NFL: Predicting this season’s award winners
By Brad Rowland
Defensive Player of the Year
Gerald McCoy, DT Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Defensive tackle has never been a “glamour” position in the NFL, with the possible exception of the apex from both Warren Sapp and John Randle, but Gerald McCoy is doing everything he can to change that. At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, McCoy is the complete package as a 4-3 defensive tackle, combining explosive pass rushing ability with the skill set to plug gaps against the run.
Pro Football Focus ranked McCoy as easily the best defensive tackle in the league last season, and his 80 quarterback pressures tell a lot of the story. To be honest, McCoy should have garnered a lot more attention in the Defensive Player of the Year category a year ago, but with J.J. Watt and Robert Quinn exploding statistically, he had to take a back seat. That all ends this season.
McCoy’s preseason performance (granted, it is preseason) had pundits talking about legendary totals in some of the advanced metrics, but to simplify things, he is the best player on a defense that could be making a leap this season, and the stage is set for the entire NFL world to recognize Gerald McCoy’s talent.
Runner-up: J.J. Watt, DL Houston Texans