Chase Young No Longer Favored to Win NFL DROY, Patrick Queen Overtakes Him After Week 10
- Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen is the new favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young had been the favorite since odds were first posted in March
- Queen has made 61 tackles in nine games and Young has 3.5 sacks in seven games
For the first time since odds were initially posted in March, there is a new favorite to win 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Baltimore Ravens’ linebacker Patrick Queen is now the top choice in the latest NFL DROY odds.
Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young, who had been favored for nearly eight months, is now the second choice.
2020 NFL DROY Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Patrick Queen (Ravens) | +120 |
| Chase Young (Washington) | +140 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. (Buccaneers) | +490 |
| Jeremy Chinn (Panthers) | +490 |
| Julian Blackmon (Colts) | +710 |
| Jaylon Johnson (Bears) | +1100 |
Odds from Nov. 18
Young opened as a +325 favorite on March 27.
Queen’s odds were +1400 then but have progressively gotten better since the season began. By the start of Week 1, Queen was at +1000. That number improved to +275 by the beginning of November and is now +120.
Queen Better in Week 10
Queen surpassed Young following a strong performance on national TV in Week 10.
He had nine tackles, including five solos, though the Ravens lost on the road to the New England Patriots 23-17 as seven-point favorites on Sunday night. He also had one tackle for loss.
Yet it was not a perfect evening for Queen. He got caught out of position when wide receiver Jakobi Meyers threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Rex Burkhead that put the Patriots ahead for good 13-10 with 1:02 left in the first half.
Jakobi Meyers throws a dime to Rex Burkhead for a 24-yard TD. #Patriots pulling out the trickery tonight.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) November 16, 2020
Young also made a pivotal mistake in Washington’s 30-27 loss to the Lions in Detroit.
With the score tied 27-27 and Detroit with the ball on its 35-yard line with 12 seconds remaining, Young was penalized for roughing the passer on an incompletion by Matthew Stafford.
W/ 16-seconds to go, Chase Young w/ a roughing the passer & a quick Stafford pass gets Detroit into FG range #Lions 27 #WashingtonFootball 27 Q4 pic.twitter.com/f06E3vXFyV
— Sports ②④x⑦ (@B_R_R_D) November 15, 2020
That moved the ball to midfield. Stafford then completed a 9-yard pass to Marvin Jones, setting up Matt Prater’s 59-yard field goal as time expired.
Young recorded just two solo tackles in the loss. He was also held without a sack for the fourth time in his last five games.
Bouncing Back
Queen had a strong start to his rookie season.
The LSU product had at least eight tackles in each of his first five games, including 12 in a win at Washington in Week 4. In Week 5, he had two fumble recoveries, returning one 53 yards for a touchdown in a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
That certainly made an impression on NFL decision-makers.
Gave 31 execs ballots. Winners …
MVP: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.
OPOY: Vikings RB Dalvin Cook.
DPOY: Rams DL Aaron Donald.
OROY (tie): Bengals QB Joe Burrow; Chargers QB Justin Herbert.
DROY: Ravens LB Patrick Queen.
Coach (tie): Brian Flores, Miami; Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh. https://t.co/sDPzxeOEcb— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 15, 2020
Queen’s season then took a downturn as he had a combined eight tackles in the next three games.
However, he bounced back against the Patriots.
Overall, Queen has 61 tackles – 43 solos and five for loss – with two sacks, five quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.
Young Levels Off
Young also made an immediate splash, recording 1.5 sacks in his debut as Washington opened the season by upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.
Chase Young lived up to the hype in Week 1 pic.twitter.com/1jQDZzh4w2
— PFF (@PFF) September 14, 2020
The former Ohio State star added another sack in Week 2 in a road loss to the Arizona Cardinals. However, Young has had only one sack in his last five games.
Young strained a groin muscle in the Week 3 loss to the Browns in Cleveland. The injury caused him to miss one game.
Young has 22 tackles – 18 solos and five for loss – with 3.5 sacks, four QB hits and one forced fumble.
Grade Disparity
While Queen is now the favorite coming off a strong performance in Week 10, his becoming the top choice seems more the product of Young not following up on the good start to his rookie season.
Pro Football Focus’ grades are not necessarily a be-all and end-all to determining the better player. However, it is instructive to note that PFF grades Young at 73.4 and Queen at just 28.9.
That is a large disparity and gives the thought that Young is now the better value for DROY as the second choice.
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
