Ranking 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates: Terrion Arnold situated to flourish with Lions

Will Anderson managed to match Rookie of the Year hardware with Texas teammate CJ Stroud after the two were drafted with back-to-back picks in the 2023 draft.

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner has done the unthinkable in 2022 – he appropriately followed up a legendary 2021 rookie campaign, Micah Parsons, Defensive Rookie of the Year, with a legendary rookie year of his own en route to winning the prestigious NFL award.

Gardner’s trip 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 won predominantly by defenders who sack the quarterback and those who attack the carrier of the ball. Plus, like Offensive Rookie of the Year, this is a distinction dominated by first-round pick. Only two of the last 21 DROYs were selected outside of the first round.

BUT, perhaps this year is poised to present an exception, given that only nine of the top 32 selections in the 2024 draft were defensive players.

Honorable Mention: Michael Hall, DT, Browns

I had such a huge crush on Hall that I would have felt like I had betrayed him if I hadn’t agreed with him on this list. He won’t turn 21 until mid-June, so there could very well be some growing pains early on. On the other hand, I love young, highly productive, athletic prospects, and I would express concern about Hall’s performance. NFL future if he was 24 years old and had just entered the NFL.

By the way, Hall is a young, highly productive and athletic specimen. And I love his inclusion in Cleveland’s defense front, which already features perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett, Za’Darius Smith and Obo Okoronkwo, a ferocious trio of edge-rushers. Jim Schwartz needed an outfielder, and he certainly has that now with the promising young Hall he got in Columbus.

Bishop is a rare second-rounder to make this list, mainly because I think if Sean McDermott had the option to draft a safety in Madden, he would probably decline and just add Bishop to the list.

He’s 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, with 4.45 speed and the enhanced mental capacity of a defensive coordinator on the field. The first thing you noticed on film of Bishop in Utah – his constant pointing and lining up his teammates. And that he played everywhere for the Utes the last two seasons.

McDermott was instrumental in the vast development of former seventh-round pick and low-level free agent Jordan Poyer at safety, and while those are sizable shoes for Bishop to fill, he is bigger and faster than Poyer. Expect Bishop to take on a heavy workload early playing alongside slot/linebacker Stud Taron Johnson.

Two reasons I don’t have Bishop higher in this ranking: He tends to miss a few more tackles than expected, and he wasn’t a dangerous ballhawk in college.

Robinson was my EDGE1 in the class of 2024. Therefore, he currently doesn’t have a wide variety of pass-rush moves at the corner. They can be developed over time. Mind you, about three years younger (!) than his colleagues Jared Verse and Laiatu Latu. In the meantime, the Penn State star can win with an eruption off the line, closing the corner with power and a surprising conversion of speed to power.

His situation in Miami is a little murky. There are Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb ahead of him on the depth chart, but both productive veterans are returning from season-ending injuries in 2023. And the club has made crafty free agent Shaq Barrett more than just insurance. for both.

My adoration for Robinson as a prospect centered primarily on the player I believe he can be in, say, three years, as opposed to what he can provide to a team in Year 1. The development of these pass-rush moves needs to happen, and While he’s not weak at the point of attack now, Robinson needs to get stronger. These truths, along with the crowded edge rusher room in South Beach, are why he’s probably lower on the list than you’d expect for my top edge rusher candidate.

The Rams are looking for a “replacement” for Aaron Donald perfectly. This is no easy task, of course, Donald is arguably the best defensive player in NFL history, and even in what was his final season as a pro, he led all interior defensive linemen with 84 pressures. Unreal.

Fiske, the most athletically gifted defensive tackle in the 2024 class, will now pair with Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Kobie Turner on the interior of the Rams’ frontcourt. Yes, Les Snead is taking a page out of the MoneyBall playbook and trying to replace Donald in total.

In the film, Fiske is like a rodeo bull at every turn. He is released and then all hell breaks loose for the opposing offensive line. Magnificent explosion, fast swimming movement, power, it’s all there. In Los Angeles, I predict a visibly impactful Year 1 for the Western Michigan-turned-Florida State stud. He is so talented.

Another top candidate on my board in April, the Toledo Rocket alum was my No. 1 cornerback, narrowly edging out Alabama’s Terrion Arnold in that billing.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a cornerback prospect who checks the boxes more emphatically than Mitchell. Over 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, with 4.33 speed and elite explosiveness demonstrated by his 38-inch vertical. We always reference “processing speed” with defenders. And the corners? Mitchell processes receiver routes and offense concepts in fast forward, giving him an advantage when he needs to attack the ball.

While he’s not the most talented mirror player I’ve ever observed, his reaction time and speed allow him to essentially be a sucker for wide receivers. I mean, I don’t care what level of football you’re playing — 45 pass breakups and six interceptions in six seasons is impressive and an indication of supreme cornerback gifts.

And in Philadelphia, the Eagles may have improved their defensive front, which seems impossible given Howie Roseman’s emphasis on building through the lines. Haason Reddick, a splashy addition from Roseman a few years ago, is gone, but in his place is highly efficient outside hitter Bryce Huff.

Mitchell will instantly assume No. 1 CB duties in Philadelphia and will have plenty of opportunities to collect passes from rushing defenders. The Eagles were 14th in team pressure creation rate at 36.1% a season ago, and that number could very well be closer to 40% in 2024.

4. Jared Verse, EDGE, Rams

The NIL universe in college sports has received a lot of criticism, but let’s counter some of it with Verse’s story. Before the NIL/transfer portal era, he would have been stuck at the University at Albany, terrorizing lower-level competition. It’s highly unlikely he would be a first-round pick.

Instead, he transfers to Florida State and wreaks havoc in the ACC for two seasons en route to getting into the first round. The verse isn’t exactly Khalil Mack, but I get vibes of Mack as a reasonably flexible but incredibly powerful outside rusher who meets most explosiveness thresholds.

With the Rams, he established a strong lead on first down before showing off his varied arsenal of pass-rush moves on second and third. Los Angeles received 50 pressures from rookie Byron Young in 2023, but they need a true one-on-one winner and that’s exactly what Verse proved to be with the Seminoles.

3. Laiatu Latu, EDGE, Colts

Latu likely could have been a late first-round pick in 2023 if he had declared. Heck, a year ago he was just coming off a season at UCLA in which he generated pressure on more than 18% of his 284 pass rush snaps, and all you need is one look at the film to notice his body. NFL caliber.

Instead, he returned to the Bruins’ program and confirmed that 2022 was not just a fluke, but also that he did not play to his full ability. In 2023, the ultra-slippery Latu’s pressure creation rate was an impressive 20.3% on more pass-rush opportunities.

At nearly 6-5 and 259 pounds, Latu can win with power, but mostly makes blockers look silly with his diverse and highly calculated pass-rush maneuvers at the point of attack. On film, it seemed certain that when a tackle expected a specific move from Latu, he would throw another and immediately counter it. The Colts have desperately needed a true No. 1 rusher on the edge of the defensive line for years, and they drafted a ready-to-play type in the middle of the first round. for much Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration.

Turner’s best football probably won’t begin until Year 2 or Year 3 in the NFL, but the way the lights came on for him in his final season at Alabama indicates to me that he could be a highly impactful rookie in Minnesota. Remember, this is a freshly minted 21-year-old defender with top-tier explosiveness and all-around athletic traits around the corner. He has just begun to learn how to deploy his hands consistently and choose the correct times to do so.

And with Brian Flores, a master at generating pressure, Turner could be a pass rushing specialist in Year 1. There are also Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard ahead of him to start his pro career in Minnesota, so Turner doesn’t need to hit the run. to be considered a successful first-round pick.

But by November, Turner should be reasonably acclimated to what he’ll face from NFL blockers on a consistent basis, which is when the game can slow down for him, and he can utilize that tornado-like spin move more regularly when he’s not simply win with the first step and bow alone.

1. Terrion Arnold, CB, Lions

Arnold was probably the cleanest defensive prospect on film in the entire draft, he just didn’t have a ridiculous combine workout. A decade ago, he might have been considered undersized for the outside cornerback position. Not today, with the way receivers – even perimeter ones – across the league are getting smaller and lighter.

At Alabama in 2023, Arnold did it all. Approached like a seasoned veteran, he floated the football in the zone, played airtight coverage, routinely found the ball in the air and was a dynamic returner once he got the interception.

And how about his “fit” in Detroit. This was a defense in dire need of a highly confident cornerback who was also incredibly talented. Now they have one. In the 2023 regular season, the Lions finished fourth in defensive pressure rate at 41.6%, and added DJ Reader up front along with Marcus Davenport. The Lions will disrupt the quarterback. Often.

Music to the ears of Arnold, who, along with former teammate Brian Branch, will be a football magnet en route to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year.