NFL Defensive ROTY Odds: Turner the Early Favorite
Award Viewed as Fairly Wide Open

The NFL Draft was top-heavy on offensive talent, but there are still some newcomers who can play some defense. The NFL Defensive ROTY odds don’t have a strong favorite, with Dallas Turner being at the lowest odds at +375. There are nine players who are +2000 or lower, although there are odds on more than 30 other players. When the NFL games begin in September, there should be a fair number of rookies who have worked their way into the starting line-up. And one of them will walk away with the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Odds to Win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Dallas Turner +375
The Minnesota Vikings may have given up too much to get Turner, but that’s not the point with this bet. The only thing you’re interested in with this wager is if Turner can win the award. He should certainly get his opportunities with a Minnesota team that lost some talent up front. He was projected to go in the top 10 but somehow managed to fall to No. 17, which could be a motivating factor.
Laiatu Latu +550
Latu is second in the betting odds at +550. He’s not joining one of the best NFL teams in Indianapolis, so he should get his opportunity to play. He was drafted two spots before Turner, so the two could battle it out for the top award. He’s not the worst wager here but he isn’t going off at great odds.
Quinyon Mitchell +1000
Mitchell is tied for third in the NFL Defensive ROTY odds at a decent price of +1000. He’s joining a better team in Philadelphia than the Vikings or the Colts. Mitchell was one of the top two or three cornerbacks in the draft, but playing time may not come quite so easy. He’ll also be pushed by second-round draft pick Cooper DeJean.
Jared Verse +1000
Verse is an intriguing player at odds of +1000. He should be able to move right into the Rams starting line-up and has decent upside. If you like to play longshots for these types of wagers, Verse could be one of your NFL best bets here.
Chop Robinson +1200
Chop Robinson is one of three players at odds of +1200 who have the potential to win the award. Miami‘s defense didn’t fare too well in the NFL power rankings last season, allowing too many points and too many yards. Robinson should be able to step in quickly and play some pass defense.
Terrion Arnold +1200
Arnold will get his opportunities with the Lions and can play. The big question with him is how much of an impact he’ll have compared to the other players on the list. The odds are pretty close to what you would expect, as there wasn’t a huge difference between the top couple of cornerbacks in the draft.
Byron Murphy II +1200
Murphy was taken higher in the draft than some of the other players going off at lower odds. A defensive tackle, Murphy can make a solid contribution to the Seahawks and not even make a play. He draws a lot of double-teams and also uses his strength and size to plug the middle on running plays. He’s a solid player, but winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award might be asking for a bit much.
Cooper DeJean +1800
The NFL Defensive ROTY odds on DeJean are the lowest for any non-first round pick. DeJean was taken No. 33 overall in the second round by the Eagles, who made it a mission to improve their secondary. The Eagles used two early picks to make that happen.
Nate Wiggins +2000
Wiggins was taken No. 30 by the Baltimore Ravens. There’s little doubt that Wiggins is going to be a solid player in the secondary, but it might not happen this year. He needs to add a bit of muscle to his 180-pound frame to prevent the physical receivers from pushing him around. There are a few too many questions to take Wiggins here.
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