Just one of seven rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, but the markets for AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2025-26 are already live at several sportsbooks, including FanDuel and DraftKings.

There are several intriguing candidates to win ROY on both sides of the ball (as there always are coming out of the draft).

When it comes to rookies to watch this year, we have to start with Jacksonville WR/CB Travis Hunter, who is poised to have one of the most fascinating rookie seasons in league history.

Could his rookie campaign include contention for Offensive and/or (not a misprint) Defensive Rookie of The Year?

At first glance, that question might seem absurd. But so did the notion last summer — back before the 2024 college football season kicked off — that a player for a Big 12 team that finished the regular season outside the AP top 15 could not just win the Heisman Trophy, but run away with it.

That is exactly what he did last fall, though. He was the best player on both sides of the ball for a Buffs squad that improved from 4-8 in Year 1 under Coach Prime to 9-3 (and ranked No. 20) at the end of the 2024 regular season, and he easily won the Heisman Trophy for his historic year.

Hunter’s potential to be the first true two-way force in the NFL since long before Deion Sanders dabbled as a WR (but made the Hall-of-Fame as a corner/return man) is what prompted the Jaguars to trade a haul to move up from No. 5 to No. 2 to draft him.

Fascinating as Hunter is, though, there are plenty of other rookies worth talking about as we dive into the ROY races on both sides of the ball.

2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds

Below is a quick look at how DK and FD have set the board ahead of a fascinating season for QB Cam Ward in Tennessee, RB Ashton Jeanty in Las Vegas WR Tetairoa McMillan in Carolina (and yes, Hunter in Jacksonville).

While it’s recently become impossible to win NFL MVP unless you’re a quarterback, recent history shows that any offensive skill position player can take home rookie of the year honors if he puts up big enough numbers.

In fact, just 10 of the last 20 OROY winners played quarterback.

Still, after Jayden Daniels (2024) and CJ Stroud (2023) won this award the last two years, it makes sense why Ward is favored.

But he’s not stepping into a great offensive situation, to say the least, and that will raise the level of difficultly significantly. The Titans finished the 2024 campaign 30th in passing offense expected points contributed, according to Pro Football Reference.

With that in mind, Ward is hardly a tempting bet right now, especially at his short odds.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Best Bet

Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)

Best odds: +340 (FanDuel)

No running back has won OROY since Saquon Barkley back in 2018, but Jeanty has a tremendous case after a phenomenal career at Boise State.

There’s good reason to expect him to immediately step into a massive role in the Vegas backfield. The Raiders were the worst rushing offense in the NFL in 2024, with league-worst finishes in both rushing yards (79.8 ypg) and yards per carry (3.6).

Jeanty also will benefit from playing for a notoriously run-obsessed head coach in Pete Carroll. Jeanty is also a better receiver than he showed in 2024, when he caught just 23 passes for 138 yards.

With a bigger role in the passing game in 2023, Jeanty proved he was a more-than-capable receiving back, as he turned 43 catches into 569 yards (13.2 ypc) and five touchdowns.

This might go without saying, but it should be noted that plenty of players with longer odds to win this award offer far more upside.

Jeanty would be easily the best bet to win this award if everyone’s odds were equal, though. And even at short odds, he strikes us as a steal here.

2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds

Below are the DROY odds at DK and FD. Both see Giants DE Abdul Carter as the clear favorite after Round 1.

We went a little chalky with the Jeanty shout for OROY, so we’ll highlight someone besides Carter here.

That being said, a huge rookie season by the monster from Penn State will surprise absolutely no one who watched him at PSU.

Another reason to like Carter is that he’s unlikely to face double-teams while rushing opposite standout Brian Burns and alongside All-Pro DT Dexter Lawrence.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Best Bet

Jaguars CB (?) Travis Hunter (Colorado)

Best odds: +1000 (FanDuel)

If you believe what the Jaguars and Hunter himself have said since he was drafted last night, we’ll see a heavy dose of him on both sides of the ball.

But Hunter’s more natural position is corner. In his first year with Colorado, that’s what he played full-time, with his remarkable work as a receiver coming at his “second position.”

Making a huge impact as a rookie wide receiver is difficult enough for players spending all their time on offense. So while I wouldn’t rule out Hunter impacting the Jags’ offense, I think he’ll make more noise in Year 1 on defense, where he could be a lockdown corner right away.

Most CBs do not have the notoriety to win this award unless they pick off a ton of passes, but that won’t be an issue for Hunter, who is more than well-known enough to win this award even if finishes the year without a ton of picks.

And he did show at Colorado — where he snared three picks in 2023 and four in 2024 despite opposing QBs reguarly avoiding throwing anywhere near him — that the word “elite” might actually undersell his ball skills in the defensive backfield.

The question might just be how many chances for interceptions he gets.

In addition to what he proved in college, the fact that three CBs — the Jets’ Sauce Gardner in 2022 (two picks), former Saint Marshon Lattimore in 2017 (five picks) and then-Chief Marcus Peters in 2015 (eight picks) — have won this award in the last 10 years also helps Hunter’s case immensely.

Crucially, voters’ rightful recognition of Gardner in 2022 set the precedent for not holding an underwhelming interception total against a shutdown rookie corner.

So, if you’re looking to back someone besides Carter, why not take a stab at by far the biggest name in this class, as he offers a ton of value at 10-to-1 odds right now.

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