The 2023 NFL Draft begins Thursday night with 31 player selections being made in the 1st round. While a quarterback will be selected No. 1 overall and as many as 4 could go in the 1st 10 picks, many consider the best players in the draft to be on the defensive side of the ball. Below, I analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s draft odds for NFL prospects and tab who will be the first defensive player drafted — just part of SportsbookWire’s many expert picks and predictions among our NFL best bets.
Two pass rushers, 2 conerbacks and a defensive tackle are all expected to be selected in the top 10. The 1st defensive player could be selected as high as the No. 2 overall pick.
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NFL odds: First defensive player drafted
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 7:49 a.m. ET.
- Tyree Wilson: -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Will Anderson: +100 (bet $100 to win $100)
- Jalen Carter: +900 (bet $100 to win $900)
- Christian Gonzalez: +4000 (bet $100 to win $4,000)
- Devon Witherspoon: +4000 (bet $100 to win $4,000)
- Lukas Van Ness: +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000)
- Myles Murphy: +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000)
- Nolan Smith: +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000)
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NFL Draft: Best bets
The pick – TYREE WILSON (-135)
The Houston Texans should select a quarterback. However, it appears they might not and will take a top pass rusher No. 2 overall. Wilson has size, length and is extremely athletic. With new coach DeMeco Ryans coming from the San Francisco 49ers and having had an elite pass rusher in Nick Bosa, Houston is leaning toward the 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive end from Texas A&M.
Worth a shot – WILL ANDERSON (+100)
Anderson might also be the pick for the Texans. If a team wants a pass rusher, no one makes more sense. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound linebacker had 27.5 sacks over the last 2 seasons, the most in college football. And, he did it for Alabama in the toughest conference in the country. If the Arizona Cardinals don’t trade out of the top pick, Anderson could go at No. 3.
Sleeper – JALEN CARTER (+900)
Seattle, which has the No. 5 pick, has been the team most connected to Carter over the last several weeks. They signed 2 defensive tackles in free agency and tried to add another. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Carter is the best defensive tackle in this draft, but the Georgia star has had some off-field issues.
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