After the NFL Draft, the pro football community is trying to take stock of the new draft class and the rookies who are in a good position to make a significant impact on both sides of the ball. Let\u2019s examine some of the more high-profile defensive rookies who are entering the National Football League this year. Which one will become the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for 2021?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys: +400<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The speed and physicality of Parsons are hard to question. He certainly has a lot of measurables which enabled him to become a top-15 pick. A question mark surrounding Parsons is that he opted out of the 2020 college football season due to the pandemic. Some NFL teams viewed that as a negative when considering him as a prospect. Not playing football for a year and being out of the loop meant that Parsons was not able to accumulate as much game tape as other prospects who were able to make a much bigger and more favorable impression in the realm of film study. Parsons could be the real deal in Dallas, but his pro career does not feel like a slam-dunk, can\u2019t-miss success. This could really go either way. Keep in mind that Dallas has switched defensive coordinators this season, with Dan Quinn replacing Mike Nolan. A lot of variables exist in Dallas, though one thing which will help Parsons is that he plays in the low-octane NFC East, where the offenses are not especially strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaelan Phillips, Miami Dolphins: +700<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dolphins have a good, fast defense, and Jaelan Phillips should fit right in. He has high-end speed for a defensive lineman. He is so fast, in fact, that he could possibly play some linebacker and become a highly versatile chess piece for head coach Brian Flores. Phillips is entering a good situation in Miami and could use that fact to have a breakout rookie season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kwity Paye, Indianapolis Colts: +1000<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Michigan product had a medical scare in the pre-draft process. Chemicals found in his blood led to some worries about his heart condition and overall cardiovascular wellness, but it was discovered that COVID-19 antibodies were in his blood, a finding which enabled NFL and Colts doctors to fully clear him for all football activities. Assuming Paye is fully healthy, the Colts are a great landing spot for him. Indianapolis has a strong front seven which should give Paye the ability to avoid double-teams a good portion of the time. At this price, he represents good value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos: +1000<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Broncos face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs twice per season. If Surtain is to make a real run at Defensive Rookie of the Year, he has to be at his best against the Chiefs. That is a lot to ask of an NFL rookie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zaven Collins, Arizona Cardinals: +1100<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The linebacker out of Tulsa is a hulk who can run and cover ground very easily. Arizona got a great player here, and Collins\u2019 nose for the ball \u2013 not just his speed and his NFL-ready body \u2013 make him a great pick. The Arizona defense improved as the 2020 season continued. If Collins helps the Cardinals reach the playoffs, he will get a long look as Defensive Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After the NFL Draft, the pro football community is trying to take stock of the new draft class and the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":17271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17262"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17272,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17262\/revisions\/17272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}