The NFL draft is just over a week away and sportsbooks have released odds on where they believe players will land. Sitting at No. 17, the Raiders could go in several different directions, but the belief here is that they will go offensive tackle in Round 1.
However, the odds don’t necessarily suggest that. At BetMGM, the Raiders are currently -175 to take a defensive player with their first pick. If that’s the case, which player makes the most sense at No. 17? Well, let’s look at the odds.
BetMGM has the Raiders the favorite to land Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons at +500. While those odds aren’t fantastic, it’s noteworthy that no team has higher odds than the Raiders. Here are the odds on potential landing spots for Parsons:
Raiders +500
Chargers +500
Vikings +500
Cowboys +800
Giants +800
Eagles +800
Cardinals +1000
Broncos +1000
Lions +10000
Parsons to the Raiders still feels like a bit of luxury, considering the team signed Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski last year and were able to retain Nicholas Morrow in free agency.
But if Parsons is by far the best player available when the Raiders pick, maybe Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock won’t be able to ignore his talent. He would instantly add speed and athleticism to a defense that desperately needs it. Still, it’s hard to envision that the Raiders will ignore both the offensive line and the secondary in Round 1, given their massive holes at both spots in favor of a linebacker.
Look for Parsons to come off the board somewhere between the 11-18 in next week’s draft. But don’t expect the Raiders to land Parsons despite being the odds-on favorites to pick him.
[vertical-gallery id=79963]
[lawrence-newsletter]