With NFL training camps opening around the league this week, it's almost time for us to stop projecting how rookies will handle the step up in competition and see how things go in real life. But before we get there, I have one more forecast for you. Below are my top 10 candidates to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2025.
But first, a few trends to note:
- No safety has won this award since Mark Carrier in 1990.
- No defensive tackle has won the award since Aaron Donald in 2014.
- Five of the last six winners were edge rushers, including hybrid edge/linebacker Micah Parsons in 2021.
With that, here are my top contenders to succeed Jared Verse as DROY.
NOTE: The odds below, provided by Caesars Sportsbook, are current as of 11 a.m. ET on Monday, July 21 unless otherwise noted.
Drafted: Round 2, No. 33 overall
Don’t sleep on Schwesinger, a former walk-on who developed into a first-team All-American. He ended up being picked with the first selection of Round 2, but he had Round 1 buzz heading into the draft. The former Bruin is walking into a highly favorable situation, with a starting spot open at linebacker due to the neck injury that will keep Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah sidelined in 2025. Also, Schwesinger is going to have 2023 DPOY Myles Garrett and fifth overall pick Mason Graham (more on him in a bit) creating playmaking opportunities for him. He led the FBS with 90 solo tackles in 2024, and we don’t have to look back very far to see a ‘backer who stuffed the stat sheet and was rewarded with DROY honors (Shaquille Leonard, 2018). As my colleague Lance Zierlein wrote of Schwesinger, he’s “a human bloodhound” when it comes to tracking the ball. That should give him a chance to eat in Year 1.
Drafted: Round 1, No. 11 overall
Williams is an imposing presence at 6-foot-5, 267 pounds, something that clearly isn’t lost on one of his new fellow Niners edge rushers. “He’s a unit,” Bryce Huff recently told the website The SF Niners. “I’m not gonna lie to you. I saw him training this morning and I said, ‘Yeah, he’s gonna wreak some havoc in this front for sure.’ ” Consider me intrigued. Playing opposite five-time Pro Bowler Nick Bosa should set Williams up with favorable matchups. Will he be able to take advantage of those opportunities? Williams was hobbled by an ankle injury in 2024 and never recorded more than five sacks in a season during his three years at Georgia. If San Francisco bounces back from a disappointing year and Williams plays a big role in the renaissance, I could easily see him outperforming this ranking when the ballots are cast.
Drafted: Round 1, No. 27 overall
As I mentioned at the top of this article, we have not seen a safety win DROY since 1990. Yet, it’s hard for me to not be enamored with the table that’s been set for this Ravens rookie. With Ar’Darius Washington suffering an Achilles tear in May, there’s no one threatening to challenge Starks for snaps, and head coach John Harbaugh has expressed confidence that the 21-year-old is up to the challenge. He’s joining what figures to be one of the league’s stoutest defenses, with Pro Bowl talent at all three levels. And we know he has a knack for making plays, even if it wasn’t on display as much in 2024. DC Zach Orr has a world of possibilities before him with two versatile safeties at his disposal now -- Kyle Hamilton is coming off his second straight Pro Bowl nod -- and the ground should be fertile for Starks to be a quick bloomer. He might have a rookie teammate (No. 4 on this list) standing in his way for the hardware, though.
Drafted: Round 1, No. 2 overall
I’m not expecting Hunter to win both OROY and DROY -- no player has ever claimed both prizes -- but I wouldn’t rule it out. We are talking about a unicorn, after all. The expectation is that Hunter will split his time between offense and defense. So, it does not seem like a given that he'll see enough snaps at cornerback to be a legitimate DROY candidate. Yet, a handful of splash plays could make things quite interesting in this competition. If no clear difference-making rookie edge rusher emerges -- and no other rookie defender bursts onto the scene with a monster Year 1 -- a part-time CB who can take the ball away could become a very intriguing option for voters. Hunter did have nine interceptions in the last three seasons, including four in his Heisman-winning 2024 campaign. The Jaguars could have a formidable pass rush that creates hurried and/or deflected throws -- some of those passes are likely to end up in Hunter’s hands.
Drafted: Round 1, No. 31 overall
Barring any lingering issues related to the shoulder surgery performed this spring, there is a lot to like about Campbell's situation. While he has the versatility to rush off the edge, he’s slated to start off as an inside linebacker for the Eagles. His instincts need some refining, no doubt, but who better to help develop the rookie than one of the greatest defensive minds in the game, Vic Fangio? With Nakobe Dean still recovering from the serious knee injury he suffered last postseason, Campbell could be the starting middle linebacker for the reigning Super Bowl champions, who figure to field one of the league’s elite defenses once again. He’ll be surrounded by Pro Bowl-caliber talent and could easily rack up the production that grabs the attention of award voters when it’s time to submit ballots. However, if Dean returns when healthy and takes back the starting job, it would probably end Campbell’s DROY hopes.
Drafted: Round 1, No. 5 overall
Traditionally, DROY is a very difficult award to win for defensive tackles -- unless your name is Aaron Donald -- but Graham has at least a couple things working in his favor. For one thing, he wrecks shop on a consistent basis. The trials of the spring -- like the NFL Scouting Combine -- are not in his wheelhouse, so it’s not a surprise he wasn’t generating voluminous buzz leading up to the draft and once again seems to have fallen out of mind for a lot of folks this summer. Fortunately for Graham, we’re now less than two months away from real football games, where he’s always done his best work. The other thing that enhances his candidacy: playing on the same line as arguably the best defensive player in the game, Myles Garrett. Offenses will have to pick their poison, and more often than not, Garrett is going to be the one facing a double-team, thus giving Graham regular opportunities to blow up plays from the interior. I’m expecting a good show from the former Wolverine as he crosses into the Buckeye State.
Drafted: Round 2, No. 59 overall
Winning DROY has proven extremely elusive for players picked outside of Round 1. DeMeco Ryans and Shaquille Leonard -- both linebackers selected early in Round 2 -- are the only guys who have accomplished the feat in the last 20 years. Green is somewhat of a unique case, though, as he was widely considered a top-20 talent but fell all the way to Baltimore late in Round 2 amid questions about two sexual assault allegations. Green has denied any wrongdoing, and Ravens GM Eric DeCosta told reporters the franchise was comfortable with Green after doing its due diligence in investigating the allegations. On the field, Green has demonstrated the ability to produce at an elite rate. He led the FBS with 17 sacks last season and ranked second with 22.5 tackles for loss. Now he joins perhaps the most talented defense in the league and could earn a designated pass rusher role in which that production carries over to the next level. DROY has been dominated by edge rushers of late, and Green is in an enviable situation.
Drafted: Round 1, No. 15 overall
I’m not certain if it will be Walker or fellow first-round Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. who emerges as the stronger DROY candidate, but if the football gods have any mercy, they will allow at least one of them to flourish. Atlanta’s inability to draft and develop an edge rusher for the past several years has been a major sore spot for the team and its fans, which is why the franchise was willing to pay such a huge price to address the position twice in the first round this year. Walker -- picked 11 selections before Pearce -- is my choice in this exercise because he has a clear path to play and it seems like he will have a clearly defined role. While his hybrid ability as an edge rusher/off-ball linebacker led to some “tweener” talk leading up to the draft, I’m more bullish about his DROY chances because the team has made it known that he'll focus on rushing off the edge, where he’s at his best. What he lacks in size (6-1, 243 pounds) he makes up for with speed and explosiveness.
Drafted: Round 1, No. 20 overall
Marcus Peters, Marshon Lattimore and Sauce Gardner are the only cornerbacks to win DROY this century, but the former Longhorn might be stepping into the perfect spot to make a run at the trophy. His coordinator, Vance Joseph, has already christened him a “can’t-miss prospect,” and he’s joining a defense that’s expected to be one of the best in the league again after ranking third in points allowed last season. Also, he could see a lot of throws coming his way with quarterbacks avoiding reigning DPOY Pat Surtain II, which means abundant chances to make plays on the ball and fill up the stat categories that gain the attention of award voters. Barron lasted until Pick 20, but he was NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah’s No. 10 prospect in the draft, so no one should be surprised if he quickly becomes a menace, whether he’s playing outside or in the slot for a Broncos team on the rise.
Drafted: Round 1, No. 3 overall
Carter checks all the boxes when it comes to the makings of a modern DROY. The first defensive player drafted has won DROY in three of the past six drafts (Will Anderson Jr., 2023; Chase Young, 2020; Nick Bosa, 2019) and, as I mentioned at the top of this article, the award has been dominated by edge rushers of late. Some considered Carter the best player available in the 2025 draft, and for good reason: He’s a force to be reckoned with off the edge, displaying the burst and relentlessness to be a perennial double-digit sack artist. The Giants have a chance to be ferocious when it comes to getting after quarterbacks, and that should only boost the DROY fervor for Carter. He’ll be playing alongside one of the league’s top interior defensive linemen, three-time Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence, and offenses will also have to account for his talented fellow edge rushers, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. I’ll be surprised if there isn’t more than enough production to go around. Carter is the decisive DROY front-runner entering the 2025 season.
