Kansas City Chiefs: Three bold predictions for defense in 2019
By Kole Berrey
Bold Prediction #2: Juan Thornhill wins Defensive Rookie of the Year
Remember how I said these predictions will snowball off of each other? Well if Chris Jones and company are consistently getting home and hitting the quarterback, the back end of the defense will have a much easier task of covering backs and receivers. This makes rookie Juan Thornhill a prime candidate to benefit statistically right away for a few different reasons.
First of all, the talent around Thornhill is legit. There may not be a better mentor for Thornhill than Tyrann Mathieu. Both players are converted cornerbacks and bring versatility to the safety position.
Mathieu is also going to be all over the field, and you can bet quarterbacks are going to want to avoid a roaming Honey Badger. This means Thornhill might get picked on, so to speak. That is where the opportunity to make plays will come in.
Opposing quarterbacks tend to test rookies early and often, until they establish themselves with quality play. This will result in Thornhill getting his hands on a few balls. Interception totals will be extremely valuable if Thornhill wants to throw his hat into the ring as a DROY candidate.
Another thing playing in the Juan and Only’s favor is that, like Chris Jones, he will have more opportunity with teams airing it out to keep pace with the Chiefs high octane offense. Thornhill also has the draft pedigree to stand out. Being a second round pick, his name is already well known. Maybe not as well known as many notable first round picks, but he is still on some people’s radar already.
Lastly, Thornhill has a great chance to get recognized by fans and analysts nationally. The Chiefs are a small market team, but there is arguably no bigger star in the NFL right now than quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This resulted in the Chiefs having five prime time games in the upcoming season.
If Thornhill is able to impress on these national stages and catch the eye of folks outside of Kansas City, he very well could be on his way to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.