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Odds to Be Selected In 1st Round of 2021 NFL Draft – Etienne, Dickerson, Bateman, and More

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in NFL Football

Updated Apr 28, 2021 · 8:10 AM PDT

NFL Draft First Round Odds - Rashod Bateman & Kadarius Toney
Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman runs during Minnesota NFL football Pro Day Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton- King)
  • The NFL Draft will be held Thursday through Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Odds have been set for more than three dozen players on whether they will be selected in the first round
  • Odds and betting advice on those prospects can be found below

The NFL Draft begins Thursday night, and seemingly the entire world knows the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to select Trevor Lawrence with the first pick, and Zach Wilson is headed to the New York Jets at No. 2.

However, uncertainly surrounds many players who will be picked during the three-day event that runs through Saturday in Cleveland.

Some who are considered potential first-round selections will slide to the second round or maybe even the third. Conversely, some players who are expected to go in the second round will end surprising the experts by being chosen in the first round.

Odds of being selected in the first round have been set for more than three dozen prospects.

2021 NFL Draft First Round Odds

Team Odds
Kwity Paye (Michigan) -1667
Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech) -715
Jaelen Phillips (Miami) -715
Teven Jenkins (Oklahoma State) -560
Greg Newsome II (Northwestern) -560
Azeez Ojulari (Georgia) -400
Trevon Moehring-Woodard (TCU) -335
Christian Barmore (Alabama) -305
Zaven Collins (Tulsa) -305
Najee Harris (Alabama) -305
Elijah Moore (Mississippi) -305
Gregory Rousseau (Miami) -286
Jamin Davis (Kentucky) -250
Rashod Bateman (Minnesota) -230
Sam Cosmi (Texas) -125
Travis Etienne (Clemson) -125
Kadarius Toney (Florida) -121
Liam Eichenberg (Notre Dame) -110
Alex Leatherwood (Alabama) -110
Landon Dickerson (Alabama) -106
Terrace Marshall Jr. (LSU) +100
Jayson Oweh (Penn State) +100
Asante Samuel Jr. (Florida State) +100
Joe Tryon (Washington) +110
Eric Stokes (Georgia) +125
Nick Bolton (Missouri) +130
Rondale Moore (Purdue) +130
Kelvin Joseph (Kentucky) +150
Jalen Mayfield (Michigan) +150
Ronnie Perkins (Oklahoma( +150
Javonte Williams (North Carolina) +150
Joseph Ossai (Texas) +175
Pat Friermuth (Penn State) +275
Quinn Meinerz (Wisconsin-Whitewater) +300
Kyle Trask (Florida) +800
Davis Mills (Stanford) +1300
Kellen Mond (Texas A&M) +1800

Odds as of April 28th at DraftKings

Right Guy, Wrong Position?

Christian Barmore had a high-profile college career as the leader of the defensive line at Alabama.

The 6-foot-5, 310-pound tackle had an outstanding 2020 season in helping the Crimson Tide to the national championship. Barmore had 9.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 13 games during his second and final season in Tuscaloosa.

Barmore has the tools to be a standout D-lineman in the NFL. He has been clocked at 5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and that speed and quickness enables him to get off the ball and shoot the gap rapidly while also getting off blocks.

The only knock on Barmore is his lack of technique when it comes to hand movement and hip bending. However, those things can be cleaned up with NFL coaching.

Yet it would be unwise to bet on Barmore being picked in the first round. Teams love to draft edge rushers over interior linemen, and there is no team with a glaring enough need to use a first-round pick on one.

Uncertainty Surrounds Eichenberg

Like playing for Alabama, being part of the Notre Dame program puts a player in the spotlight. Thus, Fighting Irish offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg’s name is familiar to many college football fans.

The 6-foot-5, 302-pound Eichenberg helped Notre Dame reach the semifinal round of the College Football Playoffs last season, where they lost to Barmore and Alabama.

Notre Dame scored 33.4 points a game in 2020 while compiling a 10-2 record. The Fighting Irish also averaged 448.5 total yards behind Eichenberg, and a veteran offensive line.

Eichenberg gets out of his stance quickly, has excellent hands, and gives a first good strike to the defender. However, Eichenberg also struggles with bigger defenders – such as Barmore – and there is some thought he will need to get stronger to make an impact in the NFL.

Few teams are said to have a first-round grade on Eichenberg and only a handful of mock drafts project him being a first-rounder. It would be a surprise if he was among the top 32 picks, so it’s best to stay away from his line in the NFL Draft first round odds.

Big Play Bateman

Most NFL teams cannot get enough wide receivers with the game relying more heavily on the pass each season. Thus, it is a little surprising to Minnesota receiver Rashod Bateman being taken in the first round at just -230 in the NFL Draft odds.

Bateman’s statistics fell off last season a junior following a sensational sophomore season in 2019. Thanks in large part to a faltering offense in 2020, the Golden Gophers had a 3-4 record in the pandemic-affected season. Bateman had 36 receptions for 472 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Bateman shined the year before when Minnesota went 11-2. He averaged a whopping 20.3 yards a reception on 60 catches for 1,219 yards. Bateman also caught 11 TD passes.

What makes Bateman especially attractive is his versatility. He has the toughness and hands to make tough catches over the middle. Yet he also possesses the explosiveness to gain substantial yardage after contact and burns defenses on deep routes.

Almost every draft analyst is convinced Bateman will go in the first round. It would be surprising if he didn’t.

Overshadowed Toney

Florida’s Kadarius Toney is considered a notch below Bateman among wide receiver prospects. However, Toney also has first-round ability.

Toney had a big senior season for the Gators last fall. He had 70 receptions for 984 yards, and 10 touchdowns as Florida went 8-4.

There are a couple of reasons why Toney was a bit anonymous in 2020. Tight end Kyle Pitts’ outstanding season overshadowed Florida’s wideouts. Toney is also a late bloomer who had just 50 receptions combined in his first three seasons for 606 yards and two scores.

Toney has outstanding quickness that makes tacklers miss and the speed to run past even the best cornerbacks.

Toney plays with a noticeable edge, and that might turn off some teams. However, he certainly has talent and plays a marquee position, and represents a good value bet in the NFL Draft first round odds.

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