The 2009 draft class saw a large quantity of talented players with impact portential selected early and often. Household names such as Aaron Curry, B.J. Raji, Malcolm Jenkins, and Brian Cushing were off the board after the first 15 selections. While these players are sure to make an immediate impact for their respective ball clubs, it is a second round pick that I believe will make the biggest impact this season. Louis Delmas, the first pick of the second round taken by the Detroit Lions, is my pick for defensive rookie of the year. Considered a second or third round prospect at safety coming out of Western Michigan, some considered Delmas a reach at 33. However if you turn on college game film, he plays with great speed, instincts, and aggression. Undersized at 6’0” and only 195 pounds, he appears and plays strikingly similar to Indianapolis Colts all-pro safety Bob Sanders. Delmas stands out more than any player on the field when you watch him play, as his unique ability to be a force in both run and pass defense makes him extremely valuable. Detroit’s defense has been an absolute disgrace for several years, giving up a league high 404 yards of total offense per game. Delmas can come in on day one and instantly make this defense substantially better. Detroit is also in dire need of a middle linebacker, and with Rey Maualuga on the board at 33 it looked like a done deal. However, the Lions brass saw enough in Delmas to take him over Maualuga.

People tend to forget how dismal the Colts defense was before the arrival of Bob Sanders and the team’s performance when he was injured and missed a majority of the 2006 and 2008 seasons. Sanders’ mere presence energizes the Indianapolis Colts defense and forces opponents to scheme around him. Now I am not saying Delmas is Bob Sanders or will have a career as established as Sanders’ career, but I think he has a chance to be in that same ballpark. I see Detroit’s defense climbing up into the top 15 within the next 2 years, in large part because of their new missile in the secondary.

Robert Ourisman