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  • Who are the top contenders for the 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award?
  • Jalen Carter is the favorite to win NFL DROY in the 2023-24 NFL season
  • See the NFL DROY odds for all contenders below

Follow along as we track the odds to win the 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award throughout the 2023-24 NFL season. The graphs below were created by taking the average from several of our most trusted sportsbooks.

Top NFL DROY Contenders

Following Week 1, Jalen Carter has taken over as the new NFL DROY favorite and the Eagles defender still has the best odds today. Will Anderson, the first defensive player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, opened as the favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson was the favorite before the draft as well, which included a 24-hour period where Tyree Wilson was believed to be the first defensive player selected.

While NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds shifted quite a bit after the draft, Defensive Rookie of the Year odds didn’t as much. This is the norm, as the fit and scheme defensive players are drafted into isn’t as pivotal to their Year 1 production as it is for players on the other side of the ball. We did see some bigger moves after the first two weeks, but these odds are not as volatile as others. It’s a little harder to really standout on defense unless you’re racking up sacks and/or interceptions. (Jalen Carter is doing the former while also pressuring the QB dominating offensive linemen.)

The Associated Press has announced the NFL DROY finalists: Jalen Carter, Will Anderson, Joey Porter Jr, Devon Witherspoon, and Kobie Turner.

**We have not seen sportsbooks reopen NFL DROY odds since Week 18 started, which is a shame because Jalen Carter may not be as big of a lock as the odds suggest considering the way the Eagles finished the season.

New Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter is the favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Based off his -450 odds, a $20 bet would win you $4.44 and return $24.44.

Will Anderson (+400), Devon Witherspoon (+6000), Brian Branch (+6600), and Joey Porter Jr (+8000) round out the top five contenders to win NFL DROY for the 2023-24 NFL season.

*The NFL DROY odds above are updated every 1-2 hours 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 Sportsbook bonus upon signing up.

And some more notes on past DROY odds movement:

  • [January 25] Jalen Carter, Will Anderson, Joey Porter Jr, Devon Witherspoon, and Kobie Turner have been announced as the NFL DROY finalists.
  • [October 9] Jalen Carter has become the odds-on favorite to win NFL DROY. (This means his odds are shorter than even; also read as, he now has negative odds.) The big defensive lineman’s odds improved from +100 to -175 after recording two sacks against the Rams in Week 5. While on bye, Devon Witherspoon’s odds continued improving, going from +2000 to +300, which are the second-best odds at this time.
  • [September 25] Christian Gonzalez has seen his odds improve from +1500 to +900 after Week 3, where his Patriots held the Jets to 157 yards through the air. A big factor in that was the incompetence of Zach Wilson, but Gonzalez’ efforts to hold Tyreek Hill to just 40 yards in Week 2 look even more impressive after Hill torched the Broncos this past weekend.
  • [September 12] Since Week 1 ended, Jalen Carter has overtaken Will Anderson as the favorite to win NFL DROY. DraftKings has reported that more money and bets have come in on Carter to win DROY than any other player after Week 1. In a span of 24 hours, all thanks to money coming in, Carter’s odds have improved from +550 to +300.
  • [September 11] Jalen Carter closed the gap between him and Will Anderson, who is the NFL DROY favorite, after Week 1. Carter recorded an NFL-high eight pressures (among DTs) to go with a sack against the Patriots. His odds improved from +700 to +550. The fifth-overall pick, Devon Witherspoon, saw his odds fade from +1000 to +2000 after being inactive Week 1 due to a nagging hamstring injury.
  • [September 5] After a strong preseason, Patriots Keion White has seen his NFL DROY odds improve from +4500 to +3500. The rookie edge rusher projects to see a lot of snaps right away in New England.
  • [April 29] Emmanuel Forbes has seen the biggest post-draft odds movement, seeing his DROY odds go from +2500 to +1400 after being selected by the Washington Commanders in the first round.
  • [April 21] Just under a week prior to the NFL Draft, many sports betting apps have opened NFL DROY odds, with Will Anderson listed as the favorite at +320 odds. Jalen Carter and Tyree Wilson have the next-best odds at +600.

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

Past NFL DROY Winners

Year DROY Winner
2022 Sauce Gardner
2021 Micah Parsons
2020 Chase Young
2019 Nick Bosa
2018 Shaquille Leonard
2017 Marshon Lattimore
2016 Joey Bosa
2015 Marcus Peters
2014 Aaron Donald
2013 Sheldon Richardson

Top DROY Contenders at Each Position

  • Four of the last seven DROY awards have gone to edge rushers
  • Micah Parsons (2021), Chase Young (2020), Nick Bosa (2019), Joey Bosa (2016) and Von Miller (2011) are the only five 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

Position DROY Awards in Last 15 Years
Edge Players 5
Inside Linebackers 4
Interior Defensive Linemen 3
Defensive Backs 3

Top DROY Contenders by Draft Round

  • 15 of the last 16 DROY awards went to first round picks (Darius Leonard won as a second round pick in 2018)
  • 14 of the last 16 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 11 years to win DROY after being the first defensive player selected in the draft

Archived DROY Odds: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018

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After working in TV, Matt turned his focus towards numbers, specifically odds. He has been with us since 2016 and serves as SBD's Editor-in-Chief, credited with creating our futures trackers, SBD's score predictor, SBD Sharp, and his own model for calculating NFL SOS, among other products.