Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 reasons why Devin White will win DROY

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 23: Darius Leonard #53 of the Indianapolis Colts in action during the game against the New York Giants in the second quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

History is on his side

Middle linebackers get tackles, and a ton of tackles catch the eye of voters as evidenced by the trophy case of past Defensive Rookie of the Year award winners, such as Shawne Merriman, DeMeco Ryans, and Patrick Willis. In fact, linebackers have most prevalently won the award in recent history.

Over the past 15 NFL seasons, eight Defensive Rookie of the Year award winners have been middle linebackers, as recently as last year when the Indianapolis Colts’ Darius Leonard took home the hardware. In this span mentioned, other winners include Luke Kuechly in 2012, and a six year run of award winning linebackers from 2004-2009, starting with Jonathan Vilma and ending with Brian Cushing.

Last season, Leonard recorded a massive 11 solo tackles and 163 total tackles, leading the league in both categories, as the Colts’ defensive front struggled to hold their own against the run; he also recorded 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and two interceptions. Could White be in for a similar year with the pewter and red in Tampa Bay?

Voters are quite eager to give the award to a linebacker who has stuffed the statsheet, and White has the skill set against the run and the pass to do just that. As previously mentioned, White is set up well to post gaudy numbers for the Buccaneers in 2019, and if he does it would automatically launch him near the top of the list given the history of the award.

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