Last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year race was more interesting than usual heading into the season. Typically, high first-round picks have an edge when it comes to winning the award, with voters tending to give more weight to those blue-chip prospects over others that may put together better statistical seasons. For example, Will Anderson and Jalen Carter finished 1-2 in DROY voting in 2023, while third-rounder Kobie Turner, who had more tackles and sacks than either, came in third.

With 2024, it didn't carry the same burden of blue-chip status, as it took until the 15th overall pick for any defender to be drafted. From a betting perspective, that seemed to open up the race more, with no reason to expect some of the longer shots to be chasing down preconceived favorites. As it turns out, one of the first few defenders drafted took home the award, with Jared Verse easily winning over Quinyon Mitchell and teammate Braden Fiske, who delivered nearly double the sacks of Verse (8.5 vs. 4.5).

That's not to say Verse or Anderson were unworthy winners -- both graded out very well despite not having the edge in the box scores, as did Sauce Gardner when he won over Riq Woolen in 2022 despite the latter intercepting more passes. But it does help us better sharpen our focus in the betting markets for the award going into the season.

Let's look at our 10 best betting options for Defensive Rookie of the Year along with three longshots of +10000 or greater to consider.

So who gets the top spot as the best Defensive Rookie of the Year bet this season? And which longshots are worth considering? ... Join SportsLine here to see R.J. White's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year best bet rankings for 2025!