The Texans gave up a boatload of draft capital to trade up for Will Anderson, so Houston’s hopes are high that he will have an immediate impact.
The oddsmakers believe a standout debut could be in the cards, as the talented edge rusher has opened as the favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, has +350 odds to win the hardware, per BetMGM on May 3, which easily outpaces others in the field.
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Raiders edge rusher Tyree Wilson, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez are the other four rookies with betting odds of +1000 or shorter to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
- Will Anderson +350
- Jalen Carter +600
- Tyree Wilson +700
- Devon Witherspoon +900
- Christian Gonzalez +1000
Carter, Wilson and Witherspoon all went top-10 like Anderson, but the inclusion of Gonzalez is an interesting one.
He slipped to No. 17 in the draft and landed with the New England Patriots, but has better odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year than multiple players taken before him.
Green Bay Packers edge rusher Lukas Van Ness is sixth on the list with +1200 odds, and he is followed by Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith, who lasted all the way until No. 30 in the first round but has odds that place him in the mix for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The reigning DROY winner is Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. He was preceded by edge rushers Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa and Chase Young.
Here are the rest of the candidates to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, per BetMGM:
- Lukas Van Ness +1200
- Nolan Smith +1600
- Emmanuel Forbes +1600
- Jack Campbell +1800
- Joey Porter Jr. +2000
- Myles Murphy +2000
- Drew Sanders +2000
- Will McDonald IV +2000
- Deonte Banks +2000
- Brian Branch +2000
- Felix Anudike-Uzomah +2000
- Calijah Kancey +2500
- Keion White +2500
- Cameron Smith +2500
- Trenton Simpson +3000
- Bryan Bresee +3000
- Kelee Ringo +3000
- B.J. Ojulari +3000
- Mazi Smith +3000
