ClutchPoints
One month of the 2025 NFL season is already in the books, setting the initial scene for the year-end NFL Awards. Of them, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award is quickly shaping up to be the most competitive.
While many of the top offensive rookies have yet to find much success, it has been a different story for their defensive counterparts. Highly touted pass-rushers Abdul Carter and Mason Graham have seemingly discovered their rhythms, while secondary defenders, such as Will Johnson and Andrew Mukuba, have held their own on the back end.
In 2024, the award went to Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jared Verse, who ended the year with 66 tackles, 12 stuffs and 4.5 sacks. Verse was not in the conversation early, but rode a strong second half of the season to claim the award.
It has only been a month, leaving ample time for late bloomers to enter the conversation. But for now, a few standouts are clearly leading the way.
Honorable mentions: LB Jihaad Campbell (Eagles), CB Will Johnson (Cardinals), DE Mykel Williams (49ers), LB Jalon Walker (Falcons)
Even after a down year, Michigan was still well-represented in the 2025 NFL Draft. Mason Graham led the way, going No. 5 overall to the Cleveland Browns, and has been delivering on all expectations. Although, shoutout to Graham’s former teammate Will Johnson, who would be in this conversation if injuries had not slowed him down.
Graham has started each of the Browns’ first four games, tallying 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, seven pressures, two quarterback hits and 0.5 sacks. Graham has earned a 61.0 player grade from Pro Football Focus thus far, ranking near the league average for interior defensive linemen.
He struggled in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions’ elite offensive line, but Graham had a field day against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3. He recorded an absurd 43 percent pass-rush win rate against the Packers, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder, soaring above the league-average rate of nine percent.
Developing consistency will be the key to Graham’s season-long success. He has been as advertised so far, but has been overshadowed by the drama surrounding the Browns’ other star rookies.
Many fans were shocked when the Philadelphia Eagles traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans for reserve offensive lineman Kenyon Green. It turns out that they were just making room for Andrew Mukuba.
Mukuba has started each of the Eagles’ first four games and has more than held his own on the back end. Mukuba has 19 tackles through the first month and has anchored a Philadelphia defense that allows the lowest completion percentage in the league.
While he has occasionally struggled in pass coverage, Mukuba has already been elite as a run stopper. Some scouts had concerns about his 186-pound frame coming out of college, but so far, the Texas alum has an elite 85.3 run defense grade...
