud.

Of Turner, Barnwell admitted that the rookie benefits from having Aaron Donald suck up the gravity and attention up front. Still, it has been Turner who came on down the stretch on the Rams' defense more than anyone else. 

"Coordinator Raheem Morris moves Donald around to create both one-on-one mismatches for his star — and opportunities for the players around him to take advantage of the attention sent Donald's way," Barnwell writes. "Even accounting for that, Turner has been a difference-maker during L.A.'s 7-1 stretch."

When it came down to Nacua, Barnwell could only gush his praises. 

"Watching Nacua play, this doesn't look like some fluke or gimmick. He's strong and fast — you don't muscle through an NFL tackle and run 80 yards after the catch like he did against the Giants in Week 17 without having that combination in reserve," Barnwell writes. 

"He commands targets at all three levels of the field and runs well with the ball in his hands. His drop rate needs to come down after putting eight balls on the turf this season, but as long as he can stay healthy, everything about his performance suggests he's a special talent and a cornerstone player for the Rams."

It can easily be argued that Nacua should be the Offensive Rookie of the Year. His presence revitalized Matthew Stafford, who suffered through a brutal 2022 campaign that ended in injury. 

Nacua isn't a franchise quarterback, but he is a franchise wide receiver. And it is not a fluke. He was healthy most of the year, unlike Stroud. He also managed to stay healthy all season, something Stroud did not do. 

Barnwell's ballot is fair, but he gets wrong when it comes to the Offensive Rookie of the Year. That award belongs to Nacua — alone.