theScore's NFL Awards Roundtable: Defensive Player of the Year

The NFL Awards will be handed out on Jan. 31, but theScore's NFL Editors are making a case for the players whom they feel deserve to take home the hardware this season. 

theScore's NFL Awards
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Most Valuable Player
Coach of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year

J.J. Watt, DE, Texans
78 tackles, 119 QB pressures, 20.5 sacks

Watt is so far ahead of his peers it's scary. He led all 3-4 defensive ends in snaps for both rushing and passing situations. Not only that, but Watt's 119 quarterback pressures were 55 more than the next closest defensive end. If anyone else gets this award, it's truly an injustice. - Michael Amato

Justin Houston's incredible season makes this much closer than it should be, but there was no defensive player more dominant than Watt this year. This will be Watt's second time winning the Defensive Player of the Year award, and he should challenge Lawrence Taylor's record of three before long. Still only 25 years old, the scary thing is that he just may keep getting better. - Dan Wilkins

Forget Defensive Player of the Year - Watt was the player of the year, period. He became the first player in NFL history to record multiple 20-sack campaigns and was the first with three offensive and two defensive touchdowns in a single season. It's scary to think how good Watt would be as a full-time tight end. - Caitlyn Holroyd

Watt had the most impressive defensive season since Lawrence Taylor's 1986 campaign. Defensive ends in 3-4 schemes aren't supposed to put up the superlative numbers Watt did, and he did it all while facing consistent double teams. Had the Texans made the playoffs, Watt likely would have been named the MVP as well. Extrapolating his 57 career sacks over eight more seasons, Watt is well on his way to challenging the all-time sack record. - Arun Srinivasan

Duh. - David P. Woods