While the Offensive Rookie of the Year market remained very predictable, we got an outlier in the Defensive Rookie of the Year market in 2025. Browns LB Carson Schwesinger became the first pick outside of the first round to win since Darius “Shaquille” Leonard back in 2018. Interestingly, even runner-up Nick Emmanwori went 35th overall, two spots behind Schwesinger.
Schwesinger also became the first true linebacker to win the award since Leonard, as pass rushers have had an inside track to winning DROY. That depends on your definition of “true” linebacker, as guys like Jared Verse and Will Anderson could be considered LBs, but they’d more likely be grouped as pass rushers.
A confluence of factors came together to make Schwesinger, who was lined around 30/1 as training camp was beginning, the winner. Top-five pick Abdul Carter struggled badly as a rookie and six defensive tackles were taken in the first round, limiting the types of players who usually wind up in contention. It was a weak draft on edge rushers and there were only three defensive backs selected, none higher than 20th, at least until the Jaguars seemingly converted No. 2 pick Travis Hunter to a full-time DB during the season.
Should we expect a 2026 surprise? The short answer is no. David Bailey, Arvell Reese, and Sonny Styles all have edge rusher profiles among top-10 picks and Mansoor Delane and Caleb Downs are with highly visible teams, with Downs just outside the top 10 at No. 11. That doesn’t even include first-round edge-type guys in Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor, Malachi Lawrence, and Keldrick Faulk. With 13 first-round defenders and only two interior defensive linemen, this year’s rookie class looks similar to what we’d expect in today’s NFL and one that will follow recent DROY trends instead of bucking them.
An outlier is definitely a possibility, but let’s look at the last 10 Defensive Rookie of the Year winners and attempt to get a baseline for the stats and the circumstances that are required to be in the running.
Defensive Rookie of the Year Winners
Players: Carson Schwesinger, Jared Verse, Will Anderson, Sauce Gardner, Micah Parsons, Chase Young, Nick Bosa, Shaquille Leonard, Marshon Lattimore, Joey Bosa
By Draft Position (Round.Pick): 2.33; 1.19; 1.3; 1.4; 1.12; 1.2; 1.2; 2.36 (Leonard); 1.11; 1.3
Eight of the last 10 winners have been top-20 picks in the draft. Despite nine such players in last year’s draft class, Schwesinger defied the odds. This season, there are seven top-20 picks and most of them play positions conducive to being in the running.
First-place votes (L5 years): 40 (Schwesinger); 36 (Verse); 16 (Anderson, runner-up Jalen Carter and third-place finisher Kobie Turner had 14); 46 (Gardner); 50 (Parsons)
We had another runaway in 2025, as Schwesinger racked up 40 of the 51 votes. Anderson’s win was clearly the most contested in the last several years and the closest since 2013 when Sheldon Richardson had 23 first-place votes to Kiko Alonso’s 19.
Also, team success isn’t necessarily a prerequisite, but seven of the 10 teams made the playoffs. Four of the last six have been on division champions. You have to make plays and make noteworthy plays for noteworthy teams more often than not.
Stats of the Winners
Carson Schwesinger (2025)
Schwesinger had 156 combined tackles, with 67 solo stops and 89 assists. He only had 2.5 sacks, but did have a couple of interceptions. When Leonard won in 2018, he had 111 solo tackles and 52 assists, leading the league with 163 combined tackles. Schwesinger was sixth in that department, as the top three tacklers were all former first-round picks.
Jared Verse (2024)
Verse had 66 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 18 QB Hits, and 4.5 sacks. He added a couple of fumble recoveries. He actually won the award running away with 36 of the 49 first-place votes, as Quinyon Mitchell was the only other player with more than one first-place vote.
Will Anderson (2023)
Anderson had 45 combined tackles, 22 QB hits, and seven sacks. He didn’t have any interceptions and had only one pass defended, hence the very small margin of victory. For reference, Carter had six sacks and Turner actually had nine.
Sauce Gardner (2022)
The Cincinnati product led the league with 20 pass breakups and also had a couple of interceptions. He had 75 combined tackles. Not only was he the DROY, but he was also a Pro Bowler and even finished eighth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Micah Parsons (2021)
Parsons racked up 13 sacks and 84 combined tackles in his rookie year, which set him on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He has finished in the top three for Defensive Player of the Year four times in five seasons.
Chase Young (2020)
Young played 15 games for the Washington Football Team with 7.5 sacks, 44 tackles, 10 TFL, and a touchdown on a fumble recovery. He very comfortably won the award with only three others getting votes, none of whom had more than three sacks.
Nick Bosa (2019)
Bosa had nine sacks, 47 tackles, 25 QB hits, and 16 TFL during his DROY season. He also had an interception and a couple of pass breakups. Even though both Maxx Crosby and Josh Allen had more sacks, Bosa still won the award comfortably. He would go on to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.
Darius Leonard (2018)
Now going by Shaquille, Leonard led the NFL with 163 tackles in 2018. He also had seven sacks, picked off two passes, had four fumble recoveries, and broke up eight passes. It was truly an incredible season full of stat-filling for Leonard. Amazingly, though, he only got 29 first-place votes, as Derwin James had 20.
Marshon Lattimore (2017)
The Texans swept the OROY/DROY board in 2023, but the Saints did it back in 2017 with Lattimore and Kamara. Lattimore only played 13 games, but had 18 pass breakups and five interceptions. His 18 PD are one off of his career record set in 2021, but his five INT are still a career best. He easily won the award over Tre’Davious White, who has had quite the NFL career himself.
Joey Bosa (2016)
The third overall pick had 10.5 sacks and 41 tackles over just 12 games in his rookie campaign. Bosa was tied for 13th in sacks overall and did not really have a challenger for the award. He got 37 first-place votes. Jalen Ramsey (10) and Deion Jones (3) were the others to get a nod.
What does this mean for 2026? Pass rushers and defensive backs are absolutely the places to look, despite Schwesinger’s surprising season. History would also suggest that the higher the draft pick, the better that player’s chances of living up to the hype and potential as a rookie.
