Sack artists tend to dominate the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. But Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell made it a close race last year before Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse became the heavy favorite to ultimately win the award.
Verse became the fifth edge rusher in the past six years to win the defensive rookie award, joining Will Anderson Jr., Micah Parsons, Chase Young and Nick Bosa. But it wasn’t that long ago that cornerback Sauce Gardner won the award in 2022.
There could be a highly motivated cornerback in Arizona contending for the award this season. There’s also a versatile safety in Seattle getting comparisons to Ravens star Kyle Hamilton. But, again, expect a few edge rushers to be in the mix.
Here are our five top picks to win the award this year.
5. Will Johnson, CB, Arizona Cardinals
Many GMs across the league might have had second thoughts about passing on Johnson in the first round after seeing the standout cornerback participate in the Cardinals’ rookie minicamp.
Johnson was regarded as the best coverage corner in the draft, but had a surprising draft slide due to various teams having concerns about his medical information. The Cardinals opted to roll the dice on the Michigan product with the No. 47 pick and could end up having the steal of the draft.
For two seasons, coach Jonathan Gannon maximized a defense that lacked talent in all three phases. Johnson has already raved about the defensive scheme and could hit the ground running after working with renowned defensive coaches Jesse Minter and Wink Martindale during his time with the Wolverines. The rookie cornerback has plenty of motivation to prove his doubters wrong.
4. Nick Emmanwori, S, Seattle Seahawks
High expectations were immediately placed on Emmanwori after he landed in an ideal scenario with the Seahawks.
The versatile second-round rookie safety has received comparisons to Hamilton because he’s now under the tutelage of coach Mike Macdonald, who was Baltimore’s defensive coordinator before taking the job in Seattle.
The 6' 3", 227-pound Emmanwori has a similar skill set as Hamilton to possibly play up to the high expectations and become a chess piece for Macdonald. The South Carolina product will have the benefit of playing in a secondary that already features safety Julian Love and cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen.
The Seahawks have had plenty of talent on the defensive side, but have struggled to play as a collective unit. Perhaps Emmanwori can help them get on the same page in 2025.
3. James Pearce Jr., edge, Atlanta Falcons
Pearce’s freakish athletic gifts give him the most upside among the edge rushers drafted last month. The Falcons certainty believe that after coughing up a 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams to trade back into the first round to select Pearce at No. 26.
Atlanta did plenty of homework on Pearce and had no issues with the character concerns the Tennessee product had leading up to the draft.
It may take Pearce time to develop a finesse game on the field, but he has the luxury of relying on his athleticism to break free from offensive lineman. Also, Pearce won’t be the sole focus on Atlanta’s defensive front because the team took versatile edge rusher Jalon Walker at No. 15. With Walker being more of a Swiss-Army knife, Pearce can focus on piling up sacks and pressures in his rookie season.
2. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
It bodes well that one of the most successful GMs of the past decade did everything he could to ensure Campbell landed in Philadelphia.
Strangely, some teams don’t value off-ball linebackers as high as other positions, but that ended up being a benefit for GM Howie Roseman, who only needed to trade up one spot after surprisingly seeing Campbell still available at No. 31. Roseman reportedly had multiple failed attempts to go up higher to nab the versatile playmaker from Alabama.
Campbell could have a dominant rookie season playing for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, while lining up next to first-team All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun and behind dominant defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Teams might be kicking themselves for allowing Campbell to fall to the defending Super Bowl champions.
1. Abdul Carter, edge, New York Giants
The Giants couldn’t pass on Carter’s tantalizing skill set, despite already having Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence II on their defensive line.
New York adding veteran quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson in free agency said plenty about what the team thought of Carter as a prospect. Instead of reaching for a quarterback with the No. 3 pick, the Giants went all in for Carter, a Penn State product who drew plenty of comparisons to Parsons and Von Miller.
Carter is a raw prospect as an edge rusher after spending most of his time in college as an off-ball linebacker. But Carter will likely see many advantageous matchups playing next to Burns, Lawrence and Thibodeaux, allowing him to learn through trial and error while still making an impact as a rookie.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking Five Candidates for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2025.
