Only two teammates have ever won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and AP Defensive Rookie of the Year awards. That happened 50 years ago in 1967, when the Detroit selected RB Mel Farr with the 7th pick in the first round of the draft and future HOF CB Lem Barney with the 34th overall pick in the second round. As a rookie, Farr gained 1,177 yards from scrimmage in 13 games, 7th most in the NFL. Barney, meanwhile, led the NFL in interceptions, interception return yards, and interception return touchdowns, with a 10-232-3 stat line. Both made the Pro Bowl, and Barney was a 2nd-team All-Pro choice by both the NEA and NYDN.
This year’s Saints have a similar story. New Orleans went cornerback first and running back second, drafting RB Alvin Kamara with the 67th pick (3rd pick in the 3rd round) and CB Marshon Lattimore with the 11th overall selection (Utah S Marcus Williams was the second round pick). Kamara has been remarkable with 1,426 yards from scrimmage (8th in the NFL) and 12 touchdowns (tied for 3rd) in 15 games, while averaging a remarkable 6.2 yards per carry and 9.9 yards per reception. Either Kamara or Kareem Hunt will win the AP OROY award this year. Meanwhile, Lattimore has been a huge part of the Saints defensive revival: he’s a frontrunner for the AP DROY award, and is tied for 5th in the league with five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
The final AV numbers from Pro-Football-Reference aren’t in yet, but since the Saints offensive and defensive numbers are both outstanding this year, and both Kamara and Lattimore made the Pro Bowl, I think it’s safe to assume that both will have at least 10 points of AV.
And that’s pretty rare, too. Excluding the AFL, just 4 teams have ever have an offensive rookie and a defensive rookie produce 10 points of AV in a season.
The 2012 Seattle Seahawks had QB Russell Wilson (16 points of AV) and LB Bobby Wagner (10), forming the base of a Seahawks dynasty ever since.
The 1967 Detroit Lions, of course, had Barney and Farr. The Lions never had any playoff success in that era, though, or well any other: since 1957, Detroit has won just one playoff game, in 1991.
The 1965 Chicago Bears were the standard bearers of drafting superstars on both sides of the ball. While they never appeared in a playoff game, LB Dick Butkus and RB Gale Sayers both made the Hall of Fame.
Finally, the 1964 Washington Redskins also drafted a pair of Hall of Famers, in S Paul Krause and RB/WR Charley Taylor.