In a year in which defenses have been torched by high-flying offenses, the league has seen an influx of rookie defenders who aim to lead the charge in reversing that trend. The 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year race is a hot one. There isn’t one rookie who is running away with this award; there are several playing at a high level. I’ve narrowed down my list to three players: Denver’s Bradley Chubb, the Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin James and Indianapolis’ Darius Leonard. My selections take each player’s production and overall skill set into account. Production obviously is a metric of how impactful a player is, and watching the film to understand the player’s skill set is telling of whether his production is fluky or sustainable.



Bradley Chubb



Games: 14



Tackles: 51



Tackles for loss: 13



Sacks: 12



QB Hits: 20



Forced Fumbles: 2



Fumbles Recovered:...