NBA Prop of the Day
Jake Silverman
Bettors can already wager on which player will be picked first in the 2023 NFL Draft. With the final draft order almost decided, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has the best odds to go No. 1 overall.
Young is the favorite with -120 odds (54.55% implied probability) at DraftKings Sportsbook to be picked first in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Crimson Tide quarterback finished sixth in the 2022 Heisman Trophy race after winning the award the year prior.
After nearly leading the Buckeyes to the national championship game, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is the second favorite to be picked atop the 2023 draft with +200 odds. Stroud has completed close to 70% of his passes during his college football career. Consecutive seasons of more than 40 touchdown passes and just six interceptions have resulted in a pair of top-four Heisman finishes.
The NFL Draft odds indicate that the first pick will likely come from Alabama or Ohio State. Crimson Tide linebacker Will Anderson is the biggest challenger to the two quarterbacks with +700 odds to go first overall. Buckeyes offensive tackle Paris Johnson is a long shot at +7500 odds.
Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter has +750 odds to be the first 2023 draft pick. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is in the conversation with +1000 odds to be drafted first. No other player has better than +5000 odds.
The NFL Draft is set to start April 27, 2023, in Kansas City.
Who is favored to be picked first in the 2023 NFL Draft?
These are the leaders in odds to go first overall in 2023, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Bryce Young, Alabama -120
- C.J. Stroud, Ohio State +200
- Will Anderson, Alabama +700
- Jalen Carter, Georgia +750
- Will Levis, Kentucky +1000
- Anthony Richardson, Florida +5000
- Peter Skoronski, Northwestern +6000
- Paris Johnson, Ohio State +7500
- Quentin Johnston, TCU +10000
- Bryan Bresee, Clemson +10000
- Myles Murphy, Clemson +10000
- Bijan Robinson, Texas +10000
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State +15000
- Eli Ricks, Alabama +15000
- Nolan Smith, Georgia +15000
- Josh Downs, North Carolina +15000
- Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee +15000
- Kelee Ringo, Georgia +15000
- Spencer Rattler, South Carolina +15000
- Hendon Hooker, Tennessee +15000
- Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech +15000
- Jaren Hall, BYU +15000
- Jordan Addison, USC +15000
- Joey Porter Jr., Penn State +15000
- Jared Verse, Florida State +20000
- Justin Flowe, Oregon +20000
- Michael Mayer, Notre Dame +20000
- Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame +20000
- Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama +20000
- Christian Gonzalez, Oregon +20000
Why does Bryce Young have the best odds to be picked first in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Stroud was the favorite to go first overall in the draft for much of the season, but he’s since been surpassed by Young. The Crimson Tide quarterback starts 2023 as the odds-on favorite to be the first player off the board following a pair of outstanding seasons in Alabama. Playing in college football’s best conference, Young completed over 66% of his passes for 8,200 yards, 79 touchdowns and 12 interceptions from 2021-2022.
Young won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, leading Alabama to the national championship game with an average of 321.8 passing yards and more than three touchdowns per game. The quarterback’s numbers weren’t quite as impressive in his junior year, though he engineered an offense that scored 41.4 points per game.
Young’s accuracy and agility could make him a successful quarterback at the next level. Questions about his size had prevented Young from being the consensus No. 1 pick.
Will a quarterback be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Quarterbacks are usually picked first in the draft, though it’s not always the case. Georgia defensive end Travon Walker went atop the 2022 draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars, ending a four-year streak of signal callers going No. 1 overall. The odds indicate that a new streak will start in 2023.
The latest odds give both Stroud and Young an implied probability north of 33% to be drafted first. Alabama linebacker Will Anderson is given a realistic shot to go No. 1 with +700 odds. The two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year has 27.5 sacks and 48 tackles for a loss in the last 28 games.
Prior to the 2022 draft, a quarterback was taken first in 10 of the last 13 drafts and six of the last seven drafts. The 2022 quarterback class was considered to be especially weak. No signal caller was picked until the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled the trigger on Kenny Pickett at No. 20.
What team will have the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft?
The Jaguars had the first pick in each of the last two years, going with defense after taking Trevor Lawrence in 2021. The No. 1 pick could stay in the AFC South since the Houston Texans enter the final week of the season with the worst record in the league. If Houston gets the top selection, there’s a good chance that the Texans will draft a quarterback first overall.
The Chicago Bears are the only other team that has a chance to get the No. 1 pick. Given the progress shown by Justin Fields in his second NFL season, Chicago probably won’t take a quarterback at the top of the first round. The Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks could also pass on quarterbacks with top-four picks.
Understanding 2023 NFL Draft Odds
If you want to know how to make a bet on the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, FTNBets can show you the way. First, make sure to set up an account with a sportsbook that’s available in your state. Once you’ve deposited money, you can bet on the draft.
Go to the futures section of the NFL betting page, and the draft odds should look something like this:
- Bryce Young, Alabama -120
- C.J. Stroud, Ohio State +200
- Will Anderson, Alabama +700
- Jalen Carter, Georgia +750
- Will Levis, Kentucky +1000
The numbers next to the plus sign are the odds for each player to be the first pick in the draft. They also represent the payout for a correct $100 bet. The player with the lowest number is the betting favorite. In this example, Bryce Young is favored at -120, which means a $120 bet would return a $100 profit.
Check out the FTN Bets Parlay Calculator to see how much you’d win based on the odds and amount wagered.
