DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ODDS

Early futures picks for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award show the level of talent entering the league.

Last year’s winner, Sauce Gardner, opened at

+1000 to win DROY. We recommended that pick and hope you enjoyed the 10-to-1 payout. There is another cornerback at +1000 odds to open the season, and a cornerback has taken home the award three times in the past 10 years, but oddsmakers have four edge defenders among the favorites.

Let’s take a closer look.

Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. was the favorite exiting the draft at +350. The Houston Texans traded up to nab Anderson with the third overall pick, indicating that new head coach DeMeco Ryans sees an immediate need for the star edge rusher out of Alabama. Houston’s defense can only get better. Anderson, who racked up 207 pressures in three years at Alabama, will be in a position to make an instant impact for the Texans.

Jalen Carter (+800) went to the Eagles at No. 9, despite a few red flags. It’s those red flags that could earn you some value here at 8-to-1 odds. If the

Eagles are correct and Carter’s issues are behind him, the Georgia defensive tackle who racked up 32 total pressures from 273 pass-rushing snaps for Georgia in 2022 could be a difference-maker for an Eagles team that is the favorite to win the NFC East.

Also coming in at +800 is Raiders edge rusher Tyree Wilson, the seventh pick in Round 1. The Texas Tech product will get to chase around fellow Red Raider alum Patrick Mahomes twice a year.

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (+1000) fell to the Patriots at pick 17 despite being the top cornerback on many boards. Lukas Van Ness (+1200) will be the new edge defender for the Packers and was selected at pick 13. Emmanuel Forbes (+1400) joins the Commanders after a three-year career at Mississippi State with 14 interceptions (including an FBS-record six pick-6s) and 34 pass breakups. Nolan Smith (+1600) was the 30th pick to the Eagles and could be undersized as an edge defender in the NFL (he’ll also have to compete with teammate Carter for the award).