There should be quite a battle for the NFL’s 2015 Rookie of the Year award, with several players already making an impression by midseason.
But some of the later draft picks are surfacing as early star material over the big name prospects drafted in the top ten — No. 3 Dante Fowler (injured), No. 6 Leonard Williams and No. 8 Vic Beasley.
In a survey by reporters covering every team for The Sports Xchange, the most impressive rookie defenders include defensive backs Marcus Peters, No. 18 overall of Kansas City; defensive back Byron Jones, No. 27 of the Dallas Cowboys and linebacker Jordan Hicks, a third rounder who was a surprise starter and star at Philadelphia, although he was injured last weekend.
Fowler, the storied pass rusher out of Florida, was sidelined immediately because of an injury. Williams, a man among men at USC, is being upstaged by New York Jets rookie linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin, a third-round pick. Defensive end Beasley has been merely solid so far, although he is starting for the Falcons.
Here is a closer look at the top rookie defenders at midseason (Listed alphabetically by teams):
ARIZONA CARDINALS: Outside linebacker Markus Golden.
–Golden has not set the league on fire, but the second round pick out of Missouri has been solid and appears to be improving. Golden has flashed some pass rushing skills and plays hard all the time.
ATLANTA FALCONS: Defensive end Vic Beasley.
–Beasley has been solid, but not spectacular. He has two sacks and an interception. He predicted that he would register double-digit sacks as a rookie. He will have to pick up the pace over the second half of the season.
BALTIMORE RAVENS: Linebacker Za’Darius Smith.
–A fourth-round pick from Kentucky, Smith has been a pleasant surprise and has held up well with an increased role because of injuries on the defense. Smith has 14 tackles, including two sacks. More will be asked of him in the second half of the season as the Ravens put more emphasis on getting to the quarterback. Defensive tackle Carl Davis, a third-round pick from Iowa, was a regular part of the rotation, but he has gotten fewer snaps over the last few games.
BUFFALO BILLS: Cornerback Ronald Darby.
–Darby, a second-round pick, moved into the starting lineup in the summer when Leodis McKelvin reinjured an ankle right before the start of training camp. Darby was thrown into the fire, and he has emerged with very few burns. He has a league-leading 15 pass breakups.
CAROLINA PANTHERS: Linebacker Shaq Thompson.
–Thompson is a lot like wide receiver Devin Funchess, his teammate, in receiving this nod mostly because he is the only rookie playing enough to be eligible. The first-round pick hasn’t been bad, but the Panthers are bringing him along slowly, and a hamstring injury also affected some of his growth. Thompson has shown signs of major talent while totaling a modest 21 tackles in the first half of the season.
CHICAGO BEARS: Safety Adrian Amos.
–The Bears appeared set at safety with veterans Antrel Rolle and Ryan Mundy when camp started. Instead, Amos stepped in as Mundy went out for the season because of a hip injury. Amos hasn’t made an interception and hasn’t had many big plays. But he has eliminated big gaffes, which is what the Bears seemed to get from their safeties for years. When Rolle missed three straight games because of an ankle injury, Amos had to lead an inexperienced secondary and the Bears are still fifth against the pass and ninth on defense overall.
CINCINNATI BENGALS: Linebacker P. J. Dawson.
–The Bengals have no rookie starts on defense, but they have a handful of first-year guys who contributed to their 8-0 start. So the winner by default is linebacker P.J. Dawson out of TCU, who has five tackles, including two solo.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: Nose tackle Danny Shelton.
–Drafted 12th overall, Shelton had success taking on two blockers on running plays and collapsing the pocket on pass plays. His value cannot be measured by 20 tackles, which are only 13th best on the team. He is part of a rotation and is improving as the season progresses.
DALLAS COWBOYS: Safety Byron Jones.
–Jones entered the season overshadowed by second-round pick Randy Gregory. But Jones has emerged as a starter at free safety. He is a potential ball-hawking playmaker who never comes off the field. He plays up front in the nickel defense and free safety in the regular defense. He is fearless in covering the league’s top tight ends.
DENVER BRONCOS: Outside linebacker Shane Ray.
–Ray has seen limited work, but posted two sacks and showed speed off the edge in a rotational role behind DeMarcus Ware. An MCL sprain sustained against the Browns has caused him to miss two games, and he appears likely to miss more time, but the Broncos appear to have another keeper in their stable of pass rushers.
DETROIT LIONS: Cornerback Quandre Diggs.
–Diggs has not played a lot, but he had a few good plays, which is more than other defensive rookies can say. Defensive tackle Gabe Wright is the only other rookie to play this season. As the backup nickel, Diggs has 11 tackles, one pass defensed and one fumble recovery.
GREEN BAY PACKERS: Cornerback Damarious Randall.
–The miserable play by the defense during the Packers’ letdown defeats at Denver and Carolina incidentally included some bright spots from Randall. The first-round draft pick from Arizona State has taken some lumps in coverage, but he’s had an interception in each of the last two games to match top cornerback Sam Shields and rookie Quinten Rollins for the team lead. Randall, who has made three starts, also had a game-clinching breakup of a goal-line pass in the Week 6 win over the San Diego Chargers.
HOUSTON TEXANS: Cornerback Kevin Johnson.
–The first-round draft pick has an interception and six passes defensed. Johnson is an effective tackler and cover guy who has lockdown capabilities.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: Defensive tackle Henry Anderson and nose tackle David Parry.
–Co-nominees, Anderson and Perry earned starting jobs out of training camp. Their quick maturation allowed the team to part ways with a couple veteran players at the start of the season. Anderson will be sidelined for the rest of the season because of a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in the Denver game. But the two defensive linemen from Stanford have been pleasant surprises for the Colts.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Defensive lineman Michael Bennett.
–The Jaguars’ first two defensive draft picks, pass rusher Dante Fowler and safety James Sample, have been hit by the injury bug. Fowler is out for the year with a torn ACL and Sample has missed the last four games with a shoulder injury. That leaves Bennett as the only rookie they drafted who is playing. He suffered a hamstring injury against the Jets and had only four snaps on defense and five on special teams, but the Jaguars like his potential.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Cornerback Marcus Peters.
–The Chiefs’ first-round selection has already paid dividends for the team in eight games. Peters has gone through the normal trials and tribulations of a rookie cornerback, and opponents have been searching him out in the early going. But he has worked through that attention, has diminished his mistakes and continues to make plays, including three interceptions.
MIAMI DOLPHINS: Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips.
–The second-round pick from Oklahoma, has two sacks and six tackles. Although he was inactive for one game and hasn’t been overly impressive, he gets the edge over cornerback Bobby McCain, the fifth-round pick from Memphis who made two starts at the nickel defensive back position. Honestly, punter Matt Darr (49.1 yards per punt, 2nd in NFL) should get this honor.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Middle linebacker Eric Kendricks.
–The second-round draft pick started the season as a nickel linebacker. After four games, it was obvious that he was ready to be a starter and three-down playmaker, so the Vikings traded starting middle linebacker Gerald Hodges to San Francisco for a sixth-round pick and rookie center Nick Easton. Kendricks responded with 30 tackles and three of his four sacks in his next three starts. He won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for October. He missed Sunday’s game against the Rams because of injured ribs.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Defensive tackle Malcom Brown.
–Brown quietly had an impressive start as New England’s first-round pick. The defensive tackle started four of the eight games he played on a Patriots front that grew more impressive by the week. Filling the void left by the departure of franchise legend Vince Wilfork, Brown is a key part on a run defense that ranks in the top 10 after three straight dominant performances to shut down the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins rushing attacks.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Linebackers Stephone Anthony and Hau’oli Kikaha.
–Anthony, the second of the Saints’ two first-round draft picks, and Kikaha, a second-rounder, haven’t disappointed since winning starting jobs early in training camp. Anthony has piled up a team-leading 88 tackles and also has one sack, one interception and four passes defensed. Kikaha has 36 tackles, four sacks, three fumbles and one pass defense even though he missed Sunday’s game because of an ankle injury.
NEW YORK GIANTS: Safety Landon Collins.
–Given the Giants’ decision to move on from veterans Stevie Brown and Antrel Rolle, combined with their trading up to get former Alabama safety Collins, it was clear from Day 1 that expectations were off the charts for the young man. While Collins, like any rookie, has had some bumps in his development, his arrow is definitely pointing in the right direction. He leads the Giants in tackles at the midway mark, has broken up six passes and has shown promise as a box safety against the run. As Collins better grasps an understanding of the angles necessary to be effective in pass coverage, he’s only going to get better.
NEW YORK JETS: Linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin.
–The Jets spent the sixth overall pick on defensive end Leonard Williams, but it’s Mauldin, a third-rounder, who has emerged as a key cog on the defense. Mauldin recorded the first two sacks of his career on Sunday and might finally be the homegrown pass-rushing linebacker the Jets have lacked for years.
OAKLAND RAIDERS: Defensive tackle Mario Edwards Jr.
–Edwards assumed a bigger role with Justin Tuck sustaining a season-ending injury, and he is playing well at both end and tackle. Edwards, who had weight issues at Florida State, looks like a second-round bargain now that he is in shape.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Linebacker Jordan Hicks.
–The rookie third-rounder was supposed to be strictly a special-teamer this season, but injuries forced him into action and he came up big. He leads the team in tackles, has two interceptions, including a pick six Sunday against Dallas, has recovered a team-high three fumbles and is the guy who fractured Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo’s collarbone. The bad news is he tore a pectoral muscle in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Cowboys and is done for the season.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Outside linebacker Bud Dupree.
–The first-round draft pick leads the team with four sacks and ranks among the top rookie pass rushers. Dupree is doing his damage as part of a rotation at right outside linebacker. Veteran Arthur Moats has started every game, but Dupree is actually playing slightly more. His production could go up in the second half if he gets more playing time.
ST. LOUIS RAMS: Linebacker Cameron Lynch.
–No rookie has contributed much on defense, so Lynch is the choice because of his special teams ability. He made the roster as an undrafted free agent. One defensive rookie to watch is defensive end Matt Longacre, an undrafted free agent that was signed from the practice squad the day before Sunday’s game against Minnesota with Robert Quinn inactive against the Vikings. Longacre played 26 snaps (36.1 percent) and had three tackles.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: Inside linebacker Denzel Perryman.
–Perryman is solid in the run defense, although a biceps injury kept him from the last two games. But with Manti Te’o again being injured, it has opened up some playing time for the second-round pick. Perryman probably has the biggest hit by a Charger this season and his physical style doesn’t go unnoticed. He has 16 tackles, two for losses, and a forced fumble. He has also added six special-teams tackles, the second-highest on the team.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Punter Bradley Pinion.
–One might argue, other than linebackers NaVorro Borman and Aaron Lynch, that Pinion has been the 49ers’ best “defensive” player this season. The only punter taken in the draft, Pinion has made everyone quickly forget Andy Lee, who was a staple at the position during the 49ers’ recent championship runs. This guy is a keeper.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Defensive end Frank Clark.
–The team’s top draft pick, Clark is behind starters Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett and playing primarily as a rotational pass rusher. He has six tackles, including a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit in seven games.
TAMPA BAY BUCANNEERS: Linebacker Kwon Alexander.
–Alexander is the team’s second-leading tackler and nearly single-handedly won the game with two takeaways at Atlanta. The Bucs trust him to call the defense as a rookie and he is a tackling machine.
TENNESSEE TITANS: Defensive end Angelo Blackson.
–The defensive line is one of the few true strengths the Tennessee Titans have, and fourth-round pick Blackson has shown steady improvement as a disruptor in the middle of the line. He had one of the Titans’ sacks of Drew Brees on Sunday and is getting better as a regular part of the defensive line rotation.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS: Outside linebacker Preston Smith.
–The second-round pick from Mississippi State has yet to wrestle the starting right outside linebacker job from Trent Murphy. He still is a work-in-progress and his snaps are generally limited to about 35-percent per game. But with Murphy struggling to produce, Smith is poised to gain more work as the season goes on. He has a big body at 271 pounds, can do damage inside and should eventually be able to drop into coverage. He has that skill set. The Redskins hope to see more consistency in the second half.
–Frank Cooney, founder and publisher of The Sports Xchange and NFLDraftScout.com, is in his sixth decade covering football and is a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Material in this report was contributed by The Sports Xchange’s NFL network of reporters.