NFL Futures Bets – Ndamukong Suh Leads Defensive ROY Odds

We all love offense, especially with fantasy football creeping in to our lives, but defense wins championships.

The 2010 NFL Betting Draft was loaded with talent at the top, but only one player can win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Right now Ndamukong Suh leads all defensive rookies on the board.

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Can anyone beat him to the trophy?

Grading impact by defensive players is tough because their affect on games doesn’t always translate in to numbers.

The past seven winners of the Defensive Rookie of the Year award have been linebackers because they pile up tackles, especially when they’re behind defensive lines that can’t stop jack squat.

Still, the leader of the pack is the highest drafted defensive player, and one of the scariest talents to enter the league. Let’s see if anyone can shape up to Suh and compile a worthy case as a longshot, NFL futures bet.

Ndamukong Suh – Detroit Lions (+450 to win Defensive ROY)

The sneaky thing about Suh in the upcoming NFL season is that he gets to play alongside Kyle Vanden Bosch, a veteran defensive tackle that is as grizzled and dirty as they come.

Detroit ranked 25th in the league with 126.6 rushing yards allowed. Suh’s responsibility will be to drag that number way down, and bolster Detroit’s takeaways on fumbles.

The Lions nabbed 14 rumble recoveries, ranking them second in the NFC. Suh should push them over the top.

The truth is that Suh is a remarkable talent from a potential standpoint.

He almost single handedly won the Big 12 Championship game against Texas last year.

If he has that kind of impact on the Lions throughout this season, he’ll be a synch to take home the award.

Gerald McCoy – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+800 to win Defensive ROY)

McCoy was taken third overall by the Bucs to anchor a defense that ranked dead last in rushing yards allowed (158.2 allowed per game).

The problem is that McCoy’s skill set is more as a pass rusher than run stopper. He’d have to earn an unearthly amount of sacks to get noticed by the voters Tampa ranked 26th last year with just 28.0 total quarterback sacks.

I don’t expect McCoy to be a sudden impact player in the NFL, which means the oddsmakers are playing defense with his betting odds. Stay away.

Eric Berry – Kansas City Chiefs (+500 to win Defensive ROY)

Berry is the kind of game changing safety that the Chiefs need to stay relevant in the AFC.

But will Berry do enough to stand out on his own? Four players tied for first with 9 picks last year, and I doubt that Berry will adjust to the speed of the NFL game to register that many picks.

What makes Berry special, however, is his ability to affect the ground game.

Kansas gave up 388.2 total yards per game last year, ranking them 30th.

If that number comes down by boat loads, then Berry gets the credit and that could be enough to make him an outside bet over Suh.

The problem with the Chiefs is that nobody pays attention to them in the NFL standings.

The Lions, at the very least, garner looks as an up and coming team in the league. Berry’s odds at +500 are a better bet than Earl Thomas at +800, especially considering Thomas plays on a stacked defense in Seattle.

If you’re going to bet a safety in the Defensive ROY odds, then take Berry.

Rolando McClain – Oakland Raiders (+1200 to win Defensive ROY)

McClain is going to have a very, very busy year. Oakland gave up 361.9 yards per game last year and were busy with 1,1109 total tackles last year (7th most in the NFL).

What will propel McClain in to the discussion is a tremendously high tackle total.

As stated previously, linebackers usually get a good look in this vote because of their natural involvement in the defense which provides them a lot of work and a ton of opportunity to make an impression.

McClain’s success is directly related to Oakland’s ability to turn the corner this year, but as far as backers go, he’s the best in this rookie class by far.

Final Verdict

Suh is where the smart money is because, even at tackle, he can have a huge impact on games.

Rushing passes, disrupting rushing attacks, sacks and fumbles are all at his disposal. Berry can accumulate picks, and McClain can amass tackles, but Suh will have the biggest, overall impact on his new team.

That’s why he’s the favorite, and the only defensive rookie worth betting on. Even at +450, this bet has a ton of value.

Bet on all your favorite Offensive and Defensive ROY candidates here!