After being snubbed for Pro Bowl, DT Sheldon Richardson finally got the recognition he deserved by capturing the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. He started every game and finished with 3.5 sacks and 77 tackles, which is third-most in the league among defensive linemen.
According to ProFootballFocus, only J.J. Watt produced more stops (any solo tackle which constitutes an offensive failure) than Richardson's 41, among 3-4 linemen.
Richardson received 23 votes, beating Buffalo's LB Kiko Alonso who got 18 votes.
Richardson became 4th Jet to win this award. S Erik McMillan won it in 1988, DE Hugh Douglas was the winner in 1995, LB Jonathan Vilma won in 2004.