The NFL Draft is in the rearview mirrors and teams now have a much better idea of how they are going to be in the 2022 regular season. Some teams nailed the NFL Draft on the defensive side of the football. Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award last season and it really wasn’t even close.
This year it could be a much tighter race, but we will see how it goes. There are betting guides out for the 2022 NFL regular season. Who are some of the favorites to potentially win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2022?
Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions
Aidan Hutchinson was the number two overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He is going to be the main favorite to win the award this year. Hutchinson is going to produce right away in the NFL. He played college football at the University of Michigan and is not leaving his home state of Michigan either.
This is a home run pick for head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes. The odds are not on the BETUS website for some reason, but he will probably be in the +350 or +400 range to win this award.
Aidan Hutchinson has a chance to record 12 sacks during his rookie season. He had 16.5 sacks last season. The Jacksonville Jaguars will regret this big time by passing on him for Travon Walker though.
Sauce Gardner, New York Jets
Sauce Gardner was the fourth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the New York Jets out of Cincinnati. He was so dominant in college that even Nick Saban and Alabama did not target this man. This is how special Gardner can potentially be in the NFL.
He is a big-time shutdown corner. Sauce Gardner did not give up a touchdown last year at the collegiate level. New York’s defense was not well last season and it will be drastically improved this year because of him.
Head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglass hit a home run with this draft pick. We will see how it goes here. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner had three interceptions last season and he will make quarterbacks pay big time.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants
Kayvon Thibodeaux was the fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the New York Giants out of Oregon. He was an edge rusher in college and New York desperately needed to draft a pass rusher. Thibodeaux will have very high odds to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award this year.
It is possible that he can make an impact right away and get double-teamed. He is a very hard worker and general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll did a very good job here. Thibodeaux has always produced in college, and he recorded 12 sacks last season.
He is going to be a beast during his rookie season in the NFL. The question will be what kind of stats will Kayvon Thibodeaux put up though? We will wait and see what happens here.
Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
Kyle Hamilton was the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens out of Notre Dame. This is potentially one of the biggest steals in the 2022 NFL Draft. He is a top-five talent in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Hamilton can play anywhere and every on the football field. He can blitz, rack up tackles, and cover players in coverage. This is a potential home run pick for this franchise because general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh know how to draft really well year in and year out.
It is very rare for safeties to win this award at the NFL level, but hey you never know. Hamilton did record 34 tackles last season and did have three interceptions though. He can be even better next year. Kyle Hamilton is going to make noise in 2022 and will be heard throughout the league in a hurry here.
