Each season in the NFL, the attention after the NFL Draft is usually fixated on offensive players rather than defenders. But rookies on the defensive side of the ball can be just as impactful as their counterparts on offense. The Defensive Rookie of the Year race is set to be a fascinating one in 2023. With multiple pass rushers and a defensive back taken in the top-10, and several quality players drafted just after them, this award could go in any number of directions.
Let’s check out the odds from our top NFL sportsbooks and see if we can find a couple good bets.
2023 AP DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD ODDS
Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have the favorite to win this year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year honor in Jalen Carter. Carter helped the Georgia Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships over the last couple of seasons. He had six sacks this season and he forced two fumbles in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while scoring a defensive touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. After all that, it would take a lot for Carter not to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon was not the defensive back with the best odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year earlier in the NFL season. But an injury to New England’s Christian Gonzalez combined with a Week 4 where Witherspoon had a huge game that included a pick-six against the Giants, and Witherspoon is now in the mix to claim this honor. Seattle’s tailspin in the second-half of the season has hurt Witherspoon’s odds to win this award, as has his lack of any additional interceptions after his pick-six in New Jersey.
2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Prediction
The only pick to win Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL at this stage is Jalen Carter of the Eagles. Carter has made some huge plays for the Eagles this year, in what has been a promising start to his pro career. Witherspoon has not done enough to overtake Carter for this award, which should go to the rookie out of Georgia.