Last week, we ran through some of the best bets to win the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year race, which is headlined by franchise quarterbacks and a few high-end skill-position players with big roles early on.
This time, we’re diving into the other side of the ball, where former Alabama star Will Anderson (+350) is the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year after the Texans traded up to select him at No. 3.
That said, he’s far from the best value on the board in a class full of dynamic playmakers on the defensive end.
Here are three players worth targeting in this market, with odds courtesy of BetMGM:
While Anderson is the favorite in this market and was the top defender off the board in this year’s draft, there’s a compelling argument that Wilson was the better pass-rushing prospect in this class.
The Texas Tech product actually had a higher pressure rate (16.7 percent) than Anderson (15.3 percent) in 2022, and he boasts more length and raw athleticism with a seemingly higher ceiling once he adapts to better NFL technique and channels his pure explosiveness into more production.
That may take some time, though Wilson will be in a perfect environment to succeed on a Raiders defense with two Pro Bowl pass rushers in Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones.
That should help Wilson score some favorable matchups and chase some potentially gaudy sack totals as a rookie, which is always the clearest path to cashing in this market.
Even though Forbes enters the league with concerns about his wiry frame (166 pounds), it’s hard to ignore his ridiculous production at Mississippi State, where he intercepted 14 passes across three seasons and set an FBS record with six career interceptions returned for a touchdown.
As a former wide receiver, Forbes’ elite ball skills and understanding of route combinations helped him haunt quarterbacks’ dreams in college.
It certainly appears the Commanders will give him every opportunity to do the same in the pros after drafting him in the top half of the first round.
While cornerbacks rarely cash in this market, the Jets’ Sauce Gardner won DROY last year, and there’s enough upside with Forbes’ potential interception totals to take a shot at a decent price.
And if he can turn one or two of those turnovers into touchdowns, he could vault into contention in a hurry.
It’s rare for a defensive tackle to take home this award, though we’ve seen it happen three times since 2010.
And Smith isn’t your typical defensive tackle, either.
At 6-foot-3 and 337 pounds, the former Michigan star ranked No. 1 on The Athletic’s annual “college football freaks” list ahead of the 2022 season.
Sure enough, his incredible combination of strength and short-area quickness helped him amass 48 tackles with nearly two dozen pressures in 14 games as the anchor for one of the best defenses in the country.
Each of the three previous interior linemen to win this award recorded at least 12 tackles for loss as a rookie, and two of them had at least nine sacks.
Those may be lofty goals for Smith, but he has the upside to be a game-wrecker in the heart of the Cowboys’ defense — and with odds as high as 50/1 at FanDuel, the value is too good to pass up.