Who Will Be the NFL’s 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year?

The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award is given to the freshman player who stands out in defense during a particular season. It is one of the two Rookie of the Year award, the other being the Offensive ROY which is given to the league’s top offensive freshman.

Indianapolis Colts’ linebacker Darius Leonard was named as the 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year after leading the league with 163 tackles. This year, a handful of very talented defensive men will battle for that award. Leading the way is linebacker Devin Bush of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bush is followed by Devin White of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers.

Here are the complete odds to win the 2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. These odds were taken from MyBookie.ag as of 8/21/19:

Who are the Favorites?

Devin Bush has overtaken Nick Bosa as the NFL betting favorite. The main reason behind this is that the Pittsburgh Steelers need an immediate impact linebacker. Since Ryan Shazer suffered a horrific neck injury in 2017, the Steelers’ defense has never been the same. However, Bush has been heralded as a talent who can replace Shazer right away.

Devin White has also surpassed Bosa in the current odds board. The 5th overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft was the 4th defensive man taken in the draft and he is joining a Tampa Bay defense that will give him every opportunity to shine, especially with Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh clogging the middle of the football field. I think White’s ceiling here is sky-high.

As for Nick Bosa, issues are surrounding his health after it was reported that he suffered a “significant ankle sprain” last August 7th and missed the remained of the postseason. No timetable has been announced as of this writing, hence making him a high-risk pick here. Head coach Kyle Shanahan though has said that Bosa will be ready for their September 8th opener but that remains to be seen.

At 6-2 and 287 pounds, Ed Oliver‘s size may be questioned here but I think he will be just fine in the big league with his agility and quickness. Oliver needs to improve his use of the hands though and he needs to improve as an interior rusher to increase his sack production above his college totals.

Josh Allen is one of the standout defensive men when it comes to physical traits. Allen was one of the most exciting players to come out of the draft. I think Allen is still in a developmental phase as a rusher. I think he has more talent than Yannick Ngakoue who himself had a big rookie season with the Jaguars in 2016.

Who Wins?

Two out of the last four winners of the Defensive Rookie of the Year award were cornerbacks. However, inside linebackers have won in seven out of the last 15 years. Meanwhile, 11 out of the last 12 DROY winners were first-round picks while 10 out of the last 12 winners were Top 15 picks. An EDGE player has not won the award since Von Miller in 2011 while safeties have won the award just twice.

Given the trends and the circumstances in Tampa Bay, I’m picking Devin White to be the 2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winner. He may have been only the 4th defensive player taken in the draft but I like his football IQ, speed and work ethic. Prediction: Devin White

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