KANSAS CITY, MO – With the 2023 NFL Draft now in the books and the upcoming NFL schedule release and training camps right around the corner, now is the time to assess the best bets and odds for Offensive and Defensive Rookie of The Year.
Per CBS Sports and their Pick Six podcast, host Katie Mox joined NFL Draft guru Ryan Wilson and gambling guru R.J. White who revealed their best bets for rookie of the year:
- Offensive rookie of the year best bet: Anthony Richardson (+900 — bet $100 to win $900)
- Favorites: Bijan Robinson (+350), Bryce Young (+400), C.J. Stroud (+650)
“The last five offensive rookie of the year winners have all been top-10 picks, so I think if you’re looking to make a bet, you have to look in the top-10,” White said. “I like Richardson’s odds at 9-to-1… Shane Steichen had success turning Jalen Hurts into an MVP candidate.
Hurts wasn’t the starter his rookie year, but Richardson can come in and prepare as the starter, get a full workload and hit the ground running. His rushing ability is an added bonus, it’s going give him that Josh Allen type of elevation to his game. His passing numbers don’t have to be as good as the other guys because he’s going to be good on the rushing front.”
Robinson, selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas, Robinson projects to be the main focal point for a run-heavy offense that features second-year starter Desmond Ridder, TE Kyle Pitts and WR Drake London.
After rushing for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021 and earning Big-12 first team honors, the 5’11, 220 pound native of Tucson, Arizona rushed for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns en route to winning the Doak Walker Award and earning unanimous All-American honors.
Expect to see a lot of Bijan running the ball in the ATL.
Other betting favorites include rookie quarterbacks Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, who head into pass-friendly offenses with playmakers already around them, but face the likes of Andy Dalton and Davis Mills on the depth chart above them.
Not to say that Young and Stroud will not ascend to QB1, but the reason behind Robinson’s odds for OROTY being better is that he is projected to be a vital player as RB1 for the Falcons, than Young and Stroud are in Carolina and Houston respectively.
While Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is the best bet for OROTY, as he is set to start Week 1, he looks more like a project, that will need some work and could experience some growing pains in Circle City.