For all the glitz and glamor of the NFL, there are relatively few individual awards. The major ones are MVP and Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year and Offensive/Defensive Rookie of the Year. There are some smaller ones, too, but the league leaves a lot to be desired in terms of hardware.
College footballl, on the other hand, gives out the Heisman Trophy, of course, but it has so many more for positional excellence. The Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback), the Doak Walker Award (best running back), the Dick Butkus Award (best linebacker) ... the list goes on. Not only does it give a lot of deserving players spotlight, but it helps some of the game's legends live on, too.
So, with the season just about halfway over, we put an NFL spin on those positional awards, with experts across the CBS Sports NFL team casting ballots for first, second and third place. First-place votes earned three points, second-place votes two and third-place votes one.
VOTERS: Zach Pereles, Adam Silverstein, Eric Kernish, Tyler Sullivan, Jared Dubin, Doug Clawson, Cody Benjamin, Garrett Podell, Bryan DeArdo, Kyle Stackpole, Kevin Steimle, Joel Corry
BART STARR QUARTERBACK OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| Lamar Jackson | 11 | 1 | 35 | |
| Jared Goff | 4 | 4 | 12 | |
| Jayden Daniels | 1 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Josh Allen | 4 | 3 | 11 | |
| Joe Burrow | 2 | 2 | ||
| Patrick Mahomes | 1 | 1 |
There's no argument over first, but there was a fierce battle for second, with Goff, Daniels and Allen all within a point. Goff came out on top; he earned votes of some form on eight ballots, second-most among all quarterbacks behind Jackson.
BARRY SANDERS RUNNING BACK OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| Derrick Henry | 12 | 36 | ||
| Saquon Barkley | 12 | 24 | ||
| Jahmyr Gibbs | 3 | 3 | ||
| Bijan Robinson | 2 | 2 | ||
| Josh Jacobs | 2 | 2 | ||
| Joe Mixon | 2 | 2 | ||
| Jordan Mason | 2 | 2 | ||
| David Montgomery | 1 | 1 |
We once again got a runaway winner for first place, and this time, we also got a runaway for second place. Henry and Barkley have been head and shoulder above the competition. Then it got messy, with six different running backs receiving third-place votes. That includes both Lions running backs, with Gibbs earning third place overall with three third-place votes.
JERRY RICE WIDE RECEIVER OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| Justin Jefferson | 6 | 5 | 1 | 29 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | 4 | 7 | 1 | 27 |
| Nico Collins | 2 | 3 | 9 | |
| Terry McLaurin | 3 | 3 | ||
| Zay Flowers | 1 | 1 | ||
| Chris Godwin | 1 | 1 | ||
| Jayden Reed | 1 | 1 | ||
| Garrett Wilson | 1 | 1 |
Our first close race just barely goes to Jefferson over his former LSU teammate Chase. But this race gets fascinating further down. Collins leads the NFL with over 113 yards receiving per game this season, but he has played in just five games. Hence, he finished third in this race on the strength of two first-place votes, even though he appeared on just five ballots total. The Texans' offensive struggles without him may have even boosted his standing in our voters' minds. He's expected back soon, and it will be interesting to see if he surges down the stretch to challenge Jefferson and Chase.
MIKE DITKA TIGHT END OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| George Kittle | 7 | 2 | 2 | 27 |
| Brock Bowers | 4 | 7 | 1 | 27 |
| Trey McBride | 2 | 6 | 10 | |
| Travis Kelce | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Tucker Kraft | 1 | 1 | ||
| Zach Ertz | 1 | 1 |
A tie! Kittle and Bowers both racked up the votes, but Kittle gets the win thanks to a 7-4 advantage in first-place votes. However, it's a testament to Bowers' immediate impact that a rookie would poll this well; the only other rookie in the top three at any position is Daniels at quarterback. Bowers leads all tight ends in catches (57), yards (580) and yards after contact (300). McBride nabs third, and Kelce has played better after a slow start.
LARRY ALLEN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| Penei Sewell | 7 | 2 | 2 | 27 |
| Creed Humphrey | 2 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| Frank Ragnow | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| Tristan Wirfs | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| Trent Williams | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| Jordan Mailata | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| Garett Bolles | 1 | 2 | ||
| James Daniels | 1 | 2 | ||
| Lane Johnson | 1 | 2 | ||
| Orlando Brown Jr. | 1 | 1 | ||
| Quenton Nelson | 1 | 1 | ||
| Terron Armstead | 1 | 1 |
Sewell was the clear No. 1, and Ragnow also snuck on the podium in third. That gives the Lions top-three finishers at quarterback, running back and offensive lineman, a reflection of their excellent offense.
ALAN PAGE INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| Dexter Lawrence | 11 | 1 | 34 | |
| Chris Jones | 1 | 6 | 2 | 17 |
| Cameron Heyward | 1 | 8 | 10 | |
| Vita Vea | 2 | 4 | ||
| Zach Allen | 2 | 4 | ||
| Christian Wilkins | 1 | 2 | ||
| Quinnen Williams | 1 | 1 |
Lawrence absolutely dominated the voting here, much like he has dominated opposing offensive lines despite being double teamed often. His 9.0 sacks this season are second league-wide, and he has racked up 34 tackles total, both massive numbers for a true interior defensive lineman. Jones and Heyward continue to be among the game's best, too.
REGGIE WHITE EDGE DEFENDER OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| T.J. Watt | 4 | 2 | 16 | |
| Aidan Hutchinson | 3 | 3 | 12 | |
| Trey Hendrickson | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Will Anderson Jr. | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Nick Bosa | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Myles Garrett | 2 | 1 | 5 | |
| Will McDonald IV | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Maxx Crosby | 1 | 2 | 4 |
We had quite the race here, a testament to the immense pass-rushing talent across the NFL. Ultimately Watt earned the nod. The Steelers star continues to make a ton of splash plays, as he's tied for the league lead in forced fumbles (4) and fumbles recovered (2) and top 10 in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (10). Hutchinson, much like Collins at wide receiver, presents an interesting case, and he finished second despite having played in just five games.
JACK LAMBERT LINEBACKER OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| Fred Warner | 10 | 1 | 31 | |
| Roquan Smith | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
| Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | 4 | 8 | ||
| Zaire Franklin | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| T.J. Watt | 1 | 3 | ||
| Andrew Van Ginkel | 3 | 3 | ||
| Bobby Wagner | 3 | 3 | ||
| Elandon Roberts | 1 | 2 | ||
| Kyle Van Noy | 1 | 2 | ||
| Quincy Williams | 1 | 2 | ||
| Brian Burns | 1 | 2 | ||
| Blake Cashman | 1 | 1 | ||
| Logan Wilson | 1 | 1 | ||
| Nick Bolton | 1 | 1 |
I'll be honest: Warner was the reason I came up with this story. He is consistently the best at his position, but that very position has faded behind edge rushers and defensive backs in perceived importance. No inside linebacker has won Defensive Player of the Year since Luke Kuechly in 2013, and Warner has only even received DPOY votes once (he finished sixth last year). But he's also finished in the top 25 of the player-voted NFL Top 100 three times. He should have more awards than he has, and he easily earns this hypothetical one.
RONNIE LOTT DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE YEAR AWARD
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| Xavier McKinney | 5 | 4 | 1 | 24 |
| Brian Branch | 4 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
| Patrick Surtain II | 2 | 4 | 3 | 17 |
| Marlon Humphrey | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Jevon Holland | 1 | 2 | ||
| Budda Baker | 1 | 1 | ||
| Byron Murphy | 1 | 1 | ||
| Denzel Ward | 1 | 1 | ||
| Jaylon Johnson | 1 | 1 | ||
| Jessie Bates III | 1 | 1 | ||
| Zyon McCollum | 1 | 1 |
McKinney has been fantastic in his first year with the Packers, and he narrowly edged out his division rival Branch for the top spot here. McKinney is tied for the league lead with six interceptions. Interestingly, the player he's tied with -- Kerby Joseph of the Lions -- didn't get a single vote. Surtain has ascended to league's best cornerback in many peoples' eyes, and that's the case here as well.
MORTEN ANDERSEN KICKER OF THE YEAR AWARD
| Brandon Aubrey | 6 |
| Chris Boswell | 4 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | 2 |
We gave our voters just one vote each here, and Aubrey got the win. Boswell has a higher field goal percentage (95.8%), but Aubrey has made two from 60+. The rest of the NFL combined has made just two such kicks. Aubrey is a weapon any time the Cowboys cross midfield.
SAMMY BAUGH PUNTER OF THE YEAR AWARD
| AJ Cole | 4 |
| Jack Fox | 4 |
| Corey Bojorquez | 3 |
| Riley Dixon | 1 |
Again, voters got one pick. Cole (the leader in gross yards per punt) and Fox (the leader in net yards per punt) tied. Seems reasonable.