The 2025 NFL Draft recently concluded, and sportsbooks didn’t waste any time getting their initial rookie futures out to the betting public. I recently broke down this year’s rookie class for fantasy purposes (QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs), and it’s now time to see who the best candidates are to bring home the awards for Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. I gave out eventual winner Jayden Daniels at +1400 odds in this article last year, which netted us 7 units in profit.
Wagering your hard-earned money in May and waiting for bets to be settled next February isn’t the easiest pill to swallow. Nevertheless, if we can get the best of the lines before the markets fully mature in the future, it will make the wait until the end of the season worth it in the long run, as we saw with Daniels last season. Shop around for the best lines and odds if you have access to multiple sportsbooks. You’ll see more volatility between books on NFL Futures in the off-season than you’ll see on game lines and player props during the season. Let’s see if we can find some value in these rookie player props.
Check out all of my 2025 NFL Futures articles during the off-season and my Best Bets for the 2025 season. We finished up +59.83 units for the 2024 season, including +23.93 units on Futures wagers…The Best Bets Podcast broke down the Offensive Rookie of the Year odds.
2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds
The table is sorted by Shortest Odds to win the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. You should target the Longest Odds to win the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year to maximize your potential return. I used DraftKings (DK), FanDuel (FD), BetMGM (MGM), Caesars (CZR), ESPN Bet (ESPN), and Bet365 (365) to find the best MVP odds as of May 2.
| PLAYER | LONGEST ODDS | SHORTEST ODDS |
| Ashton Jeanty (LV) | +300 (CZR) | +230 (DK) |
| Cam Ward (Ten) | +380 (FD) | +250 (MGM) |
| Travis Hunter (Jax) | +950 (DK) | +600 (MGM) |
| Tetairoa McMillan (Car) | +1400 (DK) | +850 (CZR) |
| Omarion Hampton (LAC) | +1400 (FD/MGM/365) | +1200 (DK) |
| Shedeur Sanders (Cle) | +2800 (DK) | +1500 (ESPN) |
| Quinshon Judkins (Cle) | +2000 (MGM/ESPN) | +1600 (DK/FD) |
| Tyler Shough (NO) | +2200 (MGM) | +1600 (CZR/365/ESPN) |
| Matthew Golden (GB) | +2200 (multiple) | +2000 (FD/ESPN) |
| TreVeyon Henderson (NE) | +2200 (ESPN) | +2000 (multiple) |
| R.J. Harvey (Den) | +3000 (MGM) | +2000 (FD) |
| Colston Loveland (Chi) | +2800 (DK) | +2200 (CZR/ESPN) |
| Jaxson Dart (NYG) | +3500 (DK) | +2200 (ESPN) |
| Emeka Egbuka (TB) | +4000 (MGM/CZR/DK) | +2200 (ESPN) |
| Tyler Warren (Ind) | +3500 (DK/MGM) | +2500 (FD/ESPN) |
| Kaleb Johnson (Pit) | +3500 (MGM) | +3000 (DK/ESPN) |
| Will Howard (Pit) | +4500 (FD) | +3000 (DK) |
| Luther Burden (Chi) | +5000 (FD) | +3500 (365/ESPN) |
| Jalen Milroe (Sea) | +7500 (FD) | +3500 (365) |
| Jaydon Blue (Dal) | +8000 (DK) | +3500 (365) |
| Dillon Gabriel (Cle) | +10000 (MGM/365) | +3500 (CZR) |
| Jayden Higgins (Hou) | +7500 (ESPN) | +4000 (DK) |
| Tre Harris (LAC) | +10000 (FD/DK/ESPN) | +5000 (MGM) |
| Cam Skattebo (NYG) | +10000 (FD/DK) | +6000 (365) |
| Jack Bech (LV) | +15000 (ESPN) | +7000 (FD) |
| Kyle Williams (NE) | +10000 (MGM/DK/365) | +7000 (FD) |
Brolley’s Bets
R.J. Harvey (Den) AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2025-26 (+5000, FanDuel).
Risk .1 units to win 5 units. Placed April 26.
Alvin Kamara was the last player to win the OROY from outside the first round, who posted 1500+ scrimmage yards and 13 TDs after Sean Payton selected him 67th overall. Can history repeat itself after Payton selected Harvey 60th overall. I hope you bet on Harvey when he was at +5000 odds. I gave out the wager on our Discord, and in my NFL Futures article the day after the Broncos selected him in the late second round. Harvey’s odds have been bet down to anywhere from +2000 to +3000 since draft weekend.
All eyes were on who the Broncos would select at running back because it was one of the best landing spots for a fantasy back. Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin are the only players standing between Harvey and an every-down role in a Sean Payton offense. The Broncos have the seventh-most vacated carries (138) and 70 RB targets available with Javonte Williams leaving for Dallas. Harvey has massive potential if Payton trusts him in the passing game, as Broncos RBs finished fourth in targets in 2024 with 117 and first in 2023 with 153. Harvey is the favorite to lead the Broncos in carries, and he can be an every-down back if Payton wants to put that much work on his smaller, rookie RB.
Other Bets I Considered
Cam Ward (Ten) AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2025-26 (+380, FanDuel).
Why I like Ward: The Titans selected Ward first overall, and he’s the one rookie quarterback who is likely to open the season as a starter — Tyler Shough could join him if the Derek Carr situation continues to head south. Ward would be the heavy favorite to win the award most years, but Ashton Jeanty took that honor after winning the Heisman Award with 374/2601/29 rushing last year. I believe Ward should be the favorite based on the recent history of the award (see below). Brock Bowers and Puka Nacua each set rookie records in consecutive seasons, and each finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting to quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and C.J. Stroud, respectively.
Why I ultimately passed: Ward is stepping into a tough situation to have immediate success on a Titans team that finished with a 3-14 record last season. Calvin Ridley headlines one of the NFL’s weakest receiving corps, which features Chig Okonkwo and Van Jefferson as the top secondary options. The Titans ranked 27th in pass rate over expectation (-3.5%) in Brian Callahan’s first season as head coach, and he’s unlikely to pad his stats by running like Daniels did last season.
Tetairoa McMillan (Car) Offensive Rookie of the Year (+1400, DraftKings).
- Why I like McMillan: McMillan was Brett Whitefield’s favorite WR in this year’s class, and he saw him as a prototypical X receiver with elite vertical ability, RAC ability, and separation ability. He posted ridiculous per-game averages of 7.0 receptions, 108.8 receiving yards, and .72 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Arizona. It shouldn’t take long for McMillan to overtake Adam Thielen as Carolina’s top target after he finished with a team-best 18.7% target share and 76.9% route share. Bryce Young has the chance to take another step forward if McMillan can be the perimeter threat that Xavier Legette was unable to be in his first season.
- Why I ultimately passed: Young performed better at the end of last season, but he still averaged 208.9 passing YPG with a 4.6% TD rate in the final nine games. Those numbers would’ve ranked him just 22nd in passing YPG and 16th in TD rate over the course of the entire season. Young will need to keep improving to give McMillan a legitimate chance at 8+ TDs and/or 1000+ yards. The Panthers could use McMillan in a rotation with Legette and Jalen Coker for the two outside WR spots, at least early in the season.McMillan is also unlikely to get much national exposure, with the Panthers unlikely to get many opportunities to play in standalone TV games.
Jaydon Blue (Dal) Offensive Rookie of the Year (+8000, DraftKings).
- Why I like Blue: Blue projects to be an explosive change-of-pace option, but he has the potential to quickly climb to the top of Dallas’ wretched depth chart led by Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Javonte hasn’t been the same player since his 2022 knee injury, and Sanders has been invisible since he left Philadelphia in 2022. If it breaks right, Blue could have the type of season Rico Dowdle just had for the Cowboys. He finished with 274/1328/5 scrimmage in 2024 after totaling just 113/529/4 scrimmage in 2020-23. It doesn’t hurt that Blue will star on America’s Team, which means extra exposure in standalone national TV games to potentially give him a boost among voters.
- Why I ultimately passed: The Cowboys failed to spend meaningful draft capital at running back, selecting a career backup with 214 carries in the fifth round. The Cowboys didn’t have a fourth-round pick and saw 13 backs go off the board before selecting Blue 149th overall. The Cowboys are candidates to make a move at running back, like signing J. K. Dobbins or Nick Chubb. Blue never handled a heavy workload at Texas, playing behind Bijan Robinson, Jonathon Brooks, and Tre Wisner. That makes it difficult to project him with a majority of touches in Dallas’ backfield as a rookie.
2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds
The table is sorted by Shortest Odds to win the 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. You should target the Longest Odds to win the 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year to maximize your potential return. I used DraftKings (DK), FanDuel (FD), BetMGM (MGM), Caesars (CZR), ESPN Bet (ESPN), and Bet365 (365) to find the best MVP odds as of May 2.
| PLAYER | LONGEST ODDS | SHORTEST ODDS |
| Abdul Carter (NYG) | +250 (multiple) | +250 (multiple) |
| Jalon Walker (Atl) | +1200 (DK) | +650 (ESPN) |
| Travis Hunter (Jax) | +1100 (ESPN) | +750 (MGM) |
| Mason Graham (Cle) | +1600 (MGM) | +750 (ESPN) |
| Mykel Williams (SF) | +1100 (FD) | +900 (365) |
| Jihaad Campbell (Phi) | +1800 (MGM) | +1000 (DK) |
| Mike Green (Bal) | +1500 (FD) | +1200 (MGM/365/ESPN) |
| Shemar Stewart (Cin) | +1800 (DK) | +1200 (FD) |
| James Pearce (Atl) | +2000 (365/ESPN) | +1600 (FD) |
| Malaki Starks (Bal) | +2500 (FD) | +1600 (DK) |
| Walter Nolen (Ari) | +3000 (ESPN) | +1600 (CZR) |
| Jahdae Barron (Den) | +2200 (multiple) | +1800 (DK) |
| Donovan Ezeiruaku (Dal) | +2500 (FD) | +2000 (365) |
| Will Johnson (Ari) | +3300 (FD) | +2500 (365/ESPN) |
| J. T. Tuimoloau (Ind) | +4000 (CZR) | +2500 (DK) |
| Nick Emmanwori (Sea) | +4000 (FD/CZR/365) | +2800 (DK) |
| Derrick Harmon (Pit) | +4000 (multiple) | +2800 (DK) |
| Nic Scourton (Car) | +6000 (CZR/ESPN) | +2800 (DK) |
| Carson Schwesinger (Cle) | +6000 (MGM/CZR) | +3000 (ESPN) |
| Kenneth Grant (Mia) | +7500 (FD) | +3000 (CZR) |
| Maxwell Hairston (Buf) | +10000 (ESPN) | +3000 (DK/FD) |
| Benjamin Morrison (TB) | +6000 (FD/CZR) | +4000 (DK/365/ESPN) |
| Shavon Revel (Dal) | +7000 (DK) | +4000 (CZR) |
| Tyleik Williams (Det) | +15000 (ESPN) | +4000 (DK) |
| Trey Amos (Was) | +6000 (CZR) | +5000 (multiple) |
Brolley’s Bets
Maxwell Hairston (Buf) NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (+10000, ESPNBet).
Risk .1 units to win 10 units. Placed May 2.
ESPNBet had an off-market price for Hairston to win the DROY compared to the rest of the sportsbooks, which is the main reason I gave this future out. He projects to play right away if he can beat out the washed-up Tre’Davious White, who allowed a 122.8 passer rating when targeted last season in 11 games between the Rams and Ravens. Hairston would play opposite Christian Benford, who allowed an 86.6 passer rating last season.
Hairston could be targeted more playing across from Benford, which will give him opportunities to make the splashy plays that help a cornerback win the DROY. Hairston showed he has a knack for big plays during his final two seasons at Kentucky. He totaled 10 passes defended, 6 INTs, and 3 pick-sixes over 20 games the last two years against SEC competition. It doesn’t hurt that the Bills will be one of the teams featured the most in standalone games on national TV, which will give Hairston multiple opportunities to make memorable plays that could help him win the award.
Past Rookie of the Year Winners
Historic odds courtesy of SportsOddsHistory.com, which uses odds from BetMGM from just before the start of the season.
| Year | Offensive Rookie of the Year | Defensive Rookie of the Year |
| 2024 | Jayden Daniels, QB, 2nd pick (+500) | Jared Verse, EDGE, 19th pick (+800) |
| 2023 | C.J. Stroud, QB, 2nd (+850) | Will Anderson, EDGE, 3rd (+400) |
| 2022 | Garrett Wilson, WR, 10th (+2000) | Sauce Gardner, CB, 4th (+1200) |
| 2021 | Ja’Marr Chase, WR, 5th (+1800) | Micah Parsons, EDGE, 12th (+600) |
| 2020 | Justin Herbert, QB, 6th (+3000) | Chase Young, EDGE, 2nd (+150) |
| 2019 | Kyler Murray, QB, 1st (+150) | Nick Bosa, EDGE, 2nd (+700) |
| 2018 | Saquon Barkley, RB, 2nd (+155) | Darius Leonard, LB, 36th (+3050) |
| 2017 | Alvin Kamara, RB, 67th (+5000) | Marshon Lattimore, CB, 11th |
| 2016 | Dak Prescott, QB, 135th (+900) | Joey Bosa, EDGE, 3rd |
| 2015 | Todd Gurley, RB, 10th (+1350) | Marcus Peters, CB, 18th |
The NFL MVP is overwhelmingly dominated by quarterbacks, but the Offensive Rookie of the Year has been a little more of an equal-opportunity award between the three main skill positions. Running backs have won the award three times in the last 10 seasons, but not since Saquon Barkley in 2018. Wide receivers have captured the honor three times in the last decade, including back-to-back victories by Garrett Wilson and Ja’Marr Chase in 2021-22. C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels have taken home the honor the last two years, which gives quarterbacks five OROY winners since 2016.
Primary pass rushers dominated the Defensive Rookie of the Year with three consecutive wins (Micah Parsons, Chase Young, and Nick Bosa) in 2019-21 before Sauce Gardner broke the streak in 2022. Will Anderson and Jared Verse made it five pass-rush winners in the last six years last season. Cornerbacks have won the award three times in the last decade but just once in the last seven years.
The offensive winner has come from inside the top-12 picks eight times in the last 10 years and from inside the top 10 in seven straight seasons. Alvin Kamara (2017) and Dak Prescott (2016) each won the OROY after being drafted outside the top 60 picks. The Defensive Rookie of the Year winner has come from inside the first round in nine of the last 10 years. Darius Leonard is the lone exception in 2018, and he’s also the only LB to win in the last decade. Narrowing it down even further, the DROY has come from inside the top 12 picks seven times in the last decade, so the high-end defensive prospects typically come through to win this award.
The offensive side has had four offensive winners start the season at +1800 odds or longer in the last eight years. The defensive side hasn’t had a player higher than +1200 odds win in the last six years.
