2021 NFL Draft Prop Bets: First Wide Receiver Selected
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The 2020 NFL Draft was loaded at wide receiver and it should be similarly stacked in 2021. Several receivers have obvious first-round talent with guys like Ronadle Moore, Justyn Ross, and Rashod Bateman viewed as slite prospects. With so many possibilities of players to go in the top 25, let’s look at who is the foremost candidates to go first in the first round of the 2021 draft.
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Ja’Marr Chase – LSU
Odds to be Drafted First: -125 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Chase is a slam-dunk choice for Round 1 next year. He was hugely prolific in 2019 with LSU despite having to share targets with Justin Jefferson plus tight end Thaddeus Moss and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He still finished with 1780 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. The stampede of LSU players to the 2020 NFL Draft leaves a much thinner group of proven pass-catchers at LSU this season, which means Chase will be the clear No. 1 target, a player who will get his chance to shine almost exclusively.
The challenge is that Chase will not have Joe Burrow throwing to him, but NFL scouts will understand this and recognize that Chase will be operating under a handicap in 2020. It’s a great chance for him to prove he can make his quarterback better. Even if his stats are down, Chase will learn how to be a No. 1 receiver and develop skills, which should serve him well on draft day.
Devonta Smith – Alabama
Odds to be Drafted First: +400 at DraftKings Sportsbook
The receiver least likely to go in round one is Smith, who is entering his senior season after catching a national championship-winning pass from Tua Tagovailoa against Georgia. Four-year pros aren’t necessarily the most valued draft choices, partly because they are a year older and therefore have a smaller professional window than juniors who come out one year early, partly because they expose themselves to more wear and tear. With Smith, though, it’s also a case of clearly not being as skilled as the two Alabama receivers who came out for the 2020 draft, Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy. The good part for Smith is that with Ruggs and Jeudy out of the picture on the 2020 Crimson Tide, he should get more targets. The bad news is that Tua is gone. Mac Jones will be the quarterback, and it’s a mystery if Smith will develop a strong relationship with Jones. Smith needs to prove something this season. He could slip to the second round.
Jaylen Waddle – Alabama
Odds to be Drafted First: +400 at DraftKings Sportsbook
One of the bigger reasons Smith might fall to Round 2 is that Jaylen Waddle is easily the best receiver on the 2020 Alabama roster. Waddle’s straight-line speed is better than Smith’s. He’s an electric open-field player who, if he shows improvement in running routes and showing attention to detail, should be a Top 15 draft pick, much as Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy were this past spring. With Ruggs and Jeudy not getting catches for the Crimson Tide, Waddle should load up on stats and become the first receiver taken, probably a few spots higher than Chase at LSU.
Tylan Wallace – Oklahoma State
Odds to be Drafted First: +700 at DraftKings Sportsbook
The wild card with Wallace is that Oklahoma State did not have exceptionally good quarterback play last season. The Cowboys will need that; so will Wallace, who is a talented playmaker but someone who will need help to get a maximum boost on the draft board. One good piece of news is that Oklahoma State has an elite running back, Chuba Hubbard, who will force opposing defenses to focus on the run, which will open up opportunities for Wallace as a downfield pass-catching threat.
Rashod Bateman – Minnesota
Odds to be Drafted First: +1000 at DraftKings Sportsbook
This guy is a bit off the radar right now but he’s going to be a draft crush of many scouts. He is 6’2, 210 pounds and should be in the 4.4 range – possibly better – for the 40-yard dash. The reason I think he gets the nod over Chase is that Chase is a jump-ball guy. Bateman can do more in terms of running polished routes and beating corners at all levels – not just in a jump-ball situation.
The other key here is that Minnesota is a team on the rise and Bateman gets his quarterback, Tanner Morgan. As for Chase, he’s not going to show as well this year without Burrow. That’s a significant loss.
That being the case, I’d take a shot with Bateman as the price on Chase is way too short right now. There’s no way I’d lay -125.
Pick: Rashod Bateman +1000 at DraftKings Sportsbook
First Running Back Drafted (2021)
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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.