Will Anderson got matching Rookie of the Year hardware with Texans teammate C.J. Stroud after the two were drafted with back-to-back picks in the 2023 draft.
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner did the unthinkable in 2022 — he aptly followed a legendary rookie campaign from 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons with a legendary rookie year of his own en route to winning the prestigious NFL award.
Gardner’s cruise to DROY in 2022 made him just the third cornerback to take home the award since Charles Woodson’s win in 1998. Historically, the DROY award is predominantly won by defenders who sack the quarterback and those who tackle the ball carrier. Also, like Offensive Rookie of the Year, this is a first-round pick-dominated distinction. Only two of the last 21 DROYs were selected outside of Round 1.
BUT, maybe this year is primed to feature an outlier, seeing as though only nine of the first 32 selections in the 2024 draft were defensive players.
Honorable Mention: Michael Hall, DT, Browns
I had such a large draft crush on Hall, I would have felt like I betrayed him had I not given him on a nod on this list. He won’t be 21 until mid-June, so there very well could be some growing pains early on. Then again, I adore young, highly productive, athletic prospects, and I’d be voicing concern with Hall’s NFL future if he were a 24-year-old just entering the NFL.
By the way, Hall is a young, highly productive, athletic specimen. And I love his inclusion on a Cleveland defense front already featuring perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith, and Obo Okoronkwo, a ferocious edge-rusher trio. Jim Schwartz needed an upfield rusher, and he certainly has that now with the youthful, promising Hall he got right down the road in Columbus.
Bishop is a rare second-rounder to make this list, mostly because I think if Sean McDermott had the option to create a…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-2024-nfl-defensive-rookie-of-the-year-candidates-terrion-arnold-situated-to-flourish-with-lions/
Author : Chris Trapasso
Publish date : 2024-05-30 13:01:24
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