Rookie of the Year betting: Who's favored to win hardware in Year 1?

Week 2 of the NFL's preseason is in the books, and plenty of rookies are already making noise, whether in practice or turning heads in live action.

Let's dive into the odds available on ESPN BET and theScore Bet for both the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year awards and see if there are any bets worth making before the season begins.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

🏈 Check out all of the odds on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here

Running backs have historically dominated Offensive Rookie of the Year, mainly because teams only recently started throwing quarterbacks into the fire in their first year. When Ben Roethlisberger won the award in 2004, he was just the second signal-caller to earn the first-year honor since its inception in 1967. But the landscape has shifted, with 11 quarterbacks, eight running backs, and four wide receivers claiming the title since 2004.

Given the award's history, it makes perfect sense to see Ashton Jeanty (+260) as the favorite, followed closely behind by Cam Ward (+300). Jeanty was the first running back taken in the 2025 draft, and the Titans selected Ward with the first overall pick.

Jeanty will immediately work as a bell-cow back in the Raiders' offense. New head coach Pete Carroll has a track record of leaning heavily on one running back, and Jeanty is the perfect fit to carry the offensive load. Assuming he plays a full season, Jeanty should have the stats to be considered for OROY, but +260 is short considering the handful of other running backs who could have a similar workload.

Ward would be the favorite if it weren't for Jeanty's ideal landing spot. While starting Week 1 for Tennessee gives Ward a huge leg up on the rest of the award contenders, the former Miami quarterback isn't walking into the perfect situation. And even though he said he believes his receiving group is one of the best in the league, outside of an aging Calvin Ridley, there isn't much else to boast about. Ward could easily shock the league and follow in the footsteps of C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels, but at +300, there's too much risk of him having a disappointing year to consider backing him.

Travis Hunter (+1000) and Tetairoa McMillan (+1200) are the two wide receivers priced below +2000. Hunter is expected to spend a lot of time on the offensive side of the ball for the Jaguars while being mixed in on defense. McMillan should be Bryce Young's top target in a Panthers offense that began to find its stride late last year. With that said, wideouts have produced few OROY winners since 2004.

However, no tight ends have won the award, so cross off Colston Loveland (+2500) and Tyler Warren (+2500) from the list of options. Brock Bowers broke multiple rookie receiving records, and his season still wasn't considered good enough to earn the honor.

Picks

TreVeyon Henderson (+1600)

Perhaps this is buying high on the hype, but it appears the Patriots found a stud running back in TreVeyon Henderson. The second-round pick out of Ohio State had an epic start to his career, scoring a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown on his first professional touch. In Drake Maye's second year at the helm, the Patriots' offense should take a step forward. Henderson's explosiveness makes him a threat to take it to the house on every play, and he's already considered the Patriots' passing-down back. It won't take long before he pushes Rhamondre Stevenson aside and handles nearly all of the running back touches in New England.

RJ Harvey (+2000)

RJ Harvey was the fifth running back selected in the 2025 draft, a class deep with talent at the position. He landed in a fantastic spot with the Broncos, which makes him one of the top-10 favorites to earn OROY.

Harvey has a clear path to playing time in Denver. J.K. Dobbins is coming off a knee injury and has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. Selected in the 2024 draft, Audric Estime isn't a concern to take away touches from Harvey.

The Broncos' offense was solid during Bo Nix's rookie season, but what makes Harvey especially appealing is Nix's tendency to check down. Nix had the third-highest check-down rate in 2024, and head coach Sean Payton has always had a running back involved in the passing game. In fact, Payton coached Alvin Kamara when he caught 81 passes and won OROY in 2017.

Although Harvey doesn't profile as the same caliber of pass-catching back as Kamara, he could easily record 40 receptions while being heavily involved as a rusher. If anything happens to Dobbins, there's a scenario where Harvey earns 300 touches and leads rookie running backs in multiple stat categories.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

🏈 Check out all of the odds on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here

Pass-rushers have dominated the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in recent years, claiming five of the past six honors. Jared Verse, Will Anderson, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, and Chase Young all took home the award, with Sauce Gardner the only outlier in 2022.

Pass-rushers often make an immediate impact, which is why Abdul Carter (+210) is the heavy favorite to win DROY. The Giants selected him third overall to join a defensive front that may be one of the league's best. It's difficult to make a case against Carter other than the fact that his price is short for a market with a lot of uncertainty.

Jalon Walker (+900) is the second favorite but is already dealing with an injury and is a member of a Falcons defense that doesn't project to be very good.

Hunter (+1000) has the same odds to win both the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards. However, he likely won't play enough on defense to make the same impact as some of the pass-rushers.

Pick

Mykel Williams (+1200)

We'll stick with the trend of pass-rushers winning this award and target the second defensive end drafted. The 49ers used the 11th overall pick on Mykel Williams to help replace several departures on their defense. Over three seasons in college at Georgia, he recorded 23 tackles for a loss and 14 sacks in 40 games.

Williams profiles as the type of player voters will become enamored with. San Francisco should contend for the NFC West title (+160 favorites to win the division), which increases the importance of games late in the season when attention on the award is at its highest. Three of the 49ers' final six regular-season contests will be in prime time, and Williams could win this award with big performances while the entire country is watching.

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