🏈 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Power Rankings 2026: Top 10 OROY Contenders

After 257 picks, the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and while two of the top three picks opened as favorites for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, I'm not sure either is the best bet to win OROY.

Looking at a combo of team situation, recent award history, and odds, my NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year power rankings ahead of the 2026 season highlight the 10 best bets to win OROY.

📊 2026 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year power rankings

My top 10 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds contenders.

Honorable mentions: Omar Cooper Jr., WR (New York Jets); Chris Bell, WR (Miami Dolphins); Denzel Boston, WR (Cleveland Browns); Jonah Coleman, RB (Denver Broncos); Kenyon Sadiq, TE (New York Jets)

💰 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: Best bets & longshots

Best bet: Carnell Tate, Titans (+650)

• Prospect profile: 6'2" | 192 lbs | 21 years old | RAS: N/A
• 2025 college stats: 51 receptions, 875 yards, 9 TDs
• Pro comparison: Bigger DeVonta Smith

As I broke down in my NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year best bets, Carnell Tate has a resume that fits the bill of recent OROY winners. Not only was the Ohio State product a top-10 pick, something the last eight OROY winners can claim, but he plays the same position as three of the last five winners.

Wide receivers have been strong bets to win the award in recent years, and Tate enters an ideal situation with the Tennessee Titans. Last year's No. 1 pick, Cam Ward, has a live arm and wants to push the ball downfield, and Tate is the best vertical threat in this rookie class (he averaged 32.5 yards per touchdown in 2025).

With his fluid route-running and elite ball skills, Tate is poised to make an impact immediately as a rookie. He dominated 50/50 balls for the Buckeyes (85.7% contested-catch rate) and catches everything (zero drops in 2025), so Ward will love utilizing him on intermediate and deep shots.

Plus, he's on a team that doesn't have a clear-cut No. 1 option, but does have Calvin Ridley and Wan'Dale Robinson, which should help take pressure off the rookie.

Best longer shot: KC Concepcion, Browns (+2700)

• Prospect profile: 6'0" | 196 lbs | 21 years old | RAS: N/A
• 2025 college stats: 1,450 all-purpose yards, 12 total TDs
• Pro comparison: Zay Flowers

Only one skill-position player taken in the first round has longer than +2000 odds to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and it's KC Concepcion. Sure, the Cleveland Browns have the worst QB situation among the teams that drafted receivers in Round 1, but Concepcion steps into a situation where he can be Todd Monken's new Zay Flowers.

Flowers was my comparison for Concepcion coming out of Texas A&M because of his dynamic movement skills. He's a twitchy route runner who's sudden off the line of scrimmage and brings impressive stop-start ability, especially after the catch.

Concepcion's YAC ability (7.2 YAC per reception in 2025) is electric, and he was top-three nationally in catches that went for either a first down or touchdown (78.7%). His big-play ability also shows up as a punt returner, where he took two to the house this past season and averaged 16.2 per return.

Obviously the Browns' QB play will dictate whether or not Concepcion can put up big enough numbers to win OROY, but he's a human highlight reel and should be one of the splashiest rookies. That makes him by far the best bet among rookies with longer than +2500 odds.

The Hail Mary: Malachi Fields, Giants (+10000)

• Prospect profile: 6'4" | 218 lbs | 22 years old | RAS: 7.48
• 2025 college stats: 36 receptions, 630 yards, 5 TDs
• Pro comparison: Michael Pittman Jr.

The history of players selected outside of Round 1 winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is sparse. Over the last 22 years, just three players picked after the first round have won NFL OROY (Alvin Kamara, Dak Prescott, and Eddie Lacy).

While two of them were running backs and one was a QB, those are two of the weakest positions in this draft class. Just four running backs were selected in the top 120 picks, and the three QBs taken between the second and fourth rounds aren't inspiring much confidence. 

However, this rookie class is loaded with wide receivers selected after Round 1 who could make an impact. Of the 12 wide receivers drafted on Day 2, Malachi Fields is the best bet of anyone priced at +5000 or longer.

Fields is a ball-winning X-receiver with fluidity (6.98-second 3-cone) and strong hands (just three drops in his final two seasons). The New York Giants traded up for him, too, showing how much they value him, and he joins an offense in need of a Robin to Malik Nabers' Batman.

Fields has the clearest path to a productive rookie season among players selected in the third round or later.