You can bet on NFL games, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, Golf, presidential elections and much more! Did you know you can also bet on the NFL Draft? Yep – you can lay wagers down on the NFL Draft beyond the obvious of whom the first player drafted is going to be.
NFL Draft betting has become a staple over the last several years as more and more people take advantage of legal online sportsbooks. Stats and information for research are available online at your fingertips. Still, there’s some mystery about what NFL Draft betting consists of. No worries, it is very simple – at least it starts simple and then goes from there as you explore your options. Here’s some information that could help you get started.
Types of NFL Draft Bets
This is a simple yet complicated answer. It depends on what sportsbook you use. Some may just have some basic offerings such as the first player drafted. And other sites could offer things such as the first position, the first school, the first three players, and more. Essentially, the door is wide open depending on where you decide to participate. Here are some of the common betting offerings you may see.
First Player Picked in the Draft: This is very similar to betting on NASCAR when it comes to picking a winner of a race. This type of wager is simply on what player will be drafted first in the NFL Draft which is like what driver will win a particular race.
What Position Will be Picked First: There’s no need to overly explain this one. What position will the first pick of the draft be? You can pick any position based on your research such as quarterback, running back, safety, offensive line, etc. You are not naming a specific player or team, just the position.
Team’s First Player Picked: This wager is easy to explain. It is like the above, but based on picking a specific team, and then picking what player they will take first. If you are a Titans fan and know they need some help on the offensive line, then you could test the waters with a wager like this.
What Position Will a Team Pick First: Like above when it comes to a team’s first pick – but more specific to the position and not the person. For instance, you know your team will probably pick a QB but there are three different QBs available. With this type of wager, you are just selecting the position and not naming one of the three.
Other NFL Draft Props: Depending on what sportsbook you use; you’ll have some fun checking out some of the prop bets that pop up. It could be what player from a school is drafted first, how many wide receivers go in a certain round, the same with any other position, if a certain player goes in the first ten picks, or if they slide down the board and the ever-popular position of “Mr. Irrelevant” which is the nickname given to the last player selected in the last round of the draft.
Keep in mind that the selection of wagers available will vary from round to rounds and depending on what sportsbook you choose. Also, some of the choices will naturally narrow as the draft progresses. You can only have one first player picked, one first position picked, and one first player and position a team picks.
The great thing is that every sportsbook comes up with interesting and fun choices to make as things move along. They want to keep users engaged so they will not let things get too boring!
NFL Draft Betting Guide
Talk about a loaded topic. Handicapping is just doing good research – the more you do the better your chances will be. The amount of real-time data that’s available online for any sport – especially NCAA football is stunning. Here are a few things you can do when it comes to researching the NFL Draft.
Stay Local: Are you just interested in your favorite team? Then the best option might be to dive into some of the stats, news stories, and fan boards about the team you follow. That works perfectly if you are not looking towards wagering on teams you don’t follow or know too much about. But you should also consider the following suggestions below.
Draft Order: One of the first things to consider is what the draft order for teams will be. If three teams need an offensive tackle and your team is the 10th overall pick and the other two team pick before you, then that could affect how you wager. One of the other two teams could snag your player. So you may need to have a few additional players lined up. Spend a few minutes looking over the draft order and the needs of the teams.
Mock Drafts: There are plenty of mock drafts available before the actual NFL Draft. It’s a good idea to look at some of these. A quick online search will produce countless ones to choose from. Larger sports sites such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, Barstool, and more all have options. Look for trends and similar picks between the different mock drafts.
News / Sports Radio: Reading up on players heading to the draft in your newspaper or online is a great starting point. There are plenty of sports radio stations around and many of them are also broadcasting online. Of course, there is Sirius/XM with its fleet of sports shows including the NFL Channel.
NFL Combine: The annual NFL Scouting Combine is a great source of information and now it’s a nationally broadcast event for much of the time it is taking place. There are also Pro Days set up by many colleges of all sizes that hope to promote their top prospects. Watch for stories following these events about how a player looked.
