National Football League

2023 NFL Draft odds: Three NFL Draft prop bets to make now

Published Apr. 19, 2023 2:30 p.m. ET

Co-Host of THE HERD and FOX Sports Betting Analyst

The NFL Draft is a week away, and this year serves to be more tumultuous than normal.

The rumor mill is working overtime and with most teams keeping their mouths shut, you can get dizzy trying to make sense of it all.

This is why I put together this piece, to help you get ahead of some of those line moves we will see in the coming week.

Here are three early draft prop bets to help make it through the draft gauntlet.

Jalen Carter second pick to Houston +4000

There are two ways to look at this. First, Carter was a dominant force on Georgia’s historically great 2021 defense. Based on his 2022 video, Carter is considered to be the best defensive player in this draft. But he’s tumbled down some draft boards because of off-field concerns. And the last thing the Texans need is to draft someone with character issues, right?

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Except that their new coach is a tough defensive guy in DeMeco Ryans, who was part of a culture in San Francisco that was led by its defense, especially in the trenches. Houston bolstered the front four this offseason, adding pass rusher Chase Winovich and tackle Sheldon Rankins. But three starters on the defensive front are essentially placeholders.

Quarterbacks drafted in the first round Over 4.5 -106

We know Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud for sure will go early. Will Levis and Anthony Richardson have a higher range of outcomes, anywhere from No. 2 to … maybe the teens? But it seems very unlikely that one of them will tumble out of the first round.

But can Hendon Hooker sneak in?

[Where will Tennessee's Hendon Hooker get selected?]

With Miami forfeiting a pick, there are only 31 picks in the first round. Who could be in the market? If Seattle doesn’t draft one at No. 5, they might at 20. There’s a lot of uncertainty around Washington at 16, Detroit at 18 (if it passes at six), perhaps Baltimore at 22 if the Lamar Jackson situation gets uglier, and Minnesota at 23, with Kirk Cousins having an out in his deal after this season.

Tight ends drafted in first round Over 2.5 +198

I usually lean toward Unders in the first round, as the public likes to bet Overs and the mock drafters are usually wrong. But there’s a credible argument that more tight ends will go in the first round than wide receivers.

Michael Mayer of Notre Dame came in with the most hype, and he may not even be the first to go, as Utah’s Dalton Kincaid has surged during the draft process. The wild card is Georgia’s Darnell Washington. A 6-foot-7, 260-pounder, he’s a terrific blocker, but his stats (45 career receptions, only three TDs) are paltry.

Several teams drafting late in the first round love to utilize the tight end – LA Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, and Super Bowl combatants Eagles and Chiefs.

If you want to place any wagers down on the 2023 NFL Draft, head on over to FOX Bet.

Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, "Coming Up Winners," in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.

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