2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds and Predictions: Favorites, Sleepers and Best Bets

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds and Betting Advice For The 2025 Season!

Sportsmemo’s Steve Seagrave gives 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds, picks and predictions including sleepers on who will lift the hardware come the end of the season! Which players have the best odds to win?

What are some key NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year betting trends to keep an eye on? Get Steve’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year picks and predictions below!

2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds (DraftKings)

Past NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Winners

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Betting Trends

The Defensive Rookie of the Year is far more evenly dispersed to positions compared to the offensive counterpart.

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse won the award during the 2024 campaign as he led all rookies in QB hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries (56).

Verse also recorded the 2nd most tackles for a loss (11) and 5th most sacks (4.5) among rookies. Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr won the Defensive ROTY in 2023 after recording 45 tackles, seven sacks (4th most among rookies) and 22 QB hits (most among rookies).

Sauce Gardner brought home the award in the 2022 campaign for the Jets and became the third corner in the past ten seasons to win.

Linebackers have taken the award home 14 times since 2000 including Verse last season. Defensive ends and linemen have been successful recently as they have won the award six times since 2013.

2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Prediction: Jalon Walker, Falcons (+1000)

It’s tough to know which Falcons rookie will emerge in new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s aggressive scheme, but the organization took Jalon Walker 11 picks ahead of James Pearce Jr, so we’ll start there.

Last season, the Georgia Bulldog won the Dick Butkus as the nation’s top linebacker after he logged 60 combined tackles and 6.5 sacks.

Atlanta’s recent inability to draft and develop an edge rusher has been an issue for the team and fans so they doubled down with the #15 and #26 picks overall.

Walker has a clear path to play, and the Falcons have made it clear that he will focus on rushing off the edge.

What Walker lacks in size (6-1 243 pounds) he makes up for with speed & explosiveness and if he racks up the sacks the voters will take notice.

2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year Sleeper Prediction: James Pearce Jr., Falcons (+1600)

James Pearce Jr entered last season as a projected top 5 pick and while his final year at Tennessee was quieter than expected, he still wrapped up his college career with 19.5 sacks while consistently wreaking havoc.

Pearce is an explosive speed rusher with incredible instincts, awareness and first step quickness. The #26 overall pick could wind up being Ulbrich’s designated pass rusher, and he has the bag of tricks to help showcase his talents as a rookie.

Jalon Walker may draw attention of Pearce to free him up if he gets favorable matchups he could capitalize with double digit sacks to win this award.

Pearce has made waves at training camp for getting under Atlanta’s offensive lines skin and he makes a great value play to win this award.

Other 2025 NFL Futures Picks Below

2025 NFL MVP Award

2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award

2025 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award

2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award

2025 NFL Coach of the Year Award

2025 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award

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