Turf Show Times
How have Defensive Rookie of the Years fared in the last decade?
The year after Aaron Donald retired, and a decade after Donald won Defensive Rookie of the Year, Rams edge rusher Jared Verse won the same award with the same team. How high should expectations be for Verse going into year two and the rest of his career?
Here are the previous 10 DROY winners:
Hall of Famer who is in the conversation as the greatest defensive player of all-time. Donald’s QB hits went from 13 as a rookie to 37 in year two and he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, losing to J.J. Watt.
Traded to the Rams in 2018, Peters spent a season and a half playing on the same defense as Donald. After intercepting eight passes as a rookie, Peters continued to be one of the league’s greatest ballhawks by intercepting 19 more more passes over the next four seasons, including 5 with the Rams in 22 games.
But Peters also allowed a lot of yards and touchdowns and despite making All-Pro twice by the time he was 26, Peters saw his career nosedive by 27.
There were some questions about Bosa going into the 2016 draft, but the Chargers scoffed at the skeptics and picked him third overall. Bosa rewarded the team with 10.5 sacks as a rookie and 17 tackles for a loss in only 12 games. He increased his sack total to 12.5 in year two, but the first signs of trouble happened in 2018 and then after three straight Pro Bowls (2019-2021), Bosa became known more for injuries than production.
He’s now playing for the Bills in 2025, Bosa’s first season without the Chargers.
The second straight Ohio State alum to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, Lattimore intercepted five passes as a rookie with the Saints. In his second season, Lattimore added four forced fumbles, including three recoveries.
Lattimore was in an elite class of corners until 2021, when he was still only 25, but he has fallen off in the past three years. Lattimore has only played in 26 games in the last three years and was traded to Washington last season. The Commanders are banking on a return to form, but Lattimore wasn’t very good for them in the playoffs, allowing 10 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown in three games.
I would have assumed that of all the positions on defense, the one that could sustain his success for the longest would be an off-ball linebacker like Leonard. As a rookie, the second round pick was absolutely dominant:
