NFL Rookie of the Year Odds 2022: Gang Green Leading the Way

With the Super Bowl matchup now set, finalists for Rookie of the Year have New York Jets' rookies headlining both the Offensive and Defensive odds board. Find out more as the NFL playoffs approach Super Bowl weekend.

(Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect the announcement of the finalists. The market is currently OTB, odds below are accurate as of December 21, 2022, and subject to change.)

Odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year

Player	Team	Position	OROY Odds
Garrett Wilson	New York Jets	WR	OTB
Brock Purdy	San Francisco 49ers	QB	OTB
Kenneth Walker II	Seattle Seahawks	RB	OTB

Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of December 21, 2022. 

Offensive ROY favorites

Garrett Wilson (-290)

New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson led rookie wideouts in receiving yards with 1,103, providing an elite option for a rotating cast of quarterbacks in 2022-23.

The Ohio State product recorded his best game in Week 14 against Minnesota, totaling eight receptions for 162 yards. 

Brock Purdy (+750)

2022's Mr. Irrelevant stepped in and did a phenomenal job of replacing Jimmy Garoppolo, as the San Francisco 49ers finished the regular season a perfect 5-0 with Brock Purdy as their starting QB.

Purdy appeared in nine total games, boasting a passer rating of 107.3 and a TD/INT ratio of 13/4. 

Kenneth Walker III (+800)

When Rashaad Penny's season was cut short due to a fractured tibia in Week 5, rookie RB Kenneth Walker III was named the starter for the Seattle Seahawks.

Walker will remind you of DeMarco Murray with his running style at times, and he broke out against the Chargers back in Week 7, racking up 168 rushing yards on 23 carries.

The former Michigan State star finished with 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

Odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year

Player	Team	Position	DROY Odds
Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner	New York Jets	CB	OTB
Aidan Hutchinson	Detroit Lions	DE	OTB
Tariq Woolen	Seattle Seahawks	CB	OTB

Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of December 21, 2022. 

Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (-600)

Sauce Gardner completely lived up to the hype as the No. 4 overall pick to the New York Jets, playing the biggest role in a Jets defense that made significant strides in 2022-23. 

Gardner finished with the best Pro Football Focus coverage grade at the corner position (90.2). Some of his best performances included limiting superstar wideout Justin Jefferson to just 45 yards receiving in Week 13 and keeping Stefon Diggs to 37 yards the following week.

Aidan Hutchinson (+600)

After a bit of a slow start, Aidan Hutchinson bore down and showed his potential with a solid second half to his rookie season.

The second overall pick in 2022 finished with 9.5 sacks and three interceptions with the Detroit Lions and capped off his rookie year strong with a two-sack performance against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Week 18. 

Tariq Woolen (+900)

In 2011, the Seattle Seahawks stole All-Pro defensive back Richard Sherman in the fifth round, and they clearly found another diamond in the rough. 

Drafted in the fifth round out of UTSA, Tariq Woolen has become the unsung hero of Seattle's defense as a shutdown corner. 

6 INTs for rookie Seattle CB Tariq Woolen this season. This is not one of them, but his closing speed has been impressive https://t.co/DBBXIMpiBz

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) December 13, 2022

NFL Offensive ROY betting trends

• Of the last 18 winners of the NFL OROY Award, 15 were drafted in the first round.

• While quarterback is an extremely difficult position to excel at as a rookie, nine of the last 18 OROY winners played the position, including four QBs that were selected first overall in the draft.

• Running backs have won four of the last eight 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 Elliot led the NFL in rushing in 2016 but lost the OROY to his teammate Dak Prescott, while in 2019, Kyler Murray took home the hardware over Josh Jacobs, who rushed for 1150 yards and 4.8 YPA in 13 games.

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

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year history

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winners by position

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 32 winners of the NFL DROY Award, an incredible 29 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.

• Seven of the last 16 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 eight years, only two LB's have taken home the award. 

• Four of the last six 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.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners by position

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 ROY Odds FAQs

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