NFL Draft bets: Jayden Daniels offers intriguing value
It's a near certainty that Caleb Williams will be the first pick in this draft, whether it's Chicago taking him or someone trading up to nab the 2022 Heisman winner. Williams is -900 to be the first selection in April, but there appears to be some value on another Heisman-winning quarterback at the top of the draft board.
LSU's Jayden Daniels had a massive season in Baton Rouge en route to taking home some hardware for college football's best player. Daniels ended with 3,812 passing yards, 1134 rushing yards and 50 total touchdowns (40 through the air).
That dynamic play has catapulted him to the top of draft boards, and after Williams it's starting to seem like a near toss-up between Daniels or UNC's Drake Maye for the next passer selected.
Daniels is 6-foot-4 and completed over 72% of his passes in 2023, this man seems like he could be a problem for NFL defenses from the get-go.
There's bets worth making on Daniels's draft position
More and more, NFL mock draft experts seem to be projecting Daniels to go No. 2 to the QB-needy Washington Commanders, and if it isn't there, it's hard to imagine the New England Patriots at No. 3 (or a team that trades up) not taking the LSU passer.
Mel Kiper recently slotted in Daniels to Washington at two, and so have numerous other outlets such as CBS Sports and PFF. Despite the growing popularity on Daniels to be the second quarterback taken in the draft, the sportsbooks odds do not reflect it.
Drake Maye is currently -140 to go No. 2 in the draft, which opens the door to some potential value for us the bettor.
Daniels is +120 to go second and +140 to go third. Given how many teams near the top of the draft are in need of a quarterback, it does seem likely that this year starts with a QB-QB-QB run. In that scenario, Daniels is sure to be involved in that trio.
With that assumption in tow, placing a bet on both Daniels to go No. 2 at +120 (DraftKings) and No. 3 at +140 spreads the net and likely guarantees us some profit.
This is of course is not without some risks, Daniels could slip. However, as of this writing, it seems like a prudent path to nab a few plus-money prices on the 2023 Heisman winner being one of the first names we hear on April 25.
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