Sep 7, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd defensive lineman Mike Green (15) celebrates after sacking Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) during the first quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Ravens Pass Rusher Receives DROY Prediction

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Despite their wealth of defensive talent over the years, the Baltimore Ravens have only seen one player win Defensive Rookie of the Year: edge rusher Terrell Suggs in 2003. Not even linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed, arguably the best ever at their respective positions, managed to take home the award, even though they both had strong debuts in their own right.

That might change this year, though, as the Ravens have not one, but two Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates.

The obvious one is first-round safety Malaki Starks, who gets the privilege of starting next to superstar Kyle Hamilton in a stacked secondary. However, there's also second-round edge rusher Mike Green, who led the country with 17 sacks last season at Marshall and likely would've been a first-round pick if not for off-field issues.

He's expected to have a big debut season in Baltimore, though, with CBS Sports' John Breech pegging him to win Defensive Rookie of the Year as a bold prediction.

"Last year, I correctly predicted that Jared Verse would win defensive rookie of the year, and this year, I'm jumping on the Mike Green bandwagon," Breech wrote. "A front seven player has won this award in seven of the past nine years and Green will keep that trend going.

"The easiest way for a defensive player to win this award is to rack up sacks and Green is in the perfect division to do it. He gets to face Aaron Rodgers, who has been sacked more than any other QB in NFL history. He gets to face Joe Burrow, who took the fourth-most sacks in the NFL last year. And he gets to face a 40-year-old Joe Flacco, who might be the least mobile QB in NFL history. Also, the two most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL last season were Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud, and the Ravens will face both of them. Basically, this is the a perfect storm for Green to possibly win this award."

Getting significant playing time will be crucial for Green to have any chance at winning the award. Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh have the starting edge rusher roles on lock, which leaves Green as the third option at best. However, he's still more than capable of making an impact in the role.

Another obstacle in his way is his draft status, as only two players drafted outside the first round have won Defensive Rookie of the Year in the past 20 years (DeMeco Ryans in 2006 and Shaquille Leonard in 2018), so that's a major hurdle to overcome.

Will he overcome those hurdles? Only time will tell.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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