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Chris Kwiecinski/Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL futures bets: NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

By Griffin Carroll | Last updated 4/29/23

The NFL Draft is over, and now we turn to the 2023 season. Yesterday we highlighted the best bets for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and now we turn our attention to the defensive side of the football.

The Defensive Rookie of the Year is far more evenly dispersed to positions compared to the offensive counterpart, making this an intriguing list to parse through.

CB Sauce Gardner brought home the win here last year, the third corner in the past eight years to win. Defensive linemen and edge-rushers tend to do well here, as five have won since 2013. It's been a bit quieter overall, but linebackers have taken home DROY honors 13 times since 2000. The fact we have no LBs among the top 10 here shows how the league values the position now compared to the early 2000s.

Favorites to win Defensive Rookie of the Year

Odds are courtesy of DraftKings.

Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Houston (+350)
Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia (+800)
Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Las Vegas (+800)
Devon Witherspoon, CB, Seattle (+900)
Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England (+1000)
Lukas Van Ness, DL, Green Bay (+1200)
Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Washington (+1400)
Nolan Smith, EDGE, Philadelphia (+1600)
Myles Murphy, EDGE, Cincinnati (+2000)
Joey Porter Jr., CB, Pittsburgh (+2000)

Will Anderson Jr. will slot in immediately as a pivotal piece of this Texans defense, and new Head Coach DeMeco Ryans will be tasked with unlocking the best out of the former Alabama star. Anderson is well-positioned to have a strong rookie year off the bat, and if he can touch double-digit sacks it's hard to imagine this award going to anyone else.

Jalen Carter was quite the value grab for Philadelphia, with many considering him the most talented prospect in the draft. It's hard to envision Carter puts up the statistics to garner a DROY win. He's on a deep Eagles defensive line that prefers rotating their guys in and out.

Tyree Wilson and Lukas Van Ness both figure to slide in as immediate contributors, but Wilson may be the better bet in this market. The Las Vegas Raiders finished 2022 with the third-fewest sacks in the NFL, so Wilson will be tasked with playing a high-number of snaps off the bat to help fix this problem area. If his addition gets the most out of the Raiders defensive line, and Wilson gets the stats to show his impact, he's a fine look here.

Our favorite looks may be at corner, especially with the value the position has toward solidifying a team's defense. Devon Witherspoon went No. 5 to Seattle, considered the best lock-down corner in the class. The Seahawks have a promising young defense and should be up there among the NFC's best records this year, both a hat-tip to their roster-building and an indictment of the quality of this conference. Should Witherspoon inspire "Legion of Boom" memories in Seattle, he's one to watch here.

Christian Gonzalez figures to start in New England, and has a playmaking ability that could get him on the national radar. The Patriots are going to have a tougher time being competitive, which may impact Gonzalez's chances.

And, our pick is ...

Sometimes a favorite is there for a reason, and we do think Will Anderson Jr.'s placement is justified and worth a bet. He should flash immediately, and there's something poetic about 2006 DROY DeMeco Ryans now grooming a potential 2023 DROY winner.

We also like Witherspoon. Sauce Gardner showed it's not just about statistics, but advanced metrics and impact on your team's unit as a whole. While Witherspoon may not be as good as Gardner, all reports suggest he's going to be a very good starting cornerback in this league.

Betting: Will Anderson Jr. (+350) and Devon Witherspoon (+900)

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