We’re just finishing up the 2020 NFL Draft, but we’ll take a look ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft and a few potential candidates for the first overall pick next April.
2021 NFL Draft: Who will go first overall?
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday, April 25 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The Cincinnati Bengals nabbed LSU QB Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He is the third straight Heisman Trophy winner and third consecutive quarterback taken with the top overall selection. A signal-caller has been taken first overall in 15 of the past 20 drafts, too. Each of the past three No. 1 overall picks have also been transfer quarterbacks.
While that last tidbit is a bit interesting, that streak is likely to come to an end in 2021. It’s widely believed Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence (-250) will be the first player to hear his name called next April.
2021 NFL Draft bets: Trevor Lawrence (-250)
Lawrence, who already has a national championship under his belt from 2018, is also considered to be the favorite for the 2020 Heisman Trophy in college football. In just two seasons in the upstate, he has thrown for 6,945 yards with 66 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions while also running for 740 yards and 10 scores.
Lawrence will no longer have WR Tee Higgins to target downfield, as he will be playing on Sundays with Burrow and the Bengals. WR Justyn Ross (+10000) is expected to be the new No. 1 wideout for Lawrence and the Tigers, and he might also be a Top 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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2021 NFL Draft bets: Justin Fields (+350)
While Lawrence might be the favorite at this juncture, Ohio State QB Justin Fields (+350) is also a candidate for the top spot in the 2021 NFL Draft. And hey, he was a transfer from Georgia to Ohio State before last season, so he fits the trend we discussed above. Fields had a season to remember in 2019, throwing for 3,273 yards while completing 67.2% of his passes. He also tossed 41 touchdowns while being picked off just three times and he ran for 484 yards and 10 more scores.
Fields will be the trigger man in Ryan Day’s wide-open offense, and he has outstanding WR Chris Olave to reel in those big downfield passes.
2021 NFL Draft bets: Penei Sewell (+500)
If you want to think outside of the box, and believe the quarterback run at No. 1 overall will come to an end, Oregon OT Penei Sewell (+500) might be a potential candidate. Sewell protected QB Justin Herbert, now of the Los Angeles Chargers, and he even received one second-place vote for the Heisman in 2019.
2021 NFL Draft bets: Best of the rest
The Bengals, Chargers and Dolphins all picked quarterbacks early in 2020. If they end up back with the No. 1 pick in 2021, they will certainly not be taking a signal-caller again. That’s why Sewell and Ross could be top picks, and at great value.
In addition, watch LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase (+5000), Clemson RB Travis Etienne (+4000), Alabama OT Alex Leatherwood (+4000), Wake Forest QB Jamie Newman (+4000), Penn State LB Micah Parsons (+2000), and Miami QB D’Eriq King (+1400) and DE Gregory Rousseau (+4000) as potential candidates for the top overall selection.
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