2020 NFL Draft Prop Bets: Total College Team Players Drafted
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It is no secret that certain universities have dominated the college football landscape for the past two decades. As a result, those schools’ on-field success is often matched with success in the NFL Draft.
Since 2000, Ohio State and Alabama have had the most players drafted in the first round with 31 apiece. Miami is right behind them with 30, followed by Florida State’s 24 and USC and Florida’s 22. In total, 23 schools have had ten or more players drafted in the first round in that span. As far as the No. 1 pick goes, only Oklahoma has had multiple players drafted first in the past two decades.
FanDuel Sportsbook is offering a wide range of bets on the over/under of players drafted in the first round from certain universities. Here are all the available options, as well as our pick for each.
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Total Players Drafted in the First Round
Alabama (Over 5.5 -112, Under 5.5 -112)
The Crimson Tide look to break their tie with Ohio State for most first-round draft picks since 2000. Their over/under is set at a whopping 5.5 players selected. If the over hits, 6 out of 32 players selected would mean 18.8% of first-round picks would come from Alabama.
Let’s start with the locks to go in the first round. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, offensive tackle Jedric Wills Jr., and receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III appear safe first-round selections. For the over 5.5 to hit, two more Alabama players would have to go within the top 32 picks.
Safety Xavier McKinney is also high on a lot of scouts’ big boards. There are a number of teams in the 21-32 range that could use a starting safety or more depth at the position. McKinney could go as high as No. 21 to the Eagles as they continue to revamp their secondary. In addition, the Vikings appear a good bet to draft a safety with either their No. 22 or No. 25 selection as they have little depth in the secondary.
The wild card for this bet is cornerback Trevon Diggs. Teams like the Raiders, Cowboys, and the 49ers who draft in the later half of the first round all could use a top corner. However, do these teams have players like C.J. Henderson, Noah Igbinoghene or A.J. Terrell higher on their boards?
As tempting as it is to side with history and bet on Alabama players in the draft, there are too many good prospects at cornerback to feel safe about Diggs being a first-round pick. With other players like linebacker Terrell Lewis too far down on many big boards to warrant first-round consideration, the under looks like the right side.
Pick: UNDER 5.5 Alabama players
Clemson (Over 2.5 +196, Under 2.5 -260)
Some bettors will be more tempted to bet on Clemson’s over/under as there are fewer variables involved compared to Alabama’s. With an over/under of 2.5 players, just two or three players need to be selected for the respective total to hit.
Linebacker Isaiah Simmons is a first-round lock as a widely unanimous top ten selection. Wide receiver Tee Higgins also appears likely to go in the first round. Though he may be the fourth or fifth wide receiver taken, there are too many teams that can use a dynamic playmaker like Higgins for him to slip out of the first round.
Just like Alabama’s wager, Clemson also appears to come down to a cornerback. The lofty vig tilted towards the under suggests oddsmakers do not believe A.J. Terrell will be a first-round pick.
Clemson has been a breeding ground for cornerbacks lately, as eight Tigers have been drafted since 2010. Terrell was often challenged by his coaching staff in press man-to-man coverage and has competed in the biggest games. He certainly has the pedigree of a successful starting cornerback at the next level.
Look for a team to buy into the pedigree of Clemson cornerbacks before him and select Terrell late in the first round. In addition, the odds of +196 are too juicy to pass on a bet that has this good a chance of happening.
Pick: OVER 2.5 Clemson players
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Ohio State (Over 2.5 +270, Under 2.5 -380)
This is a bet where the heavy vig on the under appears completely justified. It is no secret that the Buckeyes will have at least two players selected in the first round. Defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah both may very well be off the board after the first three picks. Can the Buckeyes squeeze out one more first-round selection to hit the over?
Running back J.K. Dobbins should be one of the top two or three running backs taken. However, with how devalued the position has been of late, it may be just as likely that no running backs are taken in the first round.
Cornerback Damon Arnette appears to be the only other Ohio State first-round contender. Arnette is projected by many to be a better zone corner than man corner in the NFL. His lack of burst may leave him susceptible in coverage of the fastest professional receivers. Arnette may be a solid pro himself, but I do not see teams risking a first-round pick on a player with so many question marks.
Pick: UNDER 2.5 Ohio State players
Georgia (Over 1.5 -172, Under 1.5 +134)
Offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is a lock to go in the first round. That means Georgia’s over/under will come down to just one more Bulldog being drafted in the top 32 picks.
Running back D’Andre Swift is an interesting fringe first-round player. There is no doubt he has the talent to warrant being drafted high, but will teams covet a running back with a first-round pick? There are certainly a number of teams that could use a running back, even if it is for depth and not to name them the starter right away. Those teams may pursue running backs later in the draft if that is the case.
One team that may draft a player like Swift is the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have three selections in the first round and could use one of their later picks to pair with the all-but-certain quarterback they will take with their first choice. They did sign veteran Jordan Howard recently, but Swift is a player who provides more of a burst and much better receiving skills.
There are many teams drafting in the mid-to-late first round that could use a player like Swift. I do not see all teams passing on the running back position in the first round, so betting that Swift will go in the top 32 seems like a reasonable stance.
Pick: OVER 1.5 Georgia players
LSU (Over 5.5 +176, Under 5.5 -230)
With the sheer dominance that LSU showed on the field last year, it is odd to see the vig so heavily skewed towards the under for their bet. Quarterback Joe Burrow is a lock to be the first player selected overall. Joining him in the first round will be linebackers K’Lavon Chaisson and Patrick Queen and wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
That makes four first-round locks with two players still needed to hit the over. No wonder why the vig is skewed to the under! It would not completely shock me if the aforementioned four players were LSU’s only first-round selections. Cornerback Kristian Fulton and safety Grant Delpit have a chance to be late first-rounders. Outside of them, no one appears worthy of a day one grade.
LSU will certainly have a bevy of players selected in the later rounds. Do not make a blind bet on the over simply because of the success LSU had last season. The fact is they will not have six or more players selected in the first round.
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.