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NFL Draft betting: Cutting through the nonsense

By Matt Wiesenfeld | Last updated Apr 23, 2023 12:42 PM ET

The NFL Draft is here, and from a betting perspective, it is fascinating. There are so many options to choose from and so many talking heads giving you opinions, facts and even disinformation. Cutting through all that is a challenge.

This morning, I did a quick comb through some lines and wanted to bring the following to your attention ...

Bets That Caught My Eye

The Market for the #2 pick

Right now QB Will Levis is leading the way at -140. This is an interesting development because there are few who think he should be the second quarterback taken, let alone the second player overall. Fellow QB Bryce Young is priced off the board to be the top overall pick but in this slot, there are lots of interesting options. DE Tyree Wilson +250 and LB Will Anderson is +380. Don't overlook the fact that new Houston Texans coach Demeco Ryans played linebacker at Alabama, just like Anderson. His upside might not be as high as some others, but there seem to be no bust concerns for Anderson.

First cornerback drafted

The favorite in this market is Devin Witherspoon out of Illinois at -200. He seems to be a lock to be an early pick, but he has less than ideal size and there are a number of mocks that have Christian Gonzalez (+150) out of Oregon going ahead of him and Joey Porter Jr. (+2500) has the size and bloodlines. For a draft in which there seem to be very few sure things, I am looking for + values and this could be a spot to grab one. I can see how a team changes their mind late on Witherspoon and goes with a more prototypical prospect.

Buffalo Bills first drafted player

I like this market for a lot of the teams as you are usually getting + value at the top of their board, especially if that team is drafting outside of the top 5. That is the case with the Bills, who I like to go offense/skill with their first pick of the draft. They need to get the ball out of Josh Allen's hands more. Buffalo is +390 to take a receiver, +1100 to go tight end, and +1500 to get a running back. Of course, we do not know how the teams ahead are going to go but these are three strong value options. If you think you have a line on your favorite teams these are bets definitely worth taking.

Matt Wiesenfeld

Matt Wiesenfeld has been handicapping games and espousing sports wisdom online for more than a decade, writing thousands of articles to help bettors understand and play the market. Matt loves to bet on, write about, and engage on MLB, the NFL, NBA, college football, and college basketball

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