NFL Rookie of the Year Odds: Jeremiyah Love, David Bailey Emerge as Early Favorites

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The 2026-27 NFL Rookie of the Year odds may see some movement soon with preseason training camps opening this week.

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After Tetairoa McMillan and Carson Schwesinger came away with ROY honors at preseason odds longer than +1000, could another dark horse be waiting in the wings for the upcoming campaign?

Let’s take a look at the latest NFL odds for Offensive ROY and Defensive ROY.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds

Odds as of 7-21. Odds from FanDuel, one of our best betting apps. Sign up with our FanDuel promo code, or get one of our other sportsbook promos.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year favorites

Jeremiyah Love (+430)

Jeremiyah Love’s name gained serious steam over the past couple of weeks, and that momentum led to the Arizona Cardinals bringing him to the desert with the third overall pick.

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A complete three-down back who boasts explosive speed, Love eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in both 2025 and 2026 at Notre Dame, averaging 6.9 yards per carry in each season.

Fernando Mendoza (+430)

Fresh off both a national championship and a Heisman Award, Fernando Mendoza brings plenty of hope to the Silver & Black.

With Klint Kubiak installed as head coach and Mendoza flanked by Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense can only go up from here — especially after Geno Smith‘s disastrous campaign in Sin City.

Carnell Tate (+650)

Although Carnell Tate isn’t flashy and spent the majority of his time in the shadow of both Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka at Ohio State, he’s an excellent route runner who brings little ego to a Tennessee Titans offense looking for a No. 1 WR.

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With Brian Daboll coming in as the Titans’ new OC, Tate could hit the ground running in Nashville.

Here’s a look at the opening NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds. Jeremiyah Love opened as the betting favorite.

• Mike Washington Jr. (+3300)

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds

Odds as of 7-21.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year favorites

David Bailey (+500)

The New York Jets got their edge rusher at No. 2 by selecting David Bailey, who’s fresh off a 14.5-sack season with Texas Tech.

Paired with Will McDonald IV on the other side, the two could complement each other well and give the Gang Green rookie a quick boost right off the bat.

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Rueben Bain Jr. (+550)

Questions about combine measurables — as well as an off-field incident — caused Rueben Bain Jr. to slide to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the NFC South champs are bringing in a player who fits multiple fronts and is an elite run defender.

Bain was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 and finished with 9.5 sacks at Miami last season, helping lead the Hurricanes to a national title appearance.

Arvell Reese (+800)

A former consensus All-American, Arvell Reese can play off the edge or set up as an off-ball linebacker, and he’ll be deployed as a do-it-all playmaker for the New York Giants.

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Reese really impressed scouts with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, tying with Sonny Styles for the best mark at the position.

Here’s a look at the opening NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds. David Bailey opened as the betting favorite.

• Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (+4000)

Popular NFL futures markets

NFL Offensive ROY betting trends

• Of the last 21 winners of the NFL OROY Award, 19 were drafted in the first round.

• While quarterback is an extremely difficult position to excel at as a rookie, 11 of the last 22 OROY winners played the position, including four QBs that were selected first overall in the draft.

• Running backs have won four of the last 12 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards. However, in recent years when top rookie RBs have gone head-to-head against top QBs for OROY honors, they’ve often come out on the losing end. Ezekiel Elliott led the NFL in rushing in 2016 but lost the OROY to his teammate Dak Prescott, while Kyler Murray took home the hardware over Josh Jacobs in 2019.

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• No offensive lineman has ever won the award, despite recent linemen like Joe Thomas, Matt Kalil, Jack Conklin, Ryan Ramczyk, and Quenton Nelson all making the Pro Bowl in their first year.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year history

Here’s a look at the recent award history (preseason favorite and winner odds courtesy of Sports Odds History):

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winners by position

Bears legend Mike Ditka became the first — and so far only — tight end to win Offensive Rookie of the Year when he received the honor in 1961.

NFL Defensive ROY betting trends

• Of the last 36 winners of the NFL DROY Award, an incredible 32 were drafted in the first round. Of the four winners that weren’t first-rounders (DeMeco Ryans, Kendrell Bell, Darius Leonard, and Carson Schwesinger), all were still selected within the Top 40.

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• Nine of the last 20 DROY winners played linebacker. Two others (Von Miller and Shawne Merriman) were listed at LB but would count as edge players in modern NFL defensive schemes. That said, that number is heavily inflated by four straight DROY-winning linebackers from 2006 to 2009. Over the last 12 years, only four LBs have taken home the award.

• Four of the last 10 DROY winners played college ball for Ohio State. Three of those (the Bosa brothers and Chase Young) were edge rushers.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year history

Here’s a look at the recent award history (preseason favorite and winner odds courtesy of Sports Odds History):

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners by position

A safety hasn’t won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in over 20 years, dating back to when Mark Carrier (1990) and Erik McMillan (1988) won the award twice over a three-year span.

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