Predicting all the NFL awards for the 2019/20 season

Defensive Rookie of the Year:

1. Ed Oliver

2. Devin Bush

3. Brian Burns

Just outside: Quinnen Williams and Nick Bosa

I think Buffalo will have one of the elite defenses in football this season and this rookie will stand out, Oliver was my number four overall prospect back in April because of his ridiculous quickness, power, and explosiveness for a guy his size. He will be a terror for opposing teams as that 3-technique among a talented young front-seven and disrupt plays constantly. Last week I mentioned him among my preseason standouts despite not even recording a single solo tackle through three games. While I somewhat count on the voters here to actually watch the games and measure his all-around impact, I could see Oliver put up double-digit TFLs and six to eight sacks as well.

NFL writers like to give this trophy to linebackers with high tackle numbers and I think Bush will easily surpass 100 take-downs. Watching Bush run around the field like a maniac at Michigan and now for the Steelers in the preseason, this guy should be in on the action on pretty much every single snap. In an AFC North that is all of a sudden loaded with talented backs and speed around the field, Pittsburgh has brought in one of the most dynamic LB prospects in recent years. Bush should not only chase ball-carriers around the field, but also make a few impact plays on passes and rack up a few sacks due to his closing speed as a blitzer and how the Steelers have always utilized their inside backers in those packages.

Burns was one of my favorite players in this draft due to his natural flexibility and speed to win like a true edge rusher. He already showed out in the preseason with four sacks and I think his skill-set to go with some of the improved power he’s shown will make him one of the more dangerous young pass-rushers in the league quickly. Combine that with a D-line that includes Kawann Short, Gerald McCoy, Mario Addison, and others and I can see Burns collect double-digit sacks his rookie campaign, with a couple of strips among them.

The next two guys up are the two obvious picks, as they were the top two defensive players drafted. Quinnen Williams was my number one overall prospect and he already flashed the ability to dominate 320+ pounders. Nick Bosa, on the other hand, did not make the cut, because he is already banged up and could miss a few games. However, if he is at 100 percent with all those other additions in the front-seven, he could easily be the top rookie pass rusher.