Top 10 Candidates for Defensive Rookie of the Year Going Into the 2025-2026 NFL Season

In my opinion, the clear cut favorite for the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Abdul Carter was an absolute force on Penn State in his last year with them. He was a key part in their defense, generating 66 pressures, 24 TFLs, and an impressive 12 sacks, which was 7th most in CFB.

He was drafted into an already strong New York Giants D-line, being around guys like Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns. He's strong, explosive, and quick. That is what you want in an edge rusher or linebacker, wherever the Giants put him. It doesn't matter where they put Carter. I think he should have a great rookie season. He's one of the guys who are already NFL ready and can start immediately.

Travis Hunter is a tricky decision on where to rank him. Like I said in my previous list discussing the OROY award, Travis Hunter has great skills as a cornerback, with an All-Pro ceiling. Graded third best in FBS by PFF with a 90.3 coverage grade, racking up an impressive 11 passes defended and 4 interceptions in his final year with Colorado, he also won the Chuck Bednarik Award.

Being drafted to Jacksonville, he should be an automatic starter as a corner, but like I said in my previous OROY list, I don't know if he will produce the numbers to win DROY. I believe he'll need to fully commit to one of the positions if he wants to win either OROY or DROY.

Racking up 5 sacks for Georgia and being drafted to San Francisco, Williams is in a great situation. San Francisco's defensive line has gotten thin outside of Nick Bosa, and bringing back Saleh should help Williams' growth.

I think Williams is already a starter for San Francisco, and he will have plenty of opportunities to rack up good pass rush production for the 49ers.

In his last year at Georgia, Walker racked up 6.5 sacks, being able to play either defensive end or linebacker. He brings athleticism and good playmaking ability to the table for the Falcons, who lack both of those skills.

Walker also led all linebackers in FBS in quarterback pressures, with a total of 34. In a still improving Falcons defense, I think Walker can find many opportunities to shine on their defense and produce good numbers.

I absolutely hate how the Eagles keep getting what they want. It is like every NFL Draft, the Eagles get the exact guy they want, and he is also a perfect fit for Philadelphia. During his final year with Alabama, Campbell racked up 5 sacks, 12 TFLs, and a single interception. Jihaad Campbell is a great fit for Philadelphia.

With Nakobe Dean going down in their Wild Card game against Green Bay, which should also sideline him for a large portion of the upcoming season, Jihaad Campbell should start alongside Zack Baun and Bryce Huff. Campbell was a great run defender, coverage player, and blitzer for Alabama, and it will only get better with a coaching staff like Philadelphia's.

Will Johnson had an impressive season at Michigan, despite injury problems. His injuries concerned NFL teams, which is why he fell to the second round and was picked by the Arizona Cardinals. I think the Cardinals is a great situation for Will Johnson.

Before his draft stock plummeted due to injury concerns, Will Johnson was considered as high as a top 5 pick in the draft. If Will Johnson can tend to his injury problems over the offseason, he can easily be a contender for the DROY award, especially in a situation like Arizona, whose defense hasn't been the greatest. Johnson can find many opportunities for production.

I'm actually pretty high on Mike Green, even if he was a boom or bust type of prospect pre-draft. Coming out of Marshall, he had a huge breakout year, producing a very impressive 17 sack season. After his explosive season with Marshall, he was the class' biggest riser of the NFL Draft.

He is extremely quick and takes great angles to get to the quarterback. He was drafted into an already solid Baltimore Ravens defense, so it may be difficult for Green to get any production. However, I think Green has the skill to break through and impress people like he did in his final season with Marshall.

In his final year as a Georgia Bulldog, Malaki Starks saw a bit of a drop in performance, but he was moved from high safety to nickel, which didn't really work out. Still, Starks was picked in the first round as a safety to the Baltimore Ravens.

Starks is still a very talented player on defense, and I think Baltimore is a good fit for him. He gets to start next to Kyle Hamilton, who has been on the rise recently. Now with Starks playing at his initial position, he should be able to return to his form from before he was moved to nickel.

Mason Graham was praised highly in his last year at Michigan due to his disruption of both the run game and the passing game. He was widely considered the top defensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Graham was drafted into the Cleveland Browns, whose defensive tackle room is considered pretty weak. This allows Graham to be able to get a lot of opportunities with Cleveland.