The NFL Draft 2021 edition takes centre stage when it does down in Cleveland, Ohio at the end of this month, and as ever the odds are well worth checking out.
A wager on the biggest talent contest in the U.S. just adds the excitement as the drama plays out on national TV.
This year’s draft gets under way on Thursday April 29 and runs through Saturday May 1.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the consensus #1 pick for the lamentable Jacksonville Jaguars. But there are plenty of other questions to be answered ahead of draft day.
The hottest storyline right now is who San Francisco will take at 3 overall after giving up two future first-round picks to trade up from 12.
Here are the best betting storylines out there right now – along with the very latest odds.
First Pick Overall: It’s Lawrence
The aforementioned Lawrence isn’t just favorite to be the first name called out by Roger Goodell on the evening of April 29. He’s pretty much a lock and the odds reflect that. Lawrence has best odds of -10000 – so if you have $10k hanging around you can bet it on Trevor to win $100. There are better ways to have fun in our book…
The first three picks are all confidently expected to be quarterbacks, and there could be as many as five taken in the first 10 picks.
The current line for first overall pack in the 2021 NFL Draft is:
- -10000 Trevor Lawrence, QB Clemson (widely available)
- +2000 Zach Wilson, QB BYU (William Hill)
- +4000 Justin Fields, QB Ohio State (BetMGM, Borgata Sports)
- +10000 Mac Jones, QB Alabama (widely available)
Online bookmakers expect 4 or 5 QBs to go in Round 1 overall – the line is set at 5.5 right now with the over a consensus +300 shot and the under at -400.
Wilson is -2500 to be the second overall pick for the Jets, but the big question of the week is who the 49ers take third.
Fields – once almost a lock to be taken third – is now +800 (BetMGM, Borgata) while Jones is a -200 shot (William Hill). The surprise package could be North Dakota State signal caller Trey Lance, who is now +230 – again with William Hill.
First non-QB to be drafted
Now here is a line with a little bit more interest, and the odds reflect it.
Until a few weeks ago LSU wide receiver JaMarr Chase would have been heading this list but not now. Step forward the freakishly talented Florida TE Kyle Pitts.
Pitts is so talented, and so fast, that he isn’t even like a conventional TE, more a WR hybrid. He might be the most talented player in the draft period. The only concern seems to be whether NFL play callers can scheme effectively enough to maximize his awesome potential.
Second in the betting after Pitts comes Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell. Seen as a generational talent, Sewell is a lock to go in the top 10 and may even crack the top 5. It would be a surprise if Cincinnati at #5 does not take the opportunity to pick Sewell to protect Joe Burrow’s blind side for the next 10 years.
Chase meanwhile is still prominent in the betting. Latest odds for the first non-QB to be taken are:
- +140 Kyle Pitts, TE Florida (widely available)
- +175 Penei Sewell, OL Oregon (widely available)
- +250 JaMarr Chase, WR LSU (widely available)
- +1400 Rashawn Slater, OL Northwestern (widely available)
- +2000 Micah Parsons, LB Penn State (widely available)
- +2000 Patrick Surtain II, CB Alabama (widely available)
First defensive player to be drafted
While most positional lines are pretty much a lock for the top prospect in each area, there is some interest in who will be the first defensive player drafted.
It’s a pretty weak draft for D in comparison to the offensive talent on offer. Some mocks have the first defensive player going at #10 to the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas was historically bad last season defensively and it would a surprise if they don’t go defense first time up in 2021.
However, all the noises in recent days has Dallas owner and GM Jerry Jones falling in love with Pitts. Remember Dallas was expected to go defense last year in R1 and instead took the opportunity to snag the hugely talented Oklahoma WR Cee Dee Lamb when he fell to #18.
For now we have to wait and see, and the latest odds for first defensive player drafted are:
- +125 Patrick Surtain II, CB Alabama (widely available)
- +175 Micah Parsons, LB Penn State (widely available)
- +400 Kwity Paye, DE Michigan (widely avaialble)
- +700 Jaycee Horn, CB South Carolina (widely available)
- +1000 Jaelan Phillips, DE Miami (widely available)
- +2500 Caleb Farley, CB Virginia Tech (widely available)
Farley had been expected to be the first defensive player taken until very recently, but he is now falling down draft boards after news of a recent back surgery emerged.
Team first picks: Eagles, Giants & more
FanDuel has spiced things up just a little by releasing lines on which players teams will pick in Round 1. Starting with Philly and the Giants.
They have Surtain as favorite to go to the Eagles, which might ruin the best-laid plans for those hated Cowboys. New York is favored to take Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith – a new weapon for QB Daniel Jones.
Philadephia Eagles Round 1 Pick Odds
- +300 Patrick Surtain II
- +420 DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle
- +550 Jaycee Horn
- +750 Micah Parsons
- +1000 Rashawn Slater
New York Giants Round 1 Pick Odds
- +390 DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Rashawn Slater
- +600 Micah Parsons, Penei Sewell
- +900 Patrick Surtain II, Kwity Paye
When does the 2021 NFL Draft start?
As stated the 2021 NFL Draft takes place over three days:
- Thursday April 29: Round 1 (2000 ET/1700 PT)
- Friday April 30: Rounds 2 & 3 (1900 ET/1600 PT)
- Saturday May 1: Rounds 4 through 7 (1200 ET/0900 PT)
How can I watch the 2021 NFL Draft on TV?
You can watch every second of the NFL Draft live on ESPN and on NFL Network. You can also stream it live on the NFL mobile app.
NFL Draft Odds FAQ
Who is favored to win the Super Bowl in 2021?
Right now the betting has Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs favored at +550 (FOX Bet) to win a second world championship in three seasons.
Next in the betting is Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which upset the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV in February. The Bucs are available at +800 with a number of online sportsbooks.
Mahomes meanwhile is also favorite to be the NFL’s MVP for 2021 – chosen based on performance for the regular season only.
Which team has the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft?
The order for Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft is:
- 1 Jacksonville
- 2 New York Jets
- 3 San Francisco (from Miami via Houston)
- 4 Atlanta
- 5 Cincinnati
- 6 Miami (from Philadelphia)
- 7 Detroit
- 8 Carolina
- 9 Denver
- 10 Dallas
- 11 New York Giants
- 12 Philadelphia (from Miami via San Francisco)
- 13 Los Angeles Chargers
- 14 Minnesota
- 15 New England
- 16 Arizona
- 17 Las Vegas
- 18 Miami
- 19 Washington
- 20 Chicago
- 21 Indianapolis
- 22 Tennessee
- 23 New York Jets (from Seattle)
- 24 Pittsburgh
- 25 Jacksonville (from Los Angeles Rams)
- 26 Cleveland
- 27 Baltimore
- 28 New Orleans
- 29 Green Bay
- 30 Buffalo
- 31 Kansas City
- 32 Tampa Bay