NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year Odds 2025: Best Bets

Betting into the awards and futures market early in the season is a tricky proposition because you'll need to wait until January or February for your bets to be graded. Still, this is a good time to pick off some mispriced early lines. The bets I've made in this market so far are of the longshot variety, and while the prices have moved in my favor, I think they're still worth considering if you haven't been in the weeds on the incoming rookie defensive class over the past few months.

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Last 10 NFL DROY Winners

• 2024 Jared Verse, EDGE (Rams)
• 2023 Will Anderson Jr., EDGE (Texans)
• 2022 Sauce Gardner, CB (Jets)
• 2021 Micah Parsons, EDGE (Cowboys)
• 2020 Chase Young, EDGE (Commanders)
• 2019 Nick Bosa, EDGE (49ers)
• 2018 Shaquille Leonard, LB (Colts)
• 2017 Marshon Lattimore, CB (Saints)
• 2016 Joey Bosa, EDGE (Chargers)
• 2015 Marcus Peters, CB (Ravens)

Noteworthy Defensive Rookie Of The Year Trends

• This award has been dominated by first-round picks, with former Colts linebacker Shaq (Darius) Leonard the only non-first-round selection in the past 18 seasons.
• Over that same time frame, only Leonard (36th in 2018), Marcus Peters (18th in 2015), and Jared Verse (19th in 2024) were drafted outside of the top 15.
• Leonard is also the only linebacker to win the award since 2013.
• Six of the past nine winners were EDGE rushers.
• No safety has won this award since Mark Carrier back in 1990.

NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year: 2025 Best Bets

James Pearce Jr. - EDGE, Atlanta Falcons (18/1)

This year's EDGE rusher class is heavy in hybrid linebackers who've mixed it up from time to time as an off-ball linebacker or visa versa, but James Pearce Jr. is a pure EDGE through and through, and a damn good one at that. He has room to grow as an edge-setter against the run, but when it comes to pressuring the opposing quarterback, he might be the best in this class, especially in 2025.

His early-down workload may be limited as he develops his run-defense chops, but this is a defensive group that's desperate for someone who can pressure the quarterback. The Falcons, who have ranked among the bottom five in sacks and pressure rate for nearly a decade, haven't had a player post double-digit sacks since 2016. It's also worth noting that Atlanta gave up next year's first-round pick to move back into the first round to select Pearce Jr., which should be considered a positive for his chances of getting on the field early and often in 2025. He's a better straight-up look than his teammate, Jalon Walker, who's going off the board between 7 and 10/1.

Mykel Williams - EDGE, San Francisco 49ers (14/1)

The futures markets are heavily pro-49ers, mostly due to the return of injured players and a historically soft schedule. Mykel Williams, unlike a lot of the other EDGE rushers in this class, has a true three-down skill set, which increases the likelihood that he's on the field early and often for a San Francisco defense that desperately needs to balance the defensive line opposite of Nick Bosa.

The front office and coaching staff mentioned that they value his ability to set a firm edge in run defense (78.4 PFF grade in 2024) and appreciate his toughness, having played through a Week 1 Grade-2 high-ankle sprain that impacted his 2024 box scores. Williams earned All-American honors as a Freshman on Georgia's 2022 national title team, a two-time All-SEC selection, posting 14 career sacks and showcasing disruptive ability off the edge against elite SEC competition as an 18-year-old. This is the type of profile that you bet on.

Carson Schwesinger - Linebacker, Cleveland Browns (50/1)

I shared this one with our 4for4Bets subscribers right after this market opened, and while it's been bet down from the 60s to 50/1, I think it's still a strong look. It's a bit of an outlier in terms of the trends listed above, but there is the Shaq Leonard precedent, not only as a linebacker but also as a second-round pick, which is what we're leaning on.

Cleveland used the first pick of the second round on the UCLA linebacker, who's well-positioned to make an immediate splash with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (PUP list) out and veterans such as Jordan Hicks and Jerome Baker declining. What I like most about Schwesinger is his three-down profile, which is rare for first-year off-ball linebackers. He has great speed and instincts, which led to impressive tackle numbers at UCLA, but he's also shown pass-rush ability (five sacks) and coverage skills (11 pass breakups and two interceptions), which should help him stay on the field.

Other names to consider: Jadahe Barron (Broncos) 22/1, Nic Scourton (Panthers) 60/1, and Chris Paul Jr. (Rams) 100/1