2020 NFL Draft Prop Bets: Will Your Team Draft Offense Or Defense?
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One of my favorite props on the board for the 2020 NFL Draft is which way will a team decide to go with their first-round pick. If you have a good read on what the team needs are and who will be available, there is good value betting on whether the pick will be ‘offense’ or ‘defense’. This also gives you a wider margin to win with rather than picking the specific player.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at this prop, which is offered at FanDuel Sportsbook, to see which four teams offer good value and you can view all of our 2020 NFL Draft Prop Bets here.
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New York Giants
I’m surprised to see the price tag here as the Giants have been heavily rumored to be eyeing Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons with the No. 4 overall pick. Many outlets have reported that and if you look at the price tag on the Giants landing Simmons, it’s actually dipped from +350 down to +200 in recent days, so the oddsmakers are seeing action there too.
Even if it’s not Simmons, I have a tough time seeing the Giants go with an offensive player. They’re fairly set on that side of the ball except for maybe offensive line but the defense needs a ton of love. The linebacker position needs lots of help as the current starters are Kyle Fackrell, Blake Martinez, Ryan Connelly and Lorenzo Carter. Simmons can play multiple positions and should be a difference-maker for that unit. Even if it’s not Simmons, I can’t see them going offense with their first pick.
Pick: Defense +100 at FanDuel
Minnesota Vikings
I’m surprised to see this price tag on the Vikings drafting an offensive player. In my eyes, that’s the logical move here – especially after this team traded away Stefon Diggs. This is a team that already lacked depth behind Diggs and Adam Thielen, and now they’re down to just one good wideout.
Of course, they could be looking at defensive players after that side of the ball was stripped down in free agency but wide receiver makes sense here because this draft class is rich with them. The Vikings traded away Diggs for a first-round pick and they’ll use that to get his replacement.
Pick: Offense +176 at FanDuel
New Orleans Saints
Four of the last five Saints’ first-round picks have been defensive players but I think they’ll be looking at a wide receiver when they’re drafting at No. 24 in the 2020 NFL Draft. This is a team that clearly has a big hole at wide receiver behind Michael Thomas. He had 149 catches last season; every other receiver on the team combined for 56. Thomas can be held in check, as evidenced by the Minnesota Vikings holding him to eight grabs for 70 yards in the playoff loss. The good news for the Saints is that the NFL Draft is loaded with quality wide receivers. We should see a run on them in the 20s and the Saints should be part of that.
Pick: Offense -108 at FanDuel
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are a fairly complete team and could look in a number of directions. However, I see fewer issues with the offense right now than the defense. The offense was electric last season and almost the entire cast returns. On top of that, guys like Lamar Jackson, Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews are a year older, so there should be an incremental improvement there as it is. The defense is where they need some help – especially after Derrick Henry ran wild on them in the playoffs.
The Ravens could bolster their linebacking corps and someone like Kenneth Murray should be available. At any rate, I think this team goes with defense at the back end of the first round.
Pick: Defense -112 at FanDuel
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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.