2026 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds: Bailey Favored

With rookie minicamp now in session, the discussion about who the best defensive rookie will be is heating up.

The top of the draft was stacked with superstar-potential talent on the defensive side of the ball. David Bailey, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, Mansoor Delane, Rueben Bain Jr. and more make it one of the most stacked defensive classes at the top in recent history.

Several positions have won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in recent history. Last year, it was Cleveland Browns' off-ball linebacker Carson Schwesinger who took home the hardware after he recorded 156 tackles and had two interceptions.

Pass-rushers Will Anderson and Jared Verse won in 2023 and 2024, respectively, while cornerback Sauce Gardner earned the award in 2022. Even defensive tackles Sheldon Richardson and Aaron Donald have won it within the past 13 years.

Unlike the MVP award that tends to exclusively go to quarterbacks, and the Offensive Player of the Year award that is usually awarded to the best skill position player, the defensive awards don't show bias to any position.

This makes it an intriguing market with plenty of names to choose from. Evaluating each rookie's situation with their team is important. Let's take a look at the odds for the top-ten favorites to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, with odds provided by bet365:

David Bailey	+425
Arvell Reese	+600
Rueben Bain Jr.	+600
Sonny Styles	+650
Caleb Downs	+750
Mansoor Delane	+850
Akheem Mesidor	+1600
Malachi Lawrence	+2000
CJ Allen	+2200
Dillon Thieneman	+2200

New York Jets No. 2 overall pick David Bailey is the odds on favorite to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year, with his odds set at +425.

With Jermaine Johnson II now in Tennessee, Bailey will most-likely immediately jump into the started EDGE rusher role alongside Will McDonald IV.

With plenty of opportunities looming to rush the passer and rack up sacks, there's no doubt that Bailey deserves to be the preseason favorite.

New York Giants No. 5 overall pick Arvell Reese and Tampa Bay's No. 15 overall pick Rueben Bain Jr. are both tied for second at +600.

Reese joins a crowded and talented EDGE rusher room that includes Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux, but his off-ball capabilities as a middle linebacker will be put on display.

It's a risk taking Reese with all those other pass-rushers bound to take away some opportunities to get after the quarterback, but he'll certainly rack up plenty of tackles in the middle of the field.

Bain Jr., meanwhile, should step in nicely as one of the Bucs' premier pass-rushers, joining a room that includes Yaya Diaby, Elijah Roberts, and SirVocea Dennis.

He'll have tons of pass-rush snaps that make his ceiling pretty high as a DROY candidate.

Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles (+650), Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs (+750), and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane (+850) are the rest of the candidates with odds shorter than +1000.

All three should immediately step into starting positions, with Styles and Downs projected to rack up plenty of tackles. A safety hasn't won the award since Mark Carrier in 1990 with the Chicago Bears, but if Downs can help turn a porous 2025 Cowboys defense into a decent one, he should get some recognition.

Delane could start out his career being matched up against whoever the opposing team's No. 1 receiver is after Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson departed in the offseason. A few interceptions and some lockdown performances could generate some DROY hype for him.

Los Angeles Chargers pass-rusher Akheem Mesidor (+1600) and Cowboys Malachi Lawrence No. 23 overall pick (+2000) have plenty of potential to generate double-digit sack seasons, with Mesidor potentially being a good look due to his pro-ready age of 25 years old.

Rounding out the top-ten are Indianapolis Colts linebacker CJ Allen and Chicago Bears safety Dillon Thieneman.

Each could potentially be their team's best player in their respective position group to start with potential for tons of tackles.

Read about the top-ten Offensive Rookie of the Year odds on site.

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All odds in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.