NFL draft betting: Yep, you can even wager on whether the Eagles take Dexter Lawrence in the first round ... but you have to be in Jersey
Props also are being offered on which position the Eagles pick and whether Mr. Irrelevant plays offense of defense.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/632ZCITV6RDDFA23IBZFLC4XWY.jpg)
There are all sorts of betting props being offered on the NFL draft. FanDuel has an over/under on Alabama players selected in the first round at 2.5.
William Hill-US has a line on the number of players picked in the first round from the ACC and Big 10 combined at 12.5 (seems high).
PointsBet has set odds of -110 on whether Mr. Irrelevant, the final player taken at the end of Saturday’s seventh round, will be an offensive or defensive player. Place kickers are considered offensive players. Punters are defensive.
DraftKings has odds on the actual player the Eagles will take with their first pick. But there’s a caveat.
NFL draft wagering is not permitted in Pennsylvania, “since they are not part of an athletic event,” said Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach.
Makes sense. We all saw how much fun the bookies had figuring out the length of the Super Bowl national anthem after Gladys Knight decided to sing the final word “brave” twice.
New Jersey, though, is allowing NFL draft wagering, and some of the props are wild.
The DraftKings retail outlet at Resorts casino in Atlantic City has odds on the position of the Eagles first pick. These odds are based on a $100 wager and were as of late Tuesday afternoon.
Offense: Lineman (+250), wide receiver (+400), running back (+550), quarterback or tight end (+10,000).
Defense: Cornerback/safety (+150), lineman (+300), linebacker (+2500).
Any other position is +10,000. Howie Roseman is not taking a kicker.
The DraftKings app also has odds on individual players for each of the teams it considers local: the Eagles, Giants and Jets. There’s a geo-locator on the app, so our friends up in North Jersey can play, too.
Our writers were asked to weigh in on which player the Eagles would select at No. 25. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who missed Clemson’s two playoff victories after testing positive for PEDs, was a popular choice. He’s at 16-1 on DK’s app. Mississippi State’s Jeffery Simmons, another defensive tackle, also was mentioned. He’s at 14-1.
“It’s such a crapshoot,” said Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ director of race and sports operations. “You have to rely on the opinions of [reporters] talking to the teams. You have to stay ahead of it or you’ll get put in a terrible position.”
Avello has a $1,000 limit on most of the props DraftKings is offering. He said most of the bets he’s seen were in the $20-$100 range.
Pointsbet increased the odds of Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray to be taken No. 1 overall from -1000 to +100, but limited the action to $50 maximum.
“From our perspective, we think it’s going to happen,"said PointsBet executive Ron Shell, referring to Murray going first on Thursday night. “It’s not like we have any inside information. But boosting his odds was about trying to drive traffic. It’s like free money, but we do have to limit the market. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have a job.”
Eagles pick
Odds for the top player to be picked by the Eagles with their first pick in this year’s NFL draft as set by DraftKings. Note, the player does not have to be picked at No. 25, the Birds’ current first-round position. Odds are based on a $100 wager.