Sack artists tend to dominate the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. But Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell made it a close race last year before Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse became the heavy favorite to ultimately win the award.
Verse became the fifth edge rusher in the past six years to win the defensive rookie award, joining Will Anderson Jr., Micah Parsons, Chase Young and Nick Bosa. But it wasn’t that long ago that cornerback Sauce Gardner won the award in 2022.
There could be a highly motivated cornerback in Arizona contending for the award this season. There’s also a versatile safety in Seattle getting comparisons to Ravens star Kyle Hamilton. But, again, expect a few edge rushers to be in the mix.
Here are our five top picks to win the award this year.
5. Will Johnson, CB, Arizona Cardinals
Many GMs across the league might have had second thoughts about passing on Johnson in the first round after seeing the standout cornerback participate in the Cardinals’ rookie minicamp.
Johnson was regarded as the best coverage corner in the draft, but had a surprising draft slide due to various teams having concerns about his medical information. The Cardinals opted to roll the dice on the Michigan product with the No. 47 pick and could end up having the steal of the draft.
For two seasons, coach Jonathan Gannon maximized a defense that lacked talent in all three phases. Johnson has already raved about the defensive scheme and could hit the ground running after working with renowned defensive coaches Jesse Minter and Wink Martindale during his time with the Wolverines. The rookie cornerback has plenty of motivation to prove his doubters wrong.
