NFL Rookie of the Year Odds: Jeremiyah Love, Rueben Bain Jr. Emerge as Early Favorites

Trevor Knapp - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Trevor Knapp • Betting Analyst 7+ years betting experience
Updated: Aug 4, 2026 , 03:21 PM ET • 4 min read

The Rookie of the Year race is starting to take shape with training camps now in full swing.

Jeremiyah Love NFL Arizona Cardinals
Photo By - Reuters Connect. Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love.

The 2026-27 NFL Rookie of the Year odds have seen some movement with preseason training camps underway.

After Tetairoa McMillan and Carson Schwesinger won ROY honors as long shots last season, could another dark horse be waiting in the wings for the upcoming campaign?

Let’s take a look at the latest NFL odds for Offensive ROY and Defensive ROY.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds

 

Player Name Kalshi
Probability
Cardinals Jeremiyah Love 20%
Raiders Fernando Mendoza 19%
Titans Carnell Tate 15%
Seahawks Jadarian Price 14%
Saints Jordyn Tyson 14%
Eagles Makai Lemon 8%
Cardinals Carson Beck 6%
Browns KC Concepcion 4%
Browns Denzel Boston 3%
Jets David Bailey 3%

Odds as of 8-4. Percentages courtesy of Kalshi.
Kalshi is a regulated financial exchange where you trade on real-world event outcomes. Instead of traditional odds, prices are listed as percentages (0-100%), representing the market’s estimated probability of an event occurring.

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NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year favorites

Cardinals Jeremiyah Love (20¢)

Jeremiyah Love’s name gained serious steam leading up to the draft, and that momentum led to the Arizona Cardinals bringing him to the desert with the third overall pick.

A complete three-down back who boasts explosive speed, Love eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in both 2025 and 2026 at Notre Dame, averaging 6.9 yards per carry in each season.

Raiders Fernando Mendoza (19¢)

Fresh off both a national championship and a Heisman Award, Fernando Mendoza brings plenty of hope to the Silver & Black.

With Klint Kubiak installed as head coach and Mendoza flanked by Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense can only go up from here — especially after Geno Smith's disastrous campaign in Sin City.

Titans Carnell Tate (15¢)

Although Carnell Tate isn’t flashy and spent the majority of his time in the shadow of both Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka at Ohio State, he’s an excellent route runner who brings little ego to a Tennessee Titans offense looking for a No. 1 WR.

With Brian Daboll coming in as the Titans’ new OC, Tate could hit the ground running in Nashville.


The Chiefs’ Next Hidden Gem? Cyrus Allen Is Turning Heads 👀

Although Kansas City Chiefs fifth-round pick Cyrus Allen is not currently listed in the OPOY odds, the Cincinnati product has generated plenty of hype early in training camp.

With Patrick Mahomes yet to establish a true No. 1 wide receiver since Tyreek Hill left Kansas City, could Allen emerge as that guy — especially with Rashee Rice still rehabbing from an ACL tear and Travis Kelce in the final stages of his career?


NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds

 

Player Name Kalshi
Probability
Buccaneers Rueben Bain Jr.  19%
Jets David Bailey 18%
Giants Arvell Reese 18%
Commanders Sonny Styles 17%
Cowboys Caleb Downs 14%
Chargers Akheem Mesidor 7%
Chiefs Mansoor Delane 7%
Vikings Caleb Banks 4%
Colts CJ Allen 3%
Bengals Cashius Howell 2%

Odds as of 8-4. Percentages courtesy of Kalshi.
Kalshi is a regulated financial exchange where you trade on real-world event outcomes. Instead of traditional odds, prices are listed as percentages (0-100%), representing the market’s estimated probability of an event occurring.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year favorites

Buccaneers Rueben Bain Jr. (19¢)

Questions about combine measurables — as well as an off-field incident — caused Rueben Bain Jr. to slide to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the NFC South champs are bringing in a player who fits multiple fronts and is an elite run defender.

Bain was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 and finished with 9.5 sacks at Miami last season, helping lead the Hurricanes to a national title appearance.

Jets David Bailey (18¢)

The New York Jets got their edge rusher at No. 2 by selecting David Bailey, who’s fresh off a 14.5-sack season with Texas Tech.

Paired with Will McDonald IV on the other side, the two could complement each other well and give the Gang Green rookie a quick boost right off the bat.

Giants Arvell Reese (18¢)

A former consensus All-American, Arvell Reese can play off the edge or set up as an off-ball linebacker, and he’ll be deployed as a do-it-all playmaker for the New York Giants.

Reese really impressed scouts with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, tying with Sonny Styles for the best mark at the position.


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• Of the last 21 winners of the NFL OROY Award, 19 were drafted in the first round.

• While quarterback is an extremely difficult position to excel at as a rookie, 11 of the last 22 OROY winners played the position, including four QBs that were selected first overall in the draft.

• Running backs have won four of the last 12 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

Here's a look at the recent award history (preseason favorite and winner odds courtesy of Sports Odds History):

Year Favorite Winner
2025 @ LV logo Ashton Jeanty  Panthers Tetairoa McMillan 
2024 Bears Caleb Williams  Commanders Jayden Daniels 
2023 Falcons Bijan Robinson  Texans C.J. Stroud
2022 Steelers George Pickens & Steelers Kenny Pickett  Jets Garrett Wilson
2021  Jaguars Trevor Lawrence  Bengals Ja'Marr Chase 
2020 Bengals Joe Burrow  Chargers Justin Herbert 
2019 Cardinals Kyler Murray  Cardinals Kyler Murray 
2018 Giants Saquon Barkley  Giants Saquon Barkley
2017 Jaguars Leonard Fournette  Saints Alvin Kamara 
2016 Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott  Cowboys Dak Prescott 

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winners by position

Position OROY winners
Running back 40
Quarterback 12
Wide Receiver 2
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 36 winners of the NFL DROY Award, an incredible 32 were drafted in the first round. Of the four winners that weren't first-rounders (DeMeco Ryans, Kendrell Bell, Darius Leonard, and Carson Schwesinger), all were still selected within the Top 40.

• Nine of the last 20 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 12 years, only four LBs have taken home the award. 

• Four of the last 10 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

Here's a look at the recent award history (preseason favorite and winner odds courtesy of Sports Odds History):

Year Favorite Winner
2025 Giants Abdul Carter  Browns Carson Schwesinger 
2024 Vikings Dallas Turner and Colts Laiatu Latu Rams Jared Verse
2023 Texans Will Anderson Jr.  Texans Will Anderson Jr. 
2022 Lions Aidan Hutchinson  Jets Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner 
2021  Cowboys Micah Parsons  Cowboys Micah Parsons 
2020 Commanders Chase Young  Commanders Chase Young 
2019 Steelers Devin Bush  49ers Nick Bosa 
2018 Broncos Bradley Chubb Colts Shaquille Leonard 
2017 49ers Reuben Foster  Saints Marshon Lattimore 

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners by position

Position DROY winners
Linebacker 29
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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