Opening 2021 NFL Draft Odds – Lawrence Heavily Favored to Be First Pick, Which Players Selected First at Each Position
- Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a -305 favorite to be the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which is a jump from the +100 he was at during this time in 2019
- Although Ja’Marr Chase is favored to be the first wideout off the board, his numbers might sag a bit without Joe Burrow throwing him passes
- Read below for our best betting recommendations for 2021
With the 2020 NFL Draft out of the way, we can now shift our mock drafts towards the 2021 NFL Draft. As of now, the oddsmakers have Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence as the heavy favorite to be the top pick in the draft. We also have odds on who’ll be first at each position. Let’s take a look at the options and see where there’s value.
Odds To Be First Player Drafted In 2021 NFL Draft
| First Player Drafted | Odds |
|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence | -305 |
| Justin Fields | +300 |
| Penei Sewell | +400 |
| D’Eriq King | +1600 |
| Micah Parsons | +2500 |
| Jamie Newman | +3300 |
| Alex Leatherwood | +3300 |
| Gregory Rousseau | +3300 |
| Ja’Marr Chase | +5000 |
| Travis Etienne | +5000 |
| DeVonta Smith | +5000 |
| Patrick Surtain II | +5000 |
| Jaylen Waddle | +5000 |
| Shaun Wade | +5000 |
| Chuba Hubbard | +6600 |
| Sam Cosmi | +6600 |
| Najee Harris | +8000 |
| Kellen Mond | +8000 |
| Rashod Bateman | +10000 |
| K.J. Costello | +10000 |
| Walker Little | +10000 |
| Rondale Moore | +10000 |
| Brock Purdy | +10000 |
| Justyn Ross | +10000 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | +10000 |
| Kyle Trask | +10000 |
| Tylan Wallace | +10000 |
| Jaylen Mayfield | +10000 |
| Sam Ehlinger | +10000 |
| Kylin Hill | +20000 |
Lawrence Heavily Favored To Be First Overall
If the theme of the 2019 NFL season was “Tank for Tua” when Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was favored to be the top pick, we’re going to have a similar “Lose for Lawrence” storyline for the 2020 season. The Clemson quarterback had a breakout year in 2018, leading the Tigers to the National Championship, and he’s been viewed as a sure-fire No. 1 overall pick whenever he comes out.
There's something soothing about Trevor Lawrence throwing speed outs so here's 93 seconds of them pic.twitter.com/6L72KgzR7o
— seth galina (@pff_seth) April 21, 2020
With Lawrence finally eligible in 2021, he’s at -305 on the board. That’s a jump from +100 where he was at previously. He’ll have some competition from Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (+300) and Oregon tackle Penei Sewell (+400) but I don’t view these guys as holding much of a candle to Lawrence.
Fields is a dynamic weapon but Lawrence is going to be viewed as the best pure passer. And with Sewell, he’d have to have one of the best seasons ever for a tackle and have the quarterbacks stumble to have any shot at being first overall. I wouldn’t bet this because of the juice but Lawrence should be the guy.
2021 NFL Draft Odds
| First Quarterback Drafted | Odds |
|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence | -400 |
| Justin Fields | +350 |
| D’Eriq King | +1000 |
| Jamie Newman | +1200 |
| Sam Ehlinger | +1800 |
| Kellen Mond | +2000 |
| Brock Purdy | +2000 |
| K.J. Costello | +3300 |
| Kyle Trask | +3300 |
| First Running Back Drafted | Odds |
| Travis Etienne | -125 |
| Najee Harris | +150 |
| Chuba Hubbard | +300 |
| Kylin Hill | +450 |
| First Wide Receiver Drafted | Odds |
| Ja’Marr Chase | +100 |
| DeVonta Smith | +400 |
| Jaylen Waddle | +400 |
| Rashod Bateman | +700 |
| Tylan Wallace | +700 |
| Rondale Moore | +800 |
| Justyn Ross | +1200 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | +2000 |
| First Offensive Lineman Drafted | Odds |
| Penei Sewell | -400 |
| Alex Leatherwood | +400 |
| Walker Little | +700 |
| Sam Cosmi | +1200 |
| Jaylen Mayfield | +1400 |
Odds as of Apr. 25th.
Value With Ross at Top Wide Receiver?
There are a lot of good wide receivers coming out in 2021 but a number of them have concerns. Ja’Marr Chase of LSU is viewed as the top wideout and Alabama’s DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are also expected to be first-round picks. The issue is that Joe Burrow is no longer at LSU and Tua Tagovailoa is no longer at Alabama.
The moves by Justyn Ross… pic.twitter.com/7pFLET4Wiq
— ClemsonEditz (@ClemsonEditz_) September 15, 2018
With those players being forced to play with new quarterbacks, their performance could suffer. I think Justyn Ross is a really talented, big target who runs great routes. His production has been solid (66 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns last season) and should continue to be in Lawrence’s final year too.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Ross makes his way up the board while some of the other current leaders falter. He’s worth a flier at +1200.
Hubbard a Good Choice For First Running Back
The Oklahoma State Cowboys offense figures to be quite explosive in 2020. That’s why I also wouldn’t sleep on Tylan Wallace being the top wideout in the draft but while he has a little bit of ways to go in his ascent up the chart, Hubbard is already one of the best backs in the country.
.@CowboyFB RB Chuba Hubbard's remarkable season has made him a celebrity and inspiration in his home country of Canada 🇨🇦🤠 pic.twitter.com/EWWmCeht1r
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 30, 2019
Last season, Hubbard compiled 2,094 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. He added another 23 catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a big play waiting to happen and he gets the job done both as a runner and a receiver.
Hubbard is going to be neck-in-neck with track star Travis Etienne, who has lightning speed and is the favorite here. However, I see Hubbard as having slightly better size and being the best pure runner. These guys should be neck-in-neck but since we’re getting value with Hubbard, I’ll take a shot with him.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
