Skip to content

2026-27 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds Tracker

Matt McEwan

By Matt McEwan

Updated:


  • Who are the top contenders for the 2026-27 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award?
  • David Bailey is the early favorite to win NFL DROY in the 2026-27 NFL season
  • See the NFL DROY odds for all contenders below

Follow along as I track the odds to win the 2026-27 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award throughout the 2026-27 NFL season. I will be providing updates to the DROY odds after each major event of the NFL offseason as well as each week of the regular season.

The NFL DROY odds table below presents you with the best odds available for each player in your region, and gives you the option to compare across all sportsbooks in your region; while the graphs below were created by taking the average from our most trusted sportsbooks.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds & Top Contenders

David Bailey is the favorite to win the NFL DROY award with consensus odds of +450. Based on those odds, Bailey has an 18.2% chance to win the award. If you placed a $20 bet on the Jets newest edge rusher at +450 odds, you would stand to win $90 and return $110.

Top DROY Odds

  1. David Bailey (+450 consensus odds)
  2. Caleb Downs (+638)
  3. Sonny Styles (+738)
  4. Mansoor Delane (+825)
  5. Jacob Rodriguez (+838)
  • BETMGM SPORTSBOOK

    USE CODE SBD1500 TO GET UP TO $1,500 PAID BACK IN BONUS BETS

  • THESCORE BET SPORTSBOOK

    USE CODE DIME TO GET 100% BET RESET UP TO $1,000

  • DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK

    SPEND $5, GET $150 IN BONUSES!

  • BET365 SPORTSBOOK

    BET $10 & GET $365 IN BONUS BETS

  • CAESARS SPORTSBOOK

    USE CODE SBDBR250 & GET UP TO $250 IN BONUSES AS FIVE DAYS OF BET RESETS!

  • FANATICS SPORTSBOOK

    USE CODE DIMEFAN & GET $10 x $100 BET MATCHES IN FANCASH!

  • FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK

    BET $5 FOR 5 DAYS & GET $250 IN BONUS BETS!

  • DRAFTKINGS T&Cs: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/NH/PR/WY). Void in CAN. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first-time bet req. Max. $150 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets. Stake removed from payout. Reward issued as $50 in Bonus Bets every 7 days via click-to-claim for 14 days. Bonus Bets and click-to-claims expire 7 days (168hrs) after issuance. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 10/18/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

  • BET365 SPORTSBOOK T&Cs: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET (AZ, CO, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). 21+ only (18+ in KY). Please gamble responsibly. Must be present in AZ/CO/IA/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA (select parishes)/MD/MI/MO/NC/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA. Minimum $10 deposit required. Minimum odds -500 of greater. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. T&CS, time limits and exclusions apply.

  • BETMGM T&Cs: Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET (Available in the US), 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ only. Please Gamble Responsibly. See BetMGM.com for Terms. First Bet Offer for new customers only (if applicable). Subject to eligibility requirements. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. Promotional offers not available in MS, NY, NV, ON, or PR.

Here were the biggest winners in the DROY odds after Week 1:

  • Jacob Rodriguez: in his pro debut, Rodriguez recorded a team-high 14 total tackles (five solo and nine assisted), which moved his DROY odds from an average of +1325 to +838.
  • Mansoor Delane: the rookie corner recorded an interception on the first drive of the game, resulting in his odds improving from +1025 to +825.

And these were the biggest losers:

  • Reuben Bain Jr: the highly-coveted edge rusher only recorded one tackle over 41 defensive snaps in Tampa Bay’s Week 1 loss, resulting in his odds fading from +455 to +850.
  • Akheem Mesidor: the Chargers edge rusher entered Week 1 with average +1450 DROY odds, but came out with +3075 odds after recording two tackles on just 36 snaps.

The NFL DROY odds above are updated every 15 minutes from the top online sportsbooks in the US, including DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM. If you are not currently betting with DraftKings, be sure you claim the best DraftKings promo code upon signing up.

NFL DROY Odds Notable Line Movement Updates

  • [September 15] David Bailey recorded a sack and four tackles in Week 1, which led to him becoming the new favorite to win DROY.
  • [August 1] Rueben Bain overtook David Bailey as the new favorite to win NFL DROY. With no specific news to point to for the minor shift in each player’s odds, it’s very likely this was just the result of money.
  • [April 22] David Bailey, who was not expected to be the first defender selected in the 2026 NFL Draft at this time, opened as the favorite to win NFL DROY for the 2026-27 season. Arvell Reese, who was given the best odds to be the first defender taken, only had the fifth-best odds at opening, falling behind Bailey, Rueben Bain Jr, Caleb Downs, and Sonny Styles.
Info icon

Looking for the latest NFL odds? – Get current spreads, totals, and moneyline odds for all upcoming games this week here.

Top Prediction Markets for NFL DROY

All prediction markets are offering sports event contracts on which player will win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. If you’re not already trading, use one of our exclusive promo codes above when signing up.

Past NFL DROY Winners

SeasonDROY Winner
2025Carson Schwesinger (ILB, Browns)
2024Jared Verse (Edge, Rams)
2023Will Anderson (Edge, Texans)
2022Sauce Gardner (CB, Jets)
2021Micah Parsons (LB, Cowboys)
2020Chase Young (Edge, Washington)
2019Nick Bosa (Edge, 49ers)
2018Shaquille Leonard (ILB, Colts)
2017Marshon Lattimore (CB, Saints)
2016Joey Bosa (Edge, Chargers)

Defensive Rookie of the Year Winners by Position

Position DROY Awards in Last 15 Years
Edge Players 7
Inside Linebackers 3
Interior Defensive Linemen 2
Defensive Backs 3
  • Six of the last 10 DROY awards have gone to edge rushers
  • Jared Verse (2024), Will Anderson (2023), Micah Parsons (2021), Chase Young (2020), Nick Bosa (2019), Joey Bosa (2016) and Von Miller (2011) are the only seven edge players to win the award in the last 18 seasons, though
  • Carson Schwesinger (2025) and Darius Leonard (2018) are the only inside linebackers to win the award since 2013
  • The award has only gone to a safety twice – the last was in 1990 (Mark Carrier)

DROY Winners by Draft Round

  • 17 of the last 19 DROY awards went to first round picks (Carson Schwesinger won as the first pick of the 2nd round in 2025, and Darius Leonard won as a second round pick in 2018)
  • 15 of the last 19 winners were selected in the top 15 of their draft – Marcus Peters went 18th overall, Leonard was 36th, Verse was 19th, and Schwesinger was 33rd
  • Will Anderson (2023), Chase Young (2020), and the Bosa brothers (Nick in 2019 and Joey in 2016) are the only four players in the last 14 years to win DROY after being the first defensive player selected in the draft

Archived DROY Odds:

Matt McEwan
Matt McEwan

Editor-in-Chief; Sports Betting Expert

With nearly a decade working in the industry, Matt is a seasoned sports betting veteran. He got his start with SBD in 2016 and worked his way up the ladder to become the Editor-in-Chief. Along the way he has done everything from reviewing sportsbooks to creating proprietary sports betting tools.

NFL NBA MLB NHL NCAAF NCAAB

Recommended Reading