Lance's Defensive Rookie of the Year Candidates
There are three players that I left off this list that might have people questioning my credibility – Jeff Okudah, Derrick Brown and Patrick Queen.
Jeff Okudah is going to be the CB1 in Detroit, which both bodes well for his chances of making it into the DROY conversation and hurts his chances. The Lions don’t have a lot of talent in their pass rush, the longer the QB is able to stand in the pocket the harder it gets for the Corners to stay with their Receivers. That means Okudah’s stats, the ones that breakdown a Quarterback’s individual stats against him, have a very high chance of looking really bad by season’s end. If the Lions had done more to improve up front Okudah would have made my list.
Derrick Brown was left off my list also because of the lack of talent around him. It means that he’ll have a higher chance of standing out, but it also increases the likelihood that he’ll see double teams. He should have an impact right away just from being on the field, but I don’t believe we’ll see him finish with an impressive enough stat line to make a run at DROY.
I’m not a big fan of Patrick Queen’s, if you followed my pre-NFL draft articles you know that already. If he really had a nose for the football he would’ve done more at LSU. Now he’s going to be playing on a Baltimore defense that’s full of talent. It could lead to him finding plenty of opportunities to make plays, but I think it’s going to lead to him getting lost in a sea of names.
Here are my top 5:
1) LB Isaiah Simmons (Arizona)
Reason: Simmons is super versatile and incredibly athletic. He’s going to have plenty of opportunities to rack up every stat possible for a defender. He’ll play the run, drop back into coverage and blitz the QB. By the end of the season he’s going to have turned himself into one of the premier defenders in the league.
2) LB Logan Wilson (Cincinnati)
Reason: Wilson may have his work cut out for him considering the state of Cincy’s defense, but I like him here none the less. The lack of talent in the Bengals Linebacker unit will allow him to start right away, and if he plays anything like he did at Wyoming (averaged over 100 tackles a year and finished his career there with 10 picks and 14 pass deflections) he’s going to put himself on the map. The problem he could run into is being a standout player on a team that stinks.
3) Edge Chase Young (Washington)
Reason: Young is too talented to get lost in the shuffle in Washington’s front seven. The Skins are going to have a heck of a time figuring out how to use all that talent, but Young will get his. The question is how much of his will he get? How many plays is he going to miss out on because of Kerrigan and Sweat? That’s the reason I have him at three and not 2.
4) DT Javon Kinlaw (San Francisco)
Reason: Kinlaw showed pass rush prowess at South Carolina. His size-athleticism-strength mix is going to make him a star. Playing on a D-Line where opponents have to focus on Nick Bosa, and to a lesser extent Dee Ford and Arik Armstead, is going to help push him up in certain statistical categories. Just look at what Bosa’s presence did for Armstead last season.
5) Edge Terrell Lewis (LA Rams)
Reason: The Rams have a hole that needs to be filled on their Edge. Leonard Floyd is going to get the first crack at one of the edge spots, but he’s been sporadic at best during his career. Lewis has freakish athleticism that could launch him into the spot opposite of Floyd and push him over the top when it comes to getting in the backfield first. Having Aaron Donald on the interior doesn’t hurt either.
