Micah Parsons Odds-On Favorite To Win Defensive Rookie Of The Year

• Micah Parsons has +450 odds to take home DROY honors.
• Defensive ends Jaelan Phillips (+700) and Kwity Paye (+750) amongst the favorites.

DALLAS – The Dallas Cowboys have selected the favorite for the Defensive Rookie of the Year with their first pick in the NFL Draft.

Micah Parsons out of Penn State has +450 odds to win the award with Jaelan Phillips and Kwity Paye as the next most likely winners.

Will Parsons Actually Win DROY?

Of course, it’s near impossible to project the NFL season. There is the potential for injuries, players to be busts and players to come out of nowhere.

However, many believe that Micah Parsons was the best defensive prospect in the draft and should therefore be on the DROY watchlist.

Given the Dallas Cowboys historically awful defense last year, the weakness at the position as well as his versatility, Parsons should get enough snaps to be in a position to win the award. For those who don’t know, Parsons was a defensive end in high school and has only played two seasons as a linebacker. There’s belief that with pro-level coaching, Parsons can be one of the best in the NFL.

AP Defensive Rookie Of The Year Betting Odds

• Micah Parsons +450
• Jaelan Phillips +700
• Kwity Paye +750
• Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah +900

Do The Defensive Ends Have A Shot?

In each of the last two years and in three of the last five seasons, a defensive end has won this award. It’s easier for a DE to win Rookie of the Year because it’s generally more of a one-dimensional position than a linebacker.

The last two times a linebacker won this award, the rookie led the entire NFL in tackles. The DE’s can win the award just by rattling off 7-10 sacks throughout the season.

Jaelan Phillips was drafted by the Miami Dolphins and will be going up against some of the lesser offensive lines and younger quarterbacks inside his division. If given the reps, NFL betting fans could find a winner with +700 odds in Phillips.

Kwity Paye, who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, will also have some favorable matchups against the likes of the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars twice a year but could struggle a little more than Phillips to find enough playing time to win the award honors.

Other Contenders

As mentioned before, predicting the season isn’t truly possible. With that said, there’s probably some players who have enticing odds as a longshot.

Sports betting sites have players such as Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (+900), Patrick Surtain II (+1000) and Jayson Oweh (+2800) listed as longshots that could put together a quality season.