With free agency in the rearview mirror, the NFL draft is the next big event on the NFL off-season calendar. Throughout the weekend, teams will be infused with young talent, and positional groups will begin to crystalize. Even with NHL and NBA playoffs going on, it’s the NFL Draft that will capture the sporting world this weekend.
Of course, to add to the excitement, you can bet on the NFL Draft. In recent years, betting on the draft has become more and more common and the betting market has predicted some sharp movement in the draft ahead of time.
NOTE: Betting on the NFL Draft is NOT legal in all states. It IS legal in these: AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, OH, OR, TN, WV, and WY.
When you bet on the NFL Draft, there’s plenty of markets to get involved with. You can bet on which player will be drafted at what position in the draft, you can bet which position each team will draft, you can bet whether a player will go before or after the listed pick, and you can bet on a variety of other markets.
We’ve run through the draft props markets at a variety of sportsbooks and these five have stood out as worthy of a bet.
Over the last few weeks, the hype train has been rolling for former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. There was speculation that teams inside the top three were interested, and there was also speculation that a team like Minnesota might be interested in moving up high in the draft to select him.
However, recent reports say that Minnesota is only interested in moving up to the top five of the draft if Drake Maye is available. With Maye, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels expected to make up the top-three of the draft, the consensus opinion is that Arizona will go wide-receiver at pick four and the Chargers will either bolster their offensive line or add a weapon for Justin Herbert. The Giants pick at six and there has been some smoke there, but if he drops to pick number six, we cash the over on this bet.
You can bet McCarthy to get picked outside the top five at +135 odds at BetRivers Sportsbook.
New users who sign up for BetRivers ahead of the draft can claim a no-sweat first bet worth up to $500.
Sometimes, it’s smart to jump on the train while there’s still value. An offensive lineman out of Alabama, J.C. Latham has long been considered a first round talent. However, over the course of the last week, Latham has gone from +400 to +100 to be taken inside the top ten. At some sportsbooks, he’s even minus-odds at this point.
Daniel Jeremiah mocked him to Los Angeles at pick five in his final mock draft. Even if he falls behind the Chargers, it wouldn’t at all be shocking to see either New York team, Tennessee, or Chicago add to their offensive line behind them in the top ten.
As of Wednesday night, you could bet Latham to be a top-10 pick at +100 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Move quickly, as these odds are getting chopped down quickly across the market. New users who sign up with DraftKings can get $200 in bonus bets instantly after placing their first $5 wager.
The Philadelphia Eagles collapsed down the stretch last season due mainly to their defense’s inability to make stops. The last memory Eagles’ fans have of last season is Baker Mayfield moving the ball down the field with ease in their wild-card loss.
The top two cornerbacks on the Eagles’ depth chart are the aging and declining duo of Darius Slay and James Bradberry. For a team like Philadelphia that is smack-dab in the middle of a championship window, it makes sense to draft for need, especially when their need is this obvious.
Thankfully, you can still get plus-money (+105) at Caesars Sportsbook on the Eagles drafting a cornerback with their first pick.
New users who sign up with Caesars Sportsbook can claim up to $1,000 in bonus bets if their first bet fails to produce a winner.
Going into the offseason, most viewed it as mandatory that the Chiefs provide Patrick Mahomes a legitimate outside weapon. By signing Marquise Brown in free agency, they did enough to give themselves the flexibility to address other areas of weakness in the early parts of the draft.
Orlando Brown Jr. is off to Cincinnati after signing a mega deal in free-agency. Jawaan Taylor struggled mightily at times at right tackle last season. The Chiefs need to keep Mahomes upright and in the pocket, meaning addressing the offensive line is a must. Thankfully, there’s nearly double-digit offensive linemen who are expected to be taken in Round 1 on Thursday.
BetMGM Sportsbook is offering +140 odds on the Chiefs to go offensive line and avoid the allure of adding to their weapons early on. This team has shown restraint in drafting pass-catching weapons in the past, and we expect that to continue on Thursday.
New users who sign up for BetMGM Sportsbook using promo code MLIVEMGM can get up to $1,500 in bonus bets if their first wager doesn’t win.
Will Michael Penix Jr. be drafted in the first round of Thursday’s draft? That’s basically the question when making this pick. He’s an overwhelming favorite to sneak into the first round. Being drafted past pick 32 has +280 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.
At those odds, we’re willing to take a chance on Penix falling. Every year, it seems like the mock drafting and fantasy community is too optimistic when it comes to the quarterback class. Last season, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker were talked up as potential first- round picks. The year prior to that, names like Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis and Sam Howell were talked about before becoming day two and day three picks.
Penix is an older prospect, as he turns 24 in a few days. Hooker was an older prospect in last year’s draft, and it didn’t work out overly well for him as he fell into the third round. Analytics and models aren’t as impressed by older quarterbacks beating up on college competition. In addition, Penix has a long history of injuries with two shoulder and two knee injuries in his six college seasons.
It took six college seasons for Penix to reach this level. While that may be viewed as a nice story of perseverance, it’s also a red flag for NFL evaluators. We’ll take a shot on Penix falling out of Round 1 and being picked over pick 32.5 at +280 odds.
New users who sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook can claim $150 in bonus bets guaranteed after placing a $5 wager.
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