Last season, Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger became the first player drafted outside the first round to win Defensive Rookie of the Year since linebacker Shaquille Leonard did it in 2018. Over the past 20 years, that has only happened three times, with Texans coach DeMeco Ryans the other, having won it as a linebacker for Houston in 2006. As the 33rd pick, he was the first player selected in the second round. Initially, I brought this up to point out that it’s rare for a non-first-rounder to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, but now I’m reminded that off-ball linebackers like Schwesinger do occasionally win this award from the edge rushers—though Will Anderson Jr., Jared Verse, Chase Young and Nick Bosa have won it in the past seven years. Micah Parsons took the hardware in 2021, but he split time between edge rusher and off-ball linebacker. Perhaps Parsons’s former defensive coordinator in Dallas, Dan Quinn, can get similar rookie results from his latest hybrid player, Sonny Styles.While Styles, the Commanders’ first-round pick, will be ranked on my list of candidates with the best chance to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, maybe I’m making a mistake by not listing a player drafted outside the first round. Kayden McDonald, the No. 36 pick, could be the missing piece to elevate the Texans’ stout defense into an all-time great unit, but defensive tackles rarely win the award. (Aaron Donald last won it from the position in 2014.) There’s also defensive tackle Christen Miller, the Saints’ No. 42 selection. Miller could be a difference-maker against the run, but McDonald is capable of making more impactful plays in the backfield. Here are my five top picks to win Defensive Rookie of the year in 2026, all picked on the first night of the draft.5. Keldric Faulk, edge, Titans It was somewhat surprising that Faulk lasted until pick No. 31 because the coaches I spoke to in the lead-up to the draft were intrigued by his upside and enamored with his 6'6", 285-pound frame. One coach said he and Arvell Reese offered the most upside among the edge rushers in this year’s class. Perhaps the teams that passed on Faulk were concerned about his low sack totals in college, with only two last year and 10 total in his three years at Auburn. But it said plenty that coach Robert Saleh, one of the league’s best defensive minds, pushed the Titans to trade back into the first round to bet on Faulk’s upside. Also, edge rusher wasn’t a pressing need after Tennessee traded for Jermaine Johnson II and signed John Franklin-Myers. Don’t rule out the possibility of Saleh using Faulk on the interior of the defensive line. He has the size to rotate at multiple positions and will get to learn from Franklin-Myers, who has thrived as a versatile defensive lineman. 4. Caleb Downs, S, CowboysI might regret not having Downs as the No. 1 candidate on this list, but I do worry about the No. 11 pick being asked to do too much for one of the league’s worst secondaries last year. Nick Emmanwori’s versatility instantly worked in Seattle last year as a rookie, partly because he was able to play freely on a stacked unit and was used properly by defensive mastermind Mike Macdonald. With Downs, there are a few unknowns in Dallas, including how first-time defensive coordinator Christian Parker plans on improving the Cowboys’ new-look defense, which also gained a handful of edge rushers in the offseason, including veteran Rashan Gary and the team’s other first-round pick, No. 23 selection Malachi Lawrence.Still, it’s worth betting on the Downs-Parker partnership in 2026. The 34-year-old defensive play-caller spent the past few years working with defensive guru Vic Fangio, and Parker was the Eagles’ defensive backs coach during the sensational 2024 rookie seasons for cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. It helps that Downs is familiar with the Fangio scheme because Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia ran a variation of it last year. Downs will likely become the latest Swiss Army knife in the NFL as a versatile defensive back who can also play slot cornerback and occasionally rush the passer. However, if he’s more than just a one-man show in Dallas, he could see multiple accolades by the end of the 2026 season. The Chiefs traded up to make sure they got LSU’s Mansoor Delane. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images3. Mansoor Delane, CB, ChiefsIt’s hard to argue against Delane saying that the Chiefs made the best move in the draft by selecting him. After all, Kansas City operated quietly to ensure it nabbed the LSU product and relinquished picks, No. 9, 74 (third round) and 148 (fifth round), to Cleveland to get him at No. 6. The Chiefs’ going to those great lengths signified how they viewed Delane as the best cornerback in the 2026 draft. Now, he’ll get to work with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who has a reputation for maximizing the talents of his players, including recently departed cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.To start his career, Delane will be compared to McDuffie, who immediately signed a four-year, $124 million contract extension after he was traded to the Rams. But Delane and McDuffie appear to have different skill sets. McDuffie made his mark in Kansas City as a versatile playmaker who made an immediate impact playing on the inside. However, Delane has the size (6'0", 192 pounds) and speed (4.35 in the 40-yard dash) to be a Day 1 starter on the perimeter. It’s difficult for cornerbacks to win Defensive Rookie of the Year (Sauce Gardner, Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Peters are the only ones since 2000) because the great ones rarely see targets in their direction, getting fewer opportunities to add to their stats. But Delane has the ball skills to generate interceptions and draw extra attention for hardware consideration. He had eight interceptions and 27 passes defensed in his four collegiate seasons. 2. David Bailey, edge, JetsBailey flourished as a pass rusher after transferring to Texas Tech, amassing 14.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in 2025. He displayed polish as an edge rusher despite playing mostly as an off-ball linebacker during his three years at Stanford. If Bailey’s high floor shows instantly in the NFL, he could certainly produce 10-plus sacks in 2026, and generating double-digit sacks is a strong path toward claiming Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.However, Bailey is joining a defensive unit that struggled throughout coach Aaron Glenn’s first season in New York. He’ll also likely have plenty of attention from opposing coaches as the No. 2 pick in the draft, but Will McDonald IV could take some pressure off the rookie if he continues ascending in his fourth season. And there will be plenty of veteran leadership on the field to assist Bailey. The Jets had an active offseason with the additions of Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick and T’Vondre Sweat. 1. Sonny Styles, LB, CommandersStyles landed in an ideal situation by getting to work with Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who has a track record of getting the most from versatile linebackers.Quinn was instrumental in the careers of Micah Parsons, coaching him in Dallas from 2021 to ’23, and Bobby Wagner, working with him in Seattle from ’13 to ’14 before the two later reunited with the Commanders in ’24. Parsons won Defensive Rookie of the Year under Quinn’s watch, a fruitful partnership because Quinn knew how to best utilize Parsons’s vast skill set. With Wagner, Quinn allowed the future Hall of Famer to play freely as a traditional middle linebacker. For Styles, the No. 7 selection, he might begin the year as a middle linebacker, with Quinn possibly giving him a less-is-more playbook to start his career. Also, Washington should have more playmakers along its defensive front with the signings of edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if Quinn taps into Styles’s potential as a pass rusher, and he certainly has the size at 6'4" and 243 pounds. (He seemed bigger than that when I stood next to him while at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere.)Edge rushers do tend to get more love for Defensive Rookie of the Year, but just last year Schwesinger won the award as a sideline-to-sideline playmaker. After the show Styles put on at the scouting combine in February, he could be on the verge of being the latest hybrid star in the NFL. More NFL From Sports IllustratedAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow