Latest news with #DefensiveRookieoftheYearAward
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
49ers EDGE draws massive respect in exec, coach, scout positional rankings for 2025
The San Francisco 49ers have a ton of talented players on their roster, but defensive end Nick Bosa may be the best that they send out each week. Bosa, 27, played collegiately at Ohio Sate from 2016-18, winning Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and earning All-Big Ten and All-American honors in 2017. The 49ers took him in the first round (No. 2 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft, and since then he's racked up five Pro Bowls, one All-Pro selection, a Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Defensive Player of the Year Award. He's also totaled 261 tackles (87 for a loss), 165 quarterback hits, 62.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, nine passes defensed, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions. On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler released the results of his annual EDGE rankings with votes from NFL executives, coaches and scouts. In that poll, Bosa was ranked as the fifth-best EDGE in the league. "His leverage, explosiveness, power and polished rush arsenal are unmatched," an NFL personnel director said. "He has the same rush moves as [brother] Joey Bosa but with better play strength to win in a variety of ways." Ahead of Bosa in these rankings are Cleveland's Myles Garrett, Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt, Dallas' Micah Parsons and Las Vegas' Maxx Crosby while Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson, Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson, Houston's Will Anderson, Houston's Danielle Hunter and Los Angeles' Jared Verse round out the top 10. Bosa was ranked fourth in the league heading into 2024, but he missed three games last season and finished with his fewest quarterback hits and sacks since 2020 when he played in just two games due to a torn ACL. The 49ers are going to need Bosa to be the best version of himself if they want to succeed in 2025, and if he can accomplish that feat, he could move back up in these rankings ahead of the 2026 NFL season. More 49ers: 49ers named best landing spot for 2-time Pro Bowl wide receiver in trade
USA Today
29-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cooper DeJean's exceptional athletic ability is becoming harder to overlook.
Okay, serious question. Is there anything that Cooper DeJean can't do? When the 2024 NFL Draft rolled around, and we began tossing around ideas about possible cornerback options, most thought Quinyon Mitchell would be long gone before the Philadelphia Eagles were on the clock in Round 1. What a surprise! He was still available at 22. Perhaps, sometimes, it's better to be fortunate than prepared. Cooper DeJean appeared to be a more realistic option for the first round, but there was some discussion about trading back to avoid 'reaching' in Round 1. No one expected him to still be available when the Eagles made their selection in Round 2. Fortunate fell on the prepared again. Howie Roseman traded up and got his guy. Fortune had again fallen on the well-prepared. DeJean and Mitchell were both finalists for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. It was given to a friend of the Eagles' organization, Jared Verse, of the Los Angeles Rams. Philadelphia's future at cornerback looks bright thanks to these two. They are technicians who play like polished veterans five years their senior. We seemingly learn something else about Cooper DeJean's athleticism every few months. Okay, let's take some inventory. We've seen Cooper DeJean bury Derrick Henry with one of the most sound tackles of the Eagles' 2024-25 season. He picked off Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl and returned it for six points. That one doubles as the first interception by an Eagles player on football's biggest stage. More importantly, he helped the Eagles blow the game open en route to an exhilarating and lopsided victory. DeJean can dunk. We learned that by watching some social media clips, we saw him throw down an alley-oop pass from Saquon Barkley. He was one of the attendees at the Fourth Annual DeVonta Smith Celebrity Softball All-Star game at Coca-Cola Park, and he's the event's home-run king after snatching the crown from last year's champion, former teammate Isaiah Rodgers. Who knew? Then again, maybe we should have. There seemingly isn't anything that he can't do athletically. Keep this in mind as we near 'Red October'. If the Phillies need another bat, we may have found one.
USA Today
31-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jihaad Campbell lands behind Eagles rival in early ranking of DROY candidates
Jihaad Campbell lands behind Eagles rival in early ranking of DROY candidates Jihaad Campbell lands behind an Eagles' rival in an early ranking of early DROY favorites. If you're a Philadelphia Eagles rival, you're probably hoping that Howie Roseman's luck will run out and, at some point, things will stop breaking his way. If you're a Birds fan, you're probably hoping that never happens. You have to love what you've been seeing, especially recently. Whether it's the trade that brought A.J. Brown to town (or one that shipped Bryce Huff elsewhere), the Eagles' GM seems to be made of magic. Howie seems to have mastered the salary cap and the NFL Draft. He navigates both like he invented them. Let's discuss the past three offseasons. First, he landed Jalen Carter as a ninth-overall selection. No one said much because we were aware of the circumstances. The winning streak continued. Somehow, in that same draft, he also landed Nolan Smith in Round 1. Fast forward to 2024. It seemed impossible that Philadelphia would have a shot at acquiring Quinyon Mitchell because they were picking so late in Round 1. They landed him with the 22nd-overall selection. Then, they also added Cooper DeJean. Wait! How did they get both guys? And, while we're on the subject, how did the Eagles wind up with Jihaad Campbell this past April at 31? Some projected him as a top-15 selection. The answers are simple. Howie is a genius. Sometimes, teams get lucky. Fortune falls on the well-prepared. Jihaad Campbell named among five Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates. If there's one knock on Campbell, it's the injury history. There are discussions about past shoulder and knee injuries. He underwent labrum surgery this past March, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that's what wound up influencing his Round 1 slide. No one seems to be worried, though. Philadelphia is home to one of the league's best medical teams. If they're willing to give Campbell a passing grade, there is seemingly no need to argue, so the focus can be shifted to how much he'll be asked to do as a rookie and how high he can soar. Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano recently stacked five candidates for the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Campbell ranks second, right behind a rival on the New York Giants' roster, edge rusher Abdul Carter. Here's some of the explanation: "It bodes well that one of the most successful GMs of the past decade did everything he could to ensure Campbell landed in Philadelphia. Strangely, some teams don't value off-ball linebackers as high as other positions, but that ended up being a benefit for GM Howie Roseman, who only needed to trade up one spot after surprisingly seeing Campbell still available at No. 31." Here's more: "Roseman reportedly had multiple failed attempts to go up higher to nab the versatile playmaker from Alabama. Campbell could have a dominant rookie season playing for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, while lining up next to first-team All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun and behind dominant defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Teams might be kicking themselves for allowing Campbell to fall to the defending Super Bowl champions." Two things are interesting. One, Malaki Starks, someone the Birds' fans hoped would land, wasn't on this list. James Pearce Jr. (Atlanta Falcons), Nick Emmanwori (Seattle Seahawks), and Will Johnson (Arizona Cardinals) round out the top five. Another interesting fact is unrelated to the ranking. It's more about Carter landing with the hated Giants. Carter is from Philly. He grew up an Eagles fan and attended Penn State. Sadly, he's now the enemy. Oh well... Maybe the G-Men hold on to Joe Schoen. Maybe he screws everything up when Carter becomes eligible for free agency. That way, he can come to Philadelphia and terrorize Big Blue a la James Bradberry (in 2022), Saquon Barkley, and, hopefully, Azeez Ojulari.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025
The San Francisco 49ers have been at their best, in recent years, when they have a dominant pass rush, and in 2024, they recorded sacks on just 6.69% of opposing quarterback dropbacks, ranking 18th in the NFL last year. This offseason, San Francisco made some moves to their defensive front, including watching Leonard Floyd (8.5 sacks in 2024) and Dre Greenlaw (120 tackles in 2023 before injury) sign with the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos, respectively, while allowing De'Vondre Campbell, Khalil Davis, Drake Jackson and Alex Barrett to remain unsigned over two months into the start of the new league year. Advertisement The 49ers made just one veteran addition to their front, signing Luke Gifford, who played 19.2% of the defensive snaps for the Tennessee Titans last season. San Francisco's biggest swing at improving their pass-rush in recent months came in the 2025 NFL draft when they used their first-round pick (No. 11 overall) on Mykel Williams. Now, ESPN's Ben Solak has predicted Williams will take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2025. "Mykel Williams will win Defensive Rookie of the Year," Solak wrote. "If the 49ers unleash him as a pass rusher in a way that Georgia never did -- and if his left ankle is healthy -- he has a great pass-rush profile for early success. He'll also rarely see double teams opposite Nick Bosa. A 10-plus-sack season is well within the cards." Williams, 20, was a five-star recruit out of Hardaway High School in Columbus, Georgia, prior to joining the Georgia Bulldogs. Over the last three years, he won a national championship and earned second-team All-SEC honors twice while recording 67 tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 40 games. Advertisement There's a chance that Williams steps into the role on the other side of Bosa and finishes with more sacks than he did in any single season at Georgia (five sacks in 2024 was his career-high). If he does that, he'll have a chance to run away with this award that gone to a pass rusher in five of the last six years (Sauce Gardner winning in 2022 is the lone exception). More 49ers: 49ers rookie draws mixed reviews from college coaches This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers Mykel Williams projected to win Defensive Rookie of the Year
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025
NFL analyst projects 49ers edge rusher to win major NFL award in 2025 The San Francisco 49ers have been at their best, in recent years, when they have a dominant pass rush, and in 2024, they recorded sacks on just 6.69% of opposing quarterback dropbacks, ranking 18th in the NFL last year. This offseason, San Francisco made some moves to their defensive front, including watching Leonard Floyd (8.5 sacks in 2024) and Dre Greenlaw (120 tackles in 2023 before injury) sign with the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos, respectively, while allowing De'Vondre Campbell, Khalil Davis, Drake Jackson and Alex Barrett to remain unsigned over two months into the start of the new league year. The 49ers made just one veteran addition to their front, signing Luke Gifford, who played 19.2% of the defensive snaps for the Tennessee Titans last season. San Francisco's biggest swing at improving their pass-rush in recent months came in the 2025 NFL draft when they used their first-round pick (No. 11 overall) on Mykel Williams. Now, ESPN's Ben Solak has predicted Williams will take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2025. "Mykel Williams will win Defensive Rookie of the Year," Solak wrote. "If the 49ers unleash him as a pass rusher in a way that Georgia never did -- and if his left ankle is healthy -- he has a great pass-rush profile for early success. He'll also rarely see double teams opposite Nick Bosa. A 10-plus-sack season is well within the cards." Williams, 20, was a five-star recruit out of Hardaway High School in Columbus, Georgia, prior to joining the Georgia Bulldogs. Over the last three years, he won a national championship and earned second-team All-SEC honors twice while recording 67 tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 40 games. There's a chance that Williams steps into the role on the other side of Bosa and finishes with more sacks than he did in any single season at Georgia (five sacks in 2024 was his career-high). If he does that, he'll have a chance to run away with this award that gone to a pass rusher in five of the last six years (Sauce Gardner winning in 2022 is the lone exception). More 49ers: 49ers rookie draws mixed reviews from college coaches
