NFL Rookie of the Year Odds: Tetairoa McMillan, Carson Schwesinger Highlight NFL Rookie of the Year Odds Favorites

With the NFL playoffs right around the corner, the Rookie of the Year race is reaching a tipping point.

Carolina Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan (-340) currently holds a slight lead over the red-hot Tyler Shough in Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, while Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger (-750) is a heavy favorite on the defensive side.

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Let's take a look at NFL betting odds for Offensive ROY and Defensive ROY heading into Week 18.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds

Odds as of 12-30-2025.

Here is a look at the opening NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds.

Ashton Jeanty opened as the betting favorite to win the prestigious award when these futures prices were posted just prior to the NFL Draft.

• Ashton Jeanty (+250)

• Cam Ward (+400)

• Travis Hunter (+700)

• Shedeur Sanders (+800)

• Tetairoa McMillan (+1200)

• Omarion Hampton (+1200)

• Matthew Golden (+1500)

• Tyler Warren (+2000)

• Kaleb Johnson (+2000)

• Quinshon Judkins (+2000)

• Emeka Egbuka (+2000)

• Jaxton Dart (+2000)

• TreVeyon Henderson (+2500)

• Quinn Ewers (+3000)

• Luther Burden (+3000)

• Colston Loveland (+3000)

• Elijah Arroyo (+4000)

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year betting splits

Highest ticket percentage:
•    Emeka Egbuka 9.7%

Highest handle percentage:
•    Emeka Egbuka 12.9%

Biggest liabilities:
•    Tyler Shough

All data courtesy of BetMGM.

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NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds

Odds as of 12-30-2025.

Here is a look at opening NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds.

Abdul Carter opened as the betting favorite to win the prestigious award.

• Abdul Carter (+240)

• Jalon Walker (+550)

• Mason Graham (+750)

• Mykel Williams (+900)

• Travis Hunter (+1000)

• Shemar Stewart (+1200)

• Donovan Ezeiruaku (+1700)

• Mike Green (+1900)

• Jihaad Campbell (+2000)

• James Pearce Jr. (+2200)

• Walter Nolen (+2300)

• Malarki Starks (+2300)

• Will Johnson (+2300)

• Jahdae Barron (+2700)

• JT Tuimoloau (+2800)

• Nick Emmanowori (+4000)

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year betting splits

Highest ticket percentage:
•    Abdul Carter 16.9%

Highest handle percentage:
•    Abdul Carter 22.9%

Biggest liabilities:
•    Carson Schwesinger

All data courtesy of BetMGM.

Popular NFL futures markets

NFL Offensive ROY betting trends

• Of the last 21 winners of the NFL OROY Award, 18 were drafted in the first round.

• While quarterback is an extremely difficult position to excel at as a rookie, 11 of the last 21 OROY winners played the position, including four QBs that were selected first overall in the draft.

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• Running backs have won four of the last 11 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.

• 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

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.

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NFL Defensive ROY betting trends

• Of the last 35 winners of the NFL DROY Award, an incredible 32 were drafted in the first round. Of the three winners that weren't first-rounders (DeMeco Ryans, Kendrell Bell, and Darius Leonard), all were still selected within the Top-40 picks.

• Eight of the last 19 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 11 years, only three LBs have taken home the award.

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

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NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year history

A quick look at the NFL DROY winners since 2004, the position they played, and where they were drafted.

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.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here