San Francisco 49ers: Season-End Awards for 2015

Rookie of the Year – Arik Armstead

There were only two real candidates for this award as – save for punter Bradley Pinion – Arik Armstead and Jaquiski Tartt were the sole rookies to make a significant impact during their time on the field.

The selections of defensive lineman Armstead and Tartt in the first and second round both raised doubts but they each performed to a high standard in 2015.

Tartt proved himself to be a physical, hard-hitting safety with excellent closing speed and appears more than capable of taking over from Antoine Bethea at strong safety, although he will need to improve in coverage in order to do so.

But it is Armstead who had the slightly more impressive year. Many considered Armstead to be a project who would take a few years to develop into a player who could make an impact in the NFL.

Instead Armstead flashed promise throughout the year, which he finished with two sacks, six hits and 30 hurries, per Pro Football Focus. Armstead earned positive PFF grades of 8.3 as a pass rusher and 6.4 as a run defender.

He will need to get home on more of his pressures going forward but Armstead has already proven to be a disruptive force up front and is more than deserving of the 49ers’ rookie of the year award. Now the challenge will be to make further strides under his former college coach.

Next: Most Improved Player