NFL All-Rookie Team 2019: Listing the most deserving players

Defense

Defensive ends: Josh Allen (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers)

When it comes to my guys on the edge, the statistics fell in line pretty well with my selections, as Allen and Bosa finished first (10.5) and third (9) respectively among rookies in terms of sacks, but especially in the case of the 49ers standout, those numbers don’t nearly tell the full story. According to Pro Football Focus, Bosa’s 80 total pressures on the year were 14 more than any edge rusher has put up since they started recording the stat in 2006 while being highly disruptive against the run and adding a 46-yard interception. Allen, on the other hand, was highly impressive due to the productivity he amassed despite playing on a front with Calais Campbell and Jannick Ngakoue.

Defensive tackles: 3-tech - Ed Oliver (Buffalo Bills) and 1-tech - Dexter Lawrence (New York Giants)

On the interior, there is not as much clarity simply based on numbers, but nobody really came close to who I picked in the end. At the more penetrating 3-tech spot I went with the guy I had right behind Bosa and Allen as my fourth-highest ranked prospect. Oliver might have played right at or below 50 percent of the snaps in half the games, but those became more impactful down the stretch and he became a problem for offensive lines, collecting four of five sacks over the second half of the year. And then I went with Lawrence as my shade nose, logging over 700 snaps and doing his best work as a run-stuffer for the Giants.

Linebackers: SAM - Brian Burns (Carolina Panthers), MIKE - Devin Bush (Pittsburgh Steelers) and WILL - Dre Greenlaw (San Francisco 49ers)

At the linebacker level, I started with a primary edge defender in Brian Burns playing SAM. He might not be a perfect fit if you ask him to stand up and take on more responsibility in coverage, but he was too good to ignore. His combination of burst and bend makes him a dangerous pass-rusher and he has shown the ability to take on tasks in the flats.

Moving into the middle, I went with one of the early favorites to earn Defensive Rookie of the Year honors with the young Steelers backer. Bush led all rookies and his team in tackles while taking the ball away from opposing offenses six times and scoring a touchdown off one fumble recovery.

The third spot here goes to more of an under-the-radar guy, who is starting to get the recognition he deserves with his team representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. Greenlaw averaged just under 30 percent of the snaps on defense before Kwon Alexander tore his pec, but over those final eight weeks, he wasn’t on the field for just 16 snaps altogether, averaging nine tackles per week and making several crucial plays in the passing game.

Cornerbacks: Sean Murphy-Bunting (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Byron Murphy (Arizona Cardinals)

On the outside, I couldn’t really find those two no-doubt studs like we had in 2017 with Marshon Lattimore and Tre’Davious White or 2018 with Denzel Ward and Jaire Alexander. It took a while for Murphy-Bunting to really get on the field, but he logged less than 90 percent of the defensive snaps just twice over the final nine weeks. On the season, he intercepted three passes, including a 70-yard pick-six against Detroit, and added eight more PBUs, as the Bucs used his talent on the outside as well as in the slot down the stretch.

My second choice came from a secondary that finished 31st in yards allowed through the air, but their rookie hung in there tough. Murphy missed just 28 out of 1133 snaps for the Cardinals D and definitely had some learning experience with the heavy target share he faced, but his 7.7 yards allowed per target was actually significantly better than his running mate, as he broke up ten passes and picked off another one.

Safeties: FS Juan Thornhill (Kansas City Chiefs) and SS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (New Orleans Saints)

At the safety spots, I went with two guys, who were rated pretty close together as prospects but somehow had over 40 players drafted between each other. Thornhill was selected at the end of the second round by the Chiefs to pair up with free agent acquisition Tyrann Mathieu. While it took quite a while for the KC defense to get to the level they were capable of, their secondary under Steve Spagnuolo really started to create problems for opposing quarterback with several different looks and Thornhill excelled in deep coverage before tearing his ACL in week 17.

Next to him, there’s Gardner-Johnson, who actually spent the majority of his time in the slot, but is a good match here. Not only did he allow just 0.79 yards per snap in coverage from that alignment, he also added 11 QB pressures on four times as many pass-rush opportunities.

Defensive back: Darnell Savage, Green Bay Packers

And as my extra defensive back, I went with a Packers first-rounder. Savage did not miss a single snap in 12 of the 14 games he played in and he consistently gave this group energy with the way he was flying all over the field. The rook recorded two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and five QB pressures.

Notable backups

EDGE - Maxx Crosby (Raiders)

DL - Christian Wilkins (Dolphins)

LB - Mack Wilson (Browns)

CB - Rock Ya-Sin (Colts)

S - Taylor Rapp (Rams)

After logging slightly over 100 snaps over the first four weeks and collecting just two sacks over the first half of the season, Crosby caught fire over the second half, averaging a sack per game and forcing four fumbles on the year. Wilkins provided excellent versatility for Miami. While he mainly 3-tech, he also fared very well as a base 3-4 DE and became a blue-chip player for the Dolphin’s rebuild.

Wilson was one of the biggest preseason standouts with his rangy play and two INTs. After Christian Kirksey went down in week two, Wilson took over full-time at WILL, playing almost 90 percent of the snaps on defense and making eight total plays on the ball in the pass game.

Ya-Sin started 13 games and continually started to improve after a rocky beginning, allowing a passer rating of just 67.7 from week 10 on with some sticky coverage.

After running in the 4.7s at his pro day, Rapp’s draft status took a hit and he lasted until the end of the second round. The Rams found a way to put him on the field despite having Eric Weddle and John Johnson, who would be lost for the final ten games eventually. Overall the rookie played about three quarters of the defensive snaps, where he made two picks and was a very dependable tackler in space.

Another young player who I thought had some bright moments was rookie defensive back Rashad Fenton for the Chiefs, but he only played about 15 percent of the team’s snaps.