The most popular picks to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year are a pair of Jacksonville Jaguars, Myles Jack and Jalen Ramsey. Of course they both come into this season with the credentials, but the award is wide open this year.
Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves for Defensive Rookie of the Year
The two most talented players are Joey Bosa of the San Diego Chargers and Reggie Ragland of the Buffalo Bills. Who knows what to expect from Bosa after his holdout and Ragland tore his ACL.
One rookie that could surprise is cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III from the Florida Gators. Picked 11th in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he one of the most coveted defensive players available this year.
Hargreaves had a consistent career at Florida with 10 career interceptions and 27 passes defended. Moreover, he played 12 games in each of his three seasons in Gainsville. Used as the team’s top choice, he played against the elite the SEC had to offer.
Hargreaves is smooth and he displayed it with two interceptions in the preseason.
The Buccaneers were fortunate to have one of the premier cornerbacks of his time in future Hall of Famer Ronde Barber until 2012. They also had Darrelle Revis for one year in 2013. But in the season since, the best cornerback has been Alterraun Verner. Verner played 16 games last year, but he started only six. He also alternated between cornerback and linebacker.
Tampa needs a steady playmaker in the secondary. Hargreaves should certainly add an element of stability at the position, if not some flare as well.
Schedule Dictates Necessity
The team has brought in an experienced defensive back in Brent Grimes, who’s been a Pro Bowler with the Atlanta Falcons and three times with the Miami Dolphins.
The Bucs are in a division that requires a reliable cornerback. The best example is week one against the Falcons and receiver Julio Jones. All the attention has to be paid to Jones, who is tall and may be the best route runner in the NFL. Tampa fans can look forward to playing Jones and company twice this year.
New Orleans Saints is also on the docket twice. The Saints are all about offense with Drew Brees at the helm. Brees is regularly a lock to pass for 4,500 to 5,000 yards a season and now he has a new young receiver in Brandin Cooks. Hargreaves will be busy, but he’ll also have many chances to grab an interception or deflect a pass.
Cam Newton has his favorite wide receiver back in Kelvin Benjamin and he showed it against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Newton will continue to throw to Benjamin and Hargreaves will have many opportunities to show well against the Carolina Panthers.
The Buccaneers play a multi-faceted passing attack in week two in the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have the deepest receiving corps in the NFL with Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown and J.J. Nelson, and a quality receiving back in David Johnson. Hargreaves will certainly cover one of those speedsters.
The Broncos in week four come to Tampa with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Hargreaves could cover one of those heavily used receivers who’ll have a young quarterback under center in Trevor Siemian and/or Paxton Lynch.
The Oakland Raiders visit Tampa in week eight. They bring another pair of quality receivers who are young and better than they were last year in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Derek Carr will throw to them often, and Hargreaves will certainly draw one of the two.
Hargreaves should continue to get better and may become the number one cornerback as the season progresses. And by week 10 he could be experienced enough that he covers the Chicago Bears‘ top receiver Alshon Jeffery.
The much-improved Russell Wilson has a new favorite receiver in Doug Baldwin and may develop another in the speedy Tyler Lockett. They play the Buccaneers in week 12.
The Buccaneers play the Dallas Cowboys in week 15 and they have weapons like Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Ezekiel Elliott. The rookie will need to be at his best, especially if draws Dez Bryant with any regularity.
Rookie of the year or not, he should provide the Bucs with many years of tight coverage.
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