Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
If we are being honest, the 2020 NFL Draft truly begins with the Detroit Lions at the No. 3 overall pick. That’s because LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is a -10000 favorite to go first overall and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young -3000 to go second. Burrow is going to the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Washington Redskins pick No. 2.
While there’s all but a zero percent chance the Bengals trade the top pick, it’s possible the Redskins could trade out of their spot if some team wants to pay a big price and move up to take one of the other top quarterback prospects. Young is the huge -7500 favorite to be the first defensive player off the board, and most scouts rank him as the No. 1 overall prospect in this draft.
There’s talk the Lions would like to trade down from No. 3 to pick up more picks, but the current favorite to go third is Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah at even money. Keep in mind that on these draft spot props, it doesn’t matter which team takes a player just that said player goes in that slot for betting purposes.
The Lions definitely need secondary help after trading top cornerback Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. Detroit finished last in the NFL last year in allowing 284.4 yards passing per game. On the exact outcome of the top three picks, Burrow-Young-Okudah is the -105 favorite.
The 2020 NFL Draft is considered to be exceptionally rich in wide receivers, unlike last year when the first off the board was Marquise Brown to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 25 overall. There could be four gone by No. 25 this year. The co-favorites to be first wideout selected are Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, with both at -110 odds.
On the flip side, it’s quite likely that no running back goes in the Top 25 picks and possible none in the first round at all. Not that it’s a bad class, but NFL teams simply have devalued running backs for the most part and know they can find a good one in later rounds. Georgia’s D’Andre Swift is the -175 favorite as first running back off the board followed by Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor at +200.
Swift is -260 in a “who will be drafted first” head-to-head with Taylor (+175). Swift is given an over/under draft position of 32.5 (so essentially first pick of second round) with the under a -140 favorite. Taylor’s O/U draft position is 37.5, with the over a -130 favorite.
