With the 2021 football season steadily drawing to a close, our focus is starting to shift toward bigger picture betting odds on the NFL. And while betting on the Super Bowl is part of this focus, we also care deeply about the year-end awards.
One of the 2021 NFL player futures worth zeroing in on, naturally, will be betting picks for the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year. Sure, the field has narrowed a great deal since the start of the season. That's what happens when you're suddenly working with a large sample size. It's also part of the fun. A smaller pool of NFL Rookie of the Year betting odds should theoretically make it easier to spot the winner.
Let's begin by taking a look at the latest betting odds on who will win NFL Defensive Player of the Year, courtesy of BetOnline:
Please note these NFL odds are accurate as of games played through Week 14. They can and will shift as the season winds down and ultimately ends after Week 18, so make sure you're double-checking them before picking any NFL futures.
Finally, you'll want to consider poring over our extensive reviews of the best online sportsbooks, because you're bound to find a good fit for all your current and future football betting.
2021 NFL Rookie of the Year Predictions
Believe it or not, the 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been winnowed down to just two players: Mac Jones of the New England Patriots, and Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals. The 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds, on the other hand, are slightly more of a mystery, with a handful of realistic candidates still in contention.
With this in mind, we'll start with our 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year picks and then move on to our 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year picks.
2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Prediction
Despite the wider field of candidates, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year race is actually a little less interesting.
Because Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys is going to win.
The linebacker's inaugural NFL season has been one for the history books. Parsons has started in every single Dallas Cowboys game, completed nearly 60 solo tackles, hit the opposing quarterback around 25 times and forced two fumbles.
Oh, and here's the real kicker: Micah Parsons leads all NFL defensive players in tackles that resulted in a loss of yards for the other team. That is absolutely bonkers for any player, let alone a rookie who's supposed to be up against a learning curve.
Some have even posited that Micah Parsons belongs in the NFL MVP discussion. That's debatable. One player can impact a defense only so much, unlike a quarterback or running back or wide receiver on offense. But the overarching point is salient as heck: No one other than Parsons stands a chance to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos is his closest competitor, and the first-year cornerback hasn't been nearly as impressive as Dallas' rookie linebacker.
OSB Prediction: Micah Parsons (-1800)
2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Prediction
Here are the latest NFL betting odds on Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Mac Jones has swallowed the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation whole. It's not hard to see why. The Patriots are riding a seven-game winning streak entering Week 15, they've seized first place in the AFC East as a result, and Mac Jones has a passer rating north of 100 during this entire time.
History suggests this is the nail in the coffin of the discussion. Jones is now the fourth rookie quarterback ever to maintain such a high passer rating while winning at least five consecutive games. His company: Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004, Robert Griffin III of Washington in 2012 and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. Every one of these players, meanwhile, went on to win Rookie of the Year.
This is all a little unfair to Ja'Marr Chase. He has amassed more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage and eight passing touchdowns while catching more than 61 percent of the targets thrown his way. It wasn't long ago he was the odds-on favorite to win this award.
But NFL voters gravitate towards quarterbacks. Just look at the MVP race. Adrian Peterson is the only non-quarterback to win the honor over the past 15 years. So go ahead and book it: Mac Jones will be the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year, even if Ja'Marr Chase deserves a good amount of consideration.
OSB Prediction: Mac Jones (-500)
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