The 2021 NFL Draft is in full swing, and the first round on Thursday evening was all about the signal-callers. As expected, Trevor Lawrence was first off the board to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Right behind him were two more quarterbacks -- BYU’s Zach Wilson to the New York Jets at No. 2 overall and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 3.
In fact, the first seven picks of this year’s draft were offensive positions. Tight end Kyle Pitts was selected at No. 4 overall by the Atlanta Falcons, and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle were taken with the next two picks by the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins, respectively. The Detroit Lions took offensive tackle Penei Sewell at No. 7 overall.
Aside from the first three QBs off the board, the Chicago Bears traded up to No. 11 to grab Justin Fields, and the New England Patriots lucked out when Mac Jones fell to them at No. 15 overall.
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With a lot of talent on offense entering the league this season, we look ahead to see which new names should be on your radar for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021.
Who won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020?
After going No. 6 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s massive season earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. The first-year QB certainly made a name for himself after his 2020 campaign. In his 15 starts of 2020, Herbert threw for 4,336 total yards and 36 total touchdowns. Herbert finished his first season in L.A. as the all-time rookie record-holder in total touchdowns, passing touchdowns (31), completions (396), games with 300-plus passing yards (eight) and games with three-plus touchdown passes (six).
Who is the favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year this season?
NFL
It looks like 2021 could be the third season in a row where a quarterback is named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. After Kyler Murray’s honor in 2019 and Herbert’s win in 2020, the top five guys with the best odds heading into 2021 are signal-callers.
Lawrence tops the list, with Fields, Wilson, Lance and Jones not far behind. Will Lawrence live up to the Jaguars’ expectations during his first year in Jacksonville? Could Fields steal the starting job from Andy Dalton and have an award-worthy season in Chicago? Or might Lance prove himself worthy of being the 49ers’ starter over Jimmy Garoppolo with a breakout season?
Here is a look at the current odds to win 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, according to our partner PointsBet.
- Trevor Lawrence: +250
- Justin Fields: +350
- Zach Wilson: +600
- Trey Lance: +650
- Mac Jones: +1000
- Kyle Pitts: +1000
- Ja'Marr Chase: +1200
- Jaylen Waddle: +1500
- Najee Harris: +1600
- DeVonta Smith: +1600
- Travis Etienne: +1600
- Javonte Williams: +2000
- Rashod Bateman: +3300
- Kyle Trask: +3300
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
Kelley Ekert contributed to this story.