2019 NFL Draft: Top 5 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates

With rookie minicamps beginning all around the league, we look at the top candidates to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year during the 2019 NFL season.

This season, there were a lot of defensive players taken early on in the 2019 NFL Draft. The defensive line as a whole was rather dominant with seven selections going toward defensive ends and six picks being used for defensive tackles. There were also two linebackers, two safeties, and a cornerback taken as well in the first 32 selections.

Here, we will look at some of those players taken as we try and predict the five most likely winners of the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. However, not all five likely winners will be first-round selections.

For example, Darius Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts won the award last season after being taken in Round 2. Outside of him, the winner has predominantly been a day one pick which reflects in the players named here.

And with that, we are ready to look at which players are most likely to take home some defensive rookie hardware when the 2019 NFL season is complete.

Honorable Mention: Devin White, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The first linebacker coming off the board was Devin White out of LSU. He’s an absolute stud and will start from the first snap for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not only is that true due to his talent, but the Bucs lost Adarius Taylor and Kwon Alexander in free agency.

Having said that, he plays in a smaller market which will limit his exposure. Because of that, he gets edged out of the top five in favor of another first-round linebacker who will be seen on national television much more often.