4 NFL Draft Bets to Make on FanDuel Sportsbook
You know what's enjoyable? Watching the NFL Draft.
You know what's even more enjoyable? Watching the NFL Draft with a little skin in the game.
Thanks to FanDuel Sportsbook, you can place bets on certain outcomes of the draft this year. There are plenty of props to choose from, but here are four that could make you a winner this weekend.
Total Wide Receivers Drafted in the First Round (Over/Under 2.5)
There's no doubt that we've got a deep wide receiver class this year. There's a lot of size at the position (I'm looking at you, Hakeem Butler), and there's also a ton of speed (Parris Campbell, Andy Isabella) and big-play ability (Marquise Brown).
Don't let that depth overshadow the lack of true studs, though. The class is deep, but it's also very flat. That means teams may be more willing to wait on the position -- we're bound to see more second-round wide receiver picks than first-round ones. And that's been echoed by draft experts who are connected to the league, as they've frequently chosen just one wideout to be selected in the first round.
Bet to Place: Under 2.5 (+116)
First Wide Receiver Drafted
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the most likely wideout to be selected first is DK Metcalf (-175). Metcalf didn't really have the college production that you'd like to see from a top wideout, but he's a freak physically -- he ran a 4.33 at the NFL Combine at 228 pounds.
We've seen this story before. We know teams fall in love with athletic specimens, especially at wide receiver. But rarely have we seen a player without strong college production go in the first 20 or so picks of the first round. You have to look back to 2007 and 2009, when Ted Ginn and Darrius Heyward-Bey were picked in the top 10.
Considering he's not a lock to be the top wideout picked, Metcalf's not the smartest bet on the board. Instead, you may want to look at either Marquise Brown or AJ Brown. The former is listed at +200, but fits the mold of what teams in today's NFL are looking for: someone who can use his speed to draw defenders to one side of the field all while making a big play at any moment. His small size (he weighed in at just 166 pounds at the combine) is scary, but he could make a DeSean Jackson-like impact on the field. That's why so many mock drafts have him going in the latter parts of the first round.
AJ Brown is arguably (and my prospect model thinks this is definitive) better than DK Metcalf, his college teammate. He can play all over the field, he has good size, and he tested well at the combine. Brown may be the best all-around receiver in this draft class. He's safe. And that safety may be intriguing to a team picking in the first round, so his +1000 line makes him a strong bet, too.
Bet to Place: Marquise Brown (+200), AJ Brown (+1000)
Which Team Will Draft Dwayne Haskins?
The three quarterbacks who are likely to be selected in the first round this week are Kyler Murray, Drew Lock, and Dwayne Haskins. Murray is likely to go first overall (currently -600 to be taken first on FanDuel Sportsbook), which leaves Lock and Haskins to the next quarterback-needy team.
If we assume Murray goes to Arizona, the next team that may be looking to add a signal-caller is the Giants at Pick 6. Perhaps Oakland surprises us all and grabs a quarterback with the fourth pick, but New York is in the spot to take the second passer in the draft.
But will they?
FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Giants with the second-best odds to land Haskins, but with the sixth pick, New York would be passing on some seriously good defensive talent in favor of Haskins. And with Daniel Jones being so closely linked to New York, is Haskins even their guy?
The next team needing a quarterback, then, is the Broncos. But not only do they seem to favor Drew Lock, Denver may not take a quarterback in the first round.
So where does that leave us?
Andy Dalton's contract allows the Bengals to easily get out of it next offseason, which would allow Haskins to work behind him for a season before becoming the team's starter. And the Bengals have a new regime -- finally -- in Cincinnati. They may want to build the roster around a hand-picked quarterback, not a 31-year-old starter who's been average to above-average throughout his career.
Bet to Place: Cincinnati Bengals (+400)
Second Running Back Drafted
The likely first running back off the board this week will be Alabama's Josh Jacobs. Despite little production in college, Jacobs is the one runner who seems to have first-round interest from teams.
Who comes after him?
If you were to ask my prospect model, it'd say David Montgomery. And I, more subjectively, love Miles Sanders. Both of them have the highest odds to be the second backs taken in the draft at +260.
Memphis' Darrell Henderson may be the best bet, though. It's not outlandish to think a team would be infatuated by his 8.9 yards per carry average over his final two collegiate seasons, and according to Gil Brandt, Henderson has been invited to Day 2 of the draft. Since it's not likely that we see more than one running back drafted in the first round, this means there's a good chance Henderson is drafted in the second or third. And if that's the case, he could end up being the second back selected.
Bet to Place: Darrell Henderson (+550)
