Early NFL Rookie of the Year Contenders & Picks Following 2026 NFL Draft
The 2026 NFL Draft has come to an end, and now it’s time to look ahead to where all players have landed and make some Rookie of the Year predictions on both sides of the ball.
Below, I’ll examine the top five for Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year and provide my early pick.
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Contenders
Jeremiyah Love, RB (Arizona)
It seems the Cardinals tried to trade out of this pick, but they took arguably the best player in the draft with Love. He is absolutely phenomenal and one of the best running back prospects in recent memory, even above Bijan Robinson.
The problem is that the Cardinals have a dreadful offensive line and umpteenth running backs like Tyler Allgeier, James Conner, and Trey Benson.
This will be Love’s primary backfield, but the others will eat into his touches. I worry about an Ashton Jeanty-type season, but he will catch passes.
Fernando Mendoza, QB (Las Vegas)
Death, taxes, and Mendoza to the Raiders. We all knew it was going to happen, and now it’s legitimate.
With Mendoza, it’s unclear when he’ll get on the field. The Raiders have a legitimate veteran starting quarterback in Kirk Cousins on the roster, but the plans seem to be that Mendoza will be on the bench. A quarterback doesn’t need to play all 17 games to win this award, but I’d be curious to see what week he takes over as the starter (if at all).
When he does hit the field he’ll have Jeanty and Brock Bowers to work with, but the Raiders need to add more receiver talent in the future.
Carnell Tate, WR (Tennessee)
Tate is a high-floor wide receiver option who will step in and complement Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor. This Titans offense is still developing, but the good news is they now have Brian Daboll.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward is coming off a 3,169-yard, 15-touchdown season. It doesn’t leave a ton of room for there to be much production for Tate. He’s a building block toward something better in the future, but wouldn’t expect big enough production in his rookie season to warrant a Rookie of the Year award.
Jordyn Tyson, WR (New Orleans)
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough looked more than competent last season, but we have to see if that’ll continue. Tyson enters a Saints offense in which he’ll be competing for targets against Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, and Travis Etienne.
Tyson’s biggest knock is the medical red flags after dealing with knee, collarbone, and hamstring injuries during his college career. Staying on the field will be important. He’ll be productive, but this is still Shough’s second season in the NFL. They’re set up with two veteran pass catchers and a high-priced free agent running back.
Jadarian Price, RB (Seattle)
To close out Round 1, the Seahawks took Love’s teammate in Price. I’m not sure he’ll be used much on third downs, but he’s got excellent vision and is a great runner. He didn’t catch many passes at Notre Dame. Was that because he can’t catch or was he not asked to? That remains to be seen.
In coming to the Seahawks, Price will be in a situation similar to Kenneth Walker in which he’ll split carries with Zach Charbonnet. As the incoming rookie, Price will need to carve out a role. I’m not sure about his third-down abilities and if he’s simply a two-down back, he’d need to score a lot of touchdowns to be in the running.
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Early Pick
Best Bet: Jeremiyah Love
Best Bet: KC Concepcion
It’s chalky, but Love will get many opportunities to handle the ball in his rookie season considering he was the third overall pick. This may cause Tennessee to make some hard decisions regarding the back-end of their running back depth chart, but you don’t draft a guy No. 3 overall to sit in a three-headed backfield.
My hunch is that Allgeier will get some work, but Price will eat into that along with catch passes. As a value play, I also like KC Concepcion on the Browns. He could very well lead the team in all major receiving categories next season. He’s a man coverage beater and can separate at will.
Love is in line to win it, but at +2500, I wouldn’t pass up on Concepcion either.
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Contenders
David Bailey, EDGE (New York)
Bailey has been productive at every stop of his college career. He recorded seven sacks with Stanford in 2024 and in 2025 with Texas Tech he had 19.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and 81 pressures.
My only worry with Bailey is whether he’ll play all three downs as a rookie, or if the Jets will use their rotational pass rushers. Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare might be in line to help take that pressure off him and limit his production.
Sonny Styles, LB (Washington)
A linebacker won Defensive Rookie of the Year last year in Carson Schwesinger, and Styles is one of the better linebacker prospects in recent memory. Schwesinger didn’t have a lot of competition, though. He recorded 156 combined tackles, 67 total tackles, two interceptions, and 2.5 sacks.
In 14 games last season for Ohio State, Styles recorded 82 combined tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, one interception, and allowed only one touchdown in coverage.
He’ll be excellent in coverage, and his athleticism will make him a problem for opposing offenses.
Ruben Bain, Jr., EDGE (Tampa Bay)
Bain Jr. recorded 9.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 83 pressures in his final season with Miami. He’s a volatile pass rusher off the edge and while his arm length is a cause for concern, he’ll rarely come off the field.
Arvell Reese, LB (New York)
I’ll be curious to see how the Giants deploy Reese. He has experience as an off-ball linebacker and off the edge, but I’m not sure how they’ll use him out of the gate.
This defensive front will be set up in a way that leads to consistent wins, but I’m not sure Reese would be able to rack up the stats to win this award.
There’s a lot of potential for the 20-year-old.
Caleb Downs, S (Dallas)
A safety hasn’t won Defensive Rookie of the Year since Mark Carrier did for the Chicago Bears in 1990.
Downs’ play style is such that he’ll be willing to make plays near the line of scrimmage and can mirror in coverage, but doesn’t have a lot of ball production. He’s recorded two interceptions each season since he was a freshman at Alabama.
If any safety could win the award, it would be Downs, especially if he can make more plays on the ball and stuff the stat sheet.
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Early Pick
Best Bet: Ruben Bain, Jr.
Looking over the top five, Bain Jr. strikes me as the player who will be on the field more than anyone else and will have the most opportunities to rack up TFLs, sacks, and pressures. The Jets will likely be trailing more than they’re ahead, limiting opportunities for Bailey. I’m not sure he’ll play all three downs consistently.
Conversely, the Buccaneers will play more games giving him more opportunities to rush the passer.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Bain at +150 to record eight sacks or more, while Bailey is +160. Bain Jr. will outperform Bailey as a rookie thanks to the team he landed with.
Photo Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
