2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds Tracker
- Who are the top contenders for the 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award?
- See how the odds have fluctuated since opening
- Learn key NFL DROY betting trends
The 2018 NFL Draft saw two defensive players selected in the top five: Denzel Ward (4th to the Browns) and Bradley Chubb (5th to the Broncos).
Both players are expected to make immediate impacts on their respective teams. But they’re not the only rookie defenders who will be relied upon during the 2018 NFL season.
Follow along as we track the odds to win the 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The graphs below were created by taking the average odds from several of our most trusted online sports betting sites.
Top NFL DROY Contenders
*During the NFL regular season, most online sports betting sites don’t open their NFL DROY odds until Wednesday morning, and they close again when the Thursday night game kicks off. So your window to make a wager is rather tight.
- [01/13/19] None of our top online sports betting sites have released new odds following Week 17
- [12/26/18] The favorite has flipped again, as Leonard enters Week 17 as the odds-on favorite for DROY
- [12/12/18] Derwin James is again separating from the pack as the favorite for DROY
- [11/07/18] It only took one week for Leonard’s stranglehold on the award to loosen. Derwin James has overtaken him as the favorite.
- [10/31/18] Darius Leonard has emerged as the clear favorite to win the 2018 NFL DROY award, now sporting -280 odds. Derwin James and Denzel Ward appear to be the only players capable of making a move on him.
- [05/23/18] Bradley Chubb opened as the clear favorite to win 2018 NFL DROY. With Von Miller attracting all the attention on the opposite edge, Chubb will have plenty of one-on-one opportunities when rushing the passer.
Bovada’s 2018 NFL DROY Odds
| Player | Team | Pos | Drafted | Odds at Bovada (12/26/18) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darius Leonard | IND | ILB | 36th Overall | -155 |
| Derwin James | LAC | S | 17th Overall | +170 |
| Leighton Vander Esch | DAL | ILB | 19th Overall | +500 |
| Bradley Chubb | DEN | EDGE | 5th Overall | +1600 |
*Follow the link in the table to see all available options
Top Contenders at Each Position
- Two of the last three DROY awards went to CBs
- An ILB has not won the award since 2012 (Luke Kuechly)
- The award has only gone to a safety twice – the last was in 1990 (Mark Carrier)
Past NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Winners by Position
| Position | DROY Awards in Last 15 Years |
|---|---|
| Edge Players | 4 |
| Inside Linebackers | 6 |
| Interior Defensive Linemen | 3 |
| Defensive Backs | 2 |
Top Contenders by Draft Round
- Each of the last 11 DROY awards went to first round picks (DeMeco Ryans won as a second round pick in 2006)
- Ten of the last 11 winners were selected in the top 15 of their draft – Marcus Peters went 18th overall
- The first defender off the board has only won DROY once in the last six years (Joey Bosa in 2016)
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