Javon Kinlaw among favorites to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, says NFL writer

Defensive end Nick Bosa was presented with the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in February after an impressive first NFL season. Well, his dad accepted it in his honor since Bosa was preparing to play in Super Bowl LIV the next day.

Could the San Francisco 49ers boast back-to-back NFL Defensive Rookies of the Year? Chris Trapasso certainly thinks so.

The CBS Sports writer put together a list of his top 10 candidates to be named the most valuable defensive rookie during the 2020 season. Sitting at No. 5 is 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.

"Kinlaw was my top interior defensive line prospect in this class, yes, ahead of Derrick Brown," writes Trapasso. "The main reason for that? Pass-rush capability. Kinlaw and Brown are almost identically sized, but Kinlaw was simply a much more effective pass rusher in college. Per PFF, in 2019, the South Carolina star had [an] 18.1% pass-rush win rate, second in the 2020 class among interior defensive linemen. Brown's was 13.7%."

No NFL team has had players win the NFL Defensive Rookies of the Year award in back-to-back seasons.

Kinlaw racked up 10 sacks in his final two years with the Gamecocks while adding 65 tackles, 15 for a loss, seven passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries during those seasons. He earned first-team Associated Press All-America and first-team All-SEC honors after his senior campaign.

"Playing alongside four other first-round picks on the defensive line, Kinlaw is in a fantastic position to eat as a rookie," adds Trapasso.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen is Trapasso's favorite to win the award. Click here to view his full list.

H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.