2023 NFL Draft Betting Odds & Predictions: First Overall Pick
With the 2022-23 college football season behind us and all but eight teams remaining in the NFL Playoffs, the lion’s share of the football world is on pause. With that, most attention has now turned to April’s NFL Draft, as players begin their preparation and teams kick theirs into high gear.
While quarterbacks dominate the headlines, like they do every year, let’s take a closer look at who might go No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
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2023 NFL Draft Betting Odds & Predictions: First Overall Pick
First Overall Pick: The Chicago Bears
We needed the full 17 weeks of the regular season, but the Chicago Bears out-sucked the Houston Texans down the stretch to secure that number one spot with a record of 3-14. While the Texans absolutely needed a QB, the Bears’ needs come down to whether or not they firmly believe they have found their man in Justin Fields.
As of the end of September, following a 2-1 start, they might have just told you they did. Flash forward to 10 straight losses to finish the season; many in Chicago are not so sure.
Still, Fields showed plenty of improvement year over year, improving across the board while showing the league just how dangerous he can be on the ground. So much so that he led the Bears in rushing by over 300 yards, finishing the season with 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. That is to go along with 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air.
The problem was elsewhere, as the Bears gave up a league-worst 463 points, unable to get a stop when they needed almost every game.
Arguably the best player in college football on defense the last two seasons, Will Anderson Jr. from Alabama, could help solve that problem. Picking up 34.5 sacks and 58.5 tackles for loss in his three seasons for the Crimson Tide, Anderson Jr. dominated the best conference in college football every time he was on the field.
Not just physically gifted, as most Nick Saban proteges do, Anderson Jr. has a high football IQ and is a player that makes a difference right away at the next level. Having not had that kind of player since Brian Urlacher, the Bears desperately need a defensive identity, and Anderson Jr. gives them one on day zero.
While quarterback will be enticing, I think the much bigger need is on defense, and the Bears go that route in April’s Draft.
Prediction: Will Anderson Jr., Edge, Alabama (+300)
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