The 5 Best Rookie Running Back Seasons Over the Last Decade
4. Joseph Addai, 2006
Joseph Addai was ranked 65th overall by ESPN in 2006, and he easily exceeded his value during his rookie season. "Live and Let" Addai, as Chris Berman used to call him, finished 11th among running backs in standard scoring that season.
This was impressive considering that he had the daunting task of stepping in and replacing Colts legend Edgerrin James. James took his talents to Arizona and had a dreadfully inefficient season, finishing 47th out of 50 in Total NEP among running backs who had 100 or more rushing attempts. Addai was leaps and bounds better than James in 2006, and the analytics really prove it.
| Player | Rushing NEP | Rank | Rushing NEP/P | Reception NEP | Rank | Reception NEP/Target | Total NEP | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Addai | 19.45 | 6th | 0.09 | 24.51 | 11th | 0.49 | 42.02 | 7th |
Addai had a Total NEP of 42.02 while James had a Total NEP of -22.32. Yikes.
For perspective, Addai's Total NEP would have ranked fourth among all running backs in 2015, just two points behind Devonta Freeman.
