2020 NFL Draft Prop Bets: Best First Round Bets
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On Thursday night, a more than month-long hiatus from major sports action is broken. We still don’t have live games, but the first round of the NFL Draft will provide sports fans with a glimpse of normalcy as we continue to deal with COVID-19.
Here at BettingPros, we have been following draft odds for more than a month now. Check out our archive for more than 50 articles on NFL Draft betting advice.
Check out all of our 2020 NFL Draft Prop Bets here >>
In this article, we focus on a wide range of NFL Draft first-round player prop bets. All odds are odds courtesy of FanDuel.
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Tee Higgins Drafted in First Round? (Yes +138, No -176)
It has often been said by many scouts that the wide receiver pool in this year’s draft is deep. By that notion, many teams should be able to land good prospects at the position later in the draft.
That does not mean that there will not be a run on the top wide receivers in the first round. FanDuel Sportsbook has the over/under for the number of wide receivers taken in the first round at 6.5. Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III, and Justin Jefferson figure to be first-round locks. When looking at teams drafting from Nos. 22-32, as many as five teams (Vikings, Patriots, Ravens, Packers, and 49ers) need help at the wide receiver position.
Clemson’s Tee Higgins is not your average wide receiver prospect. He has played in two national championships, winning one. In their victory over Alabama, he posted 81 yards and a touchdown. He was held to 52 yards receiving in the loss to LSU but showed his versatility with a 36-yard rushing touchdown. Higgins cemented his place as one of Clemson’s all-time best receivers. He finished tied for the most receiving touchdowns in school history with DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins.
With the number of teams needing a wide receiver late in the first round, one of them is bound to take a player like Higgins who comes from one of the most dominant college programs over the last decade. The fact that we can get this bet at plus odds is an added bonus.
Pick: Yes +138, Tee Higgins is drafted in the first round
Jerry Jeudy Draft Position (Over 12.5 +120, Under 12.5 -154)
As nice as it was getting plus odds with Tee Higgins with our last selection, the juice with Jerry Jeudy is worth laying with this bet. I am buying reports coming out of the Broncos camp that they are looking to trade up (possibly into the top 10) for the right to draft Jeudy. Denver seems to be all-in on Drew Lock as their franchise quarterback and would be wise to give him another weapon on the outside along with Courtland Sutton.
The more buzz that there is surrounding Denver moving up to take Jeudy, the more it should encourage the teams drafting ahead of Denver at the moment to look into taking Jeudy themselves. The Jaguars at No. 9, the Jets at No. 11, and the Raiders at No. 12 are all in play for a top wide receiver in this draft.
Certainly, Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb is worthy of being the top wide receiver chosen. However, with how many teams in the top 12 that need a wideout and with how outspoken teams like the Broncos have been about trading up for one, I will gladly lay the juice with the under 12.5 on Jerry Jeudy’s draft position.
Pick: Jerry Jeudy draft position UNDER 12.5
Total Georgia Players Drafted in First Round (Over 1.5 -176, Under 1.5 +138)
This bet will seemingly come down to one player: De’Andre Swift. Offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is a lock to be taken in the first half of the first round. That leaves the running back Swift as the player that will determine if this bet goes over or under the projected total.
While I firmly believe Swift will be the first running back taken, there is a good chance he falls to the second round. The Dolphins at No. 26 and the Chiefs at No. 32 appear the only teams picking late in the first round in need of a running back. However, Miami’s offensive line was one of the worst in the league last year. If they draft their franchise quarterback with their first pick, they would be wise to get him some protection.
In addition, the Chiefs already have six running backs on their roster. They won a Super Bowl with their leading rusher having just 111 carries on the season. Kansas City is not an organization that relies on a bell-cow running back. The Chiefs may address the running back position in this draft, but likely have bigger holes to fill with their first-round pick.
With a lack of destinations for Swift to land in the first round, the juice on the under is enticing.
Pick: UNDER 1.5 Georgia players drafted in the first round
First Offensive Lineman Drafted
We end our first-round player prop selections with a bit of a value play. Again, I am buying the multitude of reports I read about Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. It was a complete shock to read that the Dolphins are in play for Thomas at No. 5. The domino effect would likely be that the Dolphins would trade up for Jordan Love as their quarterback if they did not select Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert.
Thomas’s name has been a buzz of many top ten teams other than Miami. The Giants need offensive line help and could be interested in Thomas with the No. 4 pick.
Andrew Thomas is in competition with Jedrick Wills Jr., Tristan Wirfs, and Mekhi Becton to be the first offensive lineman drafted. None of these four players have separated themselves from the rest of the group as the clear-cut favorite to be the first selected. Therefore, I will gladly buy into the buzz and take the value offered with Thomas.
Pick: Andrew Thomas (+600) to be the first offensive lineman drafted
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.