CJ Stroud Odds to Be #1 Pick Sitting at +170

• Ohio State quarterback, C.J. Stroud officially declared for the NFL Draft on Monday, January 16th
• Immediately after Stroud declared, he became the 2nd betting favorite to be selected first overall
• Check out the updated NFL Draft odds on who will be chosen number 1 in 2023

He waited until the final day, but Ohio State quarterback, C.J. Stroud has declared for the NFL draft. The pivot is a consensus top-five player according to the majority of draft analysts. Kansas City will hold the NFL draft this year with the first round selections taking place on Thursday, April 27th.

Immediately after the news broke, Stroud jumped near the front of the line in the 2023 NFL draft odds when looking at who has the best chance to be chosen first overall. The Bears currently own that pick, although it doesn’t mean they won’t trade it away before draft day.

Check out the table below for the updated odds on the who will get taken with the first overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Odds to Be #1 Overall Pick in 2023 NFL Draft

Odds as of January 16th from FanDuel Sportsbook.

As usual, oddsmakers have a quarterback pegged to go first overall. The odds of Stroud going first sit at +170, the second shortest odds next to Alabama’s Bryce Young. Two defensive players, Will Anderson and Jalen Carter, round out the top four expected picks at identical +500 odds.

Is C.J. Stroud Worth a Wager to go First Overall?

A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, Stroud finished with 85 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions over his last two seasons at Ohio State.

Those are exceptional numbers, but a lot of questions were raised after the Buckeyes got pummeled by Michigan in late November. In that matchup, Ohio State were up 20-17 at halftime, but the offense managed to put just three points on the board in the second half and ultimately fell 45-23 to their rivals.

Stroud completed 31 of 48 passing attempts for 349 yards with two touchdowns in that one, but also threw two interceptions and fell to 0-2 for his career against Michigan.

Nevertheless, he left the scouts with more positive things to think about in his last game of the year, almost willing the Buckeyes to victory over Georgia in the college football semifinals. A shocking missed field goal with no time left crushed his national championship hopes, as the Buckeyes ultimately fell 42-41 to the Bulldogs.

C.J. Stroud announces he’s entering the NFL Draft

His career at Ohio State has been special:

21-4 record as starter
2x Heisman finalist
2x Big Ten OPOY
1x Rose Bowl champ

QB1 made his mark as a Buckeye ✍️

(via @CJ7STROUD) pic.twitter.com/P17gGwkwT4

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 16, 2023

Stroud did everything he could and more in that matchup, throwing for four majors with no picks and 348 passing yards. He also rushed for 34 yards, many times making plays with his legs at vital junctures of the contest.

Still, many will be left with images of him failing against Michigan in “The Game” in back-to-back seasons as a reason why there are better QB’s to select.

Is It Inevitable Bears Trade Top Pick?

First things first, if the Bears decide to keep this pick it is highly doubtful they’ll take a quarterback, as they already have Justin Fields who they chose in the first round just two years ago.

By all accounts, and judging by Chicago general manager Ryan Poles comments after the season, Fields will be the guy to lead the Bears for the foreseeable future.

If the Bears keep this pick, they’ll likely take Anderson who might’ve been the first overall pick last year if he had been eligible. Regardless of whether he plays outside linebacker or defensive end, Anderson is expected to be a huge disrupter at the next level after finishing with 27.5 sacks in his final two college seasons.

Draft Bryce Young and trade Justin Fields from former GM and VP Mike Tannenbaum 🤯. Give me your thoughts Chicago! #DaBears #Bears #ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/y50gDegwGp

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) January 10, 2023

The most likely scenario for Chicago is they trade down for somebody who wants to draft a quarterback. You can bet Houston is praying nobody jumps them at number 2 and they get the QB they covet with their pick.

Best Value to Go Number 1 in 2023 NFL Draft

While there is more value in betting on Stroud to go first overall, it would be a surprise to see a team select him instead of the other top quarterback option available.

In many eyes, Alabama’s Young cemented his status as the top QB by actually playing in his Bowl game. With a lot of top prospects opting out of those games in recent years, scouts love that Bryce actually took to the field.

Young played injured throughout a good portion of this season and still performed more than admirably with a number of inexperienced wideouts, tossing for 32 scores and just 5 interceptions.

For most, Young is the clear-cut best pivot in the draft. While many things can happen between now and April, our prediction is that it’ll be the former Crimson Tide man to be selected first and that Stroud will have to wait to hear his name called on draft day.