In a field of studs, Jags' Jones-Drew is clearly No. 1

	Maurice Jones-Drew leads the NFL with an average 6.1 yards per rush, and has produced a rookie-best and team-high 12 touchdowns. Marc Serota/Getty Images
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Sunday, Jacksonville's shifty tailback, Maurice Jones-Drew, resembled a human pin ball, zig-zagging past Indianapolis' hapless defenders or barreling over the foolhardy ones who came head on. Jones-Drew's club-record 303 all-purpose yards bolstered Jacksonville's playoffs hopes -- and his chances for NFL Rookie of the Year.

Then within minutes, Tennessee quarterback Vince Young punctuated a storybook ending with a 39-yard dash in overtime against his hometown Texans for his latest comeback victory. ("A walkoff touchdown," as teammate Keith Bulluck called the run.)

One day later, Chicago's Devin Hester made like the Road Runner, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns against St. Louis to set an NFL record with six return scores in a season.

Such performances are occurring in a season in which prognosticators reserved the Rookie of the Year award for Reggie Bush, who is indeed among NFL leaders in receptions for the surprising Saints.

The awards for NFL novices -- offense and defense -- are always overshadowed by the other accolades, such as MVP. But with so many talented rookies, no contest is more riveting. MVP? That's anticlimactic with Ladainian Tomlinson's season. Defensive Player? Who can argue with Miami's Jason Taylor or Chicago's Brian Urlacher?

There are still three more games for the oh-so-close rookie race to be determined. Until the next tour de force, here are my picks for the best overall rookie. (Statistics are critical but contributing on a winning team trumps everything):

MAURICE JONES-DREW, RB, Jaguars
Second round, 60th overall pick, UCLA
Before the season, I thought that he would make an impact after being overlooked -- the fifth runner drafted -- because of the NFL's obsession with measurables. Instead of marveling at the player who scored 39 touchdowns in 36 college games -- and set an NCAA record as a junior with a punt return average of 28.5 -- myopic scouts focused on his 5-foot-7 height. Nonetheless, I won't pretend to have envisioned the 212-pounder turning into the dynamic player (rookie-leading 10.1 yards per touch) that everyone expected his college crosstown rival to be. During training camp, Byron Leftwich nicknamed him "Pinball" for the way he ricocheted off defenders. Jones-Drew, tough enough to also play linebacker in high school, is extremely hard to bring down; he's among the NFL leaders in yards after contact. Jones-Drew leads the NFL with an average 6.1 yards per rush, and has produced a rookie-best and team-high 12 touchdowns (nine rushing). Jones-Drew has scored at least one touchdown in five straight games for a team record. His average of 27.6 on kick returns is third in the NFL. Jones-Drew is posting such gaudy numbers playing behind stud tailback Fred Taylor, who is having a strong season with 1,083 rushing yards on an average of 4.9. After digesting all the numbers, the thing I loved about Jones-Drew when I interviewed him after his big game was that he had zero desire to inflate his numbers in garbage time. He's a winner, and should be THE winner after the season.

MARQUES COLSTON, WR, Saints
Seventh round, 252nd overall pick, Hofstra
No matter who wins the award, Colston is the steal of the draft. It's hard to fathom so many teams ignoring this guy. He runs great routes, has sticky fingers and an unassuming attitude. Most teams envisioned the 6-4, 231-pounder as a tight end because he lacked breakaway speed. Well, playing on the same team as Bush, Colston broke away with the rookie award through the first 10 games with 54 catches for 869. (At that point, Colston looked like he would break the rookie record of 1,473 receiving yards set by Bill Groman of the AFL's Houston Oilers in 1960.) But Colston lost his grip on the award after spraining his ankle last month against Cincinnati to miss a couple games. Colston, whose strong preseason spurred the Saints to jettison Dante Stallworth, got back in the lineup Sunday. But he will need a surging finish to pass Jones-Drew, which seems like a silly requirement since Colston leads rookies with 917 receiving yards on 59 catches plus seven touchdowns.

LAURENCE MARONEY, RB, Patriots
First round, 21st overall, Minnesota
With a mix of speed, shiftiness and equilibrium, New England's tailback is a threat any time he touches the balls. Maroney leads all rookies with 774 return yards and a kick return average of 28.7. His 1,586 total yards are second only to Jones-Drew. Despite being the titular backup, his explosiveness makes it a matter of games before he eclipses Corey Dillon as New England's lead tailback. Maroney, with 155 carries to Dillon's 157, has the third-most rushing yards for a rookie at 624 for an average of 4.0.

DEVIN HESTER, CB, Bears
Second round, 57th overall, Miami
Despite playing cornerback, he's been as valuable as any rookie because of his returning prowess. Hester already owns the NFL record with six return scores, becoming the first Bear to return two kickoffs for touchdowns Monday. Remember when Dante Hall was making a mockery out of return coverages? What's so crazy about Hester, whose punt return average of 14.4 leads the NFL, is that the best may be yet to come. Before Monday, Hester had returned three punts for scores plus the 108-yard dash on a missed field goal during a Nov. 12 win over the Giants. (Hester also showed savvy by pretending to down the missed kick before tying the NFL record with his return.)

JOSEPH ADDAI, RB, Colts
First round, 30th overall, Louisiana State
Addai leads rookies with 867 rushing yards -- 201 yards more than the next guy -- on an average of 4.7 yards to make Edgerrin James' departure an afterthought. Despite technically being the backup, Addai has an advantage getting more carries than Dominic Rhodes (182 to 157) while exploiting defenses focused on Indy's high-powered passing game. (Against a Philadelphia defense obsessed with containing Marvin Harrison, Addai had four rushing scores while collecting 208 yards.) But there's no denying Addai's stellar season, which includes seven rushing touchdowns. And with his splendid receiving skills -- 31 catches for 259 yards -- he's quietly helped make Indy's offense its most multidimensional since Peyton Manning's arrival.

REGGIE BUSH, RB, Saints
First round, second overall, USC
This spot borders on being obligatory after the lovefest entering the draft. I always thought the notion that Bush would redefine a position played by LT was hyperbolic. Bush is having a very good year: It can't be measured in stats, but he's helped lift the spirit of New Orleans post-Katrina. His presence as a decoy has been critical in the Saints becoming the NFL's top offense. Bush's 79 catches are the third-most in the NFL, though his receptions average only 8.7 yards. He would have substantially more than 405 rushing yards if he wasn't coming off the bench. Nonetheless, he's averaging only 3.2 yards, and the most shocking statistic is his high of only 18. Plus, Deuce McAllister is averaging 4.5 yards for 901 yards behind the same line. So barring a weekly showing of Bush's four-touchdown game from Week 12, it would be a travesty if the award went to the second-best rookie on the club.