Best 2020 NFL Draft Prop Bets
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This Thursday night, sports fans will get a respite from watching old games from the last two decades. The NFL Draft takes center stage, and we get to see where the best college players land after months of rumors and predictions.
The BettingPros staff has been hard at work for the last several weeks giving their insight on various draft topics. Check out the archive from more than 50 different draft props to date.
Now that draft week is upon us, we are ramping up our coverage with more featured articles throughout the week.
Today’s article focuses on a wide range of the best NFL Draft prop bets available. While there are a number of bets that appear like locks, such as Joe Burrow to be the No. 1 overall pick, the juice on those bets are too high to play. Instead, we will focus on bets that all provide much better payouts. All odds are odds courtesy of FanDuel.
Check out our consensus odds for 2020 NFL Draft prop bets >>
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Pittsburgh Steelers to Draft Offense or Defense With 1st Draft Pick (Offense -126, Defense -102)
Barring a trade to move up into the first round, bettors will have to wait until the second day of the draft to see if this bet will cash. The Pittsburgh Steelers will not draft until the 49th selection, as their first-round pick (No. 18 overall) went to the Miami Dolphins as part of the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade.
This bet is well worth the wait. The Steelers have selected a defensive player with their first draft pick in each of the last seven drafts. However, Pittsburgh’s offense finished 27th in the league with 18.1 points per game last year. As a result, it’s clear they need to get younger and more explosive on that side of the ball.
Surely, Pittsburgh’s offensive numbers would have been a lot better if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not miss 14 games last year. Still, Roethlisberger is 38 years old, and neither Mason Rudolph nor Devlin Hodges showed signs of being Pittsburgh’s quarterback of the future. At least four quarterbacks figure to be off the board by the time the Steelers draft at No. 49. However, they could still walk away with a decent quarterback prospect and select Roethlisberger’s eventual replacement.
Even if the Steelers are not in love with any quarterback still on the board, there figures to be plenty of offensive talent to choose from. In a deep wide receiver class, Pittsburgh could select another wideout to pair with JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington. In addition, the Steelers are in desperate need of depth on the offensive line. Both tackles Alejandro Villanueva and Matt Feiler are free agents next year, so Pittsburgh will need to find replacements for them in case they walk.
The days of Roethlisberger handing off to Le’Veon Bell and throwing to Antonio Brown seem like a distant memory. Pittsburgh knows they need to build on offense to complement a defense that was one of the league’s best last year. Look for the Steelers to draft offense early and often in this draft, making odds of -126 sound very enticing.
Pick: Pittsburgh to draft OFFENSE (-126) with their first pick
More First Round Draft Picks: ACC (-146) vs. Pac-12 (+114)
FanDuel has many interesting conference bets pertaining to the draft, including a number of these head-to-head options. The one that stuck out the most because of its odds is the ACC vs. the Pac-12.
Here are the ACC players likeliest to be drafted in the first round:
Isaiah Simmons (Clemson), Mekhi Becton (Louisville), Tee Higgins (Clemson), AJ Terrell (Clemson).
Here are the Pac-12 players likeliest to be drafted in the first round:
Justin Herbert (Oregon), Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State), Jaylon Johnson (Utah), Michael Pittman Jr. (USC), Austin Jackson (USC), Laviska Shenault Jr. (Colorado), Jacob Eason (Washington).
At first glance, one would think the Pac-12 is the right side of this bet, given their seven players to the ACC’s four potential first-rounders. However, the value is still on the ACC, even at odds of -146.
There is a very good chance that all four ACC players listed get taken in the first round. NFL teams have a lot of respect for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and the program he has built over the last decade. Tee Higgins figures to be one of many receivers taken by teams drafting in the 20-30 range. In addition, there is thought to be a big drop-off between the top two cornerbacks (Jeff Okudah, CJ Henderson) and the rest of the cornerbacks in the draft. However, AJ Terrell’s impressive 4.42 at the combine and history of playing in big games should allow him to sneak into the first round as well.
Though the Pac-12 has more first-round options, the fact of the matter is they do not have as many first-round locks. Wide receivers Pittman Jr. and Shenault Jr. look more like second-round selections after a big run of receivers go in the first round. In addition, Jacob Eason will not be a first-round pick barring a massive trade by a team sneaking in at the end of the first round.
Pick: ACC (-146) to have more first-round picks
Position of New Orleans Saints’ First Position Drafted: Linebacker (+300)
The New Orleans Saints roster is one of the most complete in the NFL. That’s proven by their ability to go 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater under center after Drew Brees sat out with a thumb injury. However, if there is one area of weakness, it’s middle linebacker.
Kiko Alonso is coming off his third ACL tear. Alex Anzalone is an unproven player, and both Demario Davis and Chase Hansen are better suited to play outside linebacker.
With the No. 24 pick in the draft, New Orleans should be in great position to draft either LSU’s Patrick Queen or Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray. Queen would be a great hometown story playing close to his college roots. He has great tackling ability and would be an outstanding playmaker in the middle of the Saints’ defense. Murray might be the second-best linebacker in the draft behind Isaiah Simmons and would be a steal at No. 24. He possesses excellent speed and versatility.
If one of these players is still on the board at No. 24, New Orleans will not pass on them. Too many teams drafting in front of them have more pressing needs, so an outstanding playmaker to plug in the middle of the defense should fall into their laps.
Pick: New Orleans first position drafted: Linebacker (300)
Here are all of our 2020 NFL Draft Prop Bets >>
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.