The 2024 NFL Draft is in the books. Now, every rookie across the league is going through a crash course of life in the NFL with rookie minicamps, OTAs, and training camp on the horizon. Soon enough, the season will be on their doorstep and we'll get to see firsthand which members from this 2024 class are ready to make an impact on Day 1.
In that spirit, we'll now take a gander at the odds for the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards and see if any first-year players present good value.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Offensive Rookie of the Year odds
| Player (team) | OROY odds |
|---|---|
+210 | |
+600 | |
+900 | |
+1000 | |
+1400 | |
+1500 | |
+1600 | |
Rome Odunze (Chicago Bears) | +2500 |
+2500 | |
| Brian Thomas Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars) | +2500 |
| Bo Nix (Denver Broncos) | +2800 |
| Jonathon Brooks (Carolina Panthers) | +3400 |
As you may have expected, Caleb Williams is the odds-on favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at +210. He has a clear path to starting Week 1 for the Bears and Chicago has spent the bulk of the offseason building an offense specifically catered to his skill set, including the addition of fellow first-rounder Rome Odunze (+2500). As is the case for most awards in the NFL, quarterbacks have dominated this award in recent years. Over the past five seasons, QBs have claimed this award three times.
With that in mind, Daniels (+900), McCarthy (+1000), and Maye (+1500) are all worth a look as well. Specifically with McCarthy, he's intriguing at +1000 considering the situation he's found himself in. So long as he starts early in his career, the Michigan product has a strong offensive line in front of him, an offensive-minded coach, and a stellar collection of skill-position players headlined by Justin Jefferson. In that offense, he has an opportunity to put up numbers.
Outside of quarterback, wide receivers have won the other two OROY awards over the past half-decade, so Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and others are worth a look. If we're looking for some value, Buffalo's Keon Coleman (+2500) is a name to look at. The FSU receiver is being looked at to fill a massive void in the Bills wide receiver room following the departures of both Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. That's 241 value targets from the arm of Josh Allen that are now on the table for Coleman to eat.
Early pick: J.J. McCarthy (+1000)
Value pick: Keon Coleman (+2500)
Defensive Rookie of the Year odds
| Player (team) | DROY odds |
|---|---|
Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings) | +500 |
+650 | |
+1000 | |
+1100 | |
+1100 | |
+1200 | |
+1600 | |
+2500 | |
Cooper DeJean (Philadelphia Eagles) | +2500 |
| Nate Wiggins (Baltimore Ravens) | +2500 |
Minnesota's Dallas Turner did see a surprising dip at the NFL Draft. Many mocks had Turner as the first defensive player slated to come off the board and as high as the Falcons at No. 8 overall. Instead, he was snagged by the Vikings at No.17 overall. Nevertheless, he's the favorite to win DROY at +500. The name of the game to win this award is sacks as four of the last five recipients were pass rushers. Turner enters the NFL in a Brian Flores-led defense that likes to blitz and the Alabama product could adopt some of the role left by Danielle Hunter, who had 16.5 sacks in 2023.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player off the board in the '24 class with the Colts taking him at No. 15 overall and he slots in right behind Turner at +650. Indy was in the bottom third in pressure rate last season, so Latu will be asked to help turn that around. As for a value player, Chop Robinson (+1600) could end up seeing a hefty workload early in his NFL career with the Dolphins working both Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb back from season-ending injuries. Piling up sacks is something Robinson didn't do throughout his collegiate career (11.5 over three seasons), but the opportunity should be there for him to turn that around in the NFL and he has the physical tools to do so.
Early pick: Dallas Turner (+500)
Value pick: Chop Robinson (+1600)
