Tyrod Taylor: Most Surprising Player of 2015?

What About Larry Fitzgerald, Colin Kaepernick & Doug Martin?

For five straight seasons from 2005 to 2011, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald finished with over 1,000 yards receiving. After that, he went three straight years without getting 1,000 yards. No one was expecting the 32-year-old receiver, who appeared to be on the decline, to reverse this trend but that’s exactly what he did when he caught 109 passes for 1,215 yards.

Colin Kaepernick losing his job to Blaine Gabbert was also one of the more shocking things to happen this year. In 2012, Kaepernick helped guide the 49ers to the Super Bowl when they lost to the Ravens. The following year, they made it back to the NFC Championship game, but could not overcome the Seattle Seahawks. In 2014, they had a mediocre season when they finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. Still, not many were expecting Kaepernick to be benched after nine games this year for Blaine Gabbert.

Doug Martin had a great rookie campaign and was a rising star in the NFL. He followed that with two disappointing seasons and seemed on the verge of being written off as an NFL starter. He needed to have a good 2015 season if he wanted to continue his career and that’s exactly what he did. He amassed 1,402 yards on 288 carries for an average of almost five yards per carry. His 1,402 rushing yards were the second most in the NFL to Adrian Peterson. The below table from his player profile on ESPN.com shows just how drastic his numbers declined before this past season.

So what’s the verdict? Was Tyrod Taylor the most surprising player of the 2015 season?

Next: The Verdict