Team:
San Francisco 49ers |
Position: DE

Look deeper than Bosa’s three sacks, a
misleading way to measure defensive disruption. The draft’s No. 2 overall pick stole the show on national TV
in Week 5, almost single-handedly shutting down
Baker Mayfield‘s aerial attack with five QB hits, a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — numbers no San Francisco defender has matched in a single game since 2000, according to NFL Research. A high-pedigree
49ers defensive line, which disappointed in previous seasons, is suddenly terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, ranking second in pressure rate (34.7), third in sack percentage (10.0) and fourth in pass-rush separation (4.64 yards), per Next Gen Stats, despite blitzing less frequently than other top-tier defenses. Bosa leads the way, pressuring opposing passers at a
higher rate than any player in the NFL through six weeks.

Team:
Carolina Panthers |
Position: DE/OLB

Bosa isn’t the only rookie edge rusher making an early impact. He and
Bears All-Pro
Khalil Mack are the
only players with a higher pressure rate than Burns, who is also among the league leaders in QB hits (11) for a reinvigorated
Panthers unit that ranks first in sacks (27) and third in
Football Outsiders’ pass defense metrics. A prototypical edge rusher with rare length and an explosive first step, Burns has been a big-play machine, easing Ron Rivera’s transition to a hybrid 3-4 scheme in Carolina.

Team:
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Position: LB

Hyped as a Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite after a standout training camp, Bush struggled out of the gates, especially in pass coverage. Over the past month, though, he’s been as advertised, showing an uncanny nose for the football with four fumbles recovered, a pair of interceptions and a touchdown en route to Week 6 Defensive Player of the Week honors. He leads all rookies in tackles (52) as well as Pro Football Focus’ defensive stops metric (19) for a swarming
Steelers defense that seems to increase in intensity with each passing week.

Team:
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Position: DE/OLB

To complete the rookie pass-rusher triad, Allen ranks
sixth in pressure rate, joining teammate
Yannick Ngakoue and behemoth former Pro Bowler John Henderson as the only players in franchise history to record four sacks in their first six career games. Judging from the early results, the
Raiders may rue the decision to opt for
Clelin Ferrell over Allen with the draft’s No. 4 pick. Ferrell owns one of the league’s lowest pressure rates to date.

Team:
Green Bay Packers |
Position: S

While the decline phase of
Earl Thomas‘ lustrous career is playing out in a leaky
Ravens secondary, there is a faint reminder of his once-distinctive closing speed, ball skills and bone-jarring physicality in Green Bay. Savage and impressive second-year cornerback
Jaire Alexander have transformed the back end of a
Packers defense that ranks fifth in Football Outsiders’ pass defense metrics after finishing a dismal 28th in 2018.

Team:
New York Giants |
Position: DT

The
Giants have found their replacement for Damon “Snacks” Harrison in the 342-pound Lawrence, who has
laid waste to the notion that he might be just a two-down run stuffer in the NFL. The former Clemson standout has been borderline immovable versus double teams and a handful for interior linemen to stop in one-on-one showdowns — as evidenced by
this show of force, which veteran
Vikings guard
Josh Kline will want to bury in the film room.

Team:
Washington Redskins |
Position: LB

A stud against the run, the surprising fifth-round pick ranks second only to Bush in tackles (44) among rookies. Even more impressive, Minnesota’s
Eric Kendricks and Seattle’s
Bobby Wagner are the only inside linebackers with a higher stop percentage in the run game, per Pro Football Focus. That said, he should probably give way to the rangier
Shaun Dion Hamilton in passing situations, an area in which Holcomb needs work.

Team:
Indianapolis Colts |
Position: S

While second-round cornerback
Rock Ya-Sin has been stingy in man-to-man coverage, he’s struggled in coordinator Matt Eberflus’ frequent zone looks. Fourth-round safety Willis, on the other hand, has been a revelation as a stand-in for injured starters
Malik Hooker and
Clayton Geathers. The former Michigan State star
caught NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger’s eye in the
Colts‘ upset victory
over the Chiefs, logging playing time in the box, at free safety, along the defensive line, in the slot and even out wide. It shouldn’t be long before the versatile rookie overtakes Geathers for the full-time job alongside Hooker.

Team:
Los Angeles Rams |
Position: S

The
Rams believe Rapp has the potential to become the
Cooper Kupp of their defense, one of the premier slot weapons in football with an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time. Now that starting safety
John Johnson III has been placed on injured reserve, it’s a safe bet the second-round pick will see more playing time — even if he
doesn’t start — alongside
Eric Weddle at the back end of a retooled secondary headlined by recent acquisition
Jalen Ramsey.

Team:
Denver Broncos |
Position: OLB

Just when it seemed that all hope was lost with
Bradley Chubb‘s
ACL injury in yet another
last-second loss, Denver’s defense hit its stride with the undrafted duo of
Malik Reed and Alexander Johnson joining the starting linebacker corps. Reed notched his first career sack in that heartbreaking Week 4 loss to the
Jaguars, tallied two QB hits and five hurries versus the
Chargers in
Week 5 and teamed with
Von Miller to collapse the pocket in the
Week 6 whitewash of the
Titans. Keep an eye on No. 59 Reed and No. 45 Johnson when
Patrick Mahomes comes to town for “Thursday Night Football.”