C.J. Stroud no longer odds on favorite to go No. 1 in NFL draft

Trending a wee bit down, but you can still expect Stroud to go off the board very early in the NFL draft. #GoBucks

We’re now just one week away from the 2023 NFL draft, and all eyes will be on which quarterback will be the No. 1 overall selection. For a while, that sure looked like things were trending toward Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud being the first player off the board, but as these things tend to do with the draft, the winds seem to be changing.

That’s because Stroud is no longer the betting favorite to be selected by the Carolina Panthers when the first pick is in next Thursday night. That now appears to be leaning toward Alabama quarterback Bryce Young according to multiple sportsbooks.

For one example, the FanDuel Sportsbook has odds that have Stroud slipping to No. 2 overall. That pick — by the way — belongs to the Houston Texans. Here’s how things look for the top four quarterbacks everyone seems to be watching.

  • Bryce Young, Alabama: -1200
  • C.J. Stroud, Ohio State: +800
  • Anthony Richardson, Florida: +2500
  • Will Levis, Kentucky: +7500
Where Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud lands on Chris Simms top draft quarterbacks
Oct 8, 2022; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) celebrates after throwing his fourth touchdown in the first half of the NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

So far, the Panthers have been very careful about leaking any information if they’ve already decided, so you have to wonder where the change in sentiment comes from. Maybe it’s some of the so-called manufactured negative news about Stroud, or maybe it’s something the wise guys are hearing out in Vegas.

Either way, wherever Stroud goes, you can expect it to be very, very early into the night on Thursday and of course, we’ll be here for it all with reaction and analysis.

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