Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner did the unthinkable last season -- he aptly followed a legendary rookie campaign from 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year with a legendary rookie year of his own en route to winning the prestigious NFL award. Now, Gardner and Parsons in back-to-back seasons
Tim Harris Jersey ? Two tough acts to follow for the defensive group from the 2023 draft cla s. Who will stand out most this upcoming season? Gardner's cruise 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 predominantly owned by defenders who sack the quarterback and those who tackle the ball carrier. Also, like Offensive Rookie of the Year, this is a first-round pick-dominated distinction. Only two of the last 20 DROYs were selected outside of Round 1. Kancey is Aaron Donald's size -- despite shorter arms, which absolutely matter for defensive linemen -- with Donald-esque explosivene s and close to a Donald-type loaded arsenal of pa s-rush moves. He's in for a productive rookie season, but on a rebuilt Buccaneers defensive front, I can't envision him getting the sack total likely needed to garner serious Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration. Voters are starting to value pre sures -- and pre sure rate -- over pure sacks, but that line of thinking isn't widespread enough for any solely disruptive defensive tackle to win the award. Yet. I adored Campbell during the pre-draft proce s. Easily my LB1 in the 2023 cla s with a top 25 grade. No qualms from me about when he was drafted by Detroit. He's going to be a three-down monster on the Lions defense -- think 100-plus tackles, a few sacks, a handful of tackles for lo s and the occasional splash play in coverage. But
Ryan Bates Jersey in order to win DROY as a traditional off-ball linebacker like Campbell most certainly is, the stat sheet needs to be totally jam-packed, and he needs to get help, meaning limited productivity from the marquee edge rushers and cornerbacks. The Lions will be thrilled with Campbell's play in 2023, but it won't be enough for him to become a serious DROY candidate, mostly due to the position he plays. I liked Witherspoon as a prospect. I did. I wasn't absolutely enamored with him like most were. The highlight reel hits were tantalizing, but he mi sed a fair amount of tackles, too, and didn't have major ball production in his stellar Illinois career. However, Pete Carroll has long been one of the best defensive back teachers in football when it comes to the subtleties of playing the position. Yes, even tackling. Heck, was universally viewed as a high-upside project who turned in a six-interception, 16-pa s breakup rookie campaign. If anyone can get the most out of Witherspoon's ma sive talent and emphatic style, it's Carroll in Seattle's secondary. Will the pa s rush be good enough to help Witherspoon though? That's typically the unheralded catalyst for a strong defensive back season. The Seahawks have invested in the pa s rush with early picks. The pa s rush is still very young and unproven. Witherspoon's big-hit tendency won't be enough to garner major DROY consideration. McDonald is an outside speed rushing specialist, through and through. He's best when freed to pin his ears back, explode and bend. Unfortunately, he played end in many three-man fronts during his time at Iowa State yet still managed a stellar career for the Cyclones. With the Jets, Robert Saleh will provide plenty more opportunities to attack the outside shoulder of the opposing right or left tackle. At around 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, McDonald doesn't have the width and pure point-of-attack power yet to win as an edge-setting run-stuffer. And he's on a defensive line in New York in dire need of a genuinely threatening edge-rushing presence -- was good, not great in 2022. McDonald can be that guy in Year 1, but I'm not expecting a Nick Bosa-type rookie season. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter"
Tyrel Dodson Jersey and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. Porter landed in an exquisite scenario in Pittsburgh, and it's not because his dad was a star for the organization. This is a defense on the upswing, one that needs an alpha man-to-man corner and already boasts an imposing pa s-rushing unit with superstar , Cam Heyward, and Co. Fellow rookie will make the interior of the defensive front
Dawson Knox Jersey more menacing, too. All those bodies in the trenches will give Porter more targets in his vicinity on hurried throws from opposing quarterbacks than most rookie corners. With his experience, productivity and extraordinary length, he'll be a ball magnet as a rookie in Teryl Austin's defense. Austin was the Lions defensive coordinator during fine rookie season in 2014. Porter is a similar, lengthy, in-your-face outside corner. Carter was the best defensive player on Georgia's legendary 2021 defense. He was outstanding again in 2022, yet some conditioning i sues appeared on film -- and during the pre-draft proce s -- and at times his rushes are a tick high. I promise I'm not a nit-picker though. Carter's explosivene s, sheer power and polished hand work will make him a nightmare to block along the Eagles' ferocious defensive line. The only reason he's a few spots lower than you probably expected -- Philadelphia is already incredibly deep up front, and it won't be surprising if Carter's snaps are relatively limited as a rookie. Anderson is going to be a three-down stud in Houston from the jump. He was that player from the jump at Alabama. He has the exact stylistic makeup to get serious DROY hype. He's going to load the stat sheet against the run and as a pa s rusher. Before the draft, I likened Anderson to a "lite" version of , who finished third in the DROY race in 2014 with 76 tackles, 16 tackles for lo s and four sacks. I expect Anderson to eclipse all of those statistics and be a central figure in a much more respectable Texans defense in 2023. I'm shocked Bill Belichick traded down before picking Gonzalez in the first round. Why? Well, it's actually cla sic Belichick to move down in Round 1, but I was stunned because Gonzalez is the prototypical Belichickian perimeter cornerback, and the trade down risked
Star Lotulelei Jersey Gonzalez would no longer be available. He's long, naturally sticky in coverage and has the body control to make plays on the football down the field and on those pesky back shoulders. For the litany of accolades Belichick has achieved in his career, the one that goes a bit unnoticed is his uncanny ability to get the most out pre s-man corners. Not just and Ty Law. , , , etc. Belichick knows how to teach those types, and Gonzalez was arguably the finest, pure pre s-man corner in the cla s. Gonzalez is in for a spectacular rookie campaign in New England.
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