2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds Tracker

• Who are the top contenders for the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award?
• Micah Parsons has become the heavy odds-on favorite to win NFL DROY
• See the NFL DROY odds for all contenders

Follow along as we track the odds to win the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The graphs below were created by taking the average odds from several of our most trusted sportsbooks.

Top NFL DROY Contenders

• Top 5
• Top 10
• Top 20
• All

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• [December 29] Sportsbooks have not even reopened NFL DROY odds after Week 16, essentially saying Micah Parsons has wrapped this one up.
• [December 20] Patrick Surtain II had a really nice game in Week 15, helping the Broncos hold Joe Burrow to 157 yards through the air, and Ja’Marr Chase to just one catch for three yards. Though Surtain saw his odds improve from +1000 to +800, Micah Parsons’ NFL DROY odds are still at -10000.

2021 NFL DROY Odds

*Odds as of December 22

And some more notes on past odds movement:

• [December 13] Sportsbooks are saying Micah Parsons has NFL DROY wrapped up, as his odds move from -2000 to -10000. The Cowboys’ rookie defender recorded two more sacks in Week 14, bringing his season total to 12 and giving him 9.5 sacks in his last six games.
• [December 7] Micah Parsons’ NFL DROY odds have moved from -500 to -2000 after Week 13. The first-round pick recorded another sack, bringing his season total up to 10.
• [November 29] Patrick Surtain II had a very strong Week 12, recording two interceptions and taking one of them to the house for six. The Broncos corner saw his NFL DROY odds improve from +1000 to +750, the second-best odds on the board. Micah Parsons continues to grow into an even heavier odds-on favorite, though.
• [November 22] After recording two sacks and a forced fumble against the Chiefs in Week 11, Cowboys rookie linebacker Micah Parsons is now an even heavier odds-on favorite to win NFL DROY. His odds improved from -150 to -400 after Sunday.
• [November 15] Micah Parsons’ odds grew even shorter (from -120 to -150) thanks to a six-tackle, one-sack performance in Dallas’ 43-3 embarrassment of the Falcons.
• [November 8] Micah Parsons has now moved to the odds-on favorite to win 2021 NFL DROY. The Cowboys defender was one of the few bright spots in their Week 9 game against the Broncos. He recorded 2.5 sacks and ten total tackles.
• [November 1] Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons continued to impress in Week 8, recording 10 solo tackles, four of which were for a loss. The disruptive, do-it-all defender is now nearing even money to win NFL DROY. Fellow rookie inside linebackers Jamin Davis and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah have seen their NFL DROY odds fade significantly over the last couple of weeks.
• [October 25] Micah Parson’s NFL DROY odds continued to improve while he enjoyed a bye week. Azeez Ojulari saw the biggest movement after Week 7, thanks to his 2.5 sacks against the Panthers. Ojulari went from as long as +2500 to as short as +1000 now.
• [October 19] Patrick Surtain’s NFL DROY odds took a big hit after Denver gave up 340 passing yards to the Raiders in Week 6, the second time in three weeks they’ve allowed more than 300 through the air. Surtain still remains a top three contender, but is well behind the favorite, Micah Parsons.
• [October 11] Micah Parsons is back to being the NFL DROY favorite. Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa has seen his odds improve significantly, as he’s just outside of the top ten contenders.
• [October 4] Some sportsbooks are listing Micah Parsons as the favorite to win NFL DROY after Week 4, while others list the Cowboys linebacker as the co-favorite alongside Patrick Surtain II. Parsons is seeing his NFL DROY odds improve after recording another sack in Week 4.
• [September 27] Chargers corner Asante Samuel Jr has seen his NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds improve from an average of +3400 to as short as +1200 at some sportsbooks after recording an interception in Week 2 and 3. Patrick Surtain II remains the favorite to win NFL DROY, however.
• [September 21] After recording his first career interception in Week 2, Patrick Surtain II is now the favorite to win NFL DROY. Kwity Paye and Jaelan Phillips have seen their odds worsen as neither has recorded a sack through their first two games.
• [September 14] Despite only playing 26% of the Broncos defensive snaps in Week 1, Patrick Surtain II is now listed as the co-favorite, alongside Micah Parsons, to win NFL DROY. Surtain will see plenty of extra snaps moving forward, however, after Denver placed Ronald Darby on the IR.
• [September 8] Buccaneers rookie Joe Tryon has seen his NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds improve from +3600 to +2350 heading into the season, vaulting him into the top ten contenders.
• [August 16] One of the surprises of the first-round of the 2021 NFL Draft was the New Orleans Saints selecting Payton Turner with the 28th pick. The defensive end opened with NFL DROY odds of +10000 after being drafted – he did not have odds prior. However, Turner has been turning heads at Saints camp and has seen his odds improve to +2500. Fellow rookies Patrick Surtain and Jamin Davis continue to impress in the preseason and have both seen their odds improve. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is seeing his odds worsen a little, but remains the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
• [June 17] With mandatory training camps opening, Jamin Davis has seen his NFL DROY odds improve from an average of +1525 to +925, and now has the fourth-best average odds.
• [May 3] Entering a very crowded Cowboys linebacking corps, who already added Micah Parsons in the first round, Jabril Cox saw his NFL DROY odds fall from +3450 to +4075. Joe Tryon, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick, saw his odds improve from +4375 to +3875.
• [April 30] Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s NFL DROY odds fell significantly after not being drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, going from the second-best odds at +700 all the way to +2000 at some sportsbooks. Azeez Ojulari also suffered the same fate, not hearing his name called on the first night, resulting in his odds fading from +1300 to an average of +2200. Caleb Farley did come off the board in the first round, but still saw his odds fall from +1200 to +2100 after being taken by the Titans at 22nd-overall. Zaven Collins is the player who benefited most from his new team, seeing his odds improve from +1400 to +1100 after being selected by the Cardinals.
• [April 23] Micah Parsons has opened as the favorite to win 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Penn State product is not expected to be the first defensive player taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he is expected to make plays from Day 1 for the team who does draft him. The two players with the best odds are both inside linebackers who can play sideline to sideline. Patrick Surtain II is favored to be the first defensive player taken, and just cracks the top five in opening DROY odds.

Past NFL DROY Winners

Top DROY Contenders at Each Position

• EDGE
• Interior DL
• ILB
• DB

• Three of the last five DROY awards have gone to edge rushers
• Chase Young (2020), Nick Bosa (2019), Joey Bosa (2016) and Von Miller (2011) are the only four edge players to win the award in the last 15 seasons, though
• Darius Leonard (2018) is the only inside linebacker to win the award since 2013
• 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

Top DROY Contenders by Draft Round

• 1st Round
• 2nd Round

• 13 of the last 14 DROY awards went to first round picks (Darius Leonard won as a second round pick in 2018)
• 12 of the last 14 winners were selected in the top 15 of their draft – Marcus Peters went 18th overall, Leonard was 36th
• Chase Young (2020) and the Bosa brothers (Nick in 2019 and Joey in 2016) are the only three players in the last nine years to win DROY after being the first defensive player selected in the draft

Archived DROY Odds: 2020, 2019, 2018