Tag: Defensive Rookie of the Year

Jared Verse is popular Defensive Rookie of the Year pick among ESPN experts

Of the 12 ESPN experts polled on their Defensive Rookie of the Year picks, 5 of them chose Jared Verse 👀

Jared Verse was the fourth defensive player drafted this year after Laiatu Latu, Byron Murphy II and Dallas Turner, going 19th overall to the Los Angeles Rams. The explosive pass rusher out of Florida State possesses a skillset that should allow him to contribute right away, likely starting immediately opposite Byron Young.

His combination of power and speed makes him a promising young player for the Rams, someone who could have a similar impact to the ones Young and Kobie Turner had as rookies in 2023.

Some believe Turner should’ve won Defensive Rookie of the Year last season and in 2024, Verse is one of the favorites to take home the award. ESPN polled 12 experts on their picks for Defensive Player of the Year and Verse was a very popular pick. Of the 12 experts polled, five of them chose Verse to win the coveted award.

Here’s what reporter Jeremy Fowler wrote about Verse.

Jeremy Fowler, senior NFL reporter: Verse. Laiatu Latu and Dallas Turner got most of the bump as top pass-rushers, but Verse is a unique player with serious power. In the post-Aaron Donald era, Verse could become the face of the Rams’ defense.

What’s working in Verse’s favor is his NFL-ready skill set and the Rams’ desperate need for pass-rush help. Michael Hoecht is still there, but he was inconsistent in 2023 and the Rams certainly needed to upgrade at that spot.

Verse has the ability to convert speed to power on the edge and has a frame that will allow him to bull rush tackles into the laps of quarterbacks. It’s hard to say he’s in for a 10-sack season, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he does reach double-digits.

Two ESPN analysts have Vikings rookie winning major award

This would be awesome! #skol

Continuing on with their draft questions and answers, ESPN writers and analysts were asked which NFL rookie would win Defensive Rookie of the Year.

As you might guess, Vikings rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner came up. Minnesota traded up to No. 17 to select the Alabama star, and according to both Jordan Reid and Mike Tannenbaum, Turner will win DROY under Brian Flores in Minnesota.

Jordan Reid, NFL draft analyst: Dallas Turner, LB, Minnesota Vikings. Playing in Brian Flores’ defense, Turner is a perfect match, as he will likely be used at multiple spots. His first-step burst and continued expansion of his array of pass-rush moves set him up for early success. Expect Turner to be moved around quite a bit and receive many opportunities to make plays in multiple ways.

Mike Tannenbaum, NFL front office insider: Turner. Turner will have a lot of pass-rushing opportunities, which I believe he will take advantage of. I thought he should have gone as high as No. 8 to Atlanta because he has the double-digit sack total ability.

With longtime star Danielle Hunter leaving the Vikings and heading to Houston, Minnesota picked up a couple of edge rushers during free agency: Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. Turner won’t be asked to do everything during his rookie season in Minnesota, but Turner has the ability to step in on day one and make major contributions.

Turner was one of the feared pass rushers in the SEC last season with Alabama. With his quick first step and explosiveness off the line, his game should translate right away to the NFL.

The ESPN panel was also asked about Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy did not come up. Caleb Williams of the Bears and Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Cardinals were brought up the most in that category.

Dallas Turner tabbed as a rookie to have an instant impact in 2024

Dallas Turner is poised to have an immediate impact on the Minnesota Vikings in his rookie NFL season.

Former defensive standout for the Alabama Crimson Tide Dallas Turner is expected to make an immediate impact on the Minnesota Vikings roster in his rookie season. With the No. 17 overall pick, the Vikings’ second of the first round, Minnesota selected Turner.

Looking to boost the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings managed to land one of the best defensive players in the 2024 draft class at a spot much lower than many experts had projected.

Now, analysts believe Turner’s presence will lead to an instant upgrade in Minnesota.

Michael Middlehurt-Schwarts of USA TODAY named the 15 rookies for the 2024 season that could have an instant impact. Turner was listed at No. 13 on the list.

The 6-3, 237-pounder is an imposing matchup off the edge, comfortable in overwhelming blockers with his length and initial burst or dropping back into coverage. It’s little wonder Minnesota gravitated toward him given his optimal fit in Brian Flores’ defensive scheme, which keeps opponents guessing with its all-or-nothing blitzes. While free-agent signings Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel might lead the charge for a pass rush undergoing a needed reboot after Danielle Hunter’s departure, Turner should have several chances to establish his disruptiveness in the early going. The range of possible outcomes for his sack total, however, is probably wider than the other edge threats on this list.

Though a transition to the NFL could be tricky for some, Turner made playing in the SEC look so easy that he may be able to seamlessly move into the professional league without any issues.

For the time being, we are left to wait and see how he performs with the franchise in the offseason before the start f the 2024 NFL regular season.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Experts explain why Dallas Turner, Terrion Arnold are Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates

Two former members of the Alabama Crimson Tide defense are being praised as possible Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates by experts.

Two former members of the Alabama Crimson Tide defense were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft and experts are sharing high praise for both of them. Edge rusher Dallas Turner was selected No. 17 overall by the Minnesota Vikings and cornerback Terrion Arnold was drafted by the Detroit Lions at No. 24 overall.

Recently, ESPN NFL draft experts Jordan Reid and Matt Miller broke down their picks for a few different categories (subscription required). Turner and Arnold are mentioned numerous times.

First, the two experts broke down their favorite picks from the first round with the best value.

Reid chose Arnold stated, “Getting the top-ranked corner on my board at No. 24 was a huge steal for Detroit. For the second consecutive year, an Alabama defensive back somehow fell to the Lions.” He also went on to explain that Arnold will be an “immediate starter” for the Detroit defense.

As for Miller, he believes Turner was the best pick in Round 1, writing, “The Vikings traded up to get Turner, but they still stole the draft’s best edge player. I had him at No. 7 overall on my board. Outside of quarterback, defensive end was the team’s biggest need after losing Danielle Hunter in free agency. Now, Turner (10 sacks in 2023) can team up with free agent acquisition Jonathan Greenard to give the Vikings a legitimate one-two punch off the edge.”

The two then broke down their early picks for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Miller picks Arnold, arguing, “The Lions can get after the quarterback and create opportunities for the defensive backs to make plays. Arnold will reap the benefits of that pass rush with his ball-hawking skills that allowed him to grab five interceptions at Alabama last season.”

Reid predicts Turner will be the award recipient. “He is a perfect match for Brian Flores’ defense. And even after the Vikings signed Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel this offseason, Turner will likely receive significant snaps on a defense that lacks depth off the edge.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow former Alabama players as they prepare for their rookie seasons in the NFL.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023: No. 3 Will Anderson

Up next in our “15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023” series is Will Anderson, the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Houston Texans had an extremely successful 2023 campaign.

They cruised to a 10-7 record under new head coach DeMeco Ryans and captured several accolades along the way. They won the AFC South and won a playoff game for the first time since the 2019 season. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud won PFWA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson won PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, and even Ryans took home hardware with PFWA’s Coach of the Year.

With a revamped team effort that led to dramatic improvements compared to both the 2021 and 2022 Texans, it’s worth examining who created that impact this past season and what their future projects moving forward.

This series has taken a look at defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, running back Devin Singletary, rookie receiver Tank Dell, and veteran tackle George Fant, and upstart linebacker Blake Cashman.

Entering the top 10, we took a closer look at cornerback Steven Nelson and linebacker Christian Harris, and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, franchise left tackle Laremy Tunsil, and budding shutdown cornerback Derek Stingley

Entering the top five, third year wideout Nico Collins received due praise for his breakout year alongside fourth year edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. Now, our attention turns to the trio of rookies that dominated for Houston — starting with Defensive Rookie of the Year, Will Anderson.

Devon Witherspoon reponds to finishing fourth in DROY voting

After the news broke, Seattle’s angry little goblin in the slot shared a perfect response on Twitter.

NFL players don’t vote on these AP awards, but they are about to find out what happens when a competitor like Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon gets underestimated.

Last night was the league’s annual Honors showcase, where awards were handed out to a variety of players. One race to watch for the Seahawks was Defensive Rookie of the Year, where Witherspoon was one of five finalists. We had presumed that Jalen Carter would win, but in the end it was Will Anderson who took the hardware home. Here’s how the voting broke down.

You may have noticed something strange in there. Not only did Spoon not win, he didn’t even finish among the top three – receiving less than half the total votes Carter got and nearly one-third of Anderson’s.

That means clearly some folks have not gotten the message yet.

After the news broke, Seattle’s angry little goblin in the slot shared a perfect response on Twitter.

The greatest athlete of all time thrived on slights like these, either real or imagined. Seeing Spoon respond this way makes us believe he has a similar drive and it’s exactly the kind of thing you want to see as a Seahawks fan.

This new motivation, combined with a natural second-year development and the added influence of defensive mastermind head coach Mike Macdonald may be enough to catapault Spoon into the Defensive Player of the Year race as soon as the 2024 season.

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Voting tally for Defensive Rookie of the Year proves Kobie Turner’s draft slot hurt his chances

Despite leading all rookies with 9 sacks, 23 of the 50 voters didn’t even have Kobie Turner on their Defensive Rookie of the Year ballots

The NFL’s annual awards are completely subjective, with a panel of 50 voters casting ballots for each of the Associated Press’ honors. At times, the selections are unanimous, but that’s rare because more often than not, there are several deserving candidates for each award.

While we never find out what each voter’s ballot looks like, the Associated Press does release voting tallies for every award. And looking at the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting results, it’s abundantly clear that voters favored Will Anderson Jr. and Jalen Carter over Kobie Turner because they were first-round picks.

According to the AP, Turner finished third with a total of 95 points, behind Anderson (151) and Carter (122). He received 14 first-place votes just like Carter, and he was just two first-place votes shy of Anderson’s total, but what crushed Turner’s odds was the fact that of the 50 voters, 23 of them didn’t have him on their ballot at all (h/t ProFootballTalk)

That’s ludicrous.

How is it possible that nearly half of the voters didn’t even have Turner on their radar as a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate? You’re telling me he wasn’t even deserving of a third-place vote?

He led all rookies with nine sacks! Either 23 voters saw that and chose to ignore it, or they had no idea who Turner was because he was drafted in the third round, unlike Anderson and Carter. There’s no easy solution for this problem and no matter how award-winners are chosen, there will be controversy, but it’s outrageous that 23 of 50 voters didn’t even consider the rookie sacks leader for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Kobie Turner has 3-word message after losing Defensive Rookie of the Year race

“Back to work”

Kobie Turner led all NFL rookies in sacks last season and even tied Aaron Donald’s franchise record for the most sacks in a player’s first season, but his remarkable performance in 2023 wasn’t enough to win him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. In fact, he finished third in the race behind Will Anderson Jr., who won the award, and Jalen Carter.

Statistically, Turner had the best case of any defensive rookie, but voters gave the Texans the sweep in the Rookie of the Year department by also crowning C.J. Stroud over Puka Nacua.

After the award was handed out to Anderson, Turner shared a three-word message on social media: “Back to work.”

That’s the type of reaction Aaron Donald would have, and it’s what’s going to make Turner an even better player in 2024. With a full season under his belt, expect him to come back even stronger next year and push for his first Pro Bowl selection.

WATCH: Will Anderson Jr. accepts Defensive Rookie of the Year

Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. thanks the team for trading up to draft him No. 3 overall.

It’s a clean sweep for the Houston Texans rookies.

Will Anderson Jr. joined his 2023 draft classmate C.J. Stroud to as Defensive Rookie of the Year just a few minutes after Stroud took home Offensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson became the third player to win the award in franchise history after linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing.

Anderson took time to appreciate his family before turning his attention towards the Texans organization. He specifically thanked the team for showing faith to trade up for him in April’s draft and named every player in the defensive line room that helped him this season.

Anderson has established himself immediately as one of the cornerstone players of the Texans franchise. He was everything that was advertised after leaving the University of Alabama and saw recognition of those efforts from the entire league on Thursday.

Together, Anderson and Stroud repeat an effort that was done just last year by the New York Jets with Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner.

Eagles’ DT Jalen Carter finishes 2nd in AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter finished 2nd to Texans Will Anderson in AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting

Jalen Carter was the front runner for most of the season, but after fading down the stretch, Houston Texans pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. has been named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Anderson received 16 first-place votes, compared to Carter’s 14, and he received 151 votes compared to Carter’s 122.

Anderson Jr. is the first Houston Texans player to win the award since 2009 and the third in franchise history. Anderson’s first-year head coach, DeMeco Ryans, won the prize for the Texans in 2006, and Brian Cushing captured the award in 2009. The Texans swept the rookie awards, with quarterback C.J. Stroud winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Anderson logged 45 tackles, ten tackles for loss, 22 quarterback hits, 7.0 sacks, and a pass defensed in 15 games — leading a Texans defense that improved from 24.7 points per game allowed in 2022 to 20.8 points per game allowed in 2023.

Anderson registered 59 pressures on the season, the third-most by a rookie over the last five seasons — trailing only Nick Bosa (80 in 2009) and Micah Parsons (67 in 2021).

It’s a frustrating finish to a season that started utterly dominant for Carter.

Through the first nine weeks, Carter generated 29 pressures (tied for eighth in the league among interior defensive linemen), according to Pro Football Focus, including four sacks and 20 hurries.

During the first half of the season, Carter played 49% of the defensive snaps (despite missing Week 6 against the New York Jets with an injury), second among Eagles defensive tackles behind only Fletcher Cox.

His production fell off down the stretch.

Carter finished his rookie year with 6.0 sacks, 33 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery (which he returned for a touchdown) in 16 regular-season games.

Carter started just one game and played 51 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, but the ninth overall pick in the 2023 Draft was third on the team in sacks and fifth among all rookies.