Nick Bosa was the first defensive player selected, and defenses won't have the chance to key on him given the presence of DeForest Buckner and Dee Ford along the San Francisco 49ers' defensive line. The New York Jets' Quinnen Williams was considered by many to be the best overall prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft. It would be shocking if Ed Oliver didn't produce for the Buffalo Bills, and Devin White and Devin Bush are bound to put up big numbers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.
It wouldn't surprise anybody if one of those first-year players won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. But just because top-10 picks with impressive college resumés are the favorites for postseason hardware doesn't mean other rookie defenders have no chance, either. Among lesser-known players expected to make an impact this season? Dallas Mavericks defensive tackle Trysten Hill, who NFL.com's Lance Zeirlein listed as a “dark horse” for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Strong, explosive and quick, Hill possesses key penetration ingredients and happens to be playing for Rod Marinelli, a chef who knows how to whip those ingredients into disruptive dishes. Hill ended up in the doghouse in his final season at UCF, but the second-round pick's talent leaped off the tape, and his outstanding performance at the NFLScouting Combine provides reason to believe that he may belong in this group.
Hill was the No. 58 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. A three-year starter at the University of Central Florida, he had 36 tackles, 10 and-a-half tackles for loss, and three sacks as a junior, all career-highs.
Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli seems to have taken special interest in Hill during the offseason, having him watch film of all-time defensive tackles like Warren Sapp and John Randle.
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