NFL Rookie of the Year Odds: Emeka Egbuka, Ashton Jeanty Highlight ROY Favorites

With Week 5 in the rearview mirror, the Rookie of the Year picture has come further into focus.

Trevor Knapp - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Trevor Knapp • Betting Analyst
Oct 7, 2025 • 15:03 ET • 4 min read
Emeka Egbuka Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL
Photo By - Imagn Images. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) runs for a touchdown.

The top prospects from the 2025 NFL Draft have hit the ground running, with the race for NFL Rookie of the Year underway.

Emeka Egbuka (+105) leads the Offensive ROY odds after racking up five touchdowns in as many games, while Abdul Carter (+170) remains the favorite on the defensive side.

Let's take a look at NFL betting odds for Offensive ROY and Defensive ROY heading into Week 6.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds

Player Position FanDuel
Patriots Emeka Egbuka WR +250
Raiders Ashton Jeanty RB +380
Giants Jaxson Dart QB +700
Panthers Tetairoa McMillan WR +900
Giants Tyler Warren TE +1100
Browns Quinshon Judkins RB +1300
Titans Cam Ward QB +2200
Browns Dillon Gabriel QB +2500
Commanders Jacory Croskey-Merritt RB +2700
Patriots TreVeyon Henderson RB +3500

Odds as of 10-7-2025.

Here is a look at the opening NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds.

Ashton Jeanty opened as the betting favorite to win the prestigious award when these futures prices were posted just prior to the NFL Draft.

  • Ashton Jeanty (+250)
  • Cam Ward (+400)
  • Travis Hunter (+700)
  • Shedeur Sanders (+800)
  • Tetairoa McMillan (+1200)
  • Omarion Hampton (+1200)
  • Matthew Golden (+1500)
  • Tyler Warren (+2000)
  • Kaleb Johnson (+2000)
  • Quinshon Judkins (+2000)
  • Emeka Egbuka (+2000)
  • Jaxton Dart (+2000)
  • TreVeyon Henderson (+2500)
  • Quinn Ewers (+3000)
  • Luther Burden (+3000)
  • Colston Loveland (+3000)
  • Elijah Arroyo (+4000)

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year betting splits

Highest ticket percentage:
•    Emeka Egbuka 9.5%

Highest handle percentage:
•    Omarion Hampton 13.2%

Biggest liabilities:
•    Omarion Hampton

All data courtesy of BetMGM.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds

Player Position FanDuel
Giants Abdul Carter DE +170
Eagles Jihaad Campbell LB +270
Browns Carson Schwesinger LB +550
Eagles Andrew Mukuba S +1900
49ers Mykel Williams DE +2500
Cowboys Donovan Ezeiruaku DE +2700
Falcons Jalon Walker LB +2700
Falcons James Pearce LB +3000
Ravens Mike Green DE +3000
Ravens Malaki Starks S +3000

Odds as of 10-7-2025.

Here is a look at opening NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds.

Abdul Carter opened as the betting favorite to win the prestigious award.

  • Abdul Carter (+240)
  • Jalon Walker (+550)
  • Mason Graham (+750)
  • Mykel Williams (+900)
  • Travis Hunter (+1000)
  • Shemar Stewart (+1200)
  • Donovan Ezeiruaku (+1700)
  • Mike Green (+1900)
  • Jihaad Campbell (+2000)
  • James Pearce Jr. (+2200)
  • Walter Nolen (+2300)
  • Malarki Starks (+2300)
  • Will Johnson (+2300)
  • Jahdae Barron (+2700)
  • JT Tuimoloau (+2800)
  • Nick Emmanowori (+4000)

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year betting splits

Highest ticket percentage:
•    Abdul Carter 17.7%

Highest handle percentage:
•    Abdul Carter 17.7%

Biggest liabilities:
•    Carson Schwesinger

All data courtesy of BetMGM.


Popular NFL futures markets


• Of the last 21 winners of the NFL OROY Award, 18 were drafted in the first round.

• While quarterback is an extremely difficult position to excel at as a rookie, 11 of the last 21 OROY winners played the position, including four QBs that were selected first overall in the draft.

• Running backs have won four of the last 11 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards. However, in recent years when top rookie RBs have gone head-to-head against top QBs for OROY honors, they've often come out on the losing end. Ezekiel Elliott led the NFL in rushing in 2016 but lost the OROY to his teammate Dak Prescott, while Kyler Murray took home the hardware over Josh Jacobs in 2019.

• No offensive lineman has ever won the award despite recent linemen like Joe Thomas, Matt Kalil, Jack Conklin, Ryan Ramczyk, and Quenton Nelson all making the Pro Bowl in their first year.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year history

Year NFL OROY Award Winner Position Drafted
2024 Jayden Daniels QB 1/2
2023 C.J. Stroud QB 1/2
2022 Garrett Wilson WR 1/10
2021 Ja'Marr Chase WR 1/5
2020 Justin Herbert QB 1/6
2019 Kyler Murray QB 1/1
2018 Saquon Barkey RB 1/2
2017 Alvin Kamara RB 3/67
2016 Dak Prescott QB 4/135
2015 Todd Gurley RB 1/10
2014 Odell Beckham Jr. WR 1/12
2013 Eddie Lacy RB 2/61
2012 Robert Griffin III QB 1/2
2011 Cam Newton QB 1/1
2010 Sam Bradford QB 1/1
2009 Percy Harvin WR 1/22
2008 Matt Ryan QB 1/1
2007 Adrian Peterson RB 1/7
2006 Vince Young QB 1/3
2005 Cadillac Williams RB 1/5
2004 Ben Roethlisberger QB 1/11

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winners by position

Position OROY winners
Running back 40
Quarterback 12
Wide Receiver 1
End 4
Tight end 1

Bears legend Mike Ditka became the first — and so far only — tight end to win Offensive Rookie of the Year when he received the honor in 1961.

NFL Defensive ROY betting trends

• Of the last 35 winners of the NFL DROY Award, an incredible 32 were drafted in the first round. Of the three winners that weren't first-rounders (DeMeco Ryans, Kendrell Bell, and Darius Leonard), all were still selected within the Top-40 picks.

• Eight of the last 19 DROY winners played linebacker. Two others (Von Miller and Shawne Merriman) were listed at LB but would count as edge players in modern NFL defensive schemes. That said, that number is heavily inflated by four straight DROY-winning linebackers from 2006 to 2009. Over the last 11 years, only three LBs have taken home the award. 

• Four of the last nine DROY winners played college ball for Ohio State. Three of those (the Bosa brothers and Chase Young) were edge rushers. 

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year history

A quick look at the NFL DROY winners since 2004, the position they played, and where they were drafted.

Year NFL DROY Award Winner Position Drafted
2024 Jared Verse LB 1/19
2023 Will Anderson Jr.  DE 1/3
2022 Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner CB 1/4
2021  Micah Parsons LB 1/12
2020 Chase Young EDGE 1/2
2019 Nick Bosa EDGE 1/2
2018 Darius Leonard LB 2/36
2017 Marshon Lattimore CB 1/11
2016 Joey Bosa EDGE 1/3
2015 Marcus Peters CB 1/18
2014 Aaron Donald DL 1/13
2013 Sheldon Richardson DL 1/13
2012 Luke Keuchly LB 1/9
2011 Von Miller EDGE 1/2
2010 Ndamukong Suh DL 1/2
2009 Brian Cushing LB 1/15
2008 Jerod Mayo LB 1/10
2007 Patrick Willis LB 1/11
2006 DeMeco Ryans LB 2/33
2005 Shawne Merriman EDGE 1/12
2004 Jonathan Vilma LB 1/12

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners by position

Position DROY winners
Linebacker 28
Defensive end 13
Cornerback 10
Defensive tackle 7
Safety 2

A safety hasn’t won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in over 20 years, dating back to when Mark Carrier (1990) and Erik McMillan (1988) won the award twice over a three-year span.

NFL Rookie of the Year FAQ

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Trevor Knapp - Covers
Betting Analyst

Trevor joined the Covers content team as a publishing editor in early 2022. Growing up in Vancouver, he studied Broadcast and Online Journalism at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), and interned with TSN and Sportsnet Radio while also writing for the Daily Hive.

An avid bettor of the MLB, NFL, and CFL, Trevor advises his fellow sports bettors to leave their hearts at the door and not hesitate to fade their favorite team. It's a strategy he follows regularly as an apathetic Indianapolis Colts and Toronto Blue Jays fan.

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