2026 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds: Jeremiyah Love Favored Over Fernando Mendoza After NFL Draft First Round
The NFL Draft is in full swing on Friday night, and Thursday's First Round delivered excitement and surprises. Which of these rookies will pan out the best in 2026? Jeremiyah Love leaves the pack for the 2026 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Peter Alexis breaks down the full odds board.
Peter Alexis - April 24, 2026, 7:10 PM EDT
5 Minute ReadNFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds: Will Jeremiyah Love Sprint Past the Competition and Be Most Impactful Rookie?
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft has already reshaped the Offensive Rookie of the Year race. Jeremiyah Love (+290) now sits on top of the board, just ahead of Fernando Mendoza (+320), with Carnell Tate (+650) next and the rest of the rookie skill group trailing behind. That makes sense after Thursday night, when Arizona made Love the No. 3 overall pick, while Mendoza went No. 1 to the Raiders but landed in a quarterback room where Kirk Cousins is still expected to bridge the transition.
The larger storyline is whether this award stays with a receiver or swings back to a running back or quarterback. Last season, Tetairoa McMillan won the award for Carolina as a wide receiver, but this year’s early market leader is a running back, and the top overall pick is a quarterback with obvious long-term upside. Opportunity is everything in this race, and right now Love seems to have the cleanest path to touches from Week 1.
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2026 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds
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NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds Breakdown
Jeremiyah Love (+290) Click here to get the best odds at FanDuel Sportsbook
Love leads the market because his draft capital and situation line up perfectly. Arizona took him third overall, making him the highest-drafted running back since 2018, and the immediate expectation is that he steps into an RB1 role right away in a first-year coaching setup that wants explosive skill talent around its offense. At Notre Dame in 2025, he rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns, added 27 catches for 280 yards and three more scores, and averaged 6.9 yards per carry. That kind of three-down production is exactly why he opened as the favorite.
Fernando Mendoza (+320) Click here to get the best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
Mendoza is right behind Love, but his path is a little murkier in the short term. The Raiders made him the No. 1 overall pick after he led Indiana to a 16-0 season, a national title, and a Heisman Trophy while throwing 41 touchdown passes against six interceptions. The issue for this award is timing. Las Vegas has already made clear that, in a perfect world, veteran Kirk Cousins opens the season as the starter while Mendoza is worked in gradually. If he does not get on the field quickly, he may have a harder time matching Love’s immediate volume.
Carnell Tate (+650) Click here to get the best odds at FanDuel Sportsbook
Tate looks like the top receiver option after going No. 4 overall to Tennessee. He posted 51 catches for 875 yards and nine touchdowns at Ohio State in 2025, and he lands in a situation where he could matter right away because the Titans drafted him specifically to add weapons for Cam Ward. The expectation is that Tate settles in as a major piece of that passing game quickly, and that gives him a very real chance to challenge if he produces from Day 1. Among the wideouts, he may have the cleanest combination of draft slot, role, and team need.
Jordyn Tyson (+850) Click here to get the best odds at Caesars Sportsbook
Tyson went No. 8 overall to New Orleans, which immediately gives him a strong runway for rookie production. He was tied to first-round talent all spring despite injury concerns, and his 2025 season at Arizona State still showed the appeal: 61 catches, 711 yards, and eight touchdowns in just nine games while battling through soft-tissue issues. His landing spot matters a lot here because New Orleans took him to pair with Tyler Shough and Chris Olave, which could create the kind of big-play opportunities that swing this award if he stays healthy.
Makai Lemon (+950) Click here to get the best odds at BetMGM Sportsbook
Lemon may be one of the more interesting value names on this board because the Eagles traded up to take him 20th overall, and his college résumé was strong enough to support it. At USC in 2025, he posted 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, and evaluators viewed him as a true first-round receiver with toughness and run-after-catch ability. The challenge for this award is target competition. Philadelphia is a much tougher offense to break into immediately than Arizona or Tennessee, so Lemon may need elite efficiency rather than sheer volume to win this race.
Jadarian Price (+1100) Click here to get the best odds at FanDuel Sportsbook
Price is the biggest longshot of the six, but there is a path. Seattle took him with the No. 32 overall pick, and he enters the league after a productive 2025 season at Notre Dame, where he ran for 674 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 113 carries. He is stepping into an offense that just lost Kenneth Walker, so his immediate role could be higher than expected, and first-round running backs always deserve at least some attention in this market. If Seattle uses him more aggressively than expected, he could outperform this number.
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