First Round NFL Draft Props

We touched on a number of NFL betting props the last few days with most of them related to a specific player and his draft position in the 2023 NFL Draft. The battle for the No. 1 overall pick has been a hot topic on the lead in with Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud alternating as the favorite. Young was the initial favorite when NFL odds surfaced but things quickly changed when the Carolina Panthers acquired the No. 1 overall selection in a deal with the Bears on Mar. 10. Within hours of the trade Stroud moved to the top of the list. Things have leveled off since with Young back on top as the prohibitive favorite to be first off the board.

In fact, the top four on the list are all quarterbacks and eight of the top 10 on the list of players to be selected first overall are from the offensive side of the football. That brings us to a couple of prop bets that are less player-specific and more position-based. With any bet there’s a level of risk involved, but rather than wagering on the draft position of Bijan Robinson you can bet the over/under at BetRivers sportsbook on how many offensive players will be taken in the first round. And you can do the same for the other side of the football.

2023 NFL Draft

The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place in Kansas City on Thursday, April 27 at 8 p.m. ET. Rounds two and three are set for Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. ET with rounds four through seven on Saturday, April 29 starting at Noon ET. The entire draft will be televised on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

2023 NFL Draft Props

Guys who play offense grab most of the attention because nearly all of the stats are geared for those players and positions. The NFL has been around for over a century yet the quarterback sack didn’t become an official stat until 1982, 62 years after the founding of the league. David “Deacon” Jones, the man most credit for coming up with the term, never had an official sack during his playing days. The point is that the game now is all about offense, points and numbers, thus it’s expected skill players on offense will go in abundant amounts early in the draft. That’s not the case, though. In the 2022 draft the number of players from each side of the ball was split evenly at 16 apiece despite the first five players drafted being defenders.

Number of Offensive Players Selected in First Round

Over 16.5 ( -125 )

Under 16.5 ( -105 )

A stronger QB class in 2023 gives the OVER the edge in this prop bet. Only one signal-caller was taken among the first 32 last year and we could see as many as four go in the first five picks in this draft. There are also a bunch of solid offensive linemen worthy of being drafted on the first day. As with any pick, though, it comes down to the needs of a team. And there are just as many clubs that can use an outstanding EDGE rusher or cover corner. Still, with the game geared toward offense this is a bet that would hit the OVER in most years. The 2023 draft is different for a number of reasons. First, there’s one less first round pick with the Miami Dolphins forfeiting theirs. Also, four teams – Houston, Seattle, Detroit and Philadelphia – have a second first-round pick after their top-10 selection. That means those teams could go a different direction looking for a stud defender after they are expected to take an offensive player with their first selection.

Number of Defensive Players Selected in First Round

Over 14.5 ( -116 )

Under 14.5 ( -115 )

The juice suggests this prop is too close to call and for good reason. There are a number of quality defensive players that can make an immediate impact at a position of need. We saw recently drafted EDGE rushers play a major role with their clubs. Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson, taken with the first two picks last year, helped their clubs improve. And it’s expected Will Anderson Jr., Tyree Wilson and Lukas Van Ness will do the same this year. Also, the cornerback class is well stocked with Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon and Joey Porter all projected first-rounders. If you make an NFL bet online on the OVER for one of these props you might as well bet the UNDER on the other since that’s how it’ll work out.

Check out the latest NFL draft betting odds at BetRivers.