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NFL DROY Odds: Who Is Favored to Win for 2022-23 Season

Only two of the last 20 DROY's were selected outside of the first round.

Aidan Hutchinson among 2022-23 NFL DROY favorites originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

With the 2022 NFL preseason in full swing and the regular season just 27 days away, we have already begun looking toward which rookie will take home a special award: Defensive Rookie of the Year.

This year's rookies are among some of the most-talented prospects in football and they are ready to show it on the field and make their marks in the league.

The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft was loaded with defensive talent and began with a run of five-straight defensive players being selected. It was the first time, since 1991, that the first five picks were all on the defensive side of the ball.

DROY is an award that is often won by defenders who tackle ball-carriers and sack the league’s best signal-callers, and it is often awarded to a first-round pick. Only two of the last 20 DROY's were selected outside of the first round. 

Over the past few seasons, there have been a few game changers that have been on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons won the DROY award last season, and before him, it was Washington's Chase Young and San Francisco 49ers' Nick Bosa. 

With this year's NFL season swiftly approaching, odds are already out on who will claim the DROY title, so here's a look at the early contenders:

Who are the NFL DROY betting favorites?

It's no surprise that former Michigan edge rusher and No. 2 overall pick to the Detroit Lions Aidan Hutchinson and New York Giants' newest EDGE rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux are leading the top two spots for defensive rookie of the year with +575 betting odds, according to our partner, PointsBet.

Hutchinson set the Michigan single-season sacks record with 14 as a senior and has the chance to be the fourth player from the Lions to win the award after Lem Barney (1968), Al “Bubba” Baker (1976) and Ndamukong Suh (2010). 

During his time at the University of Oregon, Thibodeaux recorded 126 total tackles, 35.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks.

The No. 1 overall pick from the University of Georgia, Travon Walker is following closely behind with +800 odds to take home the coveted award and breakout star Nakobe Dean rounds out the top 10 at +1500. 

Here are the betting odds of the top 10 favorites:

Aidan Hutchinson +575

Kayvon Thibodeaux +575

Travon Walker +800

Kyle Hamilton +900

Quay Walker +1000

Ahmad Gardner +1100

Derek Stingley Jr. +1100

Devin Lloyd +1100

Jermaine Johnson II +1100

Nakobe Dean +1500

Who has the lowest odds to win DROY?

Six players are currently tied with the lowest odds (+20000) to win Defensive Rookie of the Year: Darrian Beavers, Bryan Cook, DeAngelo Malone, Haskell Garrett, Mario Goodrich and Josh Jobe.

Here are the bottom 10 longshots to win DROY:

Mykael Wright +15000

Josh Paschal +15000

Perrion Winfrey +17500

Jack Sanborn +17500

Darrian Beavers +20000

Bryan Cook +20000

DeAngelo Malone +20000

Haskell Garrett +20000

Mario Goodrich +20000

Josh Jobe +20000

Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.

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