Jameis Winston Heavy Favorite To Be Picked First In NFL Draft Prop Betting
The 2015 NFL draft will kick off Thursday night with Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston perched as a heavy -2000 favorite to be selected first overall in NFL player prop betting at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Winston earned 2013 Heisman Trophy honors and was named the Offensive MVP after leading the Seminoles to the 2014 BCS national championship. The 21-year-old’s closest competition in his quest to be this year’s top draft selection is Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Mariota, who led the Ducks to a Rose Bowl victory over Winston and the Seminoles this past season, sits as a +900 longshot to be the No. 1 pick. However, the Rose Bowl MVP and unanimous All-American is a heavy -500 betting favorite to be taken second overall at the draft in Chicago.
Mariota is followed by USC Trojans defensive end Leonard Williams, who is pegged at +700 to go second overall, while Winston sports odds of +900, and Florida Gators DE Dante Fowler Jr. trails at +1000.
While Fowler is a long shot to be this year’s second overall selection, he is expected to be an early first-round pick. The betting line on Fowler’s draft position currently sits at 3.5 at the sportsbooks. The over is favored with strong -200 moneyline odds, while the under pays +150 on the moneyline.
The New England Patriots currently are scheduled to make their first draft selection with the 32nd and final pick of the first round. As a result, it has been difficult to forecast whom head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots might select, with countless online mock drafts providing a wide variety of predictions. The possibility exists for the Patriots to trade up if a player they are targeting remains available in the bottom third of the first round.
One such player might be Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley. An early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy last season, Gurley saw his season end in November after suffering a torn ACL.
While LeGarrette Blount remains the Patriots’ main man in the backfield, he is eligible for free agency after next season, making Gurley a potential pick for the future.
The over/under on Gurley’s draft position is pegged at 14.5, with the under favored with -140 moneyline odds.
The other running back most likely to join Gurley as a first-round selection is Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, whose draft position betting line is set at 22.5 in NFL online player prop betting.
Thumbnail photo via Phil Sears/USA TODAY Sports Images
