The spotlight is expected to be on Kyler Murray on Thursday when he enters the 2019 NFL Draft as the favorite to be selected first overall, set as a short -350 wager at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at the helm of the Oklahoma Sooners, leading the squad to a Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff, and is now set to become the third quarterback in four years taken first overall when the 2019 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night in Nashville.
Quarterbacks have been routinely taken with the first overall pick over the past two decades, with 15 passers emerging as the top pick over the past 21 years, a run that started with Peyton Manning’s selection by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998.
Murray ranked third in the nation in 2018 with 4,361 passing yards while connecting on 42 touchdown passes. The 21-year-old is also pegged as a massive -1500 favorite to be the first quarterback selected this year on the 2019 NFL Draft betting props, outpacing Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, who trails at +800 to be the first pivot selected after leading all passers in 2018 with 4,831 yards and 50 scores with the Buckeyes.
Nick Bosa, the younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers lineman Joey Bosa, sits second to Murray with +350 odds of going first overall, and is also listed as a heavy -300 favorite on the NFL Draft props to be this year’s second overall selection.
Bosa was limited to just three appearances with the Buckeyes in 2018 after undergoing core muscle surgery in late September. However, the 21-year-old was a force on the Ohio State defensive line in 2017, racking up 34 total tackles and 8.5 sacks.
While Murray and Bosa have emerged as clear favorites to lead off the 2019 NFL Draft, the picture becomes less clear with the third pick and beyond.
Kentucky Wildcats linebacker Josh Allen sits as a +150 favorite at online betting sites to be taken third overall, and is closely followed by Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at +210, while Houston Cougars defensive tackle Ed Oliver sits as a +275 wager to round out the top three.
Allen piled up 88 tackles and 17 sacks in 2018, his senior year at Kentucky, and is a strong -320 bet to be selected in the top three. Conversely, Williams sports -165 odds of not going until at least the fourth pick while Oliver is a solid -400 wager to be taken with one of the top eight picks in Thursday’s draft.
