Shedeur Sanders Has Better Rookie of the Year Odds Than Most Quarterbacks Drafted Ahead of Him

Brian Giuffra | Apr 26, 2025

Despite sliding in the draft, Shedeur Sanders has high Offensive Rookie of the Year odds. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders endured an agonizing wait to be drafted after seeing his draft odds tumble in the days leading up to the first round, but oddsmakers believe he has a better chance to win Offensive Rookie of the Year than almost every other quarterback drafted ahead of him.

Sanders, who was picked by the Browns in the fifth round after initially being an outright betting favorite to be the No. 1 pick, is +1900 at FanDuel to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Only first overall pick Cam Ward has higher odds at +330, which leads the OROY category. 

Sanders has the same odds as Jaxson Dart, who was drafted 25th overall by the Giants, and Packers WR Matthew Golden, who was also a first-round pick. He has higher odds than Bucs first-round pick Emeka Egbuka (+2300), Bears first-round pick Colston Loveland (+2400), and Colts first-round pick Tyler Warren (+2400). 

As for the quarterbacks picked ahead of him, Sanders is ahead of Saints second-round pick Tyler Shough (+200), Seahawks third-round pick Jalen Milroe (+6000), and Browns third-round pick Dillon Gabriel (+10000). 

The only rookies with higher odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year are Ward, Ashton Jeanty (+340), Travis Hunter (+600), Tetairoa McMillan (+650), and Omarion Hampton (+1400). 

Beyond playing a position known for producing Rookie of the Year winners, Sanders, despite his precipitous drop in the draft, actually has a chance to earn the starting job in Cleveland. 

Deshaun Watson is coming off a torn achilles, and his status for this season is unknown. Joe Flacco is on the other side of 40 years old. Kenny Pickett is a former first-round bust. Gabriel wasn’t nearly as highly rated as Sanders, despite being picked well ahead of him. The Browns could opt to move on from one of them before training camp, likely Pickett, opening the competition further.  

Flacco is the presumed starter at this point if Watson can’t go, but the Browns aren’t likely to compete this season. If they start slow and Flacco struggles, they’ll likely want to see what their two rookie QBs are capable of. Sanders would then have to take advantage of his chance and claim the starting role. Or he could win it in training camp. We'll see.

Sanders was one of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football last year, completing 74% of his passes. He threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. 

The issues evaluators pointed to are his lack of mobility, penchant for holding onto the ball too long, and questionable decision-making. Despite that, he was the -180 betting favorite to go first in the draft as recently as December. 

Sanders, because of his last name, will be a polarizing player in the NFL. Some thought the Browns would draft him second overall, but they opted to trade down with the Jags, who selected Sanders’ college teammate, Hunter, with the No. 2 pick. That Shough, Milroe, and Gabriel were all drafted ahead of him was stunning. 

Now, Sanders gets the chance to prove everyone wrong, except Oddsmakers, who appear to believe in him more than most teams as a rookie. 

Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds 

• Cameron Ward +330
• Ashton Jeanty +340
• Travis Hunter +600
• Tetairoa McMillan +650
• Omarion Hampton +1400
• Shedeur Sanders +1900
• Matthew Golden +1900
• Jaxson Dart +1900
• TreVeyon Henderson +2000
• Tyler Shough +2000
• Quinshon Judkins +2200
• Emeka Egbuka +2300
• Tyler Warren +2400
• Colston Loveland +2400
• Jayden Higgins +4600

Via FanDuel Sportsbook

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