Last years draft class proved to have a talented bunch of defensive players to offer NFL teams. The following players made the biggest contributions on the defensive side of the ball and should be considered for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
C.J. Mosley-At the beginning of the season the Ravens stand out was considered to be the frontrunner for this award. Mosley would go on to prove himself worthy by becoming an above average starter on an eventual playoff team. Mosley went on to prove himself by becoming one of three rookies selected to the Pro Bowl and the first Ravens player to be selected in their rookie season. Mosley recorded 133 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. His stats are comparable to the best in league as his 133 tackles are the most amongst rookies this season and rank in the top ten of all NFL players.
Aaron Donald-Donald didn’t just have a great season for rookie standards, he was one of the top defensive tackles in football this season. He was the only other rookie on the defensive side of the ball to make the Pro Bowl this season. Donald showed off his super star ability with consistently dominant play all season racking up 47 tackles, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles. His 47 tackles were seventh among interior defensive lineman and his nine sacks ranked second among tackles and first among all rookies. His dominance was reminiscent of Ndamukong Suh’s stand out performance in 2010.
Anthony Barr-Barr was a stellar performer for the Vikings this season. He was awarded NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his scoop and score on a fumble he caused in week eight verse Tampa Bay. Barr finished the season with 70 tackles, four sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and the aforementioned touchdown. His stat line is all the more impressive because his season was cut short due to injury in week 13. To put things in perspective Khalil Mack is being considered by some people to be a perspective rookie of the year candidate and he recorded 75 tackle, four sacks, and a forced fumble.
Kyle Fuller-After an injury to Charles Tillman in week two, Colin Kaepernick and the rest of the league learned that the rookie was not to be trifled with. Fuller got off to a hot start as his two interception performance in primetime against San Francisco earned him player of the week honors. He would be named the rookie of the week the next week after recording an interception and forcing two fumbles. His play would cool down as the season continued but he was still a solid contributor for the Bears defense. Fuller would finish the season with 64 tackles, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and 10 pass defenses. His four interceptions led all rookies.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix-Ha Ha is a key piece on a Green Bay team that is making a strong push in the playoffs. Although he entered the season as a part of Green Bay’s defensive rotation, Clinton-Dix was promoted to the starting line up in the Packers seventh game of the season and brought aggression to the defense. This was evident in the 94 tackles he was able to rack up which were second on the team.
The race for Defensive Rookie of the Year is a lot closer than the offensive one, were Odell Beckham seems to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Mosley and Donald seem like the most likely candidates two win the award. I would have to give the nod to Donald because although Mosley was a stable performer Donald was more dominant.
