2020 NFL Draft Prop Bets: Total Cornerbacks Drafted in the First Round

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The 2020 NFL Draft is now under two weeks away. With sports like table tennis and Russian volleyball now dominating the betting landscape, it is no wonder why NFL Draft props are getting targeted more than ever by both hardcore and casual bettors alike. Some of the most interesting draft props are the ones that call for an over/under prediction on how many players at a certain position will be drafted in the first round. Today, we will take a look at the cornerbacks prop at BetMGM, which is currently set at 4.5.

Let’s take a look at the odds and the candidates. 

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2020 NFL Draft – Total cornerbacks drafted in the first round

Over 4.5 (-143)
Under 4.5 (+120)
Odds from BetMGM Sportsbook

The Locks

Jeffrey Okudah (CB – Ohio State)
Jeffrey Okudah is the most talented cornerback in the 2020 NFL Draft class. The rare cornerback who has the talent to be drafted in the top 10, and quite possibly the top five, Okudah is a lock to hear his name called in round one. A future lockdown corner, Okudah is about as can’t miss as it gets at the cornerback position. Okudah is expected to be targeted heavily by the Detroit Lions who currently hold the third overall pick. 

The Hopefuls

Kristian Fulton (CB – LSU)
Kristian Fulton is a talented cornerback from the National Champions. A sticky man-coverage corner who is already adept at press coverage, Fulton will be coveted by teams who play man-heavy schemes. Fulton has number-one corner upside, and he should be ready to be an immediate contributor after starring in the SEC. While his current draft position prop sits at 24.5 with the odds posted at -110 on both sides, it would be a surprise for Fulton to last past the first round later this month. 

C.J. Henderson (CB – Florida)
Widely regarded as one of the top three cornerbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft, C.J. Henderson is a talented corner who shined at the NFL Combine. Henderson may have a tougher transition to a press-heavy team, but he looks to have the skill set to thrive in off man or zone coverage defenses. Henderson has the second-highest draft position prop of the cornerbacks in this class at 16.5. His current draft ceiling appears to be the Jacksonville Jaguars at ninth overall, while his floor should be the Minnesota Vikings at 25th overall. 

Cameron Dantzler (CB – Mississippi State)
One of the most talented man corners in the 2020 NFL Draft, Cameron Dantzler has first-round talent. He is a top-32 player based on player grade, but he is part of a crop of at least seven cornerbacks with first-round talent. He added some weight for the NFL Combine, but he wound up running slower than expected. He needed a good pro day to secure his stock as a first-round pick, but he now must rely on his dominant tape. The only thing holding him back from being a relative lock for the first round is his thin build. Teams that have experience with players with a thinner build filling out as they became older will be much more comfortable with Dantzler as a first-round option. 

Trevon Diggs (CB – Alabama)
A talented cornerback who played for Nick Saban’s defense at Alabama, Trevon Diggs is widely regarded as one of the top five cornerback prospects in this draft class. He does not have a draft position prop listed at BetMGM, but he’s posted at 27.5 at FanDuel with -112 odds on both sides. Like most SEC corners, Diggs is battle-tested with extensive experience in man coverage. While he has low-end number one corner upside, Diggs may be best suited as an elite number two corner. Diggs has a high probability of being drafted in the first round, but he could get pushed out if the total cornerbacks drafted falls under five.  

A.J. Terrell (CB – Clemson)
A.J. Terrell is an outside corner who can become a dominant number two corner. He has an interesting draft position prop at BetMGM that has him listed at -110 to be drafted in round one and -110 to be drafted in round two to seven. While he can fill in as a team’s number one corner, he had enough trouble with the elite college wide receivers he faced to comfortably project him as a two as opposed to an ideal one. Terrell’s main first-round appeal comes from his versatility, as he can play in either zone or man, can rush the passer, and is strong against the run. 

Jaylon Johnson (CB – Utah)
Jaylon Johnson is a talented outside corner with good coverage skills. He often flashes first-round upside, but his poor effort against the run is going to give some teams pause. He arguably has more upside than some of the corners that may get drafted before him, but his floor may force him into the second round mix. 

Bryce Hall (CB – Virginia)
A true ball-hawk, Bryce Hall is a talented cornerback with first-round upside. He was PFF’s top-rated corner heading into the 2019 college season, and he’s likely higher on the boards of some NFL teams than where he has been pegged by much of the draft analyst community. He shines in zone coverage, but he also has enough skill to play man in a strong secondary. Hall may have a tough time finding a taker in the first round unless teams are comfortable with the information available regarding his recovery from the broken ankle and dislocated left ankle he suffered six games into the 2019 season.

Conclusion

In my first NFL mock draft of the season, I had seven corners projected to go in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In my second mock draft, that number dropped to five. With that in mind, and also taking the various mock drafts released by outlets across the country into account, the over still seems like the safer bet here. The -143 odds suggest a 58.8 percent implied probability that the over hits, but based on positional need and current draft projection, that number should likely be closer to -150. 

There are a number of teams in need of cornerbacks, but there are at least 10 teams who will likely seriously consider drafting one in the first round if one of the players they had a first-round grade on is still on the board. Jacksonville, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kansas City, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit, Carolina, Denver, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Philadelphia are the teams that will at least weigh selecting one of the corners listed above when it comes time for them to make their first-round selections. 

That said, five or more corners going in the first would break with recent trends. The last time it happened on day one was back in 2017, which marked the final year of a four year run of at least five cornerbacks went in the first round. All in all, six of the last 10 draft classes have seen five first-round cornerbacks be selected. 2020 looks set to restart that trend. Lock in the over for a full unit return.

The pick: Over 4.5 total cornerbacks drafted in the first round (-143)

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Raju Byfield is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyContext.