The main topic of conversation in the 2018 NFL Draft and beyond centered on the quarterback position. While it remains to be seen if any of the quarterbacks taken in this year’s draft will make an impact their rookie year, you already know that a few players on the other side of the ball can help change the fortunes of their new NFL team.
There are more than a few rookies in position to make an immediate impact this season on the defensive side of the ball. With the start of the preseason schedule, MyBookie.com has posted its betting odds for this year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He is a look at the players at the top of my list.
Defensive Rookie of the Year Top Favorite
It would be hard to bet against Denver defensive end Bradley Chubb as a +140 favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Broncos used the fifth-overall pick of the draft to land the former standout at North Carolina State in hopes of resurrecting a once-vaunted defense that has fallen down the ranks.
Denver won a Super Bowl in 2015 behind its defense, and just two seasons later it stumbled to a 5-11 record with 10 losses in its last 12 games. This unit sunk to 22nd in the league in points allowed (23.9) despite being ranked third in yards allowed. When you have a turnover ratio of minus 17 that included just 17 takeaways on defense, it is time to bring in some playmakers to turn things around. Chubb has the ability to be a very disruptive force in Denver’s defense, and he should attract quite a bit of attention for his play on the field.
Defensive Rookie of the Year Top Contenders
The next player on the list to win ROY would be former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith at +400 odds. He was the eighth overall pick of the draft by the Chicago Bears, but his current holdout from training camp is starting to drain any of the value in these odds.
The player that would be my top contender at +650 betting odds would be the Miami Dolphins Minkah Fitzpatrick. The former Alabama safety was the 11th overall pick of the draft, and he should have a chance to make an immediate impact on a defense that slipped to 29th in the league in points allowed (24.6). Bad defenses need bigtime playmakers, and Fitzpatrick fits the bill. Last season with the Tide in their national title run, he recorded 41 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions. Miami, as a team, posted just 15 takeaways last season, which was ranked 29th in the NFL.
Defensive Rookie of the Year Top Longshot
It has already been proven that defensive rookies can come out of nowhere and have a significant impact on their team right out of the gate. All it takes is the right opportunity at the right time to vault them into the spotlight on this side of the ball.
Defensive tackle
Vita Vea
was the 12th overall pick of the draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but his odds to live up to those lofty expectations as ROY are set at +2000. The Jacksonville Jaguars used the 29th pick in the first round to draft former Florida defensive tackle
Taven Bryan.
He also has long odds to win this award at +2000 given how hard it could be to make an impact on one of the best defenses in the NFL.
My top longshot at +2800 odds to win ROY honors would be the Indianapolis Colts’, Darius Leonard. The former outside linebacker from South Carolina State was one of two second-round picks in the draft by the Colts in an effort to improve a defense that allowed an average of 25.3 points per game. He is flying well under the radar coming from a Division IAA program, but this guy can flat-out play. That could attract some attention on a defense that has nowhere to go but up.
