NFL 2025: AP Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year favorites

The NFL and The Associated Press have announced the finalists for their annual accolades for the 2025 NFL season.

Award winners will be announced at NFL Honors presented by Invisalign, an Align Technology brand, on Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. NFL Honors, the league’s primetime awards special, will air at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on NBC and NFL Network, with streaming available on Peacock and NFL+.

The full list of annual awards include AP Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Defensive and Offensive Rookies of the Year, and Defensive and Offensive Players of the Year.

Below is my best pick for the Offensive and Defensive rookie awards.

Offensive Rookie of the Year Pick

Carolina Panthers’ Tetairoa McMillan is the prohibitive lock at -800 to -20,000. As a first-round WR, he led all rookies in receiving yards (1,000+), catches, and TDs, with explosive plays and consistency (caught passes in all 17 games) while helping Carolina reach the playoffs. Voters reward rookies who produce WR1-level numbers on competitive teams—his triple-crown rookie receiving stats and immediate impact make him the runaway choice over QBs like Jaxson Dart.

Nominees

Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints

Defensive Rookie of the Year Pick

Cleveland Browns’ Carson Schwesinger is the heavy favorite at -20,000 odds. He led all rookies (and often the league) in tackles (140+ combined), with strong TFLs and versatility as a linebacker. DROY often goes to high-volume tacklers who anchor a unit—his dominance in run defense and coverage snaps, plus PFWA/All-Rookie honors, give him the clear edge in a thinner class.

Nominees

Abdul Carter, LB, New York Giants

Nick Emmanwori, S, Seattle Seahawks

James Pearce Jr., DE, Atlanta Falcons

Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns

Xavier Watts, S, Atlanta Falcons

NFL Honors, hosted by Jon Hamm, will also feature the announcement of the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year presented by Nationwide, the newest Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 Announcement presented by Novartis and the new Protector of the Year Award to honor the league’s best offensive lineman in 2025.

As the Official Timepiece Partner of the NFL, Breitling will unveil custom NFL Honors watches for the eight AP Award recipients, as well as the Protector of the Year and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year presented by Nationwide, with a special timepiece created exclusively for the MVP presented by Invisalign. Crafted for moments that define careers and designed to carry legacy forward, each watch stands as a lasting mark of achievement.

NFL Honors is an NFL Network production in association with Rock Garden Media. For more information about NFL Honors presented by Invisalign, fans may visit www.nfl.com/honors and follow the #NFLHonors conversation on X. 

NBC, Peacock, Telemundo and Universo will present Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.