Odds Favor Devin White, Not Nick Bosa, to Win 2019 NFL DROY

• Devin White is favored to win Defensive Rookie of the Year
• All other online sports betting sites favor second-overall pick Nick Bosa for the award
• Who’s the better bet?

Now that the NFL Draft is in the rear view mirror and we know where the rookies have landed, we can now start to evaluate the fits. Sportsbooks have posted NFL DROY odds and the player who is favored might surprise you.

2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds

*Odds taken May 4 

Why might this surprise you? Well, if you look anywhere else for DROY odds, you’ll find second-overall pick Nick Bosa listed as the favorite. But not at this sportsbook. They favor the first off-ball linebacker taken in the 2019 NFL Draft, Devin White.

Little Value With White as Favorite

It’s a bit odd to see White as the favorite for this prop.

Yes, he’s one of the top defensive players in the 2019 NFL Draft but he’s not in the best situation to succeed. He’s going to be on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have a few decent defensive pieces but – for the most part – are lacking at every level.

Uh….
Who’s the salty girl with #DevinWhite? pic.twitter.com/CyAsjmn4wZ

— Chet Buchanon (@ChetBuchanon) April 26, 2019

Tampa Bay’s defense ranked 27th last season. Their defensive line is very weak, which is critical to the success of any good linebacker.

The Bucs are talking about cutting Gerald McCoy but they simply don’t have much quality behind him. Outside of Vita Vea and McCoy, they don’t have much quality here. That means White will be fighting with offensive lineman and blockers all season.

White will have to be an absolute monster in his first season, and if he is, he’ll win the award. However, the best bets are the ones that don’t have to do it all. Football is a team game but White will have to do too much.

Bosa a Good Bet?

Bosa isn’t far behind White but he makes much more sense from a betting perspective.

To start, he’s joining what appears to be a much better team and defense. The 49ers have a competent linebacking corps with holdover Fred Warner, free agent signing Kwon Alexander and pass rusher Dee Ford.

“Welcome aboard!”

1st round picks meeting for the first time. #49ersDraft @nbsmallerbear x @mmcglinch68 pic.twitter.com/Xlr2TgCKFI

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) May 2, 2019

Bosa will have the ability to join a fairly good foursome and there won’t be as much pressure on him to deliver. He’ll also have plenty of help up front as the 49ers have DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, and Arik Armstead.

Take A Flier On Sweat?

Montez Sweat has also landed himself in a solid situation and might be worth a play at +1500.

The Redskins have a very underrated defense as their defensive line – with Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen – is as good as it gets and their linebacking corps, now with Sweat, Ryan Kerrigan, Reuben Foster and Mason Foster, is rock-solid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RkEYE-nn4o&feature=youtu.be

Sweat has 4.4 speed and will be rushing the quarterback off the edge. He’s an absolute beast of a player and when you factor that the Redskins – given their expected struggles on offense – will be playing in a lot of defensive struggles, Sweat should have plenty of opportunity to rack up the sacks and numbers.

Bet On Bush

Everyone is in love with the Devin Bush-Pittsburgh Steelers fit and I’m on board too. The Steelers need a heart-and-soul type of player and Bush should be that.

He’ll have plenty of work in the middle of that defense, mopping up tackles, breaking up passes and rushing the quarterback from time-to-time.

the last time the steelers traded up in the first round was sixteen years ago to take troy polamalu, today they did it again. pittsburgh, meet devin bush pic.twitter.com/zlpx2UrNAj

— bo (@Bo_knows_Lanham) April 26, 2019

I also like the profile as the spotlight is already on him. It’s like being in a political race and while everyone is on even footing to start, one player has a bigger brand name at the beginning. That will help his case.

Overall, linebackers do well with Defensive Player or Rookie of the Year awards, and Bush is an NFL-ready prospect on a playmaker-needy defense. I’d bet him and take a small flier on Sweat.