Devin White Becomes Top-3 Contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Overtaking Josh Allen
- On average, Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Devin White is now the third-favorite to win the NFL DROY
- A cross-section of leading sportsbooks saw White’s average odds drop from +950 to +700
- BookMaker lists him as their +702 favorite to win the award
Devin White is moving up in the world, while Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams are headed in the opposite direction, at least as far as the 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year odds are concerned.
Taken from a cross-section of leading sportsbooks, White’s odds have gone from +900 to +700 over the past month-plus. At the same time, the chances of Nick Bosa (DE, 49ers) and Quinnen Williams (DE, Jets) winning the award have gone the other way.
One sportsbook (BookMaker) has even made White its outright favorite as of mid-June.
2019 NFL DROY Odds
| Player (Team) | 2019 NFL DROY Odds at BookMaker |
|---|---|
| Devin White (Buccaneers) | +702 |
| Nick Bosa (49ers) | +727 |
| Devin Bush (Steelers) | +750 |
| Quinnen Williams (Jets) | +782 |
| Josh Allen (Jaguars) | +1508 |
| Ed Oliver (Bills) | +1508 |
| Montez Sweat (Redskins) | +1508 |
| Brian Burns (Panthers) | +2014 |
| Clelin Ferrell (Raiders) | +2014 |
| Jahlani Tavai (Lions) | +2014 |
*Odds taken on 06/18/19. Follow the link in the table above for a complete list of all players.
On average, Bosa’s odds went from Bosa +440 to +560, while Williams also got longer, moving from +560 to +590. Josh Allen of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had been third overall in the odds and shortest among linebackers, is now slotted fourth at +1100.
White was selected fifth overall out of LSU by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2019 NFL Draft.
He’s White Hot
The first taste of White on the field for the Buccaneers was an instant success. On the second play of practice during Tampa Bay’s organized team activities, he intercepted a pass. On the first day of workouts, he was confidently calling the Buccaneers’ defensive signals.
That swagger, the inner belief that he’ll get it done, is partially what attracted the Buccaneers to the six-foot, 237-pound linebacker.
Bruce Arians on NFL LIVE on rookie LB Devin White, “Within a week, he’s running the defense. Guys are following him. He’s a natural.”
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 31, 2019
At LSU last season, White led the SEC with 132 tackles. He collected three sacks while recording 10 quarterback hits and six pass breakups. He was the winner of the Butkus Award, which goes to the NCAA’s best linebacker.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, White’s 40 time of 4.42 seconds was the fastest of any player at his position.
Potential To Dominate
Bosa is coming off a season at Ohio State that was halted early due to injury. A hamstring injury has limited his participation with the 49ers.
That makes him a real X-factor for San Francisco. Will he be able to step in and provide the 49ers with an elite edge rusher? Might his lost year end slow his transition to the NFL?
Nick Bosa is confident he’ll need just a couple of weeks of practice to get into the swing of things after a hamstring injury cost him most of the spring program. #49ers pic.twitter.com/hH9lP6ktRv
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) June 12, 2019
Williams, meanwhile, is with the Jets, a team that annually seems to teeter away from cohesion toward chaos within the first month of the NFL season. The last Jets NFL DROY was Hugh Douglas in 1995.
Anyone willing to put their money on anything to do with the Jets is either very brave or very foolish.
White Could Be Dynamite
Tampa Bay was 27th in the NFL in total defense last season. White will be given every chance to succeed, because really, what have the Bucs got to lose?
If you look at the linebackers who’ve earned the NFL DROY, including last year’s winner Darius Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts, they make an immediate impact.
Watching Georgia vs. LSU from last year and on the first three plays of the game LSU had Devin White blitz up the middle each down.
Folks,,,,
let me tell you what the #Bucs are gonna do with White this year…— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) May 28, 2019
They were all instant stars, difference makers who disrupted opposing offenses and made big plays. Think guys like Shawne Merriman, Brian Urlacher, Lawrence Taylor, Terrell Suggs and Derrick Thomas.
White looks like he can certainly be that type of linebacker. If you’re thinking about betting him for NFL DROY, act now.
His numbers are only going to drop even lower.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
