hey guys Dave serson back from rlad scouting I am here to give you our pre-season ourlads all rookie team on the defensive side of the ball we already did the offense now we're on to the other side of the ball the roster will be 11 players deep we're going to go in a nickel defense with five defensive backs and just two linebackers these preseason projections are not a simple hey who was picked first let's put them on on the preseason all rookie team it really based on fit situation scheme and in some cases even the schedule so without any further delay let's get right into it we're going to start off with the edge Defenders latu latu from the Indianapolis Colts latu left the first round of the 2024 NFL draft with some history to his name at number 15 overall he was the first defensive player taken that was the latest we've ever seen the first Defender taken off the board by a landslide latu was a credible top 10 talent but the medical red flags and a historic run on quarterbacks pushed him into the Colts pocket the lombardian Hendrick's Awards winner graded out as the most successful pass rusher in the nation last year and he is going to a team that was 29th in the NFL in pressure rate on Third and long Lau finish as my top graded Edge Defender and I saw in limited preseason action what he did in college this dude is ready for the big time the other Edge Defender we're going to go with here is chop Robinson from the Miami Dolphins with the injury concerns and recent retirement of sha Barrett Robinson is going to get on the field plenty in year one one of the most explosive athletes in the entire class all positions Robinson was the best quick pressure Edge Defender I graded over the last five years because he won't need to be an every down player and because I expect the Miami offense to create a lot of early leads as they finish second in the NFL in both Total scoring and first half points he is going going to be able to pin his ears back with fresh legs often moving on to the interior defensive tackle Michael Hall from the Cleveland Browns the seventh defensive tackle enters the best situation of all the rookies at the position the Cleveland defense that is headed up by defensive coordinator Jim Schwarz was historically dominant in 2023 but they have margin to make up as a pass rush unit most notably inside four of their top five pressure totals were Edge players last year enter Hall one of the two interior players nationally that had a pressure rate over 10% in both 2022 and 2023 with the legal issues likely behind him Hall Jr is set up to wreck havoc right away in a system that is made for him the other defensive tackle is Braden Fisk from the Los Angeles Rams last season we saw not one but two Rams Defenders up front wind up on the final ourlads all rookie team one of which was a defensive tackle day two taken day two Kobe Turner I project the same thing to happen here with Fisk a player that Rams aggressively traded up for according to the draft pick value charts general manager lesne moving up 13 spots in the second round and using a 2025 second rounder as currency was the biggest overpay of the draft that is how bad they wanted this kid as the team prepares for Life After Aaron Donald who retired this past off season Fisk is going to get a ton of playing time in a system that has proven to get a lot of production out of the rookies up front next up is the linebacker Junior Coulson from the Los Angeles Chargers the linebacker room in Los Angeles is essentially a three-man show without clear-cut starters with the familiarity of head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter who are also coming from the national Champion Michigan Wolverines Coulson the second linebacker taken this past ring is going to be a huge part of their run defense both of their 2023 starters Kenneth Murray and Eric Kendricks left in free agency opening up over 1900 snaps on defense to be frank just as it was in 2023 there are not many rookies at this position projected to see a ton of playing time Coulson will get the most guaranteed time and their schedule of opposing offenses is among the easiest in the NFL moving to cornerback Max Melton from the Arizona Cardinals four of the five biggest defensive D additions in free agency for the Cardinals were added to the defensive side of the ball and then two of their first three picks were added to the defensive side of the ball Melton was that second pick and he is now penciled in as a starting corner for a team that was ranked 30th in the league in net yards per pass attempt in 2023 one of the draws to Melton as a prospect was the ability to play both outside and in the slot defensive coordinator Nick RIS struggled to find the answer outside last season as the three leading snap Getters on the outside allowed 142. eight 139.26 [Music] is Kamari Lasser from the Houston Texans one of the biggest question marks on the Texans defense will be the response to a much tougher schedule of opposing quarterbacks here in 2024 compared to what helped them Reach the postseason in 2023 Lasser who was coveted by multiple teams on day two of the draft has been drawing the praise of coaches weekly known for his physical brand and competitive nature that fit in exactly with what dco Ryan is steing this team believes in him with star Corner Derek Singley able to lock up a side of the field expect to see Lasser and his lack of pure top speed be protected over the top magnifying his strength and skill sets underneath moving over to safety we have Tyler nubin from the New York Giants the biggest loss of the Giants off season on the def defensive side of the ball was safety Xavier McKinna who signed a massive deal with Green Bay in the same breath the biggest gain of the Giants off season on the defensive side of the ball was Defensive Ator shanee Bowen they allowed the third third most points in the NFL in the All or Nothing wink marale scheme last year in Tennessee the Bowen scheme helped create an allpro in Kevin Bard in a Bend but don't break coverage screen that funnel a lot of the action to the middle of the field nuben who set the Minnesota program record with 13 career interceptions was a favorite of Bowens and labeled a day one starter before they even drafted him on HBO's Hard Knocks the other safy spot is going to go to Jaden Hicks from the Kansas City Chiefs the Chiefs have proven to show no hesitation in playing rookies and the defensive backfield in 2022 Jaylen Watson led the corners with 750 snaps Trent McDuffy played over 530 snaps Joshua Williams played four over 480 snaps and Brian cook a safety played over 240 snaps last year in 2023 fourth rounder chamari Connor played over 200 snaps half of those coming late in the year and in the postseason simply put Steve spagnulo shows no hesitation in playing young guys in the secondary and scheming around it Hicks a fourth round pick Turn heads in preseason with his versatility and playmaking ability the final defensive back spot goes to terion Arnold from the Detroit Lions the first defensive pack taken in the 2024 draft Arnold is heading to a credible Super Bowl Contender that was woefully bad in the second der last year according to Sharp football the 74% of the yards gained against the Lions were through the air that was the highest rate in the NFL we saw former Alabama nickel Brian Branch earn a spot on the 2023 ourlads all rookie team and Arnold is likely to follow the same exact path he can play outside nickel and even safety in some looks betting on early impact from Alabama defensive backs taken in the first three rounds is always safe here are the last six defensive backs taken from the program in the first two rounds Brian Branch Patrick Caine Xavier McKinny Trayvon Diggs Minka Fitzpatrick Marlin Humphrey follow the trends that does it for the 2024 preseason ourlads all rookie team be sure to check back weekly as we will be posting articles and videos for every week's all rookie team from around the league thanks guys you need to chill