Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins offer some of the best 2019 NFL Draft odds

It’s draft week! The 2019 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday, and the buzz remains high that the Arizona Cardinals will draft Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick. Arizona spent a first-round pick on quarterback Josh Rosen a year ago, but Kliff Kingsbury’s reported love of Murray has most people assuming they’ll spend a second consecutive first-round pick on the most important position on the field.

Whether you think Murray will go No. 1 or you think it’s just a lot of smoke, you have an opportunity to profit from your predictions. The expansion of sports betting in America has resulted in various opportunities to bet on most any sporting event, including the NFL’s annual player selection draft. If you are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Nevada you can bet at local sportsbooks. If you are not in one of those states, you can bet at various offshore sportsbooks.

All are providing a host of wagering opportunities for the first round. We’re going to break down a few of the best bets at FanDuel Sportsbook, PointsBet, DraftKings, and the South Point in Las Vegas.

The entire free world expects Murray to go No. 1 this Thursday. You can bet on which team will draft him and also who specifically will go No. 1 overall, regardless of if the Cardinals make the pick or trade down. However, there is little to no value when it is far from a sure thing.

Sportsbooks are currently offering Murray going No. 1 at -1000 odds. That means if you bet $100 and he goes No. 1, you will win $10. You can make some money doing that, but is it worth the high price just to win a few bucks?

There is better value in moving past the media narrative. Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams have been discussed as the best overall talents in this draft. The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly high on Bosa, but what if Arizona picks him over Murray? If that happens and Murray is available at No. 2, I would not be at all surprised to see the 49ers trade back to a QB hungry team. Murray is currently installed at +1800 to go No. 2 overall. If Bosa goes No. 1, a rush to grab the Oklahoma QB could offer a strong value proposition at No. 2.

Since the value is not there to bet on Murray at No. 1, who else might you consider? At FanDuel Sportsbook, you can get odds of +350 on Bosa and +2000 on Williams. If you put down money on both of those prospects, you put yourself in position for a nice profit. If Bosa hits, you earn some decent winnings. If Williams hits, you hit even bigger. Regardless of the sportsbook, if you think there’s a chance Murray does not go No. 1, Bosa and Williams are the plays.

It is entirely possible a team is willing to mortgage their future to move up and draft Murray. If the price is right, Arizona could decide it’s worth trading down and sticking with Josh Rosen as their quarterback. If Murray is the apple of someone’s eye, you can bet on which specific team drafts him — regardless of draft position.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the New York Giants are +750 and the Oakland Raiders are +800. Both teams badly need a quarterback. The Giants may or may not be interested in Dwayne Haskins or Daniel Jones, while the Raiders are a tougher call. But if you think either makes sense, it’s worth considering those kinds of odds rather than the -1000 that it will take to bet the Cardinals.

The quarterback position is the most important in football, and potentially all of sports. It’s near impossible to land a franchise quarterback in the prime of his career, so teams are inclined to reach for the position in the draft. Many a general manager career has been made or broken by this philosophy.

The over/under for first round quarterbacks is sitting at 3.5 across the board, with the over a consistent favorite. Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins seem likely to be the first two off the board. Daniel Jones and Drew Lock are viewed as the most likely other first round options, with some suggesting either could surprise and end up in the top half of the draft.

There could always be another surprise option, but even without any other options, the over is a strong option.

We know teams will reach for the quarterback position, but could we see the ultimate reach at the top of the draft board? Murray is a strong bet to go No. 1, but after that the expectation is the Raiders or Giants would be next to grab a quarterback. They sit at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively. After Arizona, you’ve got the 49ers, Jets, Raiders, Bucs, and Giants.

The 49ers, Jets, and Bucs are not expected to pick a quarterback, but all three are likely open to making a trade. If I’m the Giants or Raiders, a move up to No. 2 would be pricey but probably not toooooo pricey. If you think Haskins or Lock or Jones is the answer to your quarterback concerns, a move up makes some amount of sense if the price is right.

Offshore sportsbook Betonline.ag offers odds on quarterbacks going first and second in the 2019 NFL Draft. You can bet NO for -4000 or you can bet YES for +1000. That means if you bet $100 and quarterbacks go No. 1 and No. 2 overall, you win $1,000. It’s a long shot for a reason, but there is some modest value given how the NFL values quarterbacks.

The over/under on Alabama first-round picks is 3.5. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and offensive tackle Jonah Williams are all but certain to go in the first round, and both could end up in the top ten. After that, things get a little hazier.

Running back Josh Jacobs is getting some love, but he is ranked all over the place depending on your source. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller ranks him No. 7, CBS Sports ranks him No. 99, ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks him No. 22, and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks him No. 8. Running backs have seen their value declined in recent years, but it only takes one team to like Jacobs in the first round.

That gets us to three Alabama players potentially in the first round. If we will see the over in round one, it would likely be tight end Irv Smith or safety Deionte Thompson. Both show up fairly minimally in the top 32 of big boards, with Jeremiah ranking Smith No. 28. Otherwise, neither is expected to go in the first round.

DraftKings is offering the Alabama prop bet at 3.5 players, with the under favored at -220 and the over sitting at +190. The South Point set the total at 3 players, and is offering -110 odds on both the over and under. I’d take the under on either wager, figuring that even if Jacobs goes in the first, the South Point odds at least get me a push.

The easiest winner might end up coming courtesy of Betonline.ag. They have installed an over/under on total non-FBS players selected in the draft — set at 18.5. The over is favored at -160 and the under is listed at +120. Dating back to 2000, every draft has seen at least 19 players, and as many as 25 non-FBS players selected. There’s no guarantee it will happen again, but given that history, you’ve gotta like the chance of it happening again.