linebacker rose from relative obscurity to win Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, making him the first non-first-round selection to take home the award since in 2006.Counting Leonard, 15 of the last 17 DROYs have been Round 1 picks, and this year my choice for the award is one of the odds-on favorites.Let's dive into my top 10 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates.10. , CB, Baker is the Giants'
Danny Green Jersey 2019 first-round pick no one's really talking about, and that needs to change. He had a stellar, incredibly consistent career at Georgia, not having allowed a touchdown in his final two seasons for the Bulldogs while intercepting seven pa ses and defending 23 in his final three years.Some cornerbacks enter the NFL with a "zone" or "man-to-man" specialty. Not Baker. He's coverage diverse. Baker had the best combination of man and zone skills of any cornerback I watched in the 2019 cla s, although he's not the fastest (4.52) nor the biggest (5-foot-11, 193). Importantly, too, he has excellent awarene s when the ball is arriving and knows how to aggre sively disrupt at the catch point. His click-and-close speed is more impre sive than how fast he moves in a straight line. In defensive coordinator James Bettcher's scheme, he's bound to play more man than zone, which will showcase his loose hips, foot quickne s, and natural mirroring capabilities. New York's pa s rush is below average, which won't exactly help the young secondary members like Baker and cla smate . But after a steady career in the SEC, the G-Men's third first-round selection should have a strong rookie campaign.9. , LB, White's a modern-day linebacker: Incredible 4.42 speed at over 230 pounds, above-average coverage skills, and the ability to lay the lumber on tackles made outside the numbers. He was the first linebacker off the board at No. 5 overall. You're probably wondering why he's so far down my list.The presence of -- and ma sive 2018 first-round selection -- will help to keep White relatively clean from his second-level position. But the problem I envision for him as a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate revolves around the presence of another established veteran teammate, . All David has done is register 100-plus tackles in six of his seven NFL seasons with an impre sive 38 career pa s breakups, 21.5 sacks, and ridiculous 106 tackles for lo s. As a 28-year-old in 2018, David had 120 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 tackles for lo s, and he
Dolph Schayes Jersey defended a pair of pa ses. E sentially, he's shown zero signs of slowing down as he nears 30. The Buccaneers defense isn't exactly the 2002-2003 group that won the Super Bowl. So there will be many opportunities to make plays. But until he slows down, David is the play-making linebacker the roster who'll load the stat sheet the most. Together, White and David very well could quickly become an elite linebacker duo, but I can't see White doing enough stat-wise to garner serious Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration.8. , LB, Another linebacker with wide receiver speed and a thumping mentality. Bush isn't quite as comfortable nor effective turning and running in coverage -- 11 pa s breakups and one pick in 25 games the past two years at Michigan -- as White, but with elite athleticism for the position, he's certainly capable of being a quality coverage 'backer at some point in his career.Similar to White, Bush has a tendency to meet blockers with an authoritative pop instead of using his hands efficiently to beat them en route to the ball carrier. His 4.43 speed will lead to plenty of tackles in 2018, and he's e sentially the sole, rangy play-maker at the second level of a Steelers defense that desperately needed a dynamic mover of his caliber. is respectable between the tackles, but actually safety led Pittsburgh with 80 tackles -- a relatively low total for a team leader -- last season. Bush is an awesome blitzer, too, and obviously a handful of sacks would go a long way toward the DROY award. But I'm a bit concerned about his rawne s
Tyrese Maxey Jersey in coverage, which makes me think there won't be enough plays made when the opposition pa ses for him to win the award.7. , EDGE, Allen went back to Kentucky for his senior year, packed on some weight, then had 88 tackles, 21.5 tackles for lo s, and 17 sacks on one of the best teams in school history. He po se ses rare speed around the edge for someone his size and is decently bendy. His motor runs high, too, and he leans on a rather nice swipe move to beat blockers. But his pa s-rush move repertoire isn't much more developed than that, and he's not as powerful in true one-on-one situations against tackles who can beat him to the pa s-rushing apex or when teams run at him. His situation is in Jacksonville is pretty good though.The Jaguars defensive line isn't as stout as it was when it was the driving force behind
Trey Burke Jersey the team advancing to the AFC title game two years ago, but with , , 2018 first-rounder and on the edge, it's still a formidable group that should draw serious offensive-line attention from many spots up front. That's tremendous news for Allen, who won't have to be the team's pa s-rushing savior instantly. was traded after seven games last year, but by season's end, Jacksonville finished third in defensive pre sure rate (37.7%), so while the Jaguars technically filled a need by picking Allen at No. 7 overall, they really added to team strength by acquiring his pa s-rushing services. Teams will scheme to stop Ngakoue on the other side, and Allen is fast and bendy enough to rack up a fair amount of pre sures and sacks as a rookie to sneak in the DROY race.6. , DT, Tillery's a unique defensive line prospect, a nearly 6-foot-7, 295-pound interior lineman who just so happens to be a tremendous athlete for the position -- when most defensive tackles his size are relatively stiff -- and plays with a constantly humming motor and an advanced pa s-rushing arsenal. His height doesn't hurt him much on the inside because of he knows how to use his long, 34 1/4-inch arms to control blockers
Isaiah Joe Jersey so they can't out-leverage him.Tillery's Defensive Rookie of the Year candidacy was difficult to peg because his situation in Los Angeles kind of represents a conundrum. and are going to get theirs. And there's basically only so much quarterback disrupting that can occur on that defense. However, offensive coordinators are going to spend the majority of their prep time game-planning to stop Bosa and Ingram on the outside. There'll likely be much le s attention on the inside of Los Angeles' defensive line, where Tillery will prominently align. And there's not another established, penetrating three-technique on the Chargers' roster ahead of him to start his career Sure, has become a reliable depth piece and was picked in the third round last year, but they aren't scaring offensive coordinators this season. has the nose tackle spot locked down, but he's a space eater. Tillery should rack up tackles on inside runs and gene
